Every Audio Essays

Chris Dixon, the patron saint of crypto, is still preaching the gospel.

In this essay, Every lead writer Evan Armstrong deconstructs Dixon’s new book, Read Write Own, in which the venture capitalist proffers his still-faithful argument for how crypto and blockchain technology can change the internet—and the world. 

Evan isn’t convinced. “I finished it believing that blockchains can solve niche use cases that rely on the technology’s properties,” he writes. “I was equally convinced that crypto’s promise has been greatly inflated.” While Dixon diagnoses many of the internet’s problems, crypto won’t be the thing that saves it.

Over crypto? Still all-in? Let us know what you think. 

If you found this essay interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share. If you want more from Every on cutting-edge technology, check out our weekly podcast series, How Do You Use ChatGPT?, where host Dan Shipper interviews luminaries and experts like Tyler Cowen, David Perell, and Sahil Lavingia.

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Investing is easy. Investing wisely—well, not so much. 

In this essay, Every lead writer Evan Armstrong helps you wade through the morass of hyped-up startups in your journey to invest in companies that are actually good businesses.

Consider three things when making an investment: business quality, asset price, and portfolio construction. Following this framework could help savvy investors avoid busts and focus on fundamentals and context rather than memes and vibes.

Let us know what you think.

If you found this essay interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share. If you want more from Every on cutting-edge technology, check out our weekly podcast series, How Do You Use ChatGPT?, where host Dan Shipper interviews luminaries and experts like Tyler Cowen, David Perell, and Sahil Lavingia.

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Register for Dan Shipper and Dr. Gena Gorlin’s course, Maximize Your Mind With ChatGPT.

In September 1974, Ed Roberts was $250,000 in the hole from a calculator business and begging the bank for a $65,000 loan. This money wasn’t going to calculators, but to something altogether different—an affordable personal computer. The price? $400. 

The idea of selling a computer at that price—around $2,400 in today’s dollars—was inconceivable. But in a few short years, Roberts’s idea proved a hit—he made millions from sales of his Altair 8800 computers. In the process, he launched the careers of luminaries like Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak, setting in motion the advent of mass-personal computing.

In this essay, first published by Every and now adapted by its author, historian and digital strategist Gareth Edwards walks us through the secret history of the first PC revolution. It’s vital context for our present moment, as AI promises to revolutionize technology just like the PC and the internet did before. In order to understand what’s ahead, one needs to reckon with how we got here in the first place.

Let us know what you think.

If you found this essay interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share. If you want more from Every on cutting-edge technology, check out our weekly podcast series, How Do You Use ChatGPT?, where host Dan Shipper interviews luminaries and experts like Tyler Cowen, David Perell, and Sahil Lavingia. 

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Register for Dan Shipper and Dr. Gena Gorlin’s course, Maximize Your Mind With ChatGPT.

AI is both overhyped and underutilized.

Every’s lead writer Evan Armstrong believes that we have crossed the AI rubicon, estimating that the technology has spurred a 20 percent productivity gain for him in just the past few months.

In this essay, published first on Every and now adapted for audio, Evan provides tips, tools, and hacks to make ChatGPT useful for you—a reasonable person. 

Let us know what you think.

If you found this essay interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share. If you want more from Every on cutting-edge technology, check out our weekly podcast series, How Do You Use ChatGPT?, where host Dan Shipper interviews luminaries and experts like Tyler Cowen, David Perell, and Sahil Lavingia. 

And sign up for Every to get our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT.

Subscribe to Every.

Follow us on X.

Register for Dan and Dr. Gena Gorlin’s course, Maximize Your Mind With ChatGPT.