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Roll the dice baby - I am your lucky six
“You could parachute him into an island full of cannibals and come back in 5 years and he'd be the king.” — Paul Graham on Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, in a blog postfrom 2008.
Micael Balioni
November 30, 2023
THE MUSTS
World
borrowing a few millions
China is the official bank of poor countries
There is no one with as many debts to collect as the Chinese. In figures, they have more than 1.1 trillion dollars in loans to more than 150 countries, from Uruguay to Sri Lanka - all of them poor or developing.
Nothing comes for free in love and geopolitics. Far beyond being "generous", the plan to lend money for construction work in other countries is part of the Chinese government's "New Silk Road" initiative.
A bit of history... In the past, trade between Asia and Europe greatly developed countries that were halfway along the so-called Silk Road. Hundreds of years later, in 2013, Xi Jinping wants to have the same effect, but in countries all over the world. The idea is to lend money for the development and infrastructure of poorer countries.
At least $1.3 trillion has already been deposited in more than 20,000 projects in 165 different countries - which represents 85% of all the countries in the world.
The word of the day is "Soft power”. Think that China's strategy, rather than making money from paying off its debts, is to increase its influence and relations with the governments of other countries. Sounds familiar?
What else is on?
Smells like war. Nicolás Maduro has called a plebiscite on an annexation of part of Guyana, which he says is part of Venezuela. The interest in the region is due to its unexploited oil power.
The first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began last week. It took four days for lorries carrying humanitarian aid to pass through and, above all, for civilians to be released.
Italy has concluded one of the biggest mafia trials of all time. The gang controls 80% of the cocaine consumed in Europe the sentences add up to 2,200 years in prison.
Elections Around
"The first libertarian president in the history". Javier Milei is Argentina's newest president, putting the right at the helm of Latin America's second largest economy once again.
Anti-Islam populist wins Dutch election. The result is sending shockwaves through Europe, where extremist nationalist ideology is putting pressure on democracies.
Him again. Pedro Sanchéz, of the Socialist Workers' Party, was officially re-elected president of Spain for the next four years.
Wholesome News
no more hungry babies
“It might seem strange to talk about hope right now. But amidst all this darkness and negativity, there is indeed hope and there is progress. Excellencies, I am here to tell you that, thanks to the tenacity and generosity of everyone in this room, we finally have the momentum to put child malnutrition behind us once and for all.” - Omar Abdi, Deputy Executive Director UNICEF Global Food Security Summit, 20th November 2023
Since the year 2000, stunting in children under 5 years of age has declined by one-third, and today, there are 60 million fewer undernourished children.
Give me the goods
Gapminder, the Swedish foundation created by Hans Rosling, has just done a big refresh on a bunch of its data, including extreme poverty. Two decades ago, a quarter of the world's population lived in extreme poverty. That fell to 8.3% by 2022. The pandemic caused setbacks, but it didn’t change the fact that life has continually improved for most people in the world in this century.
Tajikistan poverty rate fell from 32% in 2009 to 13,4% in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic strengthened the country’s intensive care units, sanitary and digitalisation of its health systems.
The gender gap in science is closing. Men outnumbered women by 3.93 times among those authors who started publishing before 1992, but only 1.36 times after 2011. Still a long way to go, but this is progress!
South Africa will become the first African country to introduce shared parental leave. Previously, mothers were entitled to four months while partners were allowed 10 days.
Scientists in Brazil are developing the first vaccine that could help break cocaine addiction. The vaccine is designed to help produce anti-cocaine antibodies in the body of a person who is chemically dependent on the substance.
A 14-year-old invented a soap that treats skin cancer. He hopes to refine his innovation and create a non-profit organization to distribute the soap to communities in need over the next five years. (Good thing he is not my cousin… Imagine the family gatherings 😄 )
Technology
let’s gossip?
The OpenAI Chronicle
You guys know I love a big plot, and this weekend’s episodes of The Real Executives of Silicon Valley were particularly dramatic: A shocking firing of a tech superstar, breathless gossip about why he was dumped, and a final twist that left everyone even more stunned. Good thing it’s only the future of artificial intelligence that’s at stake.
Let’s see what happened!
Act 1: Chaos - Friday afternoon (17/07)
OpenAI’s board abruptly fired Sam Altman, the founder and CEO of the company, without telling anyone beforehand — not even Microsoft, which invested a staggering $13 billion in the ChatGPT maker (now, pay attention, because this is important). Brockman, OpenAI's president and co-founder, resigned in protest, and the company—one of the most influential in tech—was thrown into turmoil.
Why did OpenAI boot Altman in the first place? Reports suggest that there was a schism over Altman’s aggressive growth plans. Members of the board who believe AI could destroy humanity and want to proceed more cautiously were alarmed by Altman’s fast-paced push to commercialize the company’s powerful ChatGPT chatbot.
Act 2: The Grand Play - Sunday night (19/07)
Microsoft, who is not silly, announced it had hired ex-OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman! They were supposed to lead an advanced research lab. The hires are seen as a business masterstroke by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who was given lemons and turned them into the most delicious lemonade you’ve ever tried.
Act 3: The Internal Strike - Monday morning (20/07)
Back at OpenAI, chaos ensued. More than 700+ employees signed a letter threatening to follow Sam and resign the company unless he returned. With Altman, Brockman, and the majority of the company — Microsoft had managed to concentrate its power in AI further. Or at least that's what they thought...
Finale: Altman's Resurgence
In a jaw-dropping turn of events, less than a week after being sacked by surprise from the very company he helped found, Sam Altman returned to his role as CEO of the ChatGPT creator. It was precisely the investors who pressed for Sam's return to the helm. The relevance is here: In addition to Sam's return, the board members who voted to expel him have been dismissed to form a new board (revenge is a cold, cold, dish…).
The three councillors will prepare the ground for the formation of a new group that will run OpenAI, and Microsoft is expected to have a seat on the new board - as is Sam. In other words, this whole turn of events has left the CEO and Microsoft stronger than ever before… It looks like the tables have turned.
Will OpenAI continue its trajectory under Altman's leadership, or will caution prevail in the face of potential risks? The drama may have paused, for now….
EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Music
Nao vou a pé, nem de taxi, vou de caqui
 Wet Tennis by Sofi Tukker |  i used to think i could fly by Tate McRae |
Wet Tennis by Sofi Tukker: After the twice Grammy-nominated debut album, Treehouse, the duo came back with an album that has a handful of infectious and addictive bangers and party starters that bring together a wide range of styles, from house to EDM to pop to Latinx influences. While we are freezing cold in the Northern Hemisphere, the album is a perfect fodder for a summer festival crowd, full of incandescent and goofy joy. Not their best, but still really fun.
For those that like Jain, Alewya, Bomba Estéreo, Vintage Culture (Rating: 8/10)
i used to think i could fly by Tate McRae: It’s time we stop sleeping on Tate McRae. With hit songs you probably know like “you broke me first” and “greedy” which recently got No. 1 on Billboard Global 200 Chart, Tate has been an ascending star for years now and only this week I gave her album a try. Great lyrics, good vocals, choreography and everything you'd expect from a promising artist. Tate strikes me as exactly the singer who is the complete package and it is not afraid to demostrate it.
For those that enjoy Sabrina Carpenter, Halsey, and Olivia Rodrigo (Rating: 7/10)
Disclaimer: I know both of these albums are from 2022… but I'm human and I miss some releases too. If you have an album to recommend, please do so! It doesn't have to be new, it just has to be good.
Podcasts
do you practice everything that you preach?
From the news I choose to engage to the texts I write, it's likely you've gained some insight into my political and economic perspectives, and although I am not the biggest fan of massive corporations, I do love reading biographies about the individuals managing them… Call me a hypocrite.
My interest was sparked last week by a rare podcast appearance featuring Apple CEO Tim Cook, a figure known for his infrequent interviews. In a strategic move, he engaged in a conversation with one of today's foremost pop stars, Dua Lipa, exploring topics ranging from the profound impact of artificial intelligence to his personal journey and Apple's commitment to addressing climate change.
Tim’s Fun Facts:
- It's worth noting that 90% of Apple's current valuation ($2.97 billion) emerged after Tim Cook assumed the role of CEO.
- Tim Cook made headlines in 2014 by publicly coming out, becoming the sole openly gay CEO in the Fortune 500 at the time. A decade later, that number has increased to four…
Throughout this compelling dialogue, Dua Lipa and Tim Cook navigate the intersection of creativity, leadership, and innovation. While strategic positioning and marketing motives occasionally surface, the podcast remains an engaging listen. Cook shares valuable insights into the societal influence of technology and offers a behind-the-scenes look into managing the world's largest and most valuable company.
(Rating: 8/10)
SHOW ME YOUR SMILE
Fun
random things you might like
"Whispers of dawn". This was the name given to one of the winning photographs in the Nature Conservancy's 2023 competition.
Podcast Lover. For those who get lost in long podcast episodes, this tool identifies important passages and selects what is relevant to you.
Cade a Rafa!? Having a baby and need to settle on a name that works in two languages? MixedName is here to help.
Geography. To see if your skills are up to date, this game will challenge you to identify neighbours in various countries around the world.
Gwyneth Paltrow. Vogue did the traditional 73 questions with the owner of Goop to celebrate the brand’s 15th anniversary. It is definitively way more down to earth than I would expect.
WHAT ABOUT ME?
Micael
the best at being me
Let's talk about one of my biggest on-going life lessons.
As human beings, we naturally find ourselves reflecting on our experiences in relation to others. Our society constantly measures us — grades, rankings, skills, job performance — fueling a cycle of relentless self-evaluation. And in a world that claims to be meritocratic (although it's anything but), resisting the urge to compare seems impossible for me. Yet, this year I'm trying to remind myself there's a healthier way to navigate all this.
Consider our bodies, for instance. When I see someone with flawless skin, no body fat, and a perfect smile, a fleeting thought always crosses my mind:
Why am I not like this?
And even if you are satisfied with your body, you are probably comparing your salary, your relationship, the house you live in… It is natural. However, this is only an immediate comparison. It's not a good comparison because it's a very shallow one: It only looks at a snapshot of life that culminated into that result.
Real growth comes from stepping back a little to try to see the whole picture.
How long has this person been training?
How much time they have available to exercise?
What is this person's diet?
What is their routine?
What are the genetic factors that propelled the results they achieved?
Does their body type favor some activity that mine doesn't?
In 99% of cases, this context will be extremely different - and then the whole comparison starts to make a little less sense.
Despite our shared biology, we are very different beings because of our contexts. Each of us has a very different story, and the only real parameter for comparison you have is yourself. It might seem obvious saying it, but only you have lived the experiences you have lived in the context you have lived. Using others as your parameter simply doesn't make sense.
The body was an example, but I do have a tendency to compare me with absolutely everyone and then beat myself up for not being enough. There will always be someone prettier, richer, better… And the grass is always greener on the other side. However, when I am able to stop the meaningless comparison and use me - in my own context - as a paremeter, I am usually really proud of where I am with my life and what I have achieved so far.
Conclusion: The most authentic benchmark you have to measure your achievements is the person you were a year, a month, or a day ago. Your journey is yours alone and surface-level comparisons serve only to paralyze us. I'm still learning how to handle my self-comparisons, but I do think I am dealing way better with them than I was before, and that’s enough for now.
Micael.
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