RockNTix

Inspired by a discussion this morning with one of my favorite minds in AI, Scott Cote, I came across this insightful video that I felt was timely to share. Mark Zuckerberg’s reflections on Facebook’s beginnings tell a timeless story about disruption. Back then, it was just a “ragtag” group of college kids—dismissed as a passing fad, a college novelty with no future. The incumbents, with their vast resources and distribution channels, scoffed at the idea that it could make real money or survive the shift to mobile. But what they had in resources, they lacked in vision. As Steve Jobs once said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward."Disruption doesn’t make sense until it’s already happening. That’s the blindspot of incumbents: disruptive ideas rarely come from within the establishment. They come from a small group of people willing to see beyond the status quo. By the time the big players realize they’re wrong, the moment has already passed them by. Today, we’re facing another massive shift. The world can see the decline in confidence in our institutions—healthcare, finance, education, living standards, media. The common thread? Corruption, resource hoarding, and value funneled into systems that are broken and disposable. Not only is that not sustainable, it’s not regenerative. Therein lies the opportunity of our lifetime. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” These words of Jobs are more relevant than ever. In the age of AI, the balance of power is shifting to those with ideas—the ones who see through the noise and can execute with remarkable speed. It’s not about capital anymore; it’s about vision. Big tech has grown complacent, delivering distractions and disposable products while the world demands something more—something with real, lasting value. Let’s be real. How often have you seen a VC waste your time, only to take your ideas for their own gain? The frustration is real, and it points to a deeper issue. Too many investors try to gatekeep innovation instead of enabling it. But here’s the danger to the status quo: There are people who can now execute in months what used to take years, and they’re thinking in centuries and decades, while others are obsessed with seconds. The playing field is shifting—so are you going to be the cause or the effect? There’s a legion of creators out there—people who recognize the chance to reshape systems and create something regenerative. If I were advising investors, I’d say: forget scale for scale’s sake. Find the visionaries who are building what’s needed—something beyond the old, broken playbook. The age of ideas is here, and it’s moving faster than capital alone can match. The winners of tomorrow will be those who empower the right people today—those who understand that disruption isn’t about gatekeeping but about building something that lasts, something that matters.