Everyone Needs an Alfred for Their Batman
And abolish current higher Ed
Everyone Needs an Alfred for Their Batman
Life can feel aimless without the guidance of a mentor—someone like Alfred in Batman’s life. In my view, traditional education, especially college, isn’t always worth it. With enough intelligence, anyone can learn most of the skills they need through hands-on experience in the workplace. What people need is an “Alfred”—a mentor who supports and guides them through their career, offering the wisdom and direction that a classroom can’t provide.
Higher education, on the other hand, often feels like a massive financial burden and an even bigger opportunity cost, particularly for highly intelligent and productive individuals. Rather than enhancing one's career prospects, it often serves as a form of signaling—proof of capability rather than a source of it.
In Other News:
1. The Grim Outlook of China’s Private Sector
China’s private venture ecosystem has been facing increasing challenges due to President Xi Jinping’s crackdowns, a slowing economy, an aging population, and an increasingly autocratic government. The future looks bleak for China, a far cry from a decade ago when it was viewed as the number one threat to U.S. global dominance. Now, instead of worrying about China as a rising power, we should be more concerned about the impact of its economic decline and how to manage the global fallout of a collapsing Chinese economy.
https://www.ft.com/content/1e9e7544-974c-4662-a901-d30c4ab56eb7?shareType=nongift
2. OpenAI Releases GPT-4o1: A Leap Toward AGI
OpenAI has released GPT-4o1, which has solved reasoning challenges that previous AI models struggled with. The road to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is speeding up, and GPT-4o1 is a major step forward in teaching large language models how to reason more effectively.
3. Oracle's Rise and Larry Ellison’s Path to Trillionaire Status
Oracle’s market cap has surged to $445 billion, and Larry Ellison owns 43% of the company—a stake worth $191 billion. Back in 2010, Oracle was valued at $87 billion, and Ellison owned 27% of it, worth $24 billion at the time. Since then, Oracle has spent roughly $155 billion on stock buybacks, shrinking its shares from over 5 billion to under 3 billion.
Ellison hasn’t sold into these buybacks, which has allowed his stake to grow from 27% to 43%. If buybacks continue at this pace, Ellison could soon own a majority of Oracle, especially as the AI boom continues to boost Oracle’s data center business. In fact, Ellison could surpass Elon Musk and become the world’s first trillionaire, riding on the current AI hype.
Trung Phan on X: “Oracle’s market cap is $445B and Larry Ellison owns 43% of the company ($191B)...”