Author: intern
Compiled by: TechFlow TechFlow
TechFlow Guide:
While most people are still discussing whether AI will replace jobs, Silicon Valley's tech elites have already begun to reshape their entire life planning.
This article originates from the in-depth thinking of blogger intern on the X platform, who put forward a radical hypothesis: if the exponential growth of AI completely distorts the world 10 years from now, are all our current financial, health, and career decisions wrong?
From ceasing pension contributions to drawing future cash flow in advance, from abandoning long-term health management to reshaping one's social circle, these 21 suggestions are not only a survival guide, but also a "dimensional reduction attack" on the traditional linear view of life.
The full text is as follows:
Imagine if the world 10 years from now became completely unrecognizable.
Starting today, what changes will you make?
Most of my friends in the tech industry are well aware of just how fast AI is accelerating. For those who follow it, this acceleration has been evident for several years, but in the past year, the probability of a truly world-changing "big bang" happening soon has increased dramatically.
Now, this awareness is beginning to spread for the first time among people outside the tech world (that is, ordinary people).
The world will be very different in 5 years. In 10 years, it may be unrecognizable.
Once you accept this in your heart, a natural question will arise:
"So... what should I do now?"
If you fundamentally change your view of the future, then it makes sense to change your behavior in the present.
I've been thinking about this question for years, and over the past few months, I've written down these thoughts in various versions and sent them to friends and family who asked me the question. I've decided to compile my views and conclusions into a list.
The following is the specific content:
invest
- Direct investment in the popularization of AI: (such as Tesla, Nvidia, Palantir, Google, and if you have the channels, you can also invest in Anthropic and OpenAI, etc.).
- Invest in AI-related exponential growth sectors: Robotics, Biotech, Crypto, and Space.
- Invest in the supply chain: computing power, energy, and raw materials.
- If you are under 50, you should no longer contribute to a 401k or Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Account): Avoid locking your capital into 30-40 year retirement vehicles. These vehicles rely on a predictable world and, while they may have a positive expected value (+EV) over the long term, their expected value becomes negative if you need to withdraw early. Prioritize liquidity over decades of tax optimization. By the time these accounts mature, they may have become meaningless.
Universal Finance
- Realize future cash flows as early as possible: Generally speaking, you should take on debts that need to be repaid in the future in exchange for cash today.
- Lock in fixed-rate debt whenever possible.
- For example: Don't repay student loans faster than the required repayment date; apply for a long-term mortgage. In general, treat debt 10 years from now as something that might "not exist," and then act rationally based on that.
- Avoid annuities and long-term financial products that rely on stability.
- Reduce reliance on institutions that assume “slow/linear change”.
Regarding occupations and skills
- Prepare for the deep automation of most mental and physical labor within 5 years.
- Don't pursue law school, medical school, or other extremely long-term training programs now for the sake of financial return on investment (ROI).
- Get extremely close to the AI system: whether as a developer or a power user.
- Build distribution capabilities (audience, leverage, brand): instead of collecting various certificates and qualifications.
- Go work in places where you can observe exponential change up close.
On life and time planning
- Stop planning your life in 30-40 year timeframes.
Here are some practical examples:
- Don't focus your 20s and 30s on "quality of life after retirement".
- Don't be overly optimistic about long-term longevity optimization: You don't need to worry about the long-term effects of cancer, aging, high blood pressure, or anything that you'll "pay the price" for ten years from now. Essentially, the "future health debt" associated with nicotine, sun exposure, alcohol, smoking, or most long-term unhealthy habits may never be repaid (note: implying that technology will solve these problems or the world has changed dramatically).
- Learn to get used to abandoning outdated plans.
- Buy a house near your family as soon as possible: You may want to own land and be near those closest to you. This doesn't change much for most people's plans, but it's best to do it early.
- Generally, don't make plans that are more than 5-10 years ahead: the world will be so different that planning may be pointless.
- Go complete your "wish list": Do those things you've always wanted to do now.
If the world is accelerating exponentially, your current behavior should reflect that—this is simply an update to the underlying assumptions.
