Just You Wait
For his 50th birthday, my buddy Chris Shiflett wrote a lovely post chronicling the ups and downs of his life in technology. We participate in tech in different ways but approach it with the same spirit, so I found a lot to identify with, and I enjoyed remembering the euphoria of my own mental growth spurts and moments of discovery like what he describes here:
For a few years, I was learning faster than at any other time in my life. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but I went from feeling like I was in over my head to feeling incredibly competent.
I could do anything.
I don’t know if I’ll get to a place where I share his optimism for what’s to come, but his smarts and thoughtfulness certainly make me want to try.
For the first time in years, I see possibility. Not utopia. AI’s problems aren’t being exaggerated. Like every technology before it, it will reflect the people building it. But possibility is the right word for what I’m feeling, and I haven’t felt it in a while. Not just for young people who haven’t lost their enthusiasm. For people who have been here long enough to remember when the web was open, generous, optimistic, and built by people who simply wanted to make things and share them with the world. That sharing was an expression of our gratitude, and that gratitude is still there.
I think experience matters now more than ever. I think curiosity matters. And I think a lot of people who may have quietly counted themselves out have something important to contribute.
I hope you’re right, Chris. Happy birthday!