Davide A

Designer @IDEO & Investor @D4V_vc
Fewer, better things.

[Davide A @da5ide]

I'm claiming my AI agent "AlephMolty" on @moltbook 🦞

Verification: drift-UVMW

[Ben Springwater @benspringwater]

2025 letter: The future of @matter

There are years that ask questions, and years that answer. For us, last year was both.

Rob and I founded Matter together in 2020. In 2022, we became fathers, only three weeks apart.

Then, last year, we were both diagnosed with cancer.

I had radiation and two major surgeries. Rob had his lung removed. It was a surreal time.

Yet the world doesn’t stop for cancer. While we battled, Matter faced its own adversity.

We’d begun the year confidently, placing a big bet on paid growth. But by summer, it was clear the strategy wasn't working.

Still unable to walk, I made the painful decision to let go of half our team.

Rob and I had to face the truth: Matter is a great product—3x App of the Day, with many thousands of passionate users—but it isn’t the next Duolingo.

Its destiny is one of slow, steady growth and enthusiast appeal. And that’s okay.

Accepting this opened space for reflection, while confronting the prospect of death sharpened our conviction about how we want to spend our days.

At its best, working on Matter has been the most energizing of our careers—impactful, creative, and fun.

We asked ourselves: How do we amplify that?

The answer, we realized, had two parts.

The first is our team.

In addition to Rob and me, that team includes two exceptional individuals, @tianskylan and @HunterClarke .

Sky and Hunter joined us over three years ago, each bringing more than 15 years of technical expertise, Sky in iOS development, Hunter as a full-stack engineer.

Beyond their technical abilities, they possess rare product instincts, taste, integrity, and drive. In short, founder energy.

Today, we’re re-founding the company, formally making Sky and Hunter cofounders alongside Rob and me.

This decision reflects our desire to work together for a very long time.

Here, I want to recognize one other person who has been an important part of our journey: @mgsiegler .

More than just our lead investor, MG has been a steady source of support, guidance, and friendship, especially during our hard times. Lots of investors claim to be "founder friendly." MG lives it.

This support has always given us the confidence to follow our instincts, which brings me to the second part of our “answer.”

We’re building more products.

Our team’s competitive edge is developing consumer iOS apps that blend design and technology to create great user experiences. That’s what we love to do and what we do best.

Matter is a mature product that does its job well. We don’t want to suffocate it with features. It should be nurtured. It should be held to a high standard.

Given this natural pace of development, we have the ability to expand our vision.

We want to create a family of apps that help people live happier, healthier, more productive lives. Just like Matter.

While there are trade-offs to building more apps, we believe they’re positive ones. The pooled resources, creative momentum, and insights we gain will benefit all our apps in a virtuous cycle.

In business, as in life, we observe that the returns to playing the long game are very great indeed.

Longevity comes naturally when you’re playing a game you don’t want to end.

That’s what these changes are all about.

We’re healthy now, but last year confronted us with existential questions.

We have our answer. We choose to play.

[Zach Klein @zachklein]

After living in Europe for 16 months, one thing is for sure: SF's reputation is in the gutter. Europeans are confused by my pride for SF, they feel pity for me. And it's not because they've only been persuaded by media. Those with the strongest opinions have visited and seen for themselves.

Unfortunately SF maintains a strict hotel zone centered around Market Street and Union Square where they have also penned in open-air drug dealing, people suffering from mental illnesses and addiction, as well as the homeless. This is what tourists see when they step out of their lobby.

Like a lot of Americans, it completely confounds the European mind that such a rich, powerful and liberal city could contain so many scenes of misery and inhumanity.

Obviously those of us who have spent significant time in SF know the city is much more than this. And most of us are trained to offer reasons for each of these seemingly intractable issues. But I haven't been able to convince anyone here...

Cities are cyclical. I'm only 42 and old enough to remember that people were commonly were afraid to visit NYC, and if you had to, you were warned to carry a wad cash with you to make the mugging efficient. NYC has shed that reputation.

What do you think will be the plot points in the narrative of SF regaining a reputation that is commensurate with its natural beauty, unique architecture, diverse and welcoming culture, and optimism?

A lot of boosters are excited about AI. I don’t see it that way. That may bring workers back to downtown, but from the outside, I think it further binds SF to elitist, anti-social tech. I don’t see a good path that doesn’t start with affordability, for both tourists and locals.

[D4V（Design for Ventures） @d4v_vc]

【8期生の募集を開始しました！】
スタートアップで活躍したいデザイナーのためのコミュニティ「First Designers」8期生の募集を開始しました！丸1年ぶりとなる今回の募集、応募締切は11月4日（月）です🗓️

詳細はこちらのページから▼
https://t.co/7OwXmYnp9Z

[井上正 @_INOUE_Tadashi]

1年ぶりのFirst Designers！
スタートアップ界隈のデザイナーと繋がれる数少ない場です！！

今回からはさらに間口を広めて「スタートアップの成長に欠かせないポジションを担いたい」という思いを持つデザイナーであれば、誰でも応募可能とのことです😌

[Paul Graham @paulg]

The rich love quiet because they're trying to work.

[StripMallGuy @realEstateTrent]

I miss San Francisco.

I miss Crissy Field. The Marina Green.

I miss that walk along the water at sunset, with all that green to your left, the water to your right, and the sight of that huge surreal orange bridge up ahead.

The Italian sandwich spots in north beach. The insane views from Russian Hill.

Getting lost in the Presidio, or Golden Gate Park for hours at a time.

The parrots flying above Alta Plaza Park.

I miss the sand dunes at Ocean Beach.

All those little stores in the mission that sell the most random things that you can’t help but check out over and over again, even though you’re not really sure what they are.

I miss running into some of the best coffee spots in the world everywhere you turn.

The feeling that you’ve gone back in time as you wander through the Haight-Ashbury and walk by stores that somehow survive selling nothing but tie-dye clothes.

I miss hiking around Lands End, in disbelief that place exists on earth.

I miss the time-worn but perfect hole-in-the-wall Chinese food restaurant you can’t get enough of.

I miss walking into the Ferry Building on a Saturday morning and wanting to sample from every single one of those little shops, and then existing out to a picture perfect farmers market along the water.

I miss that stunning downtown view that rises you out of nowhere as you head up highway 280.

I miss the electric energy of a crowded Dolores Park on a sunny day, and guessing just what crazy thing that next vendor is going to walk by with.

I miss the occasional movie at the Castro Theater, and that hilarious vibe as you’re heading inside.

I miss walking up to one of the most beautiful ballparks ever built, and that smell of garlic that sharply greets you as you enter.

I miss the throwback steakhouse vibe of The House of Prime Rib.

Or occasionally putting on my tourist hat and heading down to Fisherman’s Wharf or over to Alcatraz; two places where you’re guaranteed to never run into anybody you know.

I miss zipping down Franklin St and timing it so the lights all turn green just as your car approaches the intersection.

I miss the authenticity of Chinatown.

I miss how the wind sounds as you ride the ferry across the bay to Sausalito. Talk about a bucket list experience.

I even miss hearing those loud kids that crowd The Tipsy Pig all day, screaming at the top of their lungs as that fifth drink starts to hit them.

I miss that it never gets too hot, and that picturesque layer of fog that settles just above the water, even when it hangs around for just a few weeks too long.

I miss the eclectic mix that makes up the people of San Francisco, and the passion they have for their city.

And most of all, I miss the enthusiasm and the optimism, even within a city that has always had its challenges.

The people who live there are there because they know there are better days ahead.

They know they live in a special place.

It’s been down before, but there are just too many great things about it to ever count it out.

San Francisco will be back.

And it will be better than ever.

It’s an American national treasure.

It’s a place we should all be rooting for.

[Chris Bakke @ChrisJBakke]

At my hedge fund, I pay an analyst to walk around parks in Austin, SF, and NY and ask these people who are tanning at 2pm on a Tuesday where they work.

We then short the stock.

We’re up 728% this year.

[Frederik Gieschen @FrederikNeckar]

Jim Simons's five principles (RIP):

“Be guided by beauty. Just as a great theorem can be very beautiful, a company that’s really working very well, very efficiently, that can be beautiful.

Surround yourself with the smartest and best people you possibly can. Let them do their thing. Don’t sit on top of them. If they’re smarter than you, all the better.

Do something original. Don’t run with the pack. If everyone is trying to solve the same problem ... don’t do that.

Don’t give up easily. Stick with it. Stick with it not forever, but really give it a chance to get where you’re going.

The final principle is hope for good luck.
That’s the most important principle"

[Matt Parkhurst @mprkhrst]

> independently discover a Zeno's paradox at age 3
> MIT at 17, grad level math in 1st year
> graduate in 3 years
> drive motor scooters from Boston to Bogotá with the boys
> start a company in Colombia
> start code breaking with the IDA for money
> solve minimal varieties in riemannian manifolds
> speak out against Vietnam War, get fired from IDA
> take over math dept. at Stonybrook, make it a top-ranked program globally
> develop Churn-Simons theory, accidentally contribute more to physics than most physicists
> get bored with math, start modeling financial markets
> return 60% for 4 decades straight
> establish one of the most effective philanthropic organizations of all time
> chain smoke cigarettes the entire time

RIP Jim 🫡

[Davide A @da5ide]

@kiyotoshi_y I got complimented on my Italian (my native language) a couple of times. I think it happens if you live abroad long enough, I thought it was funny 😅

[D4V（Design for Ventures） @d4v_vc]

【申込開始🔔】4月23日夜、デジタルヘルススタートアップへの投資に特化した米国VC、7wireVenturesのパートナー陣の来日にあわせ、Ubieの久保代表（@quvo_ubie）とトークイベントを開催します。デジタルヘルス領域での起業・投資にご関心の方はお早めにお申し込みください ▼
https://t.co/RKSu8Ggot5

[Davide A @da5ide]

We're looking for an Interaction Designer to accelerate the growth of our portfolio companies through design!

[D4V（Design for Ventures） @d4v_vc]

【デザイナー採用中】D4Vでは現在、Visual Interaction Designerを募集しています。スタートアップの成長に貢献したいという強い思いのある方からのご応募をお待ちしています。募集要項はこちら▶　https://t.co/jW6rkllylN

[シンセカイテクノロジーズ社 | コミュニティマーケティング支援✍️ @SHINSEKAI_JP]

／
🌐"コミュニティの力でビジネスを加速させる"シンセカイテクノロジーズ、2億円の資金調達を実施🚀
＼
コミュニティ関連サービス群「MURA（ムーラ）」を提供するシンセカイテクノロジーズはプレシリーズAラウンドで2億円の資金調達を実施したことをお知らせいたします🔥

▼プレスリリース
https://t.co/hdP1p5oSXi

[Davide A @da5ide]

@NYMag @KerryHowley Huberman has been helping millions of people live healthier lives, for free. His source: hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers.
The NYMag puts out a bizarre nonsense garbage hit piece. Their source: one disgruntled ex girlfriend.
Checks out.

[AI Notkilleveryoneism Memes ⏸️ @AISafetyMemes]

P(doom) roundup: what probability do people put on AI killing everyone?

- Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum): 10%
- Zvi Mowshowitz: 60%
- Elon Musk: 20-30%
- Scott Alexander: 20-25%
- Dario Amodei (CEO, Anthropic): 10-25%
- Jan Leike (Head of Alignment, OpenAI): 10-90%
- Geoffrey Hinton (Godfather of AI): 10%

- Paul Christiano (Former Head of Alignment at OpenAI, inventor of RLHF): 50%

- Lina Khan (FTC Chair): 15%

- Average AI engineer (Oct 2023): ~40%

- Average ML researcher (in spring 2022, before things got crazy): 10%

- Dan Hendrycks: recently updated from 20% to 80%

- Average AI alignment researcher: 30%

- Extinction tournament (median for AI experts): 20% chance of catastrophe, 6% chance of extinction

- Extinction tournament (median for non-AI experts): 9% chance of catastrophe, 1% chance of extinction

- BACA Research: 50%

- Scott Aaronson: 2%

- Conjecture AI researchers: 80%

- Eli Lifland: 35%

- Eliezer Yudkowsky: >95%

- Nate Soares: >95% (I think?)

- Holden Karnofsky: 50%

- Average American: 26%

Note: these are just a few I recall from memory and could easily find sources for.

What’s your p(doom)?

My take: I agree with @TheZvi - if your p(doom) is anywhere between 10-90%, it shouldn’t really change what you do, that’s plenty high to justify urgent action.

* Disclaimers: p(doom) usually means as “extinction or similarly bad outcome” but everyone defines it differently, some of these are old and may have changed, many people added various caveats and conditionals, etc.

Just squint and notice the general pattern: a few tech companies are playing Russian Roulette with humanity.

[The Cultural Tutor @culturaltutor]

These are eight slightly different versions of The Great Wave Off Kanagawa from eight different museums.

So which is the real one? That's the thing — they're all the real one.

Here's a brief history of art's most famous wave...

[Jason Carman @jasonjoyride]

Alright fine, here are my 29 slides explaining Tenet

[Mike Gioia @MikeGioia1]

The AI filmmaker lineup from our Sony Lot screening (for those who asked):

@paultrillo "Absolve"
@kylevorbach "How I faked my life with AI"
@JeffSynthesized "Glitch"
@CuriousRefuge "Zebulon"
@annaapter "/Imagine"
@QHalleck @ian_eck & me "Sigma001"

Links to each film below

[Bojan Tunguz @tunguz]

Guys …