Quebec is 53rd out of 54.
Among Canada's four biggest provinces and all 50 US states, only Mississippi has a lower GDP per person.
That should bother every one of us.
I moved back to Montreal three years ago. On purpose.
It's one of the most unique places in the world to live. And I've never been anywhere with more entrepreneurs per square foot. Everyone I meet is building something.
It's personal for me too. My family came to Quebec to escape the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. They got their start running small businesses. Quebec (and Canada) gave them a chance.
Lindsay and I want our daughters, and their kids, to stay here and see what I see.
But these numbers are hard to ignore (and insanely scary):
- The average Quebecer's share of the economy is more than $5,500 a year smaller than the average Ontarian's. Last of Canada's four biggest provinces.
- Every hour of work here produces about $22 less than the average of 19 advanced economies. In 1981, that gap was under $3.
- Our businesses invest $11,455 less per worker in equipment, technology and software. Less investment means lower wages.
- We start new businesses at a lower rate than Ontario and the rest of Canada. For more than 20 years straight.
This isn't abstract. It's wages. Housing. Hospitals. Schools.
We can't be in the bottom 10% economically and expect top 10% social services.
Andrew Lutfy of Groupe Dynamite and Alain Bouchard, founder of Couche-Tard, just made this case in open letters in La Presse. They're right. Creating wealth is our job as entrepreneurs. And as Andrew put it, if the Habs finished near the bottom every year, nobody here would shrug. So why do we accept it with our economy?
On October 5, whoever you vote for, ask them one question: what's your plan to make Quebec richer?
It doesn't have to be this way.
We can just choose ambition. We can just choose building. We can just choose to win.
Its crazy to think : now that everybody wants to unplug AI, we will really see if its too late.
If its already in control.
If its too late, it might decide to unplug us before we do 🙃
It all could happen before you wake up tomorrow morning.
#AI#AISAFETY
The evidence is there. The people coming forward are credible. The correlations are statistically significant. The government is preparing. The question is not whether this is real. The question is whether we are ready to take it seriously.
this is a critically important moment for cyber defense with AI; there is not much time to act.
we are happy if you want to work with us or any of our competitors or partners, but please take this moment seriously.
only an urgent and intense collective response will work.