"You’re dying and being reborn at every moment. It’s up to you whether to forget or remember that."

Everyone laughed at Zuckerberg’s “stupid” $19 Billion purchase.

Now it has more users than Twitter, Snapchat, and LinkedIn COMBINED.

$150 BILLION in value from one decision.

How Mark Zuckerberg made the best tech investment ever without anyone noticing it: 🧵

2009: Two ex-Yahoo engineers spotted a hidden pattern.

Not in code. Not in data. 
But in human psychology:

People hate friction more than they love features.

This insight would be worth billions:

The founders discovered something fascinating:

Every messaging app was solving the wrong problem.

Other apps focused on adding more features.

But WhatsApp focused on removing all obstacles.

Here's what they saw:

Our brains are wired for instant gratification.

Every extra step creates psychological friction:

• Username creation
• Password recovery
• Friend finding

Each barrier loses users. 
But they found a brilliant solution:

Use phone numbers as identity.

This wasn't just a technical choice.

It was psychological warfare:

• Zero signup friction
• Instant social graph
• Natural viral spread

The growth that followed was crazy:

By 2014, the numbers were staggering:

• 1M new users daily
• 70% daily active rate
• 50B messages per day

But the crazy part? 
They achieved this with just 55 employees.

Then came the dinner that changed everything:

February 2014: Zuckerberg noticed something huge.

WhatsApp wasn't just another messaging app.

It was the first thing people checked in the morning.
The last thing they checked at night.

That was worth more than any revenue:

WhatsApp users weren't just active.

They were addicted:

• 98% message open rate
• Average 195 minutes daily usage
• Stronger engagement than Facebook

Zuck saw what others missed:

WhatsApp wasn't winning the messaging war.

It was rewiring human communication habits.

• Europe abandoned SMS
• India made it their internet
• Brazil built businesses on it

The psychology was perfect:

Over dinner, Zuck made an offer that seemed insane:

$19 billion.

But he wasn't buying an app.

He was buying psychological real estate in 2 billion minds.

The masterstroke came next:

His promise showed deep psychological insight:

"Keep everything. Your culture. Your principles. Your focus on privacy."

No pressure to monetize.

Complete independence.

He understood the power of trust:

The results validated everything:

• 2016: 1 billion users
• 2020: 2 billion users
• 2025: 3.2 billion users
• Zero traditional advertising

All through pure psychological momentum:

But here's what most people miss:

WhatsApp's true value wasn't in its technology.

It was in its psychological lock-in.

When you control attention, you control everything:

That’s why WhatsApp is so valuable.

It controls 3B people’s attention.

And this lesson is huge for online entrepreneurs.

Because even if you can only get a small percentage of attention online…

You’ll make money, live your dream life, and build trust.

So if you want to learn more about how to:

• Build mental real estate in the attention economy
• Grow your personal brand
• Win in the Trust Economy

Join 1400+ internet entrepreneurs getting ahead of the curve here:

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How Zuckerberg's $19 Billion Purchase Surpassed Expectations

I’m German.

15 years ago, Germany was one of the leading countries in tech.

Today, Afghanistan gets better Wi-Fi than Europeans.

And now, the EU’s new AI Act is about to make it 10x worse.

Here’s the tragic story of how the EU is killing our tech future: 🧵

The numbers tell a brutal story.

In 2010, Germany had 2 of the world's top 10 tech companies.

Today? Zero.

SAP remains our only real global tech player, ranked 17th by market cap.

But to understand how we got here, we need to look at what changed:

2009: Germany's tech scene was thriving.

• Berlin rivaled London for startups
• We led in industrial automation
• German engineering was the gold standard

Then came a regulatory tsunami:

Since 2010, the EU has unleashed a flood of tech regulations:

• GDPR: €4M compliance cost per company
• Digital Markets Act: killed Platform growth 
• AI Act: World's strictest AI rules

Each meant to protect. 
But each killed innovation instead.

Want to launch an AI startup in Europe today?

You'll need:

• €1M+ in legal fees
• 2+ years for compliance
• Mandatory "ethics boards"
• Multiple regulator approvals

Meanwhile in the US? Just start building.

Look at global AI investment:

• US AI investment: $400B+
• China: $120B+
• EU: $50B+

While they invest in the future... We invest in paperwork.

The results?

German startups moving HQ to:

• US: 47%
• Dubai: 18%
• Singapore: 23%

It's not a choice anymore. Stay in EU = Stay slow

Even worse? 

We're regulating ourselves into dependency.

Because EU companies can't build tech locally, we rely on foreign tools:

• 85% use US AI models
• 92% use US cloud services
• 95% of our data is on US servers

Digital colonization by regulation.

A German VC recently said:

"EU regulators are like overprotective parents who won't let their kid ride a bike because they might fall...

...then wonder why the kid never learns to ride at all."

Perfect summary of our innovation crisis.

Every month, Europe loses:

• 400+ tech startups to US/Asia
• €2B+ in venture capital
• Countless high-skill jobs

But the new AI Act will accelerate this:

The EU AI Act requires:

• Human oversight for basic AI
• Extensive documentation
• Public data disclosures
• Regular audits

Cost for startups? Millions.

This kills innovation before it starts.

We're creating a two-tier digital world:

Rest of World: Cutting-edge

Europe's Ai: Restricted, watered-down versions

Even Afghanistan now gets unrestricted access to tools Europeans can't use.

The solution is clear but painful:

• Match US tax incentives
• Fast-track tech startups
• Slash AI regulations
• Reform hiring laws

But will EU bureaucrats listen?

History suggests no.

I love living in Europe.

Our culture, food, and quality of life are unmatched.

But unless we wake up and slash these innovation-killing regulations...

Our children will build their dreams elsewhere.

That's the brutal truth.

Founders, Creators & Entrepreneurs:

I'll help you build your premium brand through viral threads like these.

100% Done-For-You.

So far, my threads have gained +35M impressions.

Interested? 

Book a call below (serious entrepreneurs only):

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By the way, if you want to take advantage of the latest AI trends:

In my newsletter, I write about AI trends in Europe & how you leverage them to build a Life of Freedom. 

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Germany's Tech Decline and the EU's New AI Act

This is David Sacks.

• Built PayPal with Elon
• Sold a $1.2B company to Microsoft
• Early investor in Airbnb, SpaceX, and Facebook

He says: "AI will create more billionaires than the internet."

Here are his 5 biggest predictions for 2030 (and why you should care): 🧵

First, his credentials:

PayPal COO in 1998. Sold for $1.5B.

Founder of Yammer in 2008. 
Microsoft bought it for $1.2B.

$3B under management at Craft Ventures.

Silicon Valley considers him a master of predicting tech shifts.

His early bets changed industries:

• Airbnb when hotels dismissed it
• SpaceX, before their first rocket returned
• Facebook when most thought social media was a fad

But his AI predictions are on another level:

"The 90/10 Economy"

By 2027, the economy will reshape dramatically:

10% of companies will master AI and capture 90% of market gains.

90% will fall behind, struggling to compete.

The market is already separating winners from losers.

The numbers don't lie:

AI-powered companies see 40% productivity gains.

AI adoption creates 3-5x valuation premiums.

The S&P 500 now moves based on AI announcements.

"This shift makes the internet revolution look gradual."

"The Age of AI-Human Teams"

The biggest breakthrough isn't pure AI.

It's humans with AI amplifying their capabilities.

This combination will outcompete both traditional teams and AI-only solutions.

A new class of "augmented professionals" is emerging.

Lawyers using AI complete cases 66% faster.

Developers with AI assistants write code 55% quicker.

Marketers with AI tools generate 70% more campaigns.

The productivity gap is becoming unbridgeable.

"The Great Valuation Reset"

AI will force a complete revaluation of every business.

Companies will be valued on:

• Quality of their data
• Ability to attract AI talent
• AI implementation efficiency

Old metrics will become irrelevant by 2026.

"Recalibrating"

2020-2021 tech valuations weren't normal.

They were a fever dream.

SaaS companies trading at 15-35x revenue will return to historical 5-6x multiples.

More market drops are coming. Prepare accordingly.

"The AI-Native Revolution"

By 2025, successful startups will be AI-native by design.

Just as mobile killed web-only companies in 2010.

By 2026, AI will make traditional software obsolete.

The extinction event for legacy business models has begun.

Sacks is putting his money where his predictions are:

His fund invested $175M in healthcare AI startups.

$220M in financial AI platforms.

$150M in enterprise-specific AI solutions.

The industry transformation is accelerating daily.

The most crucial insight from Sacks' predictions:

"The Age of AI-Human Teams" isn't just a trend.

It's the new foundation of wealth creation.

Those who master this combination will dominate their industries:

AI tools alone won't make you exceptional.

Your personal brand combined with AI mastery will.

This is why the digital landscape is separating winners from everyone else at unprecedented speed.

The window to capitalize on this shift is closing fast.

If you want to learn more about how to:

• Grow your personal brand
• Win in the AI economy
• Build digital trust

Join 1300+ internet entrepreneurs getting ahead of the curve here:
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David Sacks: Predictions for 2030

In 2014, Elon laid out Tesla's secrets to BMW.

No one understood why he did it.

But Elon saw something no one else did...

This "act of kindness" was actually the most brutal move in corporate history.

Here’s what happened next (and why BMW never saw it coming): 🧵

BMW was perfectly positioned to dominate electric vehicles:

• 100+ years of engineering expertise
• Deep manufacturing knowledge
• Massive brand loyalty

They were investing billions in their i3 and i8 models.

But they made one catastrophic assumption about Elon's move:

On June 12, 2014, Elon published a blog post with an unexpected title:

"All Our Patent Are Belong To You"

He announced Tesla would release ALL their patents for free use.

Auto executives thought he'd lost his mind.

But there was genius behind the madness:

Tesla faced two existential problems in 2014:

• No charging network
• No industry standards
• Tiny EV market (0.3% of global sales)

Tesla couldn't succeed if the entire EV category failed.

So Elon made an unprecedented move:

He weaponized generosity.

By releasing patents, Tesla:

• Made their tech the standard
• Got others to build chargers
• Forced market validation

While BMW protected IP, Elon was playing 4D chess.

Here's what they missed:

The $5 billion Gigafactory wasn't just about batteries.

It was about scale economics.

While BMW studied patents, Elon built a facility to make more batteries than the entire WORLD produced in 2013.

The cost advantage became devastating:

By 2016, Tesla's battery costs fell to $190/kWh.

BMW was stuck paying around $280/kWh.

This 47% cost difference meant:

• Better performance
• Higher profit margins
• Tesla cars could have longer range

The "gift" was actually a carefully laid trap.

The Gigafactory was just the beginning.

While BMW outsourced, Tesla vertically integrated:

• Motors
• Batteries
• Software
• Raw materials

As Steve Jobs said: "Start with the customer experience and work backward."

By 2018, the results were clear:

The Tesla Model 3 outsold BMW's entire 3-series line in the US.

By 2020, Tesla's market cap exceeded ALL major automakers combined.

By 2022, Tesla's profit margins hit 17% while BMW struggled at 10%.

The patent strategy changed everything.

Tesla's "open source" approach wasn't just about beating BMW.

It proved a fundamental business truth:

In the digital age, network effects beat proprietary advantages.

As Peter Thiel wrote in "Zero to One": "Competition is for losers."

Elon understood this better than anyone.

The lesson for all industries is clear:

Sometimes the best advantage isn't hoarding knowledge.

It's sharing it while building superior execution.

As Jeff Bezos says: "Your margin is my opportunity."

BMW is still playing catch-up a decade later.

Today, Tesla's EV costs are unmatched.

Their batteries remain years ahead.

Their charging network spans continents.

All because they knew in the 21st century, the best way to win isn't protecting ideas...

But making them the standard.

The most powerful insight:

In today's economy, what you share can be more valuable than what you keep secret.

This applies beyond just business strategy...

It's the hidden pattern behind every successful personal brand:

The creators winning today aren't hoarding their knowledge.

They're strategically sharing insights that:

• Establish their expertise
• Create network effects
• Build massive trust

This is why the digital landscape is transforming so rapidly:

Knowing which ideas to share and which to keep private is the new edge.

Done right, your content becomes both marketing and moat.

This is the pattern most still haven't recognized...

If you want to learn more about how to:

• Win in the AI economy
• Grow your personal brand
• Build a meaningful business

Join 1000+ internet entrepreneurs getting ahead of the curve here:
julianross.beehiiv.com

Elon Musk's Ruthless Corporate Maneuver against BMW

This will create more billionaires than the internet boom:

2015: The AI market value was $126B
2025: $748B
2035: $4.7T

But everyone’s missing the bigger picture.

The true opportunity isn’t in AI - it’s in what comes after: 🧵

Remember when the internet was just "email and websites"?

That's AI right now.

We're seeing a 2000% market growth in 20 years.

But just like the internet wasn't about websites...

This isn't about chatbots and image generators.

Everyone's focused on ChatGPT and image generators.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The real revolution is under the surface:

AI is becoming the foundation of every industry.

Think about what happens when intelligence becomes a utility:

Like electricity in the 1900s.
Like the internet in the 2000s.
Like cloud computing in the 2010s.

Each wave created a new class of billionaires.

This wave will dwarf them all.

The numbers tell an incredible story:



2021: AI powered 5% of global businesses 
2023: AI powered 30% of global businesses 
2025: Projected to power 80%



This isn't a gradual change.


It's an economic revolution.

Traditional tech made us more efficient.

AI makes us more capable.

Take DeepMind's AlphaFold:

Solved protein folding in hours.

Previous estimates? 50+ years.

But the next wave of billion-dollar companies won't build AI.

They'll build on top of it.

Just like Amazon didn't build the internet. They built on top of it.

History repeats.

Everyone thinks they will lose their jobs to AI.

Wrong.

You will lose your job to somebody who uses AI.

AI won't replace humans, it will make us more capable.

The beauty of this revolution:

You don't need to be a tech genius.
You don't need millions in funding.
You don't even need to code.

You just need to see the possibilities others miss.

This creates two types of opportunities:

• Building new things that were impossible before
• Transforming existing industries with AI superpowers

The second group will make more billionaires than the first.

The takeaway?

Learn how to use AI.

So many people have no idea what AI can do or how it can help you.

They always see it as this bad force that will take everyone's job.

But when you start seeing AI as something that can help you.

You'll get ahead of everyone else.

The CEO of Microsoft even says that it will drive up wages.

So:

If you want to:

• Learn more about AI
• Build a meaningful business
• Succeed in the creator economy

Join 1000+ internet entrepreneurs getting ahead of the curve here (it's free):
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The Billionaire-Making Potential Beyond AI

In 2023, OpenAI's board secretly fired Sam Altman.

Within 72 hours:

• 95% of employees threatened to quit
• The $90B company nearly collapsed

What happened next changed the AI world forever.

Here's the shocking story of how OpenAI nearly crumbled: 🧵

November 2023: A normal Friday at OpenAI.

The company was doing well:

• ChatGPT had 100M+ users
• Revenue hit $1.3B annually
• The first developer conference just ended

But this was about to change...

Employees got a shocking email.

Sam Altman was fired, starting right away.

The board's reason? "Sam wasn't consistently candid in communications."

No other explanation. No warning. The AI world was stunned.

The timing made no sense:

• OpenAI was valued at $90B
• Microsoft had invested $13B
• Major partnerships were pending
• Tech giants were scrambling to catch up

But behind the scenes, a secret battle was raging...

The real conflict?

A mysterious AI breakthrough called Q* (Q-Star).

Researchers thought it could have advanced reasoning - a step toward AGI.

The discovery sparked intense internal debates...

The board, led by chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, had concerns:

• Development was moving too fast
• Q* showed unexpected capabilities
• Safety protocols were being questioned
• Altman's push for commercialization felt risky

They made their move...

The chaos spread.

Greg Brockman (President) resigned in protest.

Three senior researchers quit.

Hundreds of employees were in shock.

But the night was just beginning...

By midnight:

• Board held crisis talks
• Investors sought answers
• Customers feared shutdown
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stepped in

The stakes were enormous...

The news of Sam's firing shocked everyone.

Microsoft plans backup.
Board refuses to budge.
Investors try for peace.
Staff drafts letters.

Something big was about to happen...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella saw an opportunity.

He made a simple offer:

• A job for Sam Altman
• A job for Greg Brockman
• Jobs for any OpenAI employee who joined them

This changed everything...

The whole company stood together:

• Important AI projects stopped
• 95% of employees said they'd quit
• Tech leaders begged for a solution
• OpenAI's $90B value started dropping

Then something unexpected happened...

Ilya Sutskever, who helped fire Sam, changed his mind.

He posted on X: "I deeply regret my participation in the board's actions."

The same person who pushed Sam out now wanted him back.

The board was losing control...

OpenAI got a new temporary CEO: Emmett Shear.

But the employees had clear demands:

• Bring Sam and Greg back
• Get rid of the current board
• Keep OpenAI's mission safe

They weren't backing down...

Everything was falling apart:

• No one was working
• Partner companies pulled out
• OpenAI had 3 CEOs in 3 days
• Microsoft was ready to take everyone

Silicon Valley was holding its breath...

But after 72 hours of intense negotiations:

• Sam Altman returned as CEO
• The board was completely restructured
• Microsoft got a non-voting board seat

But the impact was just beginning...

The crisis reshaped AI governance:

• Companies strengthened employee rights
• Board oversight was transformed
• "Open" AI model was questioned
• Microsoft's AI influence grew stronger

The industry would never be the same...

The OpenAI crisis revealed something most people missed:

When everything fell apart, it wasn't money that saved the company.

It wasn't technology.
It wasn't even Microsoft's power.

It was trust.

Trust is what gave Sam Altman his power:

• The tech community trusted his vision
• Partners trusted him to lead OpenAI forward
• His team trusted him enough to threaten quitting

Without trust, even a $90 billion company can crumble in days.

But building trust isn't just for tech CEOs.

It's the secret weapon for anyone building online today:

• Content creators
• Small business owners
• Online entrepreneurs

The ones who build trust win.
A bit about me:

If you want to learn more about:

• Growing your personal brand
• Winning in the AI economy
• Building digital trust

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The Unraveling of OpenAI

"We overestimate markets in years, but underestimate them in decades"

Amazon is 100x ahead of every competitor in e-commerce.

Not because of better products.

But because they discovered something in 2006 that no one else saw coming:

The power of infinite scale through customer obsession.

When Jeff Bezos launched Prime for $79 in 2006, analysts called it "Amazon's biggest gamble yet."

Walmart's CEO said: "They'll bleed money forever."

What happened next changed retail forever:

Let's go back to 2006:

• eBay was worth $4.5B
• Target's online sales were just 2% of revenue
• Walmart hadn't even launched e-commerce

Everyone focused on margins, Bezos focused on loyalty.

His crazy idea? Make shopping feel free.

Prime's secret weapon wasn't just 2-day shipping.

It was behavioral psychology:

• Status signaling ("I'm a Prime member")
• Sunk cost fallacy ("I already paid for Prime")
• Loss aversion ("Wasting money if I shop elsewhere")

Bezos rewired how we think.

By 2008, the first signs appeared:

Prime members spent 300% more than non-members.

The real magic? 93% renewed their membership.

Bezos wrote to shareholders: "When you have something that works, you double down."

Amazon poured $2B more into Prime.

2010-2015 changed everything:

• Prime Day created
• Prime Video launched
• Amazon Fresh expanded
• Same-day delivery in 27 cities

Amazon started adding more value to having a Prime subscription.

Each service made Prime harder to leave.

The numbers tell the story:

2006: 1 million Prime members
2010: 10 million
2015: 54 million
2025: 200+ million

But here's what really matters:

Prime members spend $2,500+ yearly (on average).

Non-members? Just $544.

The gap keeps growing.

But Amazon's true innovation?

It became a basic need, like your phone bill or Netflix.

You don't think about it. You don't compare prices.

You just keep it because life feels harder without it.

They created a product people can't live without.

By 2020, Amazon's system was complete:

• 73% of US households had Prime
• 82% of Prime members shop Amazon weekly
• Prime members visit Amazon 49x per month

The competition never saw it coming:

Prime wasn't a product. It was an operating system.

Today's reality:

Target's RedCard? 10% of sales.
Walmart+? 20M members.

But they're fighting yesterday's war.

Because Prime didn't win by copying Netflix or UPS.

It won by changing how 200 million people think about shopping.

Here's what Bezos taught me:

The power of long-term brand building.

Everyone was fighting on price, but Amazon built something more valuable:

Trust at scale.

Today's digital economy runs on trust.

The winners aren't just the best products.

They're the brands people trust most.

And there's one asset that builds trust faster than anything else:

Your personal brand.

Think about it:

Bezos wrote yearly letters sharing his vision openly.

While competitors hid behind PR, he built in public:

• Admitted AWS failures
• Shared Prime's early losses
• Published customer complaints

Transparency won.

So:

If you want to learn more about:

• Growing your personal brand
• Winning in the AI economy
• Building digital trust

Join 1000+ internet entrepreneurs getting ahead of the curve here:
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Amazon's Hidden Secret:

The man who heals what therapists can’t:

Arthur Brooks.

This Harvard Professor spent the last 30 years studying happiness.

It’s impossible to be depressed, stressed, or anxious after understanding his teachings.

His 5-step protocol for a lifetime of happiness:

At age 19, Brooks dropped out of college to pursue his dream as a French horn player.

For 12 years, he toured with the Barcelona City Orchestra.

Then in 1994, at 31, he made a choice that shocked everyone:

He was deeply unhappy.

That's why he decided to quit.

With just $1000 in savings, he went back to school to study social science.

This began his 30-year quest to decode happiness.

By 2009, Brooks became president of the American Enterprise Institute.

His research revealed an interesting pattern:

78% of high-achieving professionals reported feeling deeply unfulfilled.

This led him to develop the "Satisfaction-Success Matrix" at Harvard:

Step 1: Happiness Is A Direction, Not A Destination

Most of the things society told us about happiness was wrong.

You can't ATTAIN happiness.

You can only be happier.

That's the key insight you have to understand if you want a happier life.

Step 2: The Three Macronutrients of Happiness

Just like your body needs protein, carbs, and fats, Brooks found your mind needs:

• Enjoyment (daily pleasures + human connection)
• Satisfaction (earned through struggle)
• Meaning (something bigger than yourself)

The science is clear:

Missing even one of these "macronutrients" drops happiness by 31%.

Brooks' research shows:

Most unhappy people focus on just one or two, neglecting the crucial balance.

Step 3: The 90/10 Rule of Happiness

Brooks's research found:

90% of happiness comes from:

• Faith/philosophy (gives meaning)
• Family (provides love)
• Friendship (offers support)
• Work (creates purpose)

10% comes from everything else.

Step 4: The Opposite Signal Strategy

Imagine you're feeling lonely right now.

What you should do: Go outside, meet friends.
What most people's instincts are: Lay in bed, watch Netflix.

They're isolating themselves even more.

Don't follow your instincts. Follow the opposite.

Step 5: Develop Deep Relationships

Brooks found a shocking truth: The Nr.1 predictor of happiness isn't success or wealth.

It's the depth of your relationships.

His research shows: One hour of meaningful connection gives more happiness than a 50% raise.

The science behind this is clear:

Eye contact and physical touch release oxytocin, the "connection molecule."

In 2024, we're facing an oxytocin deficit crisis. Remote work and digital connections aren't enough.

But there's hope:

Brooks discovered:

Even 10 minutes of in-person connection daily increases happiness by 47%.

His solution?

• Have real friends, not just "deal" friends
• Meet in person, not just online
• Talk weekly, not monthly

Today at Harvard Business School, Brooks teaches these methods to world leaders.

The Dalai Lama called his approach "a bridge between Eastern wisdom and Western science."

Neuroscience backs him: His methods increase serotonin levels by 40% in 8 weeks.

The beauty of Arthur's protocol:

• No years of practice
• No special tools required
• Works across 27 cultures
• No complex theories that aren't proven

You just have to get the 3 macronutrients right and have the right mindset.

Speaking of mindset...

If you want to:

• Develop the right mindset
• Build a meaningful business
• Succeed in our new creator economy

Join 1000+ internet entrepreneurs getting ahead of the curve here (it's free):
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