Donald Trump's America: Part Deux

The infamous Donald Trump is poised to become the 47th President as Americans vote the Republican Party back into power.

Author

Moshe Modeira
November 29, 2024

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Hey Friends: Re-Building Bridges

We find ourselves once again on the doorstep of a sequel, a continuation of a show we saw not too long ago, a show called Donald Trump's America.

Safe to say that since November 5th, we collectively have needed to catch our breaths, and spiritually recalibrate. This year has been a torridly emotional rollercoaster.

Some of us find ourselves mentally reeling, dazed, confused and angry. Others find ourselves feeling jubilant, relieved, hopeful and optimistic.

We could not be occupying two more abjectly counter-posed mental universes than what is being experienced right now, in the wake of this historic election. When you are someone like myself who is an independent thinker, able to see the merits and flaws of arguments on either end of the political spectrum, the spectacular theatre of socio-political tribalism that takes hold of everyone is astonishing to witness.

We are palpably experiencing one of the most significant political, cultural and social realignments that anyone can remember.

Indeed, it's happening on a global scale.

We will parse and analyze this many times in the coming weeks and years, but for now, regardless of where we all stand politically, one thing remains clear: our collective responsibility as community builders and bridge-makers has never been more essential.

Last week, we delved into echo chambers — recognizing that despite our physical proximity to one another, most of us are occupying parallel universes of information.

Instead of focusing on what divides us — let's talk about what we can build together.

Remember when we discussed civic duty meaning more than picking sides? That message deserves amplification. Real change happens not in the halls of power, but in our local neighbourhoods, our community centres, our businesses and shared spaces.

Start with your immediate circle. When we engage with our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues face-to-face, political labels should fade and give way to the humanity of reality. Be genuine, kind, respectful to whomever you encounter, staying true to your own belief system and worldview while acknowledging that everyone will not see things the same way or come from the same perspective — Everyday, civic life and relationship navigation should, in normal times, transcend political ideology. Unfortunately, we collectively have some healing to do in order to get back to a place where we are politically agnostic in our day-to-day life.

Focus on tangible impact. Whether it's launching that coaching group, bringing startups together in an innovative business incubator, commencing a neighbourhood education initiative, or creating partnerships for local investment opportunities — think about the concrete actions than can get you and everyone you care about from concept to reality. I often think about ideation sessions in my early days of marketing, how amazing ideas would start as gibberish scribbled on the back of notepads or even napkins, and my mind would take a snapshot of the moment. Fast forward weeks to months later, I would see some of those ideas come to life in a major online influencer campaign, or IRL emblazoned on a billboard, or in a viral video spot, savouring these new moments by juxtaposing humble initial moments from when the project began.

The pendulum of politics has always swung back and forth. This is the nature of democracy. What remains constant? The power of community building.

The next four years should not be about violent resistance, nor passive acceptance. The name of the game is civic engagement. Whether you're celebrating Trump or bemoaning Kamala — channel that energy into building something meaningful in your community.

Start by reviving the art of listening — not just hearing — but truly seeking to understand perspectives different from our own. Invest in yourself. Invest in your family. Invest in your relationships. Invest in your local community. Prioritize building genuine connections that can last the test of time and withstand political turbulence.

The path to rebuilding trust starts with asking yourself: what can I immediately do?

What local initiative could I start tomorrow? How can my skills serve my communities? Where can I create opportunities for sharing and dialogue?

It’s time to zoom in, focus less on global political machinations, and figure out how to have more local impact.

Less emphasis on winning arguments — and more emphasis on winning trust.

Less pointing fingers — and more joining hands.

The work of healing continues.

Onwards and upwards,

Moshe Modeira

Editor-In-Chief

Commerce & Capital

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Market Alpha: AI Expansion + Regulatory Challenges

As we navigate through a week marked by major AI investments, strategic corporate realignments, and evolving regulatory landscapes, several key developments are reshaping the investment terrain.

Tech Giants' Strategic Moves

AI Integration and Infrastructure: Anthropic secures an additional $4B from Amazon, bringing total investment to $8B, with AWS becoming its primary training partner. Amazon maintains minority stake without board representation, signaling a strategic rather than controlling investment.

Google's AI Evolution: DeepMind continues aggressive AI product integration while pursuing AGI development, balancing immediate commercialization with long-term research.

Brave introduces AI chat integration into Search, combining chat-first and search-first capabilities.

Apple's Next-Generation Plans

Company explores ultra-thin iPhone prototypes at 5-6mm, potentially eliminating physical SIM cards.

🔑 Key Insight: The AI infrastructure race is intensifying, with major players making strategic moves to secure competitive advantages in compute, talent, and technological capabilities.

AI and Cloud Market Dynamics

Infrastructure and Hardware Developments

Three unnamed customers collectively spent $12.6B on Nvidia chips in Q3, representing over one-third of Nvidia's quarterly revenue.

Emerging Players and Innovation

MatX raises ~$80M Series A at ~$300M valuation for LLM training chip development.

dev/agents secures $56M at $500M valuation for cloud-based OS development for AI agents.

🔑 Key Insight: The AI compute infrastructure market continues to expand rapidly, with both established players and startups securing significant funding for hardware and software development.

Regulatory and Legal Landscape

Global Tech Regulation

EU scrutinizes Amazon for potential DMA violations regarding marketplace practices.

Crypto and Fintech Oversight

UK plans comprehensive crypto regulatory framework for early 2025, focusing on stablecoins and staking.

Texas AG investigates World Federation of Advertisers over potential social media platform boycotts.

🔑 Key Insight: Regulatory pressure continues to mount globally, with particular focus on platform competition and crypto market oversight.

Global Tech Dynamics

International AI Development

OpenAI, Meta, and Orange collaborate to train AI models on African languages, starting with Wolof and Pulaar.

Huawei targets 100,000 HarmonyOS applications within 6-12 months amid US restrictions.

Cybersecurity Concerns

US officials warn of Chinese hackers positioning themselves in critical infrastructure.

🔑 Key Insight: Global tech competition intensifies while cybersecurity threats evolve, creating both challenges and opportunities for investors.

Market Movements and Innovation

Platform Competition

Threads reports 35M new signups since November 1, maintaining 1M+ daily signup rate.

Enterprise Technology

Zoom drops "Video" from name, reports 4% YoY revenue growth to $1.18B.

N-able acquires cybersecurity company Adlumin in $266M deal.

🔑 Key Insight: Platform competition remains fierce while enterprise tech companies pursue strategic acquisitions and rebranding efforts.

Alpha Recap and Forecast

  • Expect increased focus on AI infrastructure investments as compute demands grow.

  • Watch for regulatory actions affecting major tech platforms' business models.

  • Monitor cybersecurity sector as state-sponsored threats escalate.

  • Consider opportunities in AI hardware and infrastructure providers.

  • Track social media platform dynamics as user preferences continue shifting.

Investors should maintain balanced exposure across AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and platform companies while monitoring regulatory developments that could impact market leaders.

Commerce & Capital: The Future Is — Tribal?

The Digital Divide: Social Platforms Have Become Warring Tribes

The neutral, open internet that we all envision in our heads is long dead.

It happened gradually, then suddenly.

Platforms that once claimed to be open forums became clearly demarcated cultural territories, with distinct ideological boundaries and unwritten rules of engagement. The arms race to become the "global public square" has given way to a new reality: digital spaces are now competing tribal lands.

Anti-Establishment Territory: X (formerly Twitter) has become the de facto home of anti-woke sentiment, where Elon Musk's "free speech absolutism" has created a haven for those rejecting mainstream narratives. Substack newsletters flourish here, building direct relationships with audiences tired of traditional media gatekeeping. Alternative news sites and independent creators thrive, unburdened by traditional content restrictions.

Establishment Territory: LinkedIn maintains its position as the cathedral of corporate progressivism, where DEI initiatives and ESG metrics reign supreme. Meta's platforms — Facebook, Instagram, and particularly Threads — have positioned themselves as "civilized alternatives," heavily moderating content to maintain advertiser-friendly environments. BlueSky positions itself as the thinking person's Twitter, attracting an educated, urban, and predominantly progressive user base.

Traditional Media Ecosystem Splintering: Traditional media companies have been forced to pick sides, whether they admit it or not. The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic and major networks like NBC, ABC and CNN have largely aligned with Leftist, progressive values — counterposed by right-leaning outfits such as Fox News, Rumble, Rebel News, The Daily Wire and Epoch Times that court more conservative audiences.

What's fascinating isn't just the separation — it's the intensity of tribal identification. Users don't just prefer one platform over another; they view their chosen platforms as core elements of their personal identities.

Bridging Divides Getting Harder: Here's what media agencies are not telling clients in 2025: attempting to maintain neutral positioning across social platforms is now virtually impossible. Each community has developed sophisticated mechanisms for detecting and rejecting "foreign" cultural signals. Post the same content on X and LinkedIn, and watch how differently it performs. Write the same headline for Substack and Medium, and observe the divergent reactions. The algorithms haven't just turned into loud echo chambers — they've morphed into entirely separate universes.

What I Will Stubbornly Continue To Believe The Point of Social Media Is

The Platform Language Barrier: Each platform has developed its own linguistic markers. X celebrates politically strident, "based" content creators who "own the libs.” LinkedIn exists to amplify non-offensive, vanilla, mainstream thought-leadership that champions inclusivity and sustainability. Threads users pride themselves on healthy discourse and "factual dialogue." BlueSky positions itself as the home of "nuanced discussion" and "ethical tech." These aren't just different vocabularies — they're entirely different worldviews.

Money Follows the Divide: The business model of each platform reinforces its tribal identity. X courts free speech, controversial takes, alternative media and crypto economy advocates. LinkedIn caters to corporate HR departments and management consultants. Facebook and Instagram are optimized for mainstream advertiser comfort. Substack, Medium and Beehiiv enable direct monetization for independent voices.

Shrinking Middle Ground: The most dangerous delusion in digital strategy today is the belief that you can build a "balanced" presence across all territories. The platforms themselves won't allow it — their algorithms are designed to reward tribal loyalty, and punish perceived neutrality.

Try posting centrist content on X, and watch it disappear into the void (Take it from me, a lifelong political pragmatist and centrist who experiences this often). Attempt edgy commentary on LinkedIn, and prepare for shadow-banning. The middle ground isn't just shrinking. It's being actively eliminated by platform mechanics.

The Future Is Tribal: As AI content detection becomes more sophisticated and platform-specific, the tribal boundaries will only harden. Each platform will develop increasingly distinct communities replete with specific language patterns and rituals. We are entering a multipolar world with a new hierarchy and world order, which is clear from current unprecedented geopolitical events. It is interesting that this tribal multipolarity is manifesting also in the social media / digital communications landscape.

The Way Forward: The new opportunity, apparently, is in NOT trying to appeal to everyone — it's in unapologetically choosing your tribe, and fully embracing the culture of that tribe. Doubling down and building deep connections within a chosen ecosystem or two, rather than maintaining a mediocre, tepid presence across all of them.

Success in this new landscape requires:

  • Absolute clarity about which tribe you're embracing

  • Deep understanding of your tribe’s cultural markers

  • Commitment to authentic engagement within those boundaries

  • Acceptance that you'll be viewed as an enemy by other tribes

CTA: Tribe Up, Mfers

The question isn't whether the internet has become tribal — it's whether you'll accept this reality and adapt your brand strategy accordingly. Welcome to the age of digital tribalism.

Pick your team wisely. It’s going to be where you basecamp for a while.

Excuse my French but tribalism fucking sucks. It’s reductive and stupid and I’ll always hate it. But it seems to be the new default online reality that warrants attention until further notice. What are your thoughts? Is our analysis spot on? Or do you see things differently? Drop us a comment or send us a message 🚀📣❤️‍🔥

📚 Social M

The Dems Need a Civil War — Cenk Uygar on Triggernometry w/ Konstantin Kisin & Francis Foster

The Triumph of the Counter-Elites — Peter Thiel on Honestly w/ Bari Weiss & The Free Press

📚 Book Shelf

The origin story of X formerly known as Twitter birth is a messy one. Bolton’s book reads like a Shakespearean drama — complete with betrayals, power plays and friendships obliterated by ambition.

What fascinated me most wasn't just the platform's creation myth (which, by the way, has about four different versions depending on who you ask), but the raw human dynamics at play. You have Jack Dorsey, who would later craft a famous zen master savant billionaire persona, playing office politics like a character from House of Cards. There's Ev Williams, wrestling with impostor syndrome while simultaneously running one of the most important tech companies in history. And Noah Glass — a tragic figure if I've ever seen one — essentially written out of the company's history despite being arguably Twitter's OG spiritual father.

The book's genius lies in how it strips away the usual glossy startup mythology. Twitter’s founding was not about "eureka" moments, not about executing on a brilliant masterplan — just a bunch of messy humans stumbling through decisions that would eventually impact global democracy itself.

It's a masterclass in how personal relationships shape business outcomes, often more than any product strategy or market fit ever could. All founders and entrepreneurs can find moments to relate to in the stories in Hatching Twitter.

📰 Article Of The Week

What actually is the ‘creator economy’? Here’s why we should care — Christopher Wink, Technical.ly: Christopher Wink's analysis "What actually is the 'creator economy'?" traces the evolution of digital content creation from basic influencer marketing into a $150 billion industry (projected to reach $500 billion by 2030), using a pivotal 2015 Lord & Taylor marketing campaign and its FTC investigation as a lens into this transformation. The article's central argument — that authenticity has become a competitive edge in an era of declining trust – is reinforced by compelling statistics: while 27 million Americans now get paid for social media content, only 2.2% of Americans trust influencers for purchase advice, highlighting the paradox of growing economic opportunity alongside declining traditional influence. Wink effectively distinguishes between influencers, who "rent their audiences to brands," and creators, who "rent their creative skills to brands with an audience in tow," a distinction that illuminates the fundamental shift in digital content creation and monetization. Though the piece could have explored potential downsides more deeply, it serves as an essential primer for understanding how the pandemic-accelerated creator economy has evolved into a major force shaping the future of digital commerce and communication.

See y’all next week! Would love to hear your thoughts — leave your comments below.

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