The slope ahead is so steep that the past looks flat.

This week clarified something for me. AI is a force multiplier. On top of a strong foundation, it compounds capability at a rate that feels almost unfair. In the absence of a strong foundation, it amplifies shallow thinking and weak judgment just as quickly. It does not replace fundamentals. It exposes them.

That creates a dual obligation. We have to deepen our foundations: first principles, domain depth, craft, judgment. At the same time, we have to become fluent with the multiplier. These cannot be sequenced. They have to happen together.

How we got here does not matter nearly as much as we think. Neither prior success nor failure is a moat.