At a Glance:

• Traditional “moats” are going away due to AI and cheap infrastructure 

• The last untapped frontier of differentiation will be human creativity, empathy, and connection

• The legendary breakouts of the next twenty years will be fueled by human flourishing (my next book)  

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The Human-Centric Advantage

For decades, humans have acted as the processors in the computers of commerce, moving data around and putting it into context. We emailed spreadsheets with commentary and the better we were at it, the more successful the company. 

But it turns out that computers are better at computing, and they are becoming smarter, cheaper, and more versatile. Humans are moving aside and letting the systems take over those jobs.

This shift will also remove a huge portion of the “moats” companies have relied on for growth and profits. Building better technology faster has been the source of advantage for startups and large enterprises. That’s about to go away, killing companies and even industries in the process. 

I hear about it daily in my work with stuck startups: “We raised too much money under a business model that no longer works because new competitors can do what we do for a fraction of the cost.” 

So we’re entering a maelstrom of colliding trends: a workforce seeking more meaning, a massive re-skilling of people to “play nice” with hyper-intelligent tech, and a daunting environment to find an advantage–or even a reason for being a company. 

Why This Matters Now

I love helping capitalism be more human. In the past, this has been a pollyanna aspiration relegated to obscure departments and PhD’s. It is a "survive and thrive" strategy. Companies that understand and embrace human motivation will: 

• Hire and retain the best people 

• Build wildly successful products 

• Form unbreakable relationships with customers

• Touch hearts and minds through powerful positioning 

• Create wealth for everyone involved 

• Respond more nimbly to market shifts 

Whether you're a founder, CEO, artist, creator, investor, consultant, or thought leader, I'm here to help you build the new moat—one fueled by human desire. I want you to be wildly successful by being real. 

Stay tuned for many more stories (and please send them my way if you have them!). In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this shift. How are you seeing the human element play out in your industry?

Thanks for the support!  

With love,

Dave

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