Technology is Asymmetric, and so is Life
"Asymmetric" - a newsletter focused on the choices & trends that lead to big positive disruptions in both Technology & Life
Dear Reader,
I am renaming my newsletter from “Tech Thoughts” to “Asymmetric” as I spend more of my time thinking about systems, strategies, and tools to keep up with (and get ahead of) technological disruption - and how to make asymmetric bets in Life in general
I hope you enjoy the upcoming articles, and that you engage and share the tips & tricks you may have developed for yourself in how to maximize upside from both technological acceleration and life hacks in general
Context for “Asymmetric”, the newsletter
An innovation whose time has come will change the world
These changes don’t happen just over-night. Most of them are over-night revolutions, years in the making
Hence, the waves of innovation and disruption often follow similar patters of disruption: Slowly, then Suddenly
Image credit: Coatue
Identifying those technologies and innovations whose “Disruption Day” has come (and identifying those who are not ready just yet) is both an Art & a Science few of us master
Yet entire industries of Startups, Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Financial markets all revolve around seeking to understand where the next disruption will come from
Across industries and markets, decision makers are asking themselves (or at least should be):
“What asymmetric disruption is coming around the corner, and how might it impact us?”
The same goes for our lives in general. Most of our daily choices have very little impact on our lives, but there are a few choices that can have wild consequences
Identifying which of those choices really matter, and how to think about them, can unlock massive upside and opportunities
I daily ask myself the question:
“What choice can I make today can have the biggest positive impact on the rest of my Life?”
Ask yourself the following questions, and assess yourself honestly on whether you are prioritizing your time correctly:
What is the most impactful choice and investment (time / money) you can make today?
Which technologies and innovations can have the biggest impacts on your life and career?
What are you investing in today (time / money) that generates little potential return, and how can you allocate that investment differently?
This newsletter is a collection of frameworks, insights, and tools on how to identify asymmetric opportunities both in Technology and in Life
Learning from domain experts, cutting edge technologists, and early-stage decision makers, I seek to build systems for assessing which future-looking bets to take
I am continuously looking for perspectives, ideas, tools, and mental models on how to best keep tabs on technological opportunities - so please reach out either in the comments sections or on LinkedIn / X
Graham Weaver has a great quote in his famous YouTube clip :
“If I had to summarize great investing in a single word, it would be “asymmetry.”
I learned that, yes, it is possible to reduce one’s downside, but it is not possible to eliminate it. The better strategy is to seek opportunities where the possibility of gains wildly outweighs what you can lose, which is typically capped at 1x your investment.
Further, there are criteria, which, when you stack them on top of each other, don’t stack linearly; they become logarithmic — or asymmetric
[...] then you’re not playing for a 1.5x or 2.0x outcome, you could be playing for a 10x, 20x, or even 100x outcome.
Investing is about finding those asymmetric opportunities”