A post titled "Everyone should slow down AI development except for me" recently blew up on Hacker News, perfectly capturing the industry's hypocritical stance on AI safety. The thread sparked intense discussion, with readers trading jokes about the end of humanity alongside genuine worries about slowing down breakthroughs like medical cures.
For early-stage founders, this satire hits on a very real risk: regulatory capture. When major players or high-profile voices call for a slowdown, it usually means pulling up the ladder behind them. Heavy-handed compliance and safety mandates favor well-capitalized incumbents who can afford army-level legal teams, while freezing out lean startups.
If you are a retail backer putting £500 into a peer-to-peer campaign, this self-serving noise is a distraction to ignore. The best early-stage teams aren't waiting for permission or getting bogged down in grand existential debates; they are using existing, accessible tools to solve clear, everyday problems.
While the giants play political games over who gets to build the future, agile founders will keep winning by simply executing faster. Don't back the people asking for permission—back the ones quietly shipping real value.