Something I’ve been thinking about lately: we’re living through a time of overwhelming abundance.
Too much of everything — information, media, products, choices. I was reminded of it while moving homes recently and realizing just how much stuff we’ve accumulated. (How, exactly, did we end up with 12 cutting boards?) It’s a ridiculous kind of privilege — to have so much when so many people don’t — but it still says something about the world we live in.
Everywhere you look, there’s more. More noise, more sameness. And yet, the more we have, the more we crave what’s rare. So in a world of abundance, scarcity holds the real value.
Why does this matter? For the last few decades, scale has ruled business. Bigger platforms, larger networks, infinite distribution. But with the rise of AI, that logic is flipping. When algorithms can generate anything — text, images, even products — what matters most isn’t scale. It’s soul.
So here’s a view I’m forming: I think we’re entering an age when small companies, led by small teams, will rise again. The winners will be those who make something truly unique.
As consumers tune out the infinite sameness, they’ll seek authenticity: the handmade, the local, the deeply considered. Big companies shouldn’t fear other giants — they should fear the thousands of small ones built on care and craft. Quality will be the new moat. Success won’t be measured in scale, but in sincerity.
In a world of infinite replication, the rarest thing left will be something — or someone — real.
