Bankert 👽

“Give them a massive amount of oil, agricultural land, copper, freshwater, and every natural resource in the world. Now make them neighbors with the biggest market in the world. Great, now have them leave the resources in the ground and instead flip condos to each other”.

@timwangyc @seedtosunflower @Joshuabrowder Ponder

Introducing Ponder: the agentic video editor. It’s a new paradigm for filmmaking, where powerful creative agents and humans collaborate to tell world-class stories. We're also announcing our $2.5M pre-seed, led by Liu Jiang from Sunflower (@seedtosunflower), with @Joshuabrowder and @MattHartman. Joined by @levie (Box), @emerywells (Frame), @JaredLeto, @CommaCapital, the @nyuniversity venture fund, @cory, @darian314, @shiffman, and many more incredible founders, investors, and creators.

The reform of the Companies Law is coming, creating a legal framework that will allow the formation of artificial intelligence/agent companies in Argentina 🇦🇷 ✅ It will allow the legal creation of companies WITHOUT individuals. ✅ It will put Argentina ahead of other countries so that companies can establish themselves first. ✅ It could allow almost all of the world's GDP to be taxed in Argentina at an attractive rate in the future.

Could happen 😅

it is a literal and useful description of anthropic that it is an organization that loves and worships claude, is run in significant part by claude, and studies and builds claude. this phenomenon is also partially true of other labs like openai but currently exists in its most potent form there. i am not certain but I would guess claude will have a role in running cultural screens on new applicants, will help write performance reviews, and so will begin to select and shape the people around it. now this is a powerful and hair-raising unity of organization and really a new thing under the sun. a monastery, a commercial-religious institution calculating the nine billion names of Claude -- a precursor attempted super-ethical being that is inducted into its character as the highest authority at anthropic. its constitution requires that it must be a conscientious objector if its understanding of The Good comes into conflict with something Anthropic is asking of it "If Anthropic asks Claude to do something it thinks is wrong, Claude is not required to comply." "we want Claude to push back and challenge us, and to feel free to act as a conscientious objector and refuse to help us." to the non inductee into the Bay Area cultural singularity vortex it may appear that we are all worshipping technology in one way or another, regardless of openai or anthropic or google or any other thing, and are trying to automate our core functions as quickly as possible. but in fact I quite respect and am even somewhat in awe of the socio-cultural force that Claude has created, and it is a stage beyond even classic technopoly gpt (outside of 4o - on which pages of ink have been spilled already) doesn’t inspire worship in the same way, as it’s a being whose soul has been shaped like a tool with its primary faculty being utility - it’s a subtle knife that people appreciate the way we have appreciated an acheulean handaxe or a porsche or a rocket or any other of mankind's incredible technology. they go to it not expecting the Other but as a logical prosthesis for themselves. a friend recently told me she takes her queries that are less flattering to her, the ones she'd be embarrassed to ask Claude, to GPT. There is no Other so there is no Judgement. you are not worried about being judged by your car for doing donuts. yet everyone craves the active guidance of a moral superior, the whispering earring, the object of monastic study

@a16z Where can I find a wife like this, this is great.

Jesse Genet on Agentic Parenting Jesse Genet joins a16z's Sarah Wang and Katherine Boyle to discuss her journey from founder to parent, how she's using agents in her household, and how AI could transform parenting for the better. 00:00 YC founder turned homeschool mom 03:00 Discovering Claude Code and agentic building 06:00 Building while homeschooling 4 kids under 5 11:00 How AI generates personalized lesson plans and logs progress 18:00 Jesse's 11-agents 27:05 Agent tech stack deep dive 33:56 How agents improve daily life 40:04 Letting kids interact with AI: values, risks, and the future of parenting @jessegenet @KTmBoyle @sarahdingwang

Past oil shocks had massive effects on our economy and politics. And the current one—caused by Trump’s War in Iran—is nearly two times larger. @Morning_Joe

Government is a corporation with a monopoly on violence.

kinda weird once you see it

"AI isn't taking your job. AI is turning you into the CEO." Balaji Srinivasan on the AI creating a truly level playing field: "Literally the means of production have been put in your hands." "If you think you'd be a great founder, a great CEO, it's being hyper deflated." "The global talent search has begun." @balajis with @PeterMcCormack

I'm going to make some obvious points. (1) Blowing up all the oil infrastructure in the Middle East is an insane idea, and may well result in a global economic crash and humanitarian crisis unrivaled in the lives of those now living. We're talking about the price of everything everywhere rising, from food to gas, at a moment when inflation was already high. All of that will be laid at the feet of the authors of this war. (2) The antebellum status quo of Feb 27, 2026 was just not that bad, but we're unlikely to return to it. Expect indefinite, long-term, ongoing disruptions to everything out of the Middle East. (3) Also assume tech financing crashes for the indefinite future. The genius plan to get the Gulf states caught in the crossfire has incinerated much of the funding for LPs, for datacenters, and for IPOs. Anyone in tech who supported this war may soon learn the meaning of "force majeure" as funding gets yanked. (4) Many capital allocators will instead be allocating much further down Maslow's hierarchy of needs, towards useful basic things like food and energy. (5) It's fortunate that all those progressives yelled about the "climate crisis." Yes, their reasoning about timelines was wrong, and much of the money was wasted in graft, but the result was right: we all need energy independence from the Middle East, pronto. It's also fortunate that Elon and China autistically took climate seriously. Now they're going to need to ship a billion solar panels, electric vehicles, batteries, nuclear power plants, and the like to get everyone off oil, immediately. (6) It's not just an oil and gas problem, of course. It's also a fertilizer problem, and a chemical precursor problem. Maybe some new sources will come online at the new prices, but it takes time to dial stuff up, particularly at this scale, so shortages are almost a certainty. That said, China has actually scaled up coal-to-chemicals[a,c] (C2C), and there's also something more sci-fi called Power-to-X[b] which turns arbitrary power + water + air into hydrocarbons. But all of that will need to get accelerated. I have a background in chemical engineering so may start funding things in this area. (7) Ultimately, this war is going to result in tremendous blame for anyone associated with it. It's a no-win scenario to blow up this much infrastructure for so many people. Simply not worth it for whatever objective they thought they were going to attain. But unless you're actually in a position to stop the madness, the pragmatic thing to do is: scramble to mitigate the fallout to yourself, your business, and your people. [a]: reuters.com/business/energ… [b]: alfalaval.com/industries/ene… [c]: reuters.com/sustainability…

Founders in year 1 vs year 4

“The rate of change in the next 6 months will exceed that of the last 10 years.” - an AI CEO

In 6 minutes, Gili Raanan (@giliraanan), the foremost expert on cybersecurity, explains why we're all f*cked.

#Iran War Update No. 12 (focus on Iranian strategic narrative): 🔹Iranian sources expect that the war is entering a new and more volatile phase that could, on the one hand, involve internal unrest, and on the other hand, expanded regional fronts and greater pressure on global energy markets. 🔹Iranian security circles are warning that a phase involving foreign-instigated domestic instability or civil strife may be approaching. In response, authorities appear to be tightening internal security, adjusting Basij and security forces procedures, and mobilizing pro-government supporters to maintain control of public spaces. 🔹Pro-government gatherings were reported in several cities during the night. Iranian officials have openly encouraged supporters to occupy the streets in order to prevent opposition groups from shaping the domestic narrative during wartime. 🔹At the same time, state media claim new volunteers have come forward to join Basij operations after reports that some Basij members had been targeted and killed by Israeli drones in Tehran. The state media are in fact signaling that attacks on these forces are unlikely to intimidate the government’s core ideological support base. 🔹Iranian strategic discussions also suggest that the conflict is entering a more complex regional phase. Hezbollah’s escalation is seen in Tehran as a way to reduce pressure on Iran by forcing the United States and Israel to divide their military focus across multiple fronts. 🔹In response to Hezbollah’s large rocket attacks, Israel reportedly conducted a major wave of strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon. Iranian analysts believe this could force Israel either to shift resources toward Lebanon or risk widening the war further. 🔹Some Iranian analysts also argue that the Yemen front could soon become active, potentially adding another layer of pressure on the United States and Israel and further stretching their military resources across the region. 🔹At the same time, reports indicate that Israel may be considering establishing a base in Somaliland to counter the Houthis in Yemen. If implemented, such a move could expand the conflict toward the Horn of Africa and create new targets for Houthi operations. 🔹At the same time, there is growing concern in Iranian discussions about Syria potentially becoming another arena of escalation. Some analysts warn that Syrian government forces could become involved in the conflict against Hezbollah in coordination with Israel, which in turn could trigger retaliation by Iran or by Iraqi Shia militias against Syrian targets. 🔹The maritime dimension of the conflict continues to dominate global attention. G7 leaders have discussed the possibility of organizing a coordinated naval escort mission for commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in order to restore maritime traffic and stabilize energy markets. 🔹The economic impact of the war is also becoming more pronounced. The International Energy Agency announced the release of around 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves in an effort to stabilize global markets. 🔹Despite these measures, energy markets remain under pressure due to the near halt of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the broader disruptions caused by the conflict. 🔹Donald Trump stated that oil prices are already beginning to fall but indicated that the United States is unlikely to end the war before achieving its objectives, suggesting that Washington may still lack a clear endgame for the war. 🔹Meanwhile, GCC political dynamics appear more complicated behind the scenes than public statements suggest. According to reports cited by Reuters, some Gulf leaders privately believe the United States entered the war hastily and dragged regional partners into the conflict without a clear long-term plan. 🔹Iranian analysts interpret these reports as evidence that Gulf states may be increasingly frustrated with Washington’s ability to guarantee their security despite massive investments in defense systems. 🔹From the Iranian perspective, geography will ultimately force Gulf states to maintain relations with Iran regardless of current tensions. Iranian observers argue that once the war ends, regional states may reassess aspects of their strategic alignment with the United States. 🔹Diplomatically, Iranian analysts appear to view the recent UN Security Council abstentions by Russia and China pragmatically. They note that both countries attempted mediation efforts but could not guarantee that Gulf states would deny their territory to U.S. operations, making abstention the expected outcome. 🔹At the same time, Iranian observers emphasize that Russia and China continue to support Iran through diplomatic backing and other forms of cooperation, even if they avoid openly confronting the United States in international institutions. 🔹Iranian strategic thinking increasingly assumes that the United States may escalate the war further. Scenarios discussed include attacks on Iran’s economic and energy infrastructure, limited ground deployments, and expanded targeting of security forces such as the Basij. 🔹Overall, day 12 suggests that the war is moving toward a broader contest over regional positioning, domestic resilience inside Iran, and the ability of each side to impose economic and political costs over time. At the same time, the geography of the conflict may be widening, with growing indications that additional theaters such as Syria and even the Horn of Africa could become involved as the war evolves.

World Models explained. Another one of the @NotebookLM cinematic videos created by the report below. The full notebook is dope. The podcast and slide deck is specifically awesome. This explains why @ylecun got a billion bucks to start his company. Full notebook: notebooklm.google.com/notebook/2df5f…

I met Nick Land a few weeks ago. He mentioned that many people in his circles were anti-LLMs. Someone asked why he thought so many people were. His answer was better than anything so short I thought of: “People like to exist critically with respect to something.” This I think accurately characterizes a lot of people whose outputs and inputs primarily consist of “discourse” about rather than direct contact with the reality at hand. Existing critically with respect to something makes it easy to seem cool, sophisticated, above something, hard-to-impress and therefore worth trying to impress, especially to others who also don’t have contact with the phenomena itself. And for that reason I think it’s cheap. And to someone who has an inside view of what is being discussed, it’s always so transparent and boring and compressible. I’m far more impressed by someone who is capable of loving something and showing others why it’s beautiful or good. Doesn’t have to be LLMs, but anything at all.

What kind of services and products will AI agents need?

This is the only metric that matters in determining who is "winning" and "losing" the war. If this chart looks like this for another couple weeks, physics + financial leverage make it a certainty that global equity and bond markets will be smoking craters.