The Profile: The roboticist who was right about AI & the billionaire blowing the whistle on Trump’s crypto shop
This edition of The Profile features Jeff Bezos, Justin Sun, Hans Moravec, and more.
Good morning, friends!
When my twins were born, one of them needed two life-saving blood transfusions in his first days of life. There wasn’t anything I could do except watch, pray, and hope.
As I was sitting in that chair in the NICU, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that a stranger saved my son’s life. I was so grateful to a human being I had never met.
I think about that person very often.
There’s a Japanese phrase, “the red thread of fate,” that says we’re all connected by an invisible string to people whose lives we’re meant to touch. Whether or not you believe that, I love the idea that our lives are constantly intersecting in ways we’ll never fully understand.
Most of us will never know the full ripple effect of our actions. A passing introduction leads to a marriage. A random act of kindness arrives on the exact day someone was ready to give up.
That stranger who donated blood will never know my son’s name. They’ll never know the joy of watching him grow into a smiling, curious little boy. But because they chose to show up on that totally ordinary day to donate blood, our family got to bring our son home and make a lifetime of memories.
I still remember exactly where I was sitting in that NICU when I promised myself that as soon as I could, I would donate blood too.
Last week, I did it. Maybe my donation will help someone battling cancer, recovering from surgery, or a brand new baby in his first days of life. I won’t know, and that’s what’s so beautiful about it.
Most of us spend our lives wondering whether we’re making a difference. Blood donation is one of the few acts where you can be almost certain that you are — even if the person whose life you change never learns your name.
The red thread of fate.
— Polina
THE PROFILES.
— The roboticist who was right about AI [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The billionaire alleging fraud at Trump’s crypto shop
— The founder of the world’s biggest business
— America’s most talented nepo baby
— The founder guiding the next generation of founders
THE PEOPLE.
The roboticist who was right about AI: Nearly 40 years ago, roboticist Hans Moravec predicted that human-level artificial intelligence would arrive around 2028. He predicted it would come about as result of the explosive growth of computing power. As today’s AI boom unfolds almost exactly on his timeline, the once-obscure pioneer reflects on how his ideas shaped Silicon Valley’s vision of the future, why AI may soon surpass humanity in ways even he underestimated, and why he’s surprisingly at peace with both his own mortality. (New York Magazine)
The billionaire alleging fraud at Trump’s crypto shop: Justin Sun thought he was backing President Donald Trump’s vision for crypto. Instead, the billionaire says he became the victim of one of the industry’s biggest alleged bait-and-switches. He has set off a legal battle that could expose how an $800 million crypto empire enriched insiders while leaving investors behind. (New York Magazine; alternate link)
The founder of the world’s biggest business: When Jeff Bezos was starting Amazon, he set out to build the company that customers loved the most. Three decades after launching Amazon from his garage, it has grown from an online bookstore to the No. 1 business on the Fortune Global 500. Even as Amazon faces mounting antitrust scrutiny, labor criticism, and fierce AI competition, Bezos believes the greatest threat is losing the culture of invention and customer obsession that built the company in the first place. (FORTUNE; reply to this email if you can’t access the article)
America’s most talented nepo baby: E.J. Lagasse inherited one of the most famous names in American food, and all the skepticism that came with it. At just 19, he took over his father Emeril’s iconic New Orleans restaurant, scrapped its wildly successful formula, and transformed it into an ambitious fine-dining destination. Four years later, that bet on himself has paid off. He’s got two Michelin stars & national acclaim. Here’s how he proved that one of America’s biggest “nepo babies” may also be one of its most legitimately talented young chefs. (GQ)
The founder guiding the next generation of founders: After being rejected by Y Combinator, Nicolas Dessaigne built Algolia into one of the world’s leading developer companies. And then, he decided to walk away as CEO. Today, he’s come full circle as a Y Combinator partner, helping the next generation of founders avoid the mistakes he once made.
