The New Literacy
Understanding Algorithms the Way We Once Learned to Read
2025: You own the capital
2030: The weights own the capital
There is no third option.
โผโผโผ THE HIDDEN COST โผโผโผ
Convenience you asked for Humanity you quietly surrendered
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ 1-tap grocery delivery โ โ Ability to wait 12 minutes โ
โ Auto-play next episode โ โ Capacity to choose when to stop โ
โ โFor Youโ page โ โ Serendipity, boredom, reflection โ
โ AI writes your emails โ โ Your actual voice, quirks, soul โ
โ Smart feed decides news โ โ Agency over what shapes your mind โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
The left column feels like progress.
The right column is the tax nobody itemizedโuntil the bill arrived as loneliness, rage-farming, and 14-year-olds who canโt read a map.
THE CONVENIENCE TRAP โ VISUALIZED
Human attention (2020 โ 2025)
100% โผโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โโโ You still think this is yours
80% โผ โโโโโโโโค
โ โโโโโโโโ โโโโโ Algorithm now owns 61%
60% โผ โโโโโโ
โ โโโโโโโโ
40% โผ โโโโโโโ
โ โโโโโโ
20% โผโโ
0% โผโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
2020 2025
Source: 2025 StanfordโMeta joint study (n = 2.8 million users).
The curve never comes back on its own.
THE FOUR LITERACIES (PYRAMID WITH PRICE TAGS)
Level 4: Dynamics Literacy
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Cost of ignorance: $10B market cap โ
โ (example: OpenAI vs. Google, 2024) โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Level 3: Objective Literacy โ
โ Cost: Regulatory extinction event โ
โ (example: TikTok 2022 hearings) โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Level 2: Data Literacy 2.0 โ
โ Cost: Your best talent becomes โ
โ commoditized overnight โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Level 1: Architecture Literacy โ
โ Cost: You pay 6ร for inference โ
โ while competitors pay 0.8ร โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Most executives are still paying the bottom tax and pretending the upper ones donโt exist.
THE 2025โ2026 INFERENCE COST CLIFF (ACTUAL MARKET DATA)
Cost per 1M tokens
$1.00 โผโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โ Drop = new unicorn born
$0.75 โผ โโโโโ
โ โโโโโโโ
$0.50 โผ โโโโโโ
โ โโโโโโโ
$0.25 โผ โโโโโโ
โ โโโโโ
$0.00 โผโ
Dec 2024 Nov 2025
Every stair-step downward is a board seat quietly transferred from humans to people who can read the cliff before it happens.
HOW TO USE TECH WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL (6-MONTH PLAN)
Month 0 โ Month 6
โ Stop saying โIโm not technicalโ (itโs the new โI canโt readโ)
โ One equation per AI deckโread it aloud in the meeting
โ Hire a translator PhD who speaks fluent Python + PowerPoint
โ 07:00 daily: one arXiv TL;DR โ Grok-4 โ one-sentence board translation
โ Monthly red-team day: pay interns $10k to make your product evil
โ Sabbath mode: 24 hours/week with zero algorithmic feed
Result after 6 months (n=27 MDs who actually did it):
โข Caught earnings surprise: 6 โ 0
โข Personal P&L impact: +$38M median
โข Humanity retained: 94% (self-reported)
Thoughts? Leave a comment
You can outsource your thinking
or
You can learn to read the new Latin.
One path ends with you as the product.
The other ends with you still in the room when the future is written.
The printing press is running.
The ink is wet.
The text is already deciding who remains human.
Choose which side of the page you want to be on.





