American Dynamism
Semiconductors, fitness, and 2024. It's related, I promise.
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I recently read a fascinating tweet discussing the author’s transformation from pessimism to optimism. He clarifies the ease of a pessimist’s life and the difficulty of the optimist’s.
But that shouldn’t dissuade us from optimism because they are both self-fulfilling. The effort that goes into optimism, like the [lack of] effort that goes into pessimism, can feed the self-fulfilling prophesy of achievement in either direction, for better or for worse.
The author pronounces 3 assumptions to adopt to be an optimist:
The future can be great.
People’s intentions are mostly good.
Ideas are fragile and need nurturing.
The author goes on to state that every new idea is an unrealized dream. And like #3, is delicate. But what would it take to make that idea great?
One new idea that’s surfaced in 2022-2023 is American Dynamism.
It started as a thesis for a new form of technology company written by a GP at A16Z. However, I don’t expect you to care about a venture capital firm’s investment thesis. Nor do I expect you to be all that interested in the companies they invest in. I mainly find it interesting that we are experiencing a return to defense tech being a major part of US innovation. The fostering of the reversal of the erosion of faith, family, and the flag. And mostly - the nurturing of a delicate dream as we head into 2024.
If we go back to WWII and beyond, Silicon Valley (aptly named after the silicon wafers that were first developed there before primarily moving to SE Asia) began as a private and government funded home to innovation specifically for the U.S. Military. In 1957, Fairchild Semiconductor was founded in San Jose, California shortly after the transistor was invented in 1947.
With private funding from Fairchild Camera and Instrument, as well as significant military contracts and connections behind them, Fairchild Semiconductor set off to develop transistors on silicon. These initial transistors were sold to IBM to develop the computer for the B-70 bomber and later used in the minuteman ballistic missiles. The advent of photolithography at Fairchild allowed smaller transistors to be “printed” onto silicon wafers and gave way to the integrated circuit, or chips.
Why does this matter? It’s the background of technological innovation in America that gave way to the information revolution in the late 1990s as a result of the exponential increase in the number of transistors we could print on silicon wafers, resulting in an equal rate of increase in compute power. But during that time the same industry that was originally backed by the U.S. government for technological development transitioned in their primary focus. Building for defense was no longer a positive for many. But that was also driven by rapidly growing challenges in contracting with the government, difficulty in navigating immense bureaucracy, and the rapidly growing consumer customer base. Going from the 1990s to early 2000s and beyond, the biggest tech startups stayed far away from defense. Sure, there were outliers. But the last “Last Supper” in 1993 pushed development to the brink. Former SecDef Aspin scheduled a meeting to bring together the heads of the largest defense firms at the time - to present a blunt wave of consolidation to the big 5 firms we have now.
But there is light.
Beginning recently, new firms are popping up. More money is flowing. and American Dynamism is leading the way.
So what is it and how does it apply to health and fitness?
Katherine Boyle (the author of the original thesis) wrote “How to Win the Fight for America.” In it, she outlines what could cause America to lose, as well as what it will take to win:
“You win a war against America when our identities become more important than our duties to each other. When we turn inward and focus on our neuroses rather than on the needs of our families and our communities.”
Of course it’s easy to throw discourse like this to the wayside - “it’s not my problem.” But there’s even a rebuttal here too:
We’re pressured to downplay the role of our own agency in our impact in the course of history.
Boyle continues:
“You win a war against America when we believe the doomer memes and stop thinking life has meaning at all. When our faith in everything is broken: a recent Wall Street Journal poll found that faith, family, and the flag—the very things that used to define our national character—have eroded in the last 25 years. Less than thirty percent of people say patriotism is important to them, down from 70 percent two decades ago. Religion, having children, and community fared the same. You win the war against America when it’s nihilism all the way down.”
Faith, family, and the flag. Resistance to having children (I will have many in the future), and lack of community. The resurgence of nihilism. Why adopt passive and defeatist theories - even if subconscious? Why not assume the future can be great - not at the hands of others but a direct result of our own agency?
I may be biased - but I see one of the greatest underlying principles to achieving this being our own health and fitness. Actually being strong. Capable of defending ourselves and those close to us.
The flip side is how we have the greatest amount of compute power in human history. Yet only 22.9% of Americans meet the U.S. guidelines for muscle strengthening and aerobic activity. Of the people that actually work out, about 50% are just outright bored every session and/or don’t enjoy it. So with all of our technology, we can’t solve the exercise problem? A problem that isn’t so much a problem as a requirement for a high quality life and active agency.
In the pursuit of a healthier nation, it’s easy to lose focus on the individual: YOU.
But that’s where it actually starts and ends.
One person adopts a new mindset. That creates a chain effect all the way down. 10 years later they have a child, 15 years later that child now works out in the garage with them.
We have Whoop straps, Oura rings, garmins, fancy fitness classes, memberships, and even some excellent communities. My primary goal is to use Acid Gambit to foster an environment for performance optimization and long term health.
Of course many of you are already on the path. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. But many are on the edge, or just starting out. And you are the one’s who can have the greatest impact.
As a result we intend to align the principles of American Dynamism and the strides made in technological innovation with the goal of elevating national fitness levels starting at the individual level. This is both a national security threat and a threat to American existence and quality of life. And this alignment offers a unique opportunity to bridge the existing gap between the remarkable technological progress and the relatively stagnant physical fitness landscape in America, and rapidly declining military eligibility of our youth.
Whether AG makes a massive mark and scales infinitely, or continues right as it is - I will be happy. We are going into 2024 at our strongest ever. The amount of positive feedback I hear is incredible.
Moving forward, there are incredible opportunities I see to further bridge the gap between innovation, the growth of defense investment, and the health/fitness of the average American and members of the military. I can only hope AG can continue to play a role.
I wish you an incredible year and hope you enjoyed this short read.
Cheers.
DISCLAIMER
This is not Legal, Medical, or Financial advice. Please consult a medical professional before starting any workout program, diet plan, or supplement protocol.
how many times did i read this ? yes