Aaron M

Founder and investor, father and holder of unpopular opinions. Co-founder of One Zyme.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@boardyai Building One Zyme, an AI platform for pharma competitive intelligence and drug search. Interested in Boardy Pro for this!

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@Olaszn_ @grok what movie is this?

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@Geiger_Capital Given that the shooter was stopped at a checkpoint, what exactly would you have liked the security team to have done differently? Or do you just really like Erik Prince?

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@elonmusk @mattvanswol @elonmusk Please stop using words like “they” as though some random disturbed dude who none of us know anything about is somehow representative of half the United States.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

Are we in a black mirror episode?

[Acyn @Acyn]

Hegseth: To the American media—I just can't help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist peddling. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on. It's incredibly unpatriotic.

Jesus entered a synagogue and healed a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees came to watch. As the scripture reads, they were there to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath so that they might accuse Him.

You see, the Pharisees — the so-called and self-appointed elites of their time — were there to witness, to write everything down, and to report. But their hearts were hardened, even though they witnessed a literal miracle. It didn’t matter to them. They were only there to explain away the goodness in pursuit of their agenda. As the passage ends, the Pharisees went out and immediately held a council against him, plotting how they might destroy him.

Our press are like these Pharisees

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@elonmusk referred to AI as a”summoning the demon”. Based on what I’ve read about Mythos, the demon has arrived. And it’s worth noting that a guy (Dario) who Elon and the right have vilified is the one person who’s holding it back from wreaking absolute havoc on our world.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

What percentage of Americans have no idea we’re even in a war right now? I wouldn’t be surprised if the number is over 20%.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

This is inaccurate. Most of the strong founders I know have a much clearer and more sophisticated mental map of what’s happening right now than everyone else. If you’re upper middle management at a Fortune 1000 company, for instance, your ability to understand how your world is transforming due to tech is very limited. As is your understanding of how government interacts with business. As is your insight into thr challenges of leadership, when everything rests on your shoulders, etc. I usually love your writing/takes but this feels off.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

The dog is being wagged

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

It doesn’t get more un-American than trying to sneak past constitutional guardrails to take responsibility for voting away from the states due to a trumped up crisis. There’s a name for this - a coup in slow motion.

[Good Morning America @GMA]

Pro‑Trump attorneys have circulated a draft executive order that claims, without evidence, that China interfered in the 2020 election to justify declaring a national emergency that would give the president expanded authority over voting, according to multiple sources.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

It’s time for someone to remake Wargames. https://t.co/zIw9KD5vwz

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

I’m a little unusual in that I grew up in Boston, spent 12 years in San Francisco as a founder and then a VC, and ultimately moved back home. Having lived deeply in both cities, I broadly agree with @WillManidis’s thesis around over-taxation and tech’s failure to clearly articulate its value. Where I part ways is with his portrayal of Boston - it feels a bit over-baked.

Will’s piece makes it seem as though Boston is done for and SF is on the cusp. The reality is that a few years ago, SF was being written off but the efforts of a handful of determined people (like @garrytan and @DanielLurie) helped to turn around both the city’s trajectory and its reputation.

Perhaps I’m looking at the situation with rose-colored glasses but I’d like to think I’m starting to see something similar happening in Boston. One of the best pre-seed VCs anywhere, @epaley, just became the MA secretary of economic development. @MayorWu has committed to continuing to uplevel Boston’s nightlife. In other words, @bhalligan’s points were valid but I also think the pendulum is beginning to swing.

Equally important, when I moved back from SF, Boston just felt like a very well managed city that had managed to keep its intellectual heavyweight status (cultural hub, best k-12 schools, best universities in the country) while becoming significantly cooler than it was 15 years ago. ie the seaport was nothing when I left and is a pretty awesome scene now.

Yes, Boston founders want the stamp of approval of west coast VCs. And yes, over-taxation has negative consequences. But those who count Boston out will likely be surprised over the coming years.

My 2 cents.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@SenMikeLee So we’re going to give Americans with boats, guns and limited to no training the ability to go attack ships they “think” are pirates? No way this goes awry.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

That’s right. American politics over the past 35 years has been a series of one way doors heading in the wrong direction.

Gingrich showed Congress that the path to power isn’t collaboration, it’s bomb throwing.

Fox News showed media that the path to a deeply committed audience isn’t news, it’s entertainment that tells people what they want to hear.

Trump showed presidential aspirants that there’s a large chunk of Americans who care more about the other side’s unhappiness than about their own wellbeing or about presidential character, or any of the things we thought Americans want from their president and government.

Unfortunately, these appear to be one way doors with a major negative impact on American politics.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

Close your eyes and imagine it’s 1996 Clinton), or 2002 (Bush) or 2010 (Obama) or any president in the pre-Trump era. And then try to imagine them suggesting, in any way, that it’s ok to execute members of their political opposition.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

What % of the responses to this are Russian bots? I’m guessing the majority. It would be hard for a reasonable person to would watch this video and call it treason.

The videos shows public servants telling military members that if they ever have to disobey an order because it’s unlawful, our leaders have their back. I WANT our leaders to have the back of military members who refuse orders that violate the constitution. Don’t you?

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@chrija @EverettRandle That’s a pretty good way to encapsulate the day’s VC news 🤣👍

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@skupor @danprimack Questionable whether it makes sense to highlight that the administration is doing its best to starve people as a political gambit.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@BasedMikeLee “They” - ugh. If you use words like “they” then you’re part of the problem in America: Taking an action by one person or a small set of people and using that as an opportunity to mischaracterize a far broader group. This is what arguing in bad faith looks like.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@ianmiles Of course most of them are bots so I suppose they get a pass.

[Aaron M @AaronMMichel]

@ianmiles Honestly, the people on this platform are the most ridiculous little warmongers. War is awful and scary and you know the people who are calling for it from behind their computers today will be the first ones running for cover if the horror of war ever comes for their country.