The Elevator: Air, AI Browser, A New Essay About the Future

Leaders take what’s fuzzy and make it clear.

Jun 13, 2025

The Elevator: Curated inputs to elevate your business and expand your lifestyle.

Leadership is About Creating Clarity and Direction

In my work with founders and teams, I keep coming back to one core truth: leadership is about creating clarity when things are uncertain. Recently, I was involved with a company navigating a negotiation. There were two groups, stuck, waiting for someone else to make the first move. No one wanted to set the terms or outline next steps, and as a result, nothing happened.

This is a classic leadership gap. The person who steps up first and defines what they want with clarity, immediately shapes the conversation and creates progress.

Leaders take what’s fuzzy and make it clear. Imagine you’re stranded on a beach after your boat crashes on the shore. People are anxious, looking for direction. The person who says, “You go up the hill, you go look for help, you go find food,” instantly creates order from chaos. People feel safer when there’s a plan, especially when it’s a simple one.

When you set the frame, you give others something to respond to. Even if your proposal isn’t perfect, it anchors the discussion and moves things forward.

A lot of us hesitate to lead because we think we need all the answers. But the truth is, you rarely do. Even at the top of huge organizations, leaders can’t possibly know every detail. What matters is the willingness to make a call, take a risk, and adjust if needed.

So ultimately leadership is about self-trust.

Having enough of it to move forward, even when you can’t guarantee the outcome.

So today, wherever you are, look for the places where clarity is missing. Don’t wait for someone else to go first. Set a direction, however imperfect, and let others react and respond.

That’s how you create value.

If you have thoughts or questions, drop them in the comments.

I’ll be back again next week, later.

xx David

On to the links…

1. Awair Element at home air monitor.

And a talk on “Why Air Quality Matters.”

2. I’m starting to use Dia Browser as my main Browser.

So far I wouldn’t say I’m impressed by any features or any use of AI specfically. That said it’s very fast compared to Arc which was getting slow and buggy from it no longer being updated

3. This Wine Decanter also keeps your bottle fresh after use.

4. Why AI will Save the World (Marc Andreesen)

I am very sensitive to Marc Andreesen’s canonical blog posts on the future. If you had just followed his views from the mid 2000’s onwards you would have done very well.

He wrote “Why Software Is Eating the World” to explain how software (like the apps on your phone) is taking over industries that used to be all about physical stuff—like books, music, movies, and even cars. He predicted that companies using software would win big, and he was right.

A few years later, Andreessen wrote “Why Bitcoin Matters.” He compared Bitcoin to the early days of the internet—a weird, new technology that most people didn’t understand, but that could change everything. He explained that Bitcoin is like digital cash you can send anywhere in the world, instantly, without needing a bank. He believed it could make payments cheaper, safer, and more open to everyone, especially people who don’t have access to banks.

Why Software Is Eating the World ↗ (originally published in The Wall Street Journal, 2011) ⁠

Why Bitcoin Matters ↗ (originally published in The New York Times, 2014)

To me, that makes this post worth following and listening to.

5. On The Tyranny Of Time

“The clock is a useful social tool, but it is also deeply political. It benefits some, marginalizes others and blinds us from a true understanding of our own bodies and the world around us.”

6. And one more because
kyla scanlon
is always on point. Everything Feels Like It Doesn't Make Sense

“Altman's gentle singularity depends on ignoring the violent present that makes it possible. The AI systems he's building require massive data centers, enormous energy consumption, and human labor to train and maintain them⁵. But his vision of abundance erases all of that friction, all of that cost, all of those people.”