#1

Choose your investors wisely

On March 11, entrepreneur Chandler Ward set Utah’s tech scene buzzing with a bold call-out on X: Utah founders, he argued, should start pitching coastal investors to avoid being shortchanged by cautious local VCs. Ward’s thread quickly caught fire, shining a fresh light on a simmering frustration — local investors offering lower valuations, leaving startups vulnerable to equity dilution that can hinder long-term growth.

Ward’s provocative proposal urges us to think bigger and look further. He suggests that attracting investors from outside your local ecosystem can help startups overcome local conservatism, increase valuations, and expand access to influential networks.

Have you encountered better investment terms outside of your local ecosystem?

#2

Another Chinese AI makes waves

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, each innovation seems to outpace the last, keeping us in a constant state of anticipation. The latest entrant, Manus, developed by the Chinese tech firm Monica.im, sets itself apart by moving beyond the traditional chatbot paradigm.

Unlike its predecessors that depend on human prompts, Manus operates autonomously, carrying out complex tasks without direct human intervention. Demonstrations highlight Manus’s impressive capabilities: autonomously sifting through numerous job applications to pinpoint ideal candidates, conducting sophisticated financial analyses, creating interactive data-driven websites, and generating comprehensive reports — all without human oversight.

This level of independence signifies a significant shift from reactive assistance to proactive operation, positioning Manus as a pioneer in “agentic AI.” Manus's emergence invites comparisons to DeepSeek, another Chinese AI model that recently disrupted the tech industry.

While DeepSeek enhanced AI’s reasoning abilities, Manus took a step further by embodying agency — actively making decisions and executing tasks. This evolution from automation to autonomy challenges our understanding of AI’s role in the workforce and raises questions about the extent of human involvement necessary in various professional domains. 

#3

Does America’s obsession with rules endanger justice?

In “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and his former clerk, Janie Nitze, explore the intricate maze of American regulatory overreach through a narrative journey.

One illustrative tale is about John, a Florida fisherman in his fifties, who strives to support his grandchildren. During a routine inspection, a state official, acting under federal authority, measures John’s 2,000-pound catch and identifies 72 red grouper that fall short of the 20-inch minimum size requirement. Ordered to return these fish to shore, a subsequent recount reveals only 69 undersized fish — a discrepancy of three fish, each over 18 inches, totaling less than six inches. This minor variance results in John’s prosecution under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a law originally designed to address financial misconduct rather than fisheries violations. Despite his eventual exoneration by the Supreme Court, John’s life and livelihood are irreparably affected.

Gorsuch’s critique goes beyond individual anecdotes and explores the systemic problems of overregulation. He contends that the proliferation of laws, often well-intentioned, paradoxically undermines the rule of law by creating a complex and sometimes contradictory legal landscape. This environment not only confuses ordinary citizens but also enables bureaucratic overreach, distancing governance from the fundamental principles of justice and fairness.

The book engages with historical debates regarding the essence of law and governance. For instance, the ancient Chinese philosophy of Legalism, embraced by figures like Shang Yang, stressed the strict observance of laws as a means to sustain state control, often at the cost of individual freedoms. Similarly, the Rechtsstaat concept in continental European legal thought underscores the necessity of a legal state where governmental power is constrained by law, ensuring that citizens are safeguarded from arbitrary authority.

Gorsuch’s reflections reflect these themes, advocating for a legal system that balances essential regulation with the protection of individual liberties.

Gorsuch contends that the way to justice is not through an ever-expanding collection of laws but rather through a careful cutting back of unnecessary regulations, thus restoring clarity, fairness, and trust in the legal system.