2026-30 predictions

-globalism is dead. resilience is the new god. countries and individuals are racing for sovereign compute and mineral sovereignty. if you can't produce your own energy, food, and intelligence locally, you're a vassal
-the winner in robotics is the company whose humanoids can navigate a messy, 70s built warehouse. general purpose labor becomes a purchasable SKU, starting in logistics and moving toward elderly care
-the west stops moralizing about mining and starts treating lithium, cobalt, and copper with the same ruthless blood for oil energy of the 20th century
-the line between peace and war permanently dissolves. conflict shifts to gray zone operations. constant cyber attrition, undersea cable "accidents" and satellite interference. no more grand declarations, just a baseline of chaos
-the internet officially splinters. you now have the "open web" (chaotic, bot heavy, western), the "fortress web" (highly censored, eastern), and the "sovereign web" (encrypted, boutique, and high trust)
-neuralink and its competitors move from clinical trials to high performance enhancement for the wealthy. the augmented vs natural cognitive divide begins to show its first cracks in the social fabric
-control over freshwater sources becomes the primary driver of regional skirmishes, replacing traditional border disputes
-corporations with bigger balance sheets than countries (the big 5) begin negotiating directly with governments for territorial autonomy to host their own data centers and energy grids
-the alliance between the New Tech Right and traditional populism fractures. SV realizes that nationalism is bad for the global talent flow they need for AGI. they pivot toward techno statehood and local city states.
-being unreachable is the new wealth. the always-on worker is seen as a low level cog
-content with errors, rough edges, and physical presence becomes 10x more valuable than polished, AI generated perfection
-the Ivy League degree finally loses its power for good. Proof of Work becomes the only resume that matters
-high performers begin taking analog sabbats. deleting all apps for a month to reset dopamine receptors. a requirement for mental elite status
-after a year of AI-slop, the low-fi aesthetic wins. grainy film, handwritten notes, and physical gatherings become the only signs of authenticity
-micro schools and high level apprenticeship guilds replace the bloated university model. learning becomes a high stakes, boutique experience
-physical neighborhoods begin self organizing around shared values (techno-optimism, homeschooling, fitness, etc) rather than just proximity
-infinite scroll is viewed with the same social stigma as indoor smoking
-massive cultural pivot back to the importance of circadian rhythms, mineral balance, and real world movement as the bio-hacks that actually work
-AI is no longer a tech trend. it’s a national utility like electricity. small, high IQ nations pull ahead by building proprietary national models, while large bureaucracies choke on regulation
-high production value is now synonymous with fake or corporate. the most viral content is raw, unedited, and intentionally flawed. if it looks like it could have been made by an AI, it’s ignored