Essays
For a century the college degree was the right bet. Today, it's a $200,000 wager on a world that no longer exists.
Nine months ago I wrote The Proof of Work Protocol (Part 1). The shift I was predicting is no longer coming — it's here. Time for some actionables. In March 2005, Paul Graham wrote an essay called "Undergraduation." His advice to smart undergrads was simple and radical: stop worr...more
The era of being a part of someone else's machine is finally over. It is time to build your own.
I spent years trying to fix education from the inside. I built tools, I talked to deans, and I tried to find the "hero teachers" who could change things. But the system has an immune system. Every time you introduce a new idea, the institution finds a way to turn it into a standa...more
The degree is a lagging indicator of compliance. The artifact is a leading indicator of agency.
We are witnessing the largest destruction of human capital in history. The four year degree has become an expensive receipt for a map of a world that no longer exists. Most people still treat it like an asset. For a century, the degree served as the ultimate Signal. It was a way...more