As a longtime observer of the content creator ecosystem, I’ve seen the prevailing wisdom about platform independence swing back and forth over the years. The latest trend has been a strong push for creators to diversify their content across as many platforms as possible, with the goal of greater independence…

My access to information is staggering. It’s almost smothering. With the click of a button or a simple voice command, I can instantly tap into the collective knowledge of humanity. Ancient history. Cutting-edge scientific research. Classic literature. The latest viral memes. The wealth of human knowledge is quite literally at…

The much publicised, tweeted about and VC endorsed “passion economy” is leading to a staggering and fucked up mental health crisis for creators. The very dynamics that make the passion economy so alluring — the freedom, the potential for outsized success, the ability to make a living doing what you…

Will AI crush the human spirit, or lead to a new Renaissance? — Michelangelo Buonarroti paced impatiently across the wooden scaffolding erected against the far wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. His neck ached, and his fingertips throbbed from hours spent craning his head and wielding brushes to detail the sweeping Biblical fresco filling the ceiling above him. After four long…

Exhausted, Broke and Still Hustling: The New Normal — It’s no coincidence that the “side hustle” economy has grown exponentially at the same time that corporate profits have hit 70-year highs while wage growth has hit a 40-year low. A cynic might call the confluence deliberate. Over the past two decades, the cost of living has risen dramatically. Housing…

Quit the self-help industrial complex — The self-help industry is perpetually booming. Bookshelves groan under the weight of guides on how to get more done, workflows that “changed my life,” and hacks to optimise every minute. TikTok and YouTube are overflowing with productivity tips, hacks, shortcuts, routines, affirmations, and — eternally — courses. It seems everyone…

Generative AI is a massive opportunity. But it’s also the greatest threat of our time. Not only to the livelihood of creators. But to the freedom of human beings. That’s my controversial, hot-button opener. Many folks reading this will already be heading to the comments section to call me a…

Hint: it’s not creators. And it’s not audiences. — Silicon Valley luminaries just love the notion of “democratising” access to something, don’t they? When Mark Zuckerberg spoke about Facebook’s early motto to “make the world more open and connected,” democratised access to information and communication was at the heart of his vision. When Google executives talk about bringing internet…

When I first started writing, metrics were everything to me. I would constantly refresh my stats to see likes, comments, downloads, revenue. The numbers going up felt like validation that I was on the right path. But over time, I realised chasing metrics was ruining my creativity and passion. I…