Digital Native
Digital Native is a publication about how people and technology intersect. Marshall McLuhan said, "We shape our tools and thereafter they shape us." We investigate both sides of that equation.
26 Predictions for 2026
You know the drill. Last week we graded our 25 Predictions for 2025. Now it’s time to make 26 predictions for 2026. Eventually we’ll have to stop adding a prediction each year, but that’s a problem for down the road.
We’ll break our 26 predictions into two parts: 13 predictions this week, 13 predictions next week. This week covers everything from ChatGPT launching ads, to Anthropic IPO’ing, to social media feeds going synthetic.
Let’s dive in.
Silicon Valley’s 99% Blindspot
I’m addicted to The Pitt, and I spent last weekend catching up on Season 2. Why is The Pitt so good? Because it’s a refreshing look at “real” people’s lives, which is hard to find in today’s TV landscape.
It's Still 1995
It might feel like AI is deep into its adoption cycle, but we’re still very, very early. To use an internet analogy, it’s still 1995. That means that Jeff Bezos (metaphorically) still looks like this:
Make America Healthy Again
When I think of America’s health, I think of Ritz Crackers. Let me explain.
A few years back, I remember seeing this image from Justin Mares. It shows the ingredients for Ritz Crackers in the U.S. vs. in the U.K. America’s version has…a lot more junk in it.
10 Charts That Capture How the World Is Changing
I’ve always been a visual learner, and charts help me process information. Charts are also an efficient way to show how the world’s changing. This set of charts covers a broad range of topics, from ketamine to WhatsApp users, egg freezing to AI job loss.
New York Is An Industry Town
San Francisco and New York are the two biggest startup hubs in the world.
The Bay Area ranks first, with ~25% of U.S. venture deals (measured as a percent of the total number of deals). New York follows with ~14% of deals last year. Here’s a breakdown by sector:
The ChatGPT Prompts That Can Be $1B+ Companies
My friend Chris Paik has an armchair theory that any subreddit with >1M subscribers is large enough to support a standalone, venture-scale business.
In some ways, this a modern-day version of the unbundling of Craigslist or the unbundling of Ebay—two frameworks that underpinned large-scale startup creation in the 2000s and 2010s.
The "Egg Theory" of AI Agents
When I think of AI agents, I think of the “egg theory” in consumer psychology.
When instant cake mixes came out, they sold poorly. Making a cake was too quick and simple. People felt guilty about not contributing to the baking.
Weapons of Mass Production
The artist was featured on Beyoncé’s new album Cowboy Carter in the song “LEVII’S JEANS.” And in a few weeks, Post Malone will feature again on spring’s other big release—Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
The Work of Knowledge in the Age of AI Reproduction
Back in 1935, Walter Benjamin wrote an essay called “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.”
25 Predictions for 2025
It’s a running joke that VCs love predictions. So here I am, to supply you with 25 more.
Last year we laid out 24 predictions for 2024—and overall, I think we did pretty well. While some things didn’t come to pass (no breakthrough AI dating app or AI marketplace quite yet), most broader predictions proved true