Being a dark optimist means you don‘t turn away from the dark instead you embrace the darkness and use it to find the light. There is no light without darkness.
Being a dark optimist means you don‘t turn away from the dark instead you embrace the darkness and use it to find the light. There is no light without darkness.
WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE
A DARK OPTIMIST'S
CALL TO ACTION
Ralph H. Groce III is an accomplished entrepreneur, visionary, and dedicated advocate for change, known for his philosophy of Dark Optimism. This philosophy, articulated in his book We Have Nothing to Lose: A Dark Optimist’s Call to Action, acknowledges the world's grim realities while maintaining unwavering hope for positive change through deliberate action. His personal experiences as a Black ma...
[00:00.520 --> 00:03.880]Chapter 1. What the World Needs Now
[00:03.880 --> 00:08.780]A Canadian power company was faced with an intractable problem.
[00:09.780 --> 00:13.920]Every winter, condensation would cause icicles to form on their power lines.
[00:14.800 --> 00:17.920]Over time, the icicles would grow and get heavier,
[00:18.460 --> 00:23.660]until, at one point, they would snap the lines and cut power to hundreds of thousands of people.
[00:24.540 --> 00:26.940]This is Canada. It's cold.
[00:26.940 --> 00:31.260]When it's frigid and thousands of homes and businesses lose power,
[00:31.880 --> 00:34.560]the ramifications ripple across the icy landscape.
[00:35.460 --> 00:38.200]Hospitals struggle. Commerce shuts down.
[00:39.080 --> 00:40.700]Communication lines fall silent.
[00:41.660 --> 00:42.300]People die.
[00:43.780 --> 00:47.960]So, the power company pulled together a group of experts to brainstorm some answers.
[00:48.960 --> 00:51.500]The people at the table came from all walks of life.
[00:52.120 --> 00:55.740]Engineers, politicians, law enforcement, and meteorologists.
[00:55.740 --> 00:57.900]And the only rule was this.
[00:58.680 --> 01:00.260]No idea is a bad idea.
[01:01.260 --> 01:03.400]The utility wanted a free flow of ideas,
[01:03.960 --> 01:08.400]hoping that somewhere, among that storm of thoughts, an answer would emerge.
[01:09.200 --> 01:11.040]The ideas soon started to flow.
[01:12.060 --> 01:14.220]Some had been tried before and hadn't worked.
[01:14.960 --> 01:17.400]Some were simply impractical or too expensive.
[01:17.400 --> 01:21.400]After a time, the group seemed to be at an impasse.
[01:22.080 --> 01:23.900]People grew quiet, frustrated.
[01:24.920 --> 01:27.260]They sat back in their chairs and stared at the ceiling,
[01:27.920 --> 01:29.980]quietly concentrating on finding a solution.
[01:31.060 --> 01:34.260]Too bad we couldn't train a bunch of bears to patrol those power lines,
[01:34.740 --> 01:38.420]one person said finally, trying to break the tense silence with humor.
[01:39.380 --> 01:40.280]Bears love icicles.
[01:40.600 --> 01:41.640]They suck on them for water.
[01:41.640 --> 01:44.960]If we could train them to shake the poles and dislodge those icicles,
[01:45.080 --> 01:46.020]the problem would disappear.
[01:47.380 --> 01:49.560]A few people sighed, and some rolled their eyes.
[01:50.120 --> 01:53.340]They must be failing if the ideas were this bad, some thought.
[01:54.200 --> 01:58.160]But others sat up and leaned over the table, their eyes intent.
[01:59.280 --> 02:01.120]Shake the poles, one said.
[02:01.960 --> 02:05.420]Create some vibration, knock the icicles loose, another said.
[02:05.420 --> 02:11.180]A sharp, hard silence fell as the entire room concentrated on that notion.
[02:12.400 --> 02:14.340]What about helicopters?
[02:14.960 --> 02:16.160]A participant asked.
[02:16.960 --> 02:21.360]Could they fly along the power lines and use the vibration of the rotor blades to knock the ice free?
[02:22.320 --> 02:23.500]Yes, they could.
[02:23.960 --> 02:24.760]And they did.
[02:25.560 --> 02:28.180]The company was soon employing a fleet of helicopters
[02:28.180 --> 02:31.460]to regularly fly over the company's cross-country power lines,
[02:32.080 --> 02:33.200]scouting for ice problems,
[02:33.200 --> 02:36.860]and then swooping down to use turbulence from their rotor blades
[02:36.860 --> 02:39.180]to dislodge the ice and keep the power flowing.
[02:39.920 --> 02:44.300]That winter, the number of power outages was a fraction of what it had been in the past.
[02:45.180 --> 02:49.820]I use that story whenever I lead a brainstorming session in my role as a technologist.
[02:50.620 --> 02:53.200]To me, it demonstrates the power of ideas,
[02:53.740 --> 02:56.460]and how one idea can build on another and then another
[02:56.460 --> 02:59.920]until you have a solution far better than any you could have imagined.
[02:59.920 --> 03:03.640]Before you know it, you arrive at a place that's novel,
[03:04.180 --> 03:08.540]as well as distinctive, workable, practical, and utterly doable.
[03:09.800 --> 03:11.520]The Power of Diversity
[03:11.520 --> 03:16.780]The story also demonstrates the power of diversity of thought.
[03:16.780 --> 03:20.360]Our country is facing a great many challenges today,
[03:20.760 --> 03:25.480]and some of them, including climate change, political divisiveness, gun violence,
[03:25.980 --> 03:29.480]and the repression of minority voices, are truly daunting.
[03:30.420 --> 03:34.400]They are so fearsome that many wonder if there can ever be a solution to them.
[03:35.280 --> 03:39.680]Our country, however, also has an extraordinary amount of diversity
[03:39.680 --> 03:43.600]that offers people from around the world the opportunity to come here
[03:43.600 --> 03:47.340]and be part of something that gives them a chance to be their authentic selves
[03:47.340 --> 03:49.020]and contribute their ideas.
[03:49.860 --> 03:51.520]Our country is a mosaic.
[03:52.360 --> 03:54.160]Steve Jobs was an adopted immigrant.
[03:54.820 --> 03:56.000]He changed the world.
[03:56.960 --> 03:58.820]One of the founders of Google was an immigrant.
[03:59.820 --> 04:01.660]Elon Musk, whether you like him or not,
[04:02.020 --> 04:04.520]is having a huge impact on our world of transportation,
[04:04.520 --> 04:06.420]space travel, and social media.
[04:07.000 --> 04:08.180]And he's also an immigrant.
[04:08.180 --> 04:12.360]The mosaic includes people of color, different ethnicities,
[04:12.760 --> 04:15.920]different religious affiliations, and people of different genders.
[04:16.940 --> 04:18.340]Throughout the history of this country,
[04:18.800 --> 04:22.920]we have all benefited from the extraordinary contributions of all of these people,
[04:23.620 --> 04:27.600]such as the three black women whose calculations helped our country win the space race.
[04:28.440 --> 04:30.580]Apple used to run a commercial with the tagline,
[04:30.920 --> 04:31.520]Think Different.
[04:31.880 --> 04:35.400]And that is what people in this country have done time and again
[04:35.400 --> 04:39.820]to overcome what are seemingly intractable circumstances and situations.
[04:39.820 --> 04:43.320]So, I'm a big believer in the power of diversity
[04:43.320 --> 04:45.720]and in our ability to solve huge problems.
[04:46.280 --> 04:48.100]As a technologist, I've seen it happen.
[04:48.800 --> 04:52.460]A bunch of people like me sitting around a table solving a problem might be interesting.
[04:53.100 --> 04:54.860]Something good might come out of that brainstorming.
[04:55.640 --> 04:57.620]However, if you start mixing that up,
[04:57.840 --> 05:00.420]then my god, the things that people come up with
[05:00.420 --> 05:03.240]as a result of these different perspectives are unbelievable.
[05:03.900 --> 05:05.160]It's literally jaw-dropping.
[05:05.760 --> 05:06.820]Again, I've seen it.
[05:07.120 --> 05:07.940]I've been a part of it.
[05:08.400 --> 05:09.300]It's life-affirming.
[05:09.800 --> 05:10.860]It's life-changing.
[05:11.880 --> 05:13.960]I've been asked to help solve problems where,
[05:14.200 --> 05:15.060]when we sat down,
[05:15.560 --> 05:18.700]the prevailing sense was that there was no freaking way we would succeed.
[05:19.240 --> 05:21.040]There's just no way that this can get done.
[05:21.720 --> 05:22.680]And an hour later,
[05:22.920 --> 05:23.740]five hours later,
[05:23.920 --> 05:24.560]a day later,
[05:24.880 --> 05:25.620]a weekend later,
[05:26.140 --> 05:27.140]we walk away saying,
[05:27.660 --> 05:29.020]Wow, what just happened?
[05:29.660 --> 05:32.860]And it was all a function of people bringing diverse ideas to the table.
[05:33.600 --> 05:37.300]There's another story involving servicemen fighting in Iraq after 9-11.
[05:38.180 --> 05:40.900]They frequently found themselves walking into booby-trapped buildings
[05:40.900 --> 05:44.400]and sustaining casualties when they encountered nearly invisible tripwires.
[05:45.160 --> 05:46.040]It was a real problem.
[05:46.660 --> 05:49.360]And you can imagine the stress these soldiers were under every day.
[05:50.140 --> 05:50.940]But then one day,
[05:51.340 --> 05:52.140]someone had an idea.
[05:52.860 --> 05:55.240]Supportive Americans were sending soldiers care packages.
[05:55.800 --> 05:56.580]And for some reason,
[05:56.680 --> 05:59.680]they started including silly string along with cookies and other treats.
[06:00.380 --> 06:00.860]Silly string.
[06:00.860 --> 06:02.220]You press the button,
[06:02.480 --> 06:05.760]and the canister sends a stream of ultra-lightweight material across the room.
[06:06.500 --> 06:06.740]So,
[06:06.960 --> 06:11.500]the soldiers on patrol in Iraqi cities began spraying the silly string into rooms before they entered.
[06:12.100 --> 06:14.240]As the lightweight blasts of silly string settled,
[06:14.660 --> 06:16.840]they would drape over the thin booby-trap wires,
[06:17.260 --> 06:17.860]revealing them,
[06:18.140 --> 06:19.020]but not triggering them.
[06:19.020 --> 06:20.060]Again,
[06:20.060 --> 06:24.320]it's that kind of innovation that happens at the nexus of diversity and inclusion.
[06:25.160 --> 06:29.440]Having been all around the world and seen incredible places and met fascinating people,
[06:29.980 --> 06:33.120]what I come back to is that other places don't have all this diversity.
[06:33.120 --> 06:34.700]But we have it.
[06:35.080 --> 06:36.060]It's our secret weapon.
[06:36.880 --> 06:38.840]Look at what happens when we go to the Olympics.
[06:39.700 --> 06:41.380]Why does the U.S. win so many medals?
[06:42.100 --> 06:44.180]Other countries have great athletes and facilities.
[06:44.640 --> 06:46.100]They have exceptional training methods.
[06:46.780 --> 06:49.100]Some even use drugs to improve their athletes' performance.
[06:50.020 --> 06:53.600]But no one brings the same diversity to the athletic field as the U.S.
[06:53.600 --> 06:56.200]Half of our medals come from our female athletes.
[06:56.780 --> 06:58.500]A great number come from our people of color.
[06:59.300 --> 07:01.520]Other countries don't have that or don't allow it.
[07:02.260 --> 07:03.180]And as a result,
[07:03.680 --> 07:06.700]they don't have a shot against us because our diversity gives us strength.
[07:08.240 --> 07:09.840]Our place in the universe.
[07:10.960 --> 07:14.040]I'm friends with a group of guys I've known for over 20 years.
[07:14.440 --> 07:18.820]And we have an online chat room where we share our ideas and reflections on our lives and the world.
[07:19.240 --> 07:19.840]Nothing formal.
[07:20.380 --> 07:22.040]It's a virtual locker room of sorts.
[07:22.040 --> 07:25.360]One of the questions that somebody recently posed was,
[07:25.900 --> 07:27.300]Are we alone in the universe?
[07:28.280 --> 07:30.100]I was reminded of the Fermi paradox.
[07:31.000 --> 07:35.000]The idea, articulated by Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi,
[07:35.480 --> 07:40.040]posits that there is a discrepancy between the scant evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life
[07:40.040 --> 07:42.840]and the apparently high likelihood that such life exists.
[07:43.520 --> 07:47.440]In 1950, as Fermi was having lunch with Edward Teller, Herbert York,
[07:47.680 --> 07:51.740]and Emil Konopinski in discussing recent reports of unidentified flying objects,
[07:52.040 --> 07:56.520]Fermi noted that since many of the Sun-like stars are billions of years older than our Sun,
[07:57.000 --> 08:00.160]the Earth should have already been visited by extraterrestrial civilizations.
[08:00.960 --> 08:03.460]But there is no convincing evidence that this has happened.
[08:03.980 --> 08:04.740]It's a paradox.
[08:05.600 --> 08:06.400]Recently, however,
[08:06.400 --> 08:12.500]some researchers using mathematical models concluded that there is a high degree of probability that we are indeed alone.
[08:13.260 --> 08:17.600]As the conversation progressed, the commentary moved to the conclusion that if that's true,
[08:17.980 --> 08:23.280]then our responsibility to this planet and life on Earth increases exponentially, astronomically if you will.
[08:23.280 --> 08:29.000]We need to conduct ourselves and treat one another in a way that respects not only the life that's here today,
[08:29.460 --> 08:33.300]but also the billions and billions of potential lives that will come after us.
[08:34.040 --> 08:37.200]This brings me back to all of the things that are happening right now.
[08:37.880 --> 08:41.000]The Doomsday Clock is the closest it has ever been to 12 o'clock.
[08:41.720 --> 08:45.120]Public officials are being indicted for serious crimes against our democracy.
[08:45.120 --> 08:48.840]We have $82 trillion invested in venture capital,
[08:49.220 --> 08:52.780]and less than 2% is going to businesses started by women and people of color.
[08:53.540 --> 08:57.700]Not only are there biases in the physical world and a lack of diversity around the table,
[08:58.160 --> 09:03.780]but those biases and lack of diversity are also becoming a part of the virtual world created by artificial intelligence.
[09:04.560 --> 09:07.100]AI, we need to remember, is relentless.
[09:07.760 --> 09:08.640]It never slows down.
[09:09.000 --> 09:09.900]It never takes a break.
[09:10.520 --> 09:13.260]And despite all the benefits AI may add to our lives,
[09:13.260 --> 09:17.420]the idea that we don't have a representative group of people around the table
[09:17.420 --> 09:22.080]to ensure that these tools act responsibly and equitably is really, really scary.
[09:22.940 --> 09:25.320]These things weigh heavily on my mind every day.
[09:26.380 --> 09:27.260]The world is burning.
[09:27.780 --> 09:28.640]The country is burning.
[09:29.360 --> 09:30.160]That's a challenge.
[09:30.860 --> 09:34.980]But within that, we have an extraordinary opportunity for people to step forward,
[09:35.380 --> 09:36.920]speak up, and take a position.
[09:37.360 --> 09:41.860]I'm not talking about a position that declares that everyone who doesn't think like you is from hell,
[09:41.860 --> 09:43.480]but a position that says,
[09:44.120 --> 09:46.100]let's figure out a path forward that works.
[09:46.700 --> 09:49.660]Let's figure out a path forward that is inclusive, brings equity,
[09:50.000 --> 09:53.240]and addresses climate change, equity, and social justice issues.
[09:53.900 --> 09:55.660]Let's confront the threats to our democracy.
[09:56.240 --> 09:58.180]Let's confront the inequities that we have.
[09:58.720 --> 10:02.800]Let's confront the challenges we have and do so in a manner that solves these issues.
[10:02.800 --> 10:06.060]Challenges strengthen us.
[10:07.060 --> 10:12.700]Not long ago, a 32-year-old former medal-winning U.S. Olympic sprinter died during childbirth.
[10:13.480 --> 10:15.920]It was hard to believe that it could happen in our country.
[10:16.380 --> 10:20.500]But when you look at the statistics, we learn that, among all Western nations,
[10:20.980 --> 10:24.540]the United States is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to have a child.
[10:24.540 --> 10:27.180]That's true irrespective of your race.
[10:27.860 --> 10:32.020]But the statistics are even more dire when you start breaking that information down demographically.
[10:32.680 --> 10:33.460]It's insane.
[10:34.120 --> 10:37.180]No woman should have to face the prospect of dying during childbirth,
[10:37.540 --> 10:39.080]an event of extraordinary joy.
[10:39.820 --> 10:40.600]But it's true.
[10:41.320 --> 10:43.680]Despite all of the resources we have in this country,
[10:44.240 --> 10:48.840]death during childbirth is a very realistic prospect for a significant number of women in this country.
[10:48.840 --> 10:50.560]That's unacceptable.
[10:51.400 --> 10:55.480]But these conditions have persisted so long that they've become entrenched in our way of life.
[10:56.160 --> 10:58.720]They've become something we accept and simply shrug off.
[10:59.460 --> 11:01.880]And that's just not who we should be as a country.
[11:02.440 --> 11:04.440]That is not who we should be as a people.
[11:04.900 --> 11:06.600]That is not who we should be as a world.
[11:07.500 --> 11:08.980]I don't want to sound Pollyannish.
[11:09.200 --> 11:10.680]I'm not looking to create a utopia.
[11:11.360 --> 11:12.600]I think challenges are good.
[11:13.060 --> 11:14.160]Challenges make us strong.
[11:14.840 --> 11:15.680]Iron needs fire.
[11:16.180 --> 11:17.120]Diamonds need pressure.
[11:17.120 --> 11:19.920]The best things in life come when we earn them,
[11:20.340 --> 11:23.540]often through trial and error, failure and joy, and winning.
[11:24.440 --> 11:27.660]Without that effort, we just don't get to the best of who we are.
[11:28.320 --> 11:31.160]Our country has a special responsibility to ourselves,
[11:31.460 --> 11:33.840]to the citizens of this country, and to the world,
[11:34.260 --> 11:36.320]to be an example of what the best can be.
[11:37.100 --> 11:39.440]But we are not living up to that example today.
[11:40.420 --> 11:43.260]These challenges we face should not create the kind of turmoil
[11:43.260 --> 11:46.620]that is persistent and pervading every facet of our lives in this country.
[11:47.120 --> 11:49.860]When these challenges are left unchecked and unaddressed,
[11:50.260 --> 11:54.820]we are not honoring the special privilege we have as living, sentient creatures in this universe.
[11:55.540 --> 11:56.720]Are we alone in the universe?
[11:57.360 --> 12:01.840]We seem to be, despite the vastness of the universe and the paradox inherent in that.
[12:02.500 --> 12:07.000]Against the backdrop of an infinite universe, what we have is truly, truly precious.
[12:07.000 --> 12:10.040]And we clearly have a responsibility to protect it,
[12:10.460 --> 12:13.640]nourish it, and foster it in ways we're not doing today.
[12:14.720 --> 12:18.420]Addressing problems begins with accepting and embracing the fact that you have a problem,
[12:18.700 --> 12:20.820]and you have challenges, and there are issues.
[12:21.360 --> 12:22.640]We don't often do that.
[12:23.280 --> 12:26.300]Hence, we don't even give ourselves a chance to address these things.
[12:26.300 --> 12:32.080]It's time that we begin to talk in very honest, factual, objective terms about where we are
[12:32.080 --> 12:36.600]as a country, so that we can start to have objective, fact-based conversations about what
[12:36.600 --> 12:41.380]we can and should be doing about it, and how we move forward, doing so as a collective.
[12:42.080 --> 12:46.520]And again, just because folks disagree with one another, it doesn't mean that one side
[12:46.520 --> 12:49.420]is unequivocally right and the other side is unequivocally evil.
[12:49.420 --> 12:54.440]We have to get to a place where we can have a discourse, where we can have a conversation,
[12:55.100 --> 12:58.200]where we can debate in a respectful way that leads us to the best answers.
[12:58.860 --> 13:01.220]As it is, we can't even talk to one another.
[13:01.920 --> 13:05.640]That is not going to lead to resolving any of the issues that I just talked about.
[13:06.320 --> 13:10.520]We have to have those tough conversations, and we have to have them in a respectful manner.
[13:11.200 --> 13:15.780]We have to have them in a fashion that listens, embraces, and offers all sides a chance
[13:15.780 --> 13:16.620]to voice their opinion.
[13:16.620 --> 13:21.400]That doesn't mean every opinion is right or the way forward, but it does mean that
[13:21.400 --> 13:23.720]those conversations can lead us to the best solution.
[13:24.780 --> 13:29.520]As a technologist, I talk to my people all the time about how innovation is not always
[13:29.520 --> 13:30.200]rocket science.
[13:30.960 --> 13:34.920]Instead, innovation stems from open minds and the free flow of ideas.
[13:35.660 --> 13:40.360]We are not going to train bears to shake utility poles, but the idea of bears doing just that
[13:40.360 --> 13:41.840]can lead to a brilliant solution.
[13:42.780 --> 13:46.120]The Canadian Power Company story illustrates the power of ideas.
[13:46.620 --> 13:51.060]One idea may not be the answer, but if you build on that and you build on that and you
[13:51.060 --> 13:52.860]build on that, a solution emerges.
[13:53.640 --> 13:57.660]Before you know it, you arrive at a place that's novel, distinctive, and workable.
[13:58.200 --> 14:01.920]You arrive at a place you never would have gotten to if you didn't have creative thought
[14:01.920 --> 14:03.400]and diverse thinking around the table.
[14:04.040 --> 14:06.580]You get to go to some fantastically interesting places.
[14:06.580 --> 14:12.920]There's no reason why we can't do that in our politics.
[14:13.480 --> 14:15.840]There's no reason why we can't do that in our institutions.
[14:16.480 --> 14:20.440]There's no reason why we can't make that a mainstay of how we move forward across all
[14:20.440 --> 14:20.940]these fronts.
[14:21.500 --> 14:25.360]Education, social justice, incarceration, and income inequality.
[14:25.360 --> 14:29.480]All of these things need to be addressed in different and novel ways.
[14:29.920 --> 14:31.920]I'm not suggesting that we don't have to work for it.
[14:32.400 --> 14:33.160]This is America.
[14:33.800 --> 14:35.180]People should work for what they get.
[14:35.880 --> 14:38.120]In fact, it's proven that free is not the answer.
[14:38.780 --> 14:39.960]People don't respect free.
[14:40.700 --> 14:41.760]People should be challenged.
[14:42.320 --> 14:44.320]It should be hard, but it shouldn't be impossible.
[14:45.040 --> 14:46.760]It should not be completely improbable.
[14:47.300 --> 14:49.680]It should not be overly burdensome for a group of people.
[14:50.340 --> 14:52.620]That's not who or what we are as Americans.
[14:53.280 --> 14:58.580]It's not part of the ethos, first articulated by our country's founders, upon which our country
[14:58.580 --> 14:59.200]was based.
[15:00.080 --> 15:03.940]Moreover, it isn't about someone taking my sliver of this American pie.
[15:04.400 --> 15:09.240]It's literally about making a great pie, a big, honking pie, and getting a bigger piece
[15:09.240 --> 15:13.580]of that than you otherwise would, by being inclusive and adding diverse perspectives and
[15:13.580 --> 15:16.240]points of view that we currently marginalize and dismiss.
[15:16.240 --> 15:20.000]We are at a pivotal point in our journey toward that inclusive vision.
[15:20.700 --> 15:25.860]In our transition to a more AI-influenced, tech-based economy and world, we are on the cusp of baking
[15:25.860 --> 15:29.200]our biases into everyday life, making them a way of life.
[15:29.920 --> 15:35.040]When you think about facial recognition, underwriting, access to credit, and access to capital, we
[15:35.040 --> 15:38.660]risk making biased decisions a systematically permanent part of our lives.
[15:39.160 --> 15:40.600]That's completely unacceptable.
[15:41.360 --> 15:42.900]We have to be better as a nation.
[15:43.380 --> 15:44.820]We have to be better as a people.
[15:44.820 --> 15:46.880]We have to be better as a world.
[15:47.540 --> 15:48.540]We owe it to ourselves.
[15:49.100 --> 15:53.500]We owe it to the very distinct gift that we've been given to be in a world, in a universe
[15:53.500 --> 15:59.220]where life is unique, where life is precious and special, where life is not easy, and the
[15:59.220 --> 16:00.680]prospect of it is not common.
[16:01.500 --> 16:03.040]We have a lot of work to do.
[16:03.040 --> 16:10.080]I hope this effort will cause people to stop, reflect, imagine, wonder, and decide that they
[16:10.080 --> 16:11.360]are going to be different.
[16:11.360 --> 16:16.800]As individuals, they are going to be different and make choices that encourage others to
[16:16.800 --> 16:17.660]be different as well.
[16:18.380 --> 16:20.540]In this way, we can create a movement.
[16:21.180 --> 16:22.520]There is precedence for this.
[16:23.120 --> 16:25.940]Nations have found their way out of conflict and injustice before.
[16:25.940 --> 16:30.440]The women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, the end of apartheid.
[16:30.940 --> 16:35.280]The European Union blossomed from the wreckage, lies, and distrust of World War II.
[16:36.100 --> 16:40.340]Massive transformations of societies around eliminating inequality have happened before
[16:40.340 --> 16:43.740]and need to happen again, right here, right now.
[16:43.740 --> 16:49.420]We will talk later about this coalition of the willing, the coalition of courage, and
[16:49.420 --> 16:50.560]the coalition of change.
[16:51.120 --> 16:56.560]And I hope the words that I'm sharing, the concepts, ideas, and thoughts, get people thinking
[16:56.560 --> 17:01.200]about a coalition of like-minded people who want to move in a different direction, who
[17:01.200 --> 17:05.600]understand the urgency of where we are, and who understand that we don't have all day.
[17:06.320 --> 17:07.400]Time is running out.
A Common Thread That Binds Us
This is a diverse collection of sources—including personal stories, business branding guides, YouTube transcripts, sponsorship proposals, art gallery visions, and excerpts from the book We Have Nothing to Lose by Ralph H. Gross III—that are unified by powerful underlying themes such as dark optimism, embracing constant change, and the transformative power of knowledge
[00:00.000 --> 00:07.300] Welcome to the deep dive. Today we're taking a look, a really fascinating look, through a bunch of sources you, the learner, sent over to us. [00:07.420 --> 00:07.840] That's right. [00:07.960 --> 00:15.700] Our mission, like always, is to pull out the key ideas, maybe some surprising links, and, you know, the stuff you can actually use. [00:15.860 --> 00:17.980] We're sort of your guides through all this material. [00:18.260 --> 00:28.880] And it's quite a mix this time. Seriously, we've got personal stories, very specific business branding guides, YouTube transcripts, and art gallery vision. [00:28.880 --> 00:30.220] Sponsorship stuff, too, right? [00:30.240 --> 00:33.160] Yeah, sponsorship proposals, and then excerpts from this book. [00:33.800 --> 00:39.600] We have nothing to lose. A Dark Optimist's Call to Action by Ralph H. Gross III. [00:40.140 --> 00:41.160] Looks like a bit of everything. [00:41.340 --> 00:48.100] It really does. And you might be thinking, okay, what connects an uncle, agile management, a black and white logo, and Venice art shows? [00:48.240 --> 00:49.160] Right. It seems random. [00:49.500 --> 00:53.320] But stick with us. As we dig in, I think some really powerful themes are going to pop out. [00:53.320 --> 00:58.560] Expect some, hopefully, aha moments, but, you know, without getting buried in details. [00:59.320 --> 01:03.160] Okay, let's start unpacking this. Maybe starting with how we perceive people. [01:03.520 --> 01:09.640] Yeah, absolutely. That personal piece, celebrating Alvin's living, especially the bit about Uncle Van, that really caught my eye straight away. [01:09.700 --> 01:15.320] Because you have his physical stats listed, like 5'11", 175 pounds. Seems pretty average, right? [01:15.320 --> 01:15.440] Yeah. [01:16.220 --> 01:21.000] But the way the narrator talks about him, larger than life. [01:21.120 --> 01:21.300] Yeah. [01:21.300 --> 01:28.040] Capable of pretty much anything, physically, mentally. It makes you think about perception versus reality. [01:28.360 --> 01:37.500] It really does. And it kind of mirrors the description of Alvin himself. Good with his hands, good with ideas. Just this sense of limitless talent and generosity. [01:37.780 --> 01:38.160] Exactly. [01:38.160 --> 01:45.280] It gets you thinking about the limits we put on people, or even ourselves, maybe without realizing it. Is there more going on than what we see first? [01:45.620 --> 01:56.560] Precisely. What happens when you push past those perceived limits, or when they just shatter? These stories hint at this potential that's way beyond just, you know, what's on the surface. [01:56.560 --> 02:06.140] So for you, the learner, it's like, what if you question the limits you see in yourself and others? Could that unlock something? Change how you see what's possible? [02:06.580 --> 02:16.840] That's a great question. Okay, so from those personal feelings, let's switch gears a bit to, like, identity and branding. We've got this Dark Optimist Final Brand Guides 2025.pdf. [02:17.000 --> 02:17.180] Yeah. [02:17.180 --> 02:21.060] And the branding. Wow, it's really striking. Very black and white dominant. [02:21.300 --> 02:28.780] Mm-hmm. And what's interesting isn't just that they chose black and white, but how strongly they lean into it. It seems very deliberate. [02:29.180 --> 02:30.260] What do they say about the colors? [02:31.080 --> 02:42.840] Well, black is linked to darkness, power, authority, prestige, strength. White is about purity, innocence, peace, new starts, honesty, a clean slate. [02:43.000 --> 02:44.580] Yeah, it does a stark contrast. [02:44.580 --> 02:52.140] It is. It's visually powerful, sure, but it maybe suggests a kind of core philosophy. Something about clarity, maybe facing things head on. [02:52.220 --> 03:00.800] And then there's red. The secondary color means strong emotions, urgency, a call to action. But the guide says very clearly, do not overuse red. [03:00.900 --> 03:02.160] Yeah, that's specific, isn't it? [03:02.260 --> 03:02.560] Very. [03:02.760 --> 03:10.260] Using red sparingly like that. It's just they want urgency to be, well, impactful, not just noise. Like, when it's time to act, it really means something. [03:10.260 --> 03:15.860] And the dark optimist logo, it's everywhere in the guide. Often right next to read the book. [03:16.000 --> 03:19.560] Right. So the brand is pointing directly to the book for the deeper meaning. [03:19.780 --> 03:24.840] Seems like it. Now let's bring in the Nowhere Art Gallery of Vision. That's another piece you said. [03:25.200 --> 03:33.860] Ah, yes. This one was interesting, too. Their main idea, everywhere leads to nowhere. It's quite poetic, really. [03:33.860 --> 03:39.660] It is. Like, any path, any experience can lead you to this place of knowing, of understanding. [03:39.920 --> 03:41.760] And they have that equation. K-E-M-E. [03:42.000 --> 03:52.620] Yeah. Knowledge equals enlightenment to the second power. That's a bold statement, isn't it? It's saying knowledge isn't just additive, it's potentially exponential in how it transforms you. [03:52.660 --> 03:55.080] It's not just facts. It's insight squared. [03:55.260 --> 03:57.820] Exactly. Turning knowledge into something much deeper. [03:57.820 --> 04:07.000] And their mission statement talks about cultivating seekers of truth, passion, purpose, but especially knowledge. They want people leaving feeling enlightened. [04:07.540 --> 04:16.180] You see the link, right? The Dark Optimist brand pushes you to read the book, gain knowledge. Nowhere Gallery explicitly links knowledge to enlightenment. [04:16.540 --> 04:17.780] Yeah, there's definitely a thread there. [04:17.780 --> 04:29.120] It points to this underlying belief, maybe, in knowledge as the key, the catalyst for change, for understanding. Maybe the darkness in Dark Optimist is about acknowledging the world's problems. [04:29.300 --> 04:33.480] But the optimism comes from believing knowledge can light the way. [04:33.680 --> 04:38.500] That's how I'm reading it, yeah. Like, the gallery wants to enlighten. So, for you, the learner, it makes you think. [04:38.500 --> 04:46.940] What kind of philosophy puts such a premium on knowledge as the main tool for navigating everything and aiming for something better? [04:47.140 --> 04:52.820] Hmm. Okay. So, we have these ideas about knowledge and perspective. Let's see how that plays out in practice. [04:53.540 --> 05:00.360] We've got a YouTube transcript, Empowering Underrepresented Founders with Ralph Gross. This sounds like a real-world test. [05:00.520 --> 05:07.620] It really does. And what's fascinating here is Gross' story about bringing agile methodology into his workplace when he was CIO. [05:07.620 --> 05:09.440] Agile. Remind us quickly. [05:09.720 --> 05:15.260] Sure. It's a way of managing projects, basically. Very flexible, collaborative. You work in short bursts. Adapt as you go. [05:15.540 --> 05:17.460] Pretty standard in tech now, but maybe not always. [05:17.920 --> 05:25.260] And Gross-Faced. Well, huge resistance. From business partners, his own team, leadership. [05:26.140 --> 05:29.640] He quotes his dad saying something like, your problem is you're too dumb to quit. [05:29.780 --> 05:32.920] Ah. Sounds like tough love, maybe. [05:33.360 --> 05:35.960] Maybe. But it seemed to fuel his persistence. [05:35.960 --> 05:39.560] But the really interesting part is how he handled the pushback. [05:39.960 --> 05:40.380] What did he do? [05:40.640 --> 05:43.440] He didn't shut it down. He actually invited it. [05:43.720 --> 05:46.680] Asked people, okay, tell me why you think this won't work. [05:47.180 --> 05:50.560] He used data, information, not just authority. [05:50.720 --> 05:52.400] So, he leaned into the dissent. [05:52.540 --> 05:54.740] Exactly. Treated it like useful data. [05:55.000 --> 05:57.580] Like, okay, let's scientifically figure out what the problems are here. [05:57.920 --> 05:58.740] And the result. [05:58.860 --> 05:59.260] They worked. [05:59.480 --> 06:00.820] Better than expected, apparently. [06:00.820 --> 06:03.700] Totally. Because they listened, they tweaked the methodology. [06:03.920 --> 06:04.080] Yeah. [06:04.080 --> 06:05.460] Made it fit their company, their culture. [06:05.680 --> 06:06.900] So, it wasn't just forced on them. [06:07.240 --> 06:08.100] They got buy-in. [06:08.240 --> 06:10.040] That makes sense. It wasn't about him being right. [06:10.120 --> 06:12.040] It was about getting the best outcome for everyone. [06:12.160 --> 06:14.360] Totally. And that Truman quote feels relevant. [06:14.700 --> 06:17.640] It's amazing what you could get done when you don't care who gets the credit. [06:18.020 --> 06:19.500] Connect that back to dark optimism. [06:19.500 --> 06:25.780] It looks like moving forward, even when it's hard, by adapting, listening, innovating. [06:26.280 --> 06:27.300] It's a practical example. [06:27.540 --> 06:29.840] Okay. Which leads us perfectly into the next transcript. [06:30.300 --> 06:33.600] Eb 48. Why playing it safe is the real risk. [06:33.760 --> 06:35.420] A dark optimist's call to action. [06:35.980 --> 06:37.660] This sounds like where we get the origin story. [06:37.840 --> 06:41.440] Yeah. This digs into where dark optimism comes from for him personally. [06:41.660 --> 06:44.500] He talks about tiger parents on steroids. [06:44.760 --> 06:45.160] Wow. [06:45.520 --> 06:45.660] Okay. [06:45.720 --> 06:48.680] Super high expectations. Non-negotiable. Unrelenting. [06:48.680 --> 06:50.060] But here's the twist. [06:50.760 --> 06:54.060] They told him the outcome they expected, but not how to get there. [06:54.480 --> 06:55.720] He had to figure that out himself. [06:55.860 --> 06:56.440] And failure. [06:56.700 --> 06:59.900] Not tolerated. Serious punishment. Intense pressure. [07:00.160 --> 07:01.820] Yikes. How do you cope with that? [07:02.260 --> 07:04.460] He said he learned to just focus on the very next step. [07:04.700 --> 07:08.300] Not get paralyzed by the huge goal, but just, what do I do right now? [07:08.500 --> 07:10.940] Almost finding strength in how big the challenge was. [07:11.100 --> 07:13.300] Hmm. That's an interesting psychological flip. [07:13.600 --> 07:15.740] And he tells this story about his grandmother's sermon. [07:15.740 --> 07:19.440] And she said something like, I'm not going back and I'm not going to stop. [07:19.620 --> 07:22.700] If I can't go forward, all I'm going to do is march in place. [07:22.920 --> 07:25.020] Just relentless forward movement. [07:25.240 --> 07:26.360] Keep moving no matter what. [07:26.540 --> 07:26.840] Pretty much. [07:27.180 --> 07:29.320] Then there's this drift diving analogy he uses. [07:29.480 --> 07:30.200] Drift diving. [07:30.400 --> 07:31.000] Like scuba. [07:31.220 --> 07:31.380] Yeah. [07:31.380 --> 07:38.600] The idea is the current, the world, is always moving, always changing, even if you don't notice it. [07:38.720 --> 07:38.900] Okay. [07:39.280 --> 07:42.220] So his takeaway is, if it ain't broke, you better break it. [07:42.460 --> 07:47.840] Because if you're doing things the same way you did six months ago, you're probably already falling behind that invisible current. [07:47.980 --> 07:48.280] Whoa. [07:48.480 --> 07:50.320] So standing still is actually going backwards. [07:50.560 --> 07:51.220] That's the idea. [07:51.340 --> 07:54.840] It feeds into this core, dark, optimist belief. [07:55.000 --> 07:55.180] Hmm. [07:55.540 --> 07:57.420] There's no truly safe place. [07:57.820 --> 07:58.960] The world keeps changing. [07:58.960 --> 08:03.400] So the goal isn't safety, it's being okay with change. [08:03.480 --> 08:10.740] Being comfortable and confident in constant change, being proactive, choosing your course, not just waiting for things to happen to you. [08:10.820 --> 08:16.620] That definitely requires a certain boldness, which connects to this other piece, the Rothgross Podcast One Sheet. [08:16.900 --> 08:19.100] It mentions his lifelong ambition. [08:19.520 --> 08:20.240] Yeah, get this. [08:20.720 --> 08:23.720] President of the United States since kindergarten. [08:23.920 --> 08:24.280] Okay. [08:24.620 --> 08:25.500] That's ambitious. [08:25.780 --> 08:26.820] Definitely not playing it safe. [08:26.820 --> 08:30.860] But what's interesting is, he says the book isn't really about his ambition anymore. [08:31.060 --> 08:31.780] It shifted. [08:32.180 --> 08:32.460] To what? [08:32.780 --> 08:34.180] To you, we, and us. [08:34.700 --> 08:36.040] A call for collective change. [08:36.340 --> 08:39.060] The title itself, we have nothing to lose. [08:40.300 --> 08:42.900] It suggests the stakes are high for everyone, right? [08:43.040 --> 08:45.140] Yeah, like the need for change is so urgent. [08:45.560 --> 08:49.180] The fear of trying something audacious just fades. [08:49.240 --> 08:49.740] Or it has to. [08:49.960 --> 08:54.880] The drive to spark change becomes bigger than the fear of the goal being, you know, preposterously huge. [08:54.880 --> 08:56.560] Okay, so let's look inside the book itself. [08:56.680 --> 09:02.440] We have excerpts from We Have Nothing to Lose by Ralph H. Gross III, hardback, V5.pdf. [09:03.240 --> 09:04.580] What themes pop out there? [09:05.200 --> 09:10.360] Well, the foreword sets it up as a call to action, aimed at people worried about division, loss of community, things like that. [09:10.640 --> 09:14.360] And chapter titles like The Power of Diversity signal a major theme. [09:14.360 --> 09:15.840] And he uses examples, right? [09:16.080 --> 09:17.180] Yeah, really interesting ones. [09:17.460 --> 09:25.260] Like a brainstorming session where, apparently, a slightly out there idea eventually led to using helicopters to de-ice power lines. [09:25.560 --> 09:27.900] Shows how different ideas can build on each other. [09:28.160 --> 09:29.620] Okay, combining perspectives. [09:30.100 --> 09:33.220] Then there's the story of using silly string in a rock. [09:33.340 --> 09:35.000] Silly string, seriously? [09:35.000 --> 09:45.700] Yeah, to detect tripwires for booby traps, an incredibly creative, unexpected use of a common item, innovation born from need and maybe diverse thinking on the ground. [09:45.860 --> 09:46.260] Wow. [09:46.520 --> 09:52.940] Okay, that's a powerful example of innovation at the nexus of, well, diversity and inclusion, as the source puts it. [09:53.040 --> 09:57.540] He also mentions the U.S. Olympic team's success being tied to the diversity of its athletes. [09:57.920 --> 09:58.400] Makes sense. [09:58.580 --> 10:00.900] But it's not all positive examples, is it? [10:00.900 --> 10:04.700] No, there's a cautionary tale, too, the Kohler automatic sink faucet. [10:05.340 --> 10:08.680] Apparently, early versions didn't recognize darker skin tones. [10:08.840 --> 10:09.820] Oof, why not? [10:09.900 --> 10:12.340] Lack of diversity in the team that designed and tested it. [10:12.560 --> 10:14.880] A blind spot that had real-world consequences. [10:15.780 --> 10:18.020] It shows what happens when perspectives are missing. [10:18.340 --> 10:23.700] So all these stories together really hammer home why you need different viewpoints, why you need to listen respectfully. [10:24.020 --> 10:26.560] It connects right back to his agile story, doesn't it? [10:26.620 --> 10:27.520] Listening to dissent. [10:27.660 --> 10:28.100] Absolutely. [10:28.100 --> 10:31.220] Which brings us neatly to how he talks about leadership. [10:31.660 --> 10:33.940] He's this point guard president idea. [10:34.160 --> 10:34.760] Like in basketball. [10:35.200 --> 10:35.680] Exactly. [10:36.380 --> 10:42.560] Not the star scorer, necessarily, but the one who distributes the ball, sets up teammates, makes the whole team better. [10:42.880 --> 10:45.620] He mentions Isaiah Thomas, Steph Curry as examples. [10:46.340 --> 10:49.300] Focus on the team's success, not personal stats. [10:49.500 --> 10:53.880] That's a different model of leadership than just, you know, the person at the top calling all the shots. [10:53.880 --> 10:54.200] Right. [10:54.680 --> 10:58.860] And he talks about his own impatience, but frames it as a driver for innovation. [10:59.320 --> 11:01.240] I want what I want right now. [11:01.520 --> 11:03.200] If I can't get it, I invent it. [11:04.240 --> 11:06.580] He even compares himself to Elon Musk in that respect. [11:06.940 --> 11:08.620] Impatience as a fissure, not a bug. [11:08.840 --> 11:09.460] Kind of, yeah. [11:09.860 --> 11:13.820] And think about that story being put in charge of the Deutsche Bank euro conversion. [11:14.540 --> 11:15.520] Huge project. [11:15.960 --> 11:16.880] No direct prior experience. [11:17.660 --> 11:18.100] Why him? [11:18.100 --> 11:23.500] The executive apparently believed he'd figure it out and, crucially, wasn't scared of the repercussions if you fail. [11:23.600 --> 11:25.400] That's a lot of trust and pressure. [11:25.640 --> 11:25.880] Totally. [11:26.200 --> 11:28.020] It links back to that fit foe thing from his dad. [11:28.140 --> 11:28.840] Figure it, you know. [11:28.900 --> 11:29.080] Right. [11:29.380 --> 11:29.680] Out. [11:29.900 --> 11:30.080] Right. [11:30.160 --> 11:30.640] Figure it out. [11:30.880 --> 11:32.540] He also mentions Midnight Madness. [11:33.040 --> 11:38.620] That intense preseason basketball practice under Rick Pitino is an example of that kind of relentless dedication. [11:39.000 --> 11:41.600] So high intensity, figure it out, focus on the team. [11:42.240 --> 11:42.780] What else? [11:42.780 --> 11:49.220] A really key thing seems to be assuming good intentions, creating a safe place to disagree, he calls it. [11:49.560 --> 11:51.500] You can argue, debate, push back. [11:51.560 --> 11:52.700] But then you execute together. [11:52.820 --> 11:53.200] Exactly. [11:53.460 --> 11:53.600] Yeah. [11:53.720 --> 11:56.260] Unity in execution, even after disagreement. [11:56.920 --> 12:05.420] He talks about persuasion versus coercion, inviting dissent, that knocking, letting people make a conscious choice to join the effort. [12:05.540 --> 12:06.880] Okay, that's a nuanced approach. [12:07.340 --> 12:10.860] Now, across all these sources, technology feels like a big undercurrent. [12:11.100 --> 12:11.500] Definitely. [12:11.500 --> 12:14.120] His background as a CIO is clear. [12:14.860 --> 12:19.640] Always looking at how to use tech for business goals, like automating payments at BNY Mellon. [12:19.680 --> 12:22.500] Using agile, mobile tech, building tech centers. [12:22.860 --> 12:23.600] It's consistent. [12:23.880 --> 12:24.040] Yeah. [12:24.180 --> 12:25.660] He's clearly comfortable in that space. [12:25.760 --> 12:29.480] And he brings in bigger ideas, too, like Ray Kurzweil's singularity. [12:29.540 --> 12:30.480] The singularity. [12:30.620 --> 12:34.340] That's the idea that tech progress speeds up so fast it changes everything, right? [12:34.420 --> 12:35.100] Like, fundamentally. [12:35.400 --> 12:36.180] That's the gist of it, yeah. [12:36.720 --> 12:39.560] A point of potentially runaway technological growth. [12:39.560 --> 12:42.860] Gross seems to see both the huge potential. [12:42.980 --> 12:46.160] He mentions AI potentially speeding up asylum cases, for instance. [12:46.320 --> 12:47.280] Which would be amazing. [12:47.320 --> 12:50.260] But he also flags the need to think about the downsides. [12:50.340 --> 12:50.460] Yeah. [12:50.660 --> 12:51.340] Social disruption. [12:51.840 --> 12:52.740] Economic upheaval. [12:52.980 --> 12:54.440] We need to manage that transition. [12:54.560 --> 12:56.140] It's not just utopian thinking. [12:56.140 --> 12:57.200] No, it seems grounded. [12:57.400 --> 12:58.240] And then there's a Mars goal. [12:58.840 --> 13:00.400] A permanent station by the end of the decade. [13:00.480 --> 13:00.680] Yeah. [13:00.800 --> 13:04.060] That's, well, that's thinking big about technology's reach. [13:04.540 --> 13:05.280] Definitely ambitious. [13:05.740 --> 13:08.440] Okay, one more major element to weave in. [13:09.160 --> 13:09.780] The art world. [13:10.120 --> 13:12.100] We have the Nowhere Art Gallery of Materials. [13:12.300 --> 13:12.500] Right. [13:12.740 --> 13:14.960] And their mission fits so well. [13:15.740 --> 13:21.120] So the seeds of an artistic movement that will change the world turn knowledge into enlightenment. [13:21.380 --> 13:22.500] It echoes everything else. [13:22.620 --> 13:24.080] Change knowledge enlightenment. [13:24.080 --> 13:29.520] And they're putting it into practice, participating in the Venice Biennale, a huge international art exhibition. [13:29.840 --> 13:34.980] Their theme within that show was personal structures, focusing on a common thread that binds us. [13:35.140 --> 13:36.540] And who are the artists involved? [13:36.780 --> 13:37.600] Two artists mentioned. [13:38.120 --> 13:42.040] Dana Tillman, who uses quilting to explore identity in the African diaspora. [13:42.340 --> 13:42.640] Okay. [13:42.640 --> 13:50.860] And Maria Lanaqueen, a self-taught painter whose abstract work is like a visual diary, dealing with advocacy, faith, culture. [13:51.260 --> 13:55.780] So the art itself is exploring these deep themes of identity, knowledge, perspective. [13:56.100 --> 13:56.500] Exactly. [13:56.900 --> 13:58.920] The gallery's mission, the art they showcase. [13:59.180 --> 14:05.680] It all connects back to seeking knowledge, challenging how we see things, aiming for positive change. [14:06.200 --> 14:09.820] Art is another way to pursue those dark optimist goals, maybe. [14:09.820 --> 14:10.220] Hmm. [14:10.320 --> 14:10.960] That makes sense. [14:11.320 --> 14:12.200] Art as a catalyst. [14:12.640 --> 14:13.080] Okay. [14:13.200 --> 14:15.220] So let's try to pull all these threads together now. [14:15.340 --> 14:16.440] We've covered a lot of ground. [14:16.680 --> 14:17.060] We have. [14:17.220 --> 14:21.700] But there's this constant theme of resilience, right? [14:21.900 --> 14:24.260] Of learning, of needing to keep moving. [14:24.560 --> 14:24.720] Yeah. [14:24.780 --> 14:29.460] That dark optimist view, seeing hope through struggle, not despite it. [14:29.920 --> 14:31.800] The Bob Marley anecdote really sticks out. [14:32.000 --> 14:33.380] Performing right after being shot. [14:33.520 --> 14:33.640] Yeah. [14:33.640 --> 14:34.680] That's an incredible commitment. [14:34.780 --> 14:38.520] When his quote, bad people don't take the day off, so good people have to work harder. [14:38.520 --> 14:39.000] Oof. [14:39.200 --> 14:39.460] Yeah. [14:39.860 --> 14:40.420] That hits home. [14:40.580 --> 14:42.340] It speaks to that need for constant effort. [14:42.740 --> 14:44.640] Can't get complacent if you're trying to make things better. [14:44.940 --> 14:49.640] So looking back at everything, Gross's philosophy seems to be fundamentally about embracing change. [14:49.780 --> 14:54.600] Not just coping with it, but actively seeking it, driving it, seeing it as vital for progress. [14:54.960 --> 14:59.720] Yeah, for individuals, for communities, for, well, maybe the world based on his ambitions. [14:59.720 --> 15:10.540] So wrapping up this deep dive, it's amazing how these different sources, the personal note, the brand guide, the gallery vision, the book, the interviews, they really do connect. [15:10.700 --> 15:11.360] They really do. [15:11.360 --> 15:20.040] We saw the power of challenging limits, right from Uncle Van, the importance of diversity, of listening to dissent, like in the Agile story and the book's examples. [15:20.320 --> 15:29.980] Then the whole philosophy of dark optimism as fuel for action, leadership as enabling others like the point guard, and technology and art as forces for change. [15:29.980 --> 15:31.760] It all weaves together into this picture. [15:32.040 --> 15:38.460] And for you, the learner listening in, maybe the big takeaway is this constant thread about needing to actively engage with change. [15:38.700 --> 15:42.240] Not just letting it wash over you, but grabbing the wheel, so to speak. [15:42.380 --> 15:42.540] Yeah. [15:42.960 --> 15:46.620] Which leads to maybe a final thought for you to chew on, reflecting on all this. [15:47.480 --> 15:51.440] Which of these dark optimist ideas really hits home for you right now? [15:51.640 --> 15:53.140] Is it embracing that discomfort? [15:53.860 --> 15:55.560] Leaning into change even when it's hard? [15:55.560 --> 16:00.700] Or is it really making space for different views, valuing that dissent? [16:00.900 --> 16:05.300] Or maybe it's that relentless focus on a vision, that figure-it-out mentality. [16:05.500 --> 16:08.500] Which one resonates most with what you're working on or thinking about? [16:08.660 --> 16:12.960] And more importantly, how could you actually apply that principle starting now? [16:13.220 --> 16:13.900] Something to think about. [16:14.080 --> 16:14.420] Definitely. [16:14.820 --> 16:16.600] Well, thank you for sending these sources our way. [16:16.680 --> 16:20.280] This was a really rich, really thought-provoking deep dive. [16:20.520 --> 16:21.300] It really was. [16:22.000 --> 16:22.760] Keep exploring. [16:23.160 --> 16:24.360] Keep seeking that knowledge.
In this episode of the Innovators and Investors Podcast, host Kristian Marquez welcomes Ralph Groce, an angel investor and partner at Scroobious. The conversation dives into the systemic challenges faced by underrepresented founders—especially women and people of color—in accessing capital. Scroobious aims to bridge the gap between these talented founders and a vast network of angel investors, tackling misconceptions about perceived risks associated with diverse entrepreneurs. Ralph shares his journey into angel investing, which was influenced by his father’s early investment education and his own entrepreneurial experiences. He emphasizes the importance of team dynamics, problem-solving relevance, and execution capabilities when assessing potential investments. Additionally, the discussion touches on the growing significance of AI in various sectors, especially financial services, indicating it as a transformative force for the future. Listeners will gain insights into investment philosophies, the role of mentorship for founders, and the influential strategies behind Scroobious’s mission of democratizing access to funding for innovative ideas.