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Gary Sheng's avatar

Thanks again for reading this Manifesto.

You might have been wondering “Why the emphasis on the U.S.?”:

First, I believe that people from any country should focus on issues that they have disproportionate ability to affect. On that note, just about everyone has more influence over matters to which they are in closest physical proximity to—whether they are matters affecting your family, your town, y- our city, your state/province, or country. As an American, I have more influence over what happens in the U.S. than in, say, Canada, Brazil, or Singapore. And I believe citizens of a country should be most invested in making improvements to the place they live.

Second, the issues affecting the U.S. are not identical to those affecting other countries, even if there are many similarities across countries. Thought leadership on, say, how we improve America’s regulatory regime, educate American family offices, or create media that inspires American students may have some use to movement builders around the world—but the only way that this manifesto and its eventual outputs can help level up America is if they are designed to provide great service to Americans dealing with U.S.-specific challenges.

Third, there is no question that knowledge and technology produced by an American-centric movement can and should be shared with builders in other countries. And in a way that doesn’t replicate the sometimes predatory models of international philanthropy and economic development of the past many decades. And if we want to help the world, it’s important that we know we can help ourselves. Let’s get our own messy house in order before arrogantly assuming we can help others.

Fourth, the US still arguably has the most access to resources and power in the world right now, and changes in the U.S. here have extraordinary leverage in setting positive trends that cascade across the world.

Finally, most of this manifesto can be forked by movement builders in other countries who recognize the applicability of this approach to future-building in their local environment. I welcome this wholeheartedly.

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Amber Brandner's avatar

Gary- in a world often clouded by pessimism, it's refreshing and essential to be reminded of the incredible potential for positive change through innovation. ’Foundational tech' isn't just about technological advancement; it's about reimagining and reshaping our society for the better. It's inspiring to see this call to action for not just creating tech for convenience or profit, but for genuine, tangible improvement in people's lives and the environment. Thanks for the powerful reminder that we are all active creators of our future. 👏

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