WEBVTT NOTE Sentence-level transcript of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Sg--RDtks NOTE One cue per sentence. Cue ids are the line anchors on /transcripts/y9Sg--RDtks.html. A cue ends where the next begins, or 2 s after its last word. s1 00:00:03.840 --> 00:00:03.840 Next up is Ryo. s2 00:00:03.840 --> 00:00:05.840 He was a founding engineer at Cursor. s3 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:11.080 Please welcome him. s4 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:11.080 Designer, sorry, designer. s5 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:13.080 Welcome, Ryo. s6 00:00:16.880 --> 00:00:18.880 You'll want this one. s7 00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:21.560 The handheld mic is more fun. s8 00:00:25.560 --> 00:00:25.560 I'm a little nervous. s9 00:00:25.560 --> 00:00:27.560 Go easy on me. s10 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:32.320 OK. s11 00:00:39.570 --> 00:00:41.390 Hi, I'm Ryo. s12 00:00:41.390 --> 00:00:45.440 My talk today is called “When we can do anything, do we still know what we want?” s13 00:00:45.440 --> 00:00:47.440 Let's get started. s14 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:52.020 To start: our tools are stronger. s15 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:54.020 Why do we feel more uneasy? s16 00:00:57.290 --> 00:00:57.290 I won't tell you how impressive AI is. s17 00:00:57.290 --> 00:00:59.290 You've seen it. s18 00:01:00.760 --> 00:01:02.680 You've used it. s19 00:01:02.680 --> 00:01:02.680 A website from one sentence. s20 00:01:02.680 --> 00:01:04.680 A feature in minutes. s21 00:01:06.800 --> 00:01:11.740 You wake up to a whole night's work done for you, including things you hadn't even thought of. s22 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:14.340 I was excited about that too. s23 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:20.460 Things I could only imagine, I could finally make. s24 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:23.840 Maybe you've felt something else too. s25 00:01:25.300 --> 00:01:25.300 Someone makes something with a new model. s26 00:01:25.300 --> 00:01:30.680 Your first reaction is, “Wow, that's amazing!” s27 00:01:31.540 --> 00:01:33.540 Then comes the second one: “Am I falling behind again?” s28 00:01:36.150 --> 00:01:36.150 Everyone seems smarter. s29 00:01:36.150 --> 00:01:38.150 Everyone's getting more done. s30 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:46.140 A skill you spent years developing now looks like a sentence anyone can type into a box. s31 00:01:48.320 --> 00:01:48.320 And you think, I should do more too. s32 00:01:48.320 --> 00:01:50.320 Learn a few more tools. s33 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.120 Spin up a few more agents. s34 00:01:57.760 --> 00:01:59.760 But if we really can keep this up forever, when is it enough? s35 00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:07.810 I've always believed in making tools. s36 00:02:07.810 --> 00:02:12.950 I designed collaboration tools so people could build their own systems. s37 00:02:13.210 --> 00:02:15.210 Then I designed tools to help anyone make software. s38 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:18.500 I wanted to close the gap between imagination and reality. s39 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:22.000 I still believe in that. s40 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:28.660 But as these tools let me do more, something else matters to me. s41 00:02:30.670 --> 00:02:32.670 Do they help me see what I want to make? s42 00:02:33.740 --> 00:02:35.740 Or am I just trying to keep up? s43 00:02:38.380 --> 00:02:42.840 I'm not here to debate whether to use AI, or tell you that slow is always better. s44 00:02:45.190 --> 00:02:47.190 When we can do anything, do we still know what we want? s45 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:59.220 And with tools this powerful, how do we keep developing our own judgment, figuring out what we care about, and living our own lives? s46 00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:03.700 Part one. s47 00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:05.700 Before making things became proof of who we are. s48 00:03:09.570 --> 00:03:11.570 A lot of that anxiety comes from a habit. s49 00:03:12.700 --> 00:03:14.700 We use what we can do to prove who we are. s50 00:03:18.630 --> 00:03:20.630 I'm a designer because I know design. s51 00:03:20.850 --> 00:03:22.850 I'm an engineer because I can write code by hand. s52 00:03:25.250 --> 00:03:30.060 So when a machine can do those things too, my job is only part of the worry. s53 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:32.080 There's a more personal question. s54 00:03:33.880 --> 00:03:35.880 If what I do isn't special anymore, what's special about me? s55 00:03:39.700 --> 00:03:41.220 I don't have a neat answer. s56 00:03:41.220 --> 00:03:47.500 But I remember how I felt about computers before any of this became my job. s57 00:03:49.100 --> 00:03:53.520 When I moved to Canada as a kid, I saw that Apple computer with a screen that seemed to float. s58 00:03:54.640 --> 00:03:56.640 How could something be that beautiful? s59 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:00.860 I couldn't afford one, so I made my own computer look like it. s60 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:04.580 Changed the icons and fonts. s61 00:04:04.580 --> 00:04:06.580 Figured out how to make those buttons you wanted to lick. s62 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:09.810 I wasn't trying to become a designer. s63 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:09.810 I liked it. s64 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:11.810 I was curious. s65 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:19.920 I wanted a closer look, to see if I could make something feel that way too. s66 00:04:21.710 --> 00:04:21.710 Eventually that became my job. s67 00:04:21.710 --> 00:04:23.710 I was lucky. s68 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:30.780 I could make a living doing something I cared about and meet people who cared about it too. s69 00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:33.550 Then curiosity turned into planning. s70 00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:35.550 Play turned into output. s71 00:04:37.900 --> 00:04:43.780 Taste turned into decisions I had to make on other people's behalf. s72 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.130 You get good at answering: What's it worth? s73 00:04:46.130 --> 00:04:48.130 When can we ship? s74 00:04:49.970 --> 00:04:55.231 But do you remember why you wanted to make it before anyone asked you to? s75 00:04:57.430 --> 00:04:59.430 I don't take comfort in saying, “A machine could never do that.” s76 00:05:01.908 --> 00:05:03.908 That line keeps moving. s77 00:05:05.490 --> 00:05:07.490 What I want to hold on to is my own relationship with making things. s78 00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:16.768 I shouldn't have to prove I'm better than anyone else to keep doing what I love. s79 00:05:18.010 --> 00:05:20.010 A machine can make ten versions in no time. s80 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:23.360 I can still stop at one detail and think, “That feels off. s81 00:05:25.290 --> 00:05:27.290 I want to fix it myself.” s82 00:05:28.140 --> 00:05:30.140 I can't always put that feeling into words right away. s83 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:36.607 But it's closer to what I really want to make than thinking, “I should be doing more.” s84 00:05:38.190 --> 00:05:42.547 So my question is, are these tools skipping over that whole process too quickly? s85 00:05:46.640 --> 00:05:46.640 Part two. s86 00:05:46.640 --> 00:05:48.640 A complete answer doesn't mean I've thought it through. s87 00:05:51.543 --> 00:05:54.448 Say I ask, “Make me a tool to record my day.” s88 00:05:57.430 --> 00:05:59.580 Two minutes later, it says, “Done. s89 00:05:59.580 --> 00:06:01.580 Take a look.” s90 00:06:03.770 --> 00:06:04.979 Here's the journal it made. s91 00:06:04.979 --> 00:06:06.979 It even explains why I need each feature. s92 00:06:08.340 --> 00:06:10.340 Mood scores help me spot trends. s93 00:06:11.400 --> 00:06:13.400 Daily reminders help me build a habit. s94 00:06:14.410 --> 00:06:16.410 Weekly reports help me reflect. s95 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:17.870 Sounds reasonable. s96 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:17.870 I'd probably say, “Sure. s97 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:19.870 Let's go with that.” s98 00:06:23.090 --> 00:06:23.090 But hang on. s99 00:06:23.090 --> 00:06:29.500 Have I really thought about why my life needs a score? s100 00:06:30.260 --> 00:06:32.260 Did I decide that keeping a journal means writing every day? s101 00:06:35.470 --> 00:06:41.820 Or was its explanation of what others do so complete that I mistook it for my own understanding? s102 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:44.060 That's what worries me. s103 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:49.620 Sometimes I don't form an opinion of my own before I ask the tool for help. s104 00:06:51.290 --> 00:06:51.290 I see what it says first. s105 00:06:51.290 --> 00:06:56.760 I can't think of an objection, so I go with it. s106 00:06:58.070 --> 00:06:59.600 The answer might be right. s107 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:01.600 It might even be better than anything I'd imagined. s108 00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:15.360 But if I do that every time, I may get good at judging whether something sounds reasonable, while getting less and less practice thinking a problem through from my own experience. s109 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:18.680 Having an answer doesn't mean I've finished thinking. s110 00:07:21.090 --> 00:07:23.090 An obvious mistake is easy to spot. s111 00:07:23.090 --> 00:07:29.070 What's harder to see are the questions a complete answer covers up before we've even had a chance to ask them. s112 00:07:32.880 --> 00:07:32.880 Let's try something. s113 00:07:32.880 --> 00:07:32.880 Look at this journal. s114 00:07:32.880 --> 00:07:38.100 For a moment, set aside what features it might be missing. s115 00:07:40.520 --> 00:07:42.520 Mood scores, writing streaks, daily reminders, weekly reports. s116 00:07:45.860 --> 00:07:47.860 Which one would you take out? s117 00:07:52.550 --> 00:07:54.550 Hands up if you'd drop mood scores. s118 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:58.500 Writing streaks? s119 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:02.600 Daily reminders? s120 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.000 And weekly reports? s121 00:08:07.530 --> 00:08:12.100 I'd probably drop the streaks, the daily reminders, and the weekly reports. s122 00:08:13.670 --> 00:08:15.670 Miss one day, and I'd feel like I owed somebody. s123 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:18.480 I want to record my life. s124 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.480 I don't want homework. s125 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:24.660 Maybe you're the opposite. s126 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:26.660 That reminder is exactly what you need. s127 00:08:26.900 --> 00:08:28.900 Maybe keeping a streak matters to you. s128 00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:32.310 Or maybe it's all wrong. s129 00:08:32.310 --> 00:08:36.650 You want an infinite canvas to arrange memories and bits of your life however you like. s130 00:08:39.760 --> 00:08:41.760 No right answer here. s131 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:43.000 All we did was pause. s132 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.000 But something happened in that pause. s133 00:08:47.970 --> 00:08:54.140 We picked out one decision, noticed we felt something about it, and started to say why. s134 00:08:55.620 --> 00:09:00.700 That vague idea, “I want to record my life,” finally started taking on a shape of its own. s135 00:09:03.370 --> 00:09:05.370 You don't always have to know what you want before you start. s136 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.080 Sometimes you find out by making it. s137 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:14.120 Part three. s138 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:16.120 A service counter and a workbench. s139 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:21.470 So how can our tools help? s140 00:09:23.420 --> 00:09:29.100 I'd hate to say you have to puzzle through everything first or you're being lazy. s141 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:30.220 Some jobs I genuinely want to hand off. s142 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:32.220 Move the data. s143 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:33.700 Convert the file. s144 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:35.700 I don't need a lesson every time. s145 00:09:38.990 --> 00:09:40.990 Some things I'm still figuring out. s146 00:09:41.290 --> 00:09:45.830 I want a tool that lets me keep exploring, rather than one that closes the question for me. s147 00:09:49.920 --> 00:09:51.520 Compare these two screens. s148 00:09:51.520 --> 00:09:53.520 The one on the left is like a service counter. s149 00:09:56.150 --> 00:09:58.150 It processes my request and hands me a new version. s150 00:09:59.420 --> 00:09:59.420 If it happens to be good, great. s151 00:09:59.420 --> 00:10:01.420 I'll use it. s152 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:09.760 But if it removes a reminder I like or changes the design, I have to explain again what to keep and what to drop. s153 00:10:12.640 --> 00:10:16.820 If all I see is the finished product, my choices boil down to accept, reject, or explain it again. s154 00:10:21.400 --> 00:10:21.400 The one on the right is more like a workbench. s155 00:10:21.400 --> 00:10:34.000 Same request, but I can see what it's planning to change, which features it'll remove, or what it wants to suggest. s156 00:10:36.560 --> 00:10:38.520 Seeing that makes me think: wait. s157 00:10:38.520 --> 00:10:40.520 Maybe I want to keep that reminder. s158 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:42.200 I can step into the plan before it starts. s159 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:47.860 Once it's done, I can fine-tune the result in a live preview. s160 00:10:51.550 --> 00:10:51.550 There's more to the difference than a few extra buttons. s161 00:10:51.550 --> 00:10:57.120 Here, I can put my hands on the thing I'm changing. s162 00:10:59.330 --> 00:11:01.330 I can step inside instead of waiting for an answer. s163 00:11:03.650 --> 00:11:09.280 Sometimes I only realize I want that reminder when I see it's about to disappear. s164 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:11.840 Sometimes I try my own design and realize the layout won't work. s165 00:11:14.280 --> 00:11:16.280 Or I can think it through before I run the plan. s166 00:11:20.150 --> 00:11:22.150 The tool helps me discover what I think. s167 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.080 I don't have to explain the idea perfectly at the start. s168 00:11:27.950 --> 00:11:37.320 That's why, when I design software, I care about files, plans, edits, what changed between versions, and where a person can step in. s169 00:11:39.930 --> 00:11:41.930 Nobody should have to read every line of code. s170 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:44.960 Showing every detail isn't the only way to be transparent. s171 00:11:47.650 --> 00:11:51.540 What matters is that when I want to understand something, there's a way in. s172 00:11:51.540 --> 00:11:53.540 When I want to change it, I can. s173 00:11:57.690 --> 00:11:59.690 Chat can be part of a workbench too. s174 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:05.500 I wouldn't put one interface or one brand permanently on either side. s175 00:12:06.040 --> 00:12:10.540 The question is: for this particular task, can I change just one part? s176 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:11.580 Can I see why a decision was made? s177 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:13.580 Can I take back control? s178 00:12:16.570 --> 00:12:18.570 Does the interface give me room to think and explore? s179 00:12:22.050 --> 00:12:24.050 I want tools that involve me more. s180 00:12:24.530 --> 00:12:26.530 I don't need proof they can do without me. s181 00:12:29.130 --> 00:12:31.130 If you build tools too, here are three small places to start. s182 00:12:35.650 --> 00:12:37.650 First, make important assumptions visible. s183 00:12:38.690 --> 00:12:40.690 Make each change small enough to try. s184 00:12:41.560 --> 00:12:43.560 Let people take back a task they've handed off. s185 00:12:47.330 --> 00:12:49.330 Second, you don't need a confirmation button at every step. s186 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:55.940 Show people they have more choices than accepting or rejecting the whole answer. s187 00:12:57.930 --> 00:12:59.930 Third, remove the obstacles. s188 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:02.100 Leave people the chance to form their own judgment along the way. s189 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:06.960 Part four. s190 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:06.960 It's always there. s191 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:08.960 Do I always need it? s192 00:13:13.370 --> 00:13:17.620 Even at a great workbench, you don't have to spend your life sitting there. s193 00:13:20.310 --> 00:13:25.420 We're still figuring out what kind of relationship we want with AI. s194 00:13:25.420 --> 00:13:25.420 It can help me think. s195 00:13:25.420 --> 00:13:27.420 Or I can stop thinking for myself. s196 00:13:30.140 --> 00:13:36.040 It can save me time, then give me more reasons to fill it right back up. s197 00:13:37.020 --> 00:13:39.020 A better tool still can't tell me how to use it. s198 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:43.240 Take email. s199 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:48.360 Having it doesn't mean there's an email to send about everything, any time of day. s200 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:49.500 Some things are worth writing down. s201 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:51.500 Some are better face to face. s202 00:13:53.380 --> 00:13:55.380 Some can wait for a reply. s203 00:13:56.650 --> 00:13:58.650 Sometimes nobody needs one more email. s204 00:14:01.380 --> 00:14:02.980 The tool is always there. s205 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:04.980 When to use it and what to use it for are still our choices. s206 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:08.840 AI is the same. s207 00:14:10.540 --> 00:14:10.540 Sometimes I want speed. s208 00:14:10.540 --> 00:14:12.540 Help me sort through a complicated job. s209 00:14:15.350 --> 00:14:17.350 Sometimes I want to write a few lines myself first. s210 00:14:19.560 --> 00:14:19.560 They might be terrible. s211 00:14:19.560 --> 00:14:21.560 I want to see what's in my head. s212 00:14:24.760 --> 00:14:26.660 Sometimes I've had enough analysis. s213 00:14:26.660 --> 00:14:28.660 What I need is to go have tea with that person and actually talk. s214 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:34.960 None of these choices is more virtuous. s215 00:14:35.040 --> 00:14:37.040 I want to keep my reasons for choosing differently. s216 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:45.520 Leaving San Francisco and moving to Taipei was partly a way of practicing that. s217 00:14:46.110 --> 00:14:47.800 I still wanted to make things. s218 00:14:47.800 --> 00:14:53.680 I just didn't want to explain everything in my life in terms of whether it helped my work. s219 00:14:56.510 --> 00:15:01.580 Stepping out of my old routine didn't immediately make me sure of myself. s220 00:15:01.970 --> 00:15:07.100 With an empty calendar, I had to ask myself every day: what do I want to do? s221 00:15:08.260 --> 00:15:10.260 If I can't introduce myself by my job, who am I? s222 00:15:13.680 --> 00:15:18.700 I started to feel that time could be worthwhile even if it produced nothing right away. s223 00:15:19.735 --> 00:15:19.735 Talking to another person. s224 00:15:19.735 --> 00:15:21.735 A street I've never walked down. s225 00:15:23.915 --> 00:15:25.915 A song I keep replaying. s226 00:15:26.055 --> 00:15:28.055 Any of them can remind me I still care about something. s227 00:15:30.075 --> 00:15:32.075 That feeling is mine. s228 00:15:35.060 --> 00:15:37.060 Life and creative work aren't competing. s229 00:15:37.860 --> 00:15:39.860 Squeezing life out won't leave you with more creativity. s230 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:43.120 Life gives me things I want to make. s231 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.480 So what do I hope these tools give us in the end? s232 00:15:50.260 --> 00:15:59.800 More than maximizing output, I want more time to care for other people and the world that we live in. s233 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:03.860 I don't want to turn caring into another score to maximize. s234 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:07.240 I mean giving time and attention to the person in front of you. s235 00:16:10.570 --> 00:16:12.570 Having room to understand something you haven't figured out yet. s236 00:16:13.900 --> 00:16:15.900 Being able to do something about what you care about. s237 00:16:19.060 --> 00:16:19.060 Part five. s238 00:16:19.060 --> 00:16:21.060 Beyond getting better on our own: playing together. s239 00:16:24.810 --> 00:16:30.280 Caring about the world also means letting someone else into my thinking. s240 00:16:31.300 --> 00:16:31.300 Back to our journal. s241 00:16:31.300 --> 00:16:33.300 We changed one decision. s242 00:16:34.640 --> 00:16:38.980 It's closer to the journal I want now, but why would it be the one you want? s243 00:16:41.140 --> 00:16:43.060 Here's a simple page for each day, with all the extras stripped out. s244 00:16:43.060 --> 00:16:49.360 Or it could be a scrapbook: an open canvas with little fragments of memory. s245 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.960 Which of these two would you rather use? s246 00:16:56.680 --> 00:16:58.680 Daily pages make a particular day easy to revisit. s247 00:17:00.410 --> 00:17:02.410 A freeform canvas brings memories from different times together. s248 00:17:05.870 --> 00:17:05.870 We don't have to pick a winner. s249 00:17:05.870 --> 00:17:07.870 We can keep both versions. s250 00:17:09.780 --> 00:17:11.780 We could even put them together. s251 00:17:13.850 --> 00:17:13.850 Find someone who picked the other one. s252 00:17:13.850 --> 00:17:15.850 Ask them why. s253 00:17:18.520 --> 00:17:20.520 Now we have more than a finished product. s254 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:22.740 We have something that helps us understand each other. s255 00:17:26.370 --> 00:17:29.020 We both say, “I want to record my life,” and think we mean the same thing. s256 00:17:29.020 --> 00:17:35.970 Then we see these two versions, and realize we're trying to hold on to different things. s257 00:17:39.310 --> 00:17:41.310 That's how a lot of my judgment at work took shape. s258 00:17:41.910 --> 00:17:43.650 Sitting alone didn't get me there. s259 00:17:43.650 --> 00:17:45.650 Someone tried what I'd made and said it felt odd. s260 00:17:47.930 --> 00:17:49.930 Someone insists on a detail I think is trivial. s261 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:52.500 Someone takes apart an idea I was sure about. s262 00:17:53.340 --> 00:17:55.340 That's how I see what I missed. s263 00:17:57.140 --> 00:17:58.500 That can be uncomfortable. s264 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:00.500 Working together means misunderstandings and disagreements. s265 00:18:02.600 --> 00:18:04.600 You apologize and try again. s266 00:18:06.930 --> 00:18:08.930 It's also where a lot of relationships I treasure began. s267 00:18:11.690 --> 00:18:13.690 People have seen me confused, wrong, exhausted. s268 00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:15.940 They've also seen me genuinely excited. s269 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:22.920 Over time you learn who spots the things you miss, and who can take an idea apart without killing it. s270 00:18:27.020 --> 00:18:27.020 It's like a jazz band. s271 00:18:27.020 --> 00:18:29.020 Nobody's trying to play the most notes. s272 00:18:31.060 --> 00:18:33.060 Nobody needs to prove they're the best player. s273 00:18:35.860 --> 00:18:35.860 One person carries the melody. s274 00:18:35.860 --> 00:18:40.680 Somebody else listens, leaves a little space, then comes in. s275 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:42.000 Lose the beat? s276 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.000 You listen to each other and find it again. s277 00:18:47.290 --> 00:18:53.060 What comes out is something none of you had in mind beforehand, and none of you could have made alone. s278 00:18:55.760 --> 00:18:55.760 AI is convenient. s279 00:18:55.760 --> 00:18:57.760 It's patient. s280 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.000 Often it's easier than talking to another person. s281 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:02.430 Sometimes that really does help me. s282 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:04.430 I want to acknowledge that. s283 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:15.020 If I always choose whoever responds to me most easily, I worry about what I'm missing: the chance to get in sync with someone different from me. s284 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:24.540 I hope our tools don't lock each of us inside a more efficient little world. s285 00:19:25.420 --> 00:19:27.420 I don't need a world that just responds better to me. s286 00:19:28.600 --> 00:19:30.600 I want a world that can change me. s287 00:19:33.390 --> 00:19:35.390 Tools let me do things I couldn't do alone. s288 00:19:37.600 --> 00:19:43.360 Other people make things possible that I never would have thought of. s289 00:19:45.060 --> 00:19:45.060 The final act. s290 00:19:45.060 --> 00:19:50.900 You can start making things before you know who you are. s291 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:51.900 So back to today's question. s292 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:54.820 When we can do anything, do we still know what we want? s293 00:19:54.820 --> 00:20:00.200 My answer is still: not necessarily. s294 00:20:01.360 --> 00:20:03.360 But I don't think that means there's something missing in us. s295 00:20:05.370 --> 00:20:07.370 And we don't need to find some grand mission before we can begin. s296 00:20:10.450 --> 00:20:16.780 Sometimes finding yourself has little to do with suddenly knowing how to introduce yourself. s297 00:20:18.270 --> 00:20:18.270 It happens in little choices. s298 00:20:18.270 --> 00:20:23.420 You find yourself thinking: this is what I care about. s299 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:24.660 This part I won't take as it comes. s300 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:26.660 That part? s301 00:20:27.580 --> 00:20:29.580 I'd like to spend more time on it. s302 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:31.230 Like just now. s303 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:33.230 We didn't write a product spec first. s304 00:20:34.150 --> 00:20:39.190 We saw a version, felt something was off, changed it, and found out what we wanted. s305 00:20:41.210 --> 00:20:43.210 Making things gives you a way to express who you are. s306 00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:47.460 It also lets you meet parts of yourself you didn't know. s307 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:54.200 To me, finding yourself and going beyond yourself go together. s308 00:20:57.460 --> 00:20:59.460 Making things shows you what you care about. s309 00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:04.000 And with tools and other people, you can reach places you couldn't reach before. s310 00:21:06.650 --> 00:21:11.500 That doesn't mean outproducing yesterday's self every day, or turning yourself into a product that always needs an upgrade. s311 00:21:14.520 --> 00:21:16.520 Maybe you can now change something you used to have to accept. s312 00:21:20.340 --> 00:21:26.220 An idea you never dared show anyone can now be a rough prototype you give someone to try. s313 00:21:27.490 --> 00:21:33.180 Maybe you can finally do that one thing you always wanted to do and never thought you could. s314 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:39.040 If you take one thing away today, I hope it goes beyond trying one more tool. s315 00:21:40.570 --> 00:21:40.570 Next time you see a polished answer, give yourself a moment. s316 00:21:40.570 --> 00:21:47.300 Ask: which decision in here haven't I thought through for myself? s317 00:21:51.490 --> 00:21:51.490 Pick a part you care about. s318 00:21:51.490 --> 00:21:53.490 Try one small change. s319 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:56.680 If you get a chance, show it to someone else. s320 00:22:00.580 --> 00:22:05.560 You needn't change everything or prove you're better than the machine. s321 00:22:05.600 --> 00:22:15.190 As long as you bring what you feel, what you think, and what you care about to that process, you're doing more than standing by and approving a result. s322 00:22:16.060 --> 00:22:18.060 You're shaping your own life. s323 00:22:19.750 --> 00:22:20.680 I still believe in tools. s324 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:25.600 I hope they give people who couldn't participate before a chance to express themselves. s325 00:22:26.040 --> 00:22:28.040 I hope we can make things once beyond us. s326 00:22:29.790 --> 00:22:35.080 And we shouldn't have to hand over our whole lives just to keep the system running. s327 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:38.200 I don't want a tool that lives my life for me. s328 00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:53.860 I want one that helps me feel things more clearly, explore freely, and care for the world around me, make things with others that we couldn't make before, and slowly find my way back to myself. s329 00:22:56.360 --> 00:22:58.360 Thank you. s330 00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:01.220 Thank you, everyone.