AI and the SFO Real Estate Boom

‘Hysteria’ Grips San Francisco’s Housing Market as A.I. Wealth Pours In
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/technology/san-francisco-home-sales-openai-anthropic-ipo.html
Even before OpenAI and Anthropic go public, they are distorting home sales in the San Francisco Bay Area, as people race to buy and sellers ask for stock instead of cash. 

US Equity Market Vulnerability

How Vulnerable Are US Financial Markets?
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/hidden-dangers-behind-debt-fueled-ai-driven-us-stock-market-rally-by-dambisa-moyo-2026-07
Fueled by more than $1 trillion in borrowed money and rising leverage across the financial system, US stock markets may have entered bubble territory. Two developments could trigger a sharp correction: higher interest rates and a loss of confidence in the handful of tech giants driving the AI boom.  

MY TAKE:

The AI bubble could be worse than the dot-com bust by Vivekanand Jayakumar, The Hill - 06/16/26
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/5925202-tech-bubble-ai-driven-growth/

The Case for Slower Population Growth

Economies Thrive with Older, Smaller Population, New Study Finds
https://www.fa-mag.com/news/economies-thrive-with-older--smaller-population--new-study-finds-87649.html

Baby Busts and Growth Booms: Demographic Change and the Macroeconomy
https://www.nber.org/papers/w35401 

AI is Making Us Dumber

A.I. Is Giving Us Answers Right Away. That’s Making Us Dumber. By Anne-Laure Le Cunff
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/opinion/ai-google-gemini-search-questions.html
By shortening the time between asking a question and getting an answer, these tools are actually undermining curiosity — and paradoxically threatening our ability to understand the world. 

The Indo-Japanese Alliance is Strong

India’s Modi Deepens Ties with Japan in ‘Uncertain Times’
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/world/asia/03int-india-japan-modi-takaichi-security.html
The prime minister met with his counterpart, Sanae Takaichi of Japan, and signed agreements covering artificial intelligence, energy and security. 

China versus the Mittelstand

China Is Devastating the Last Stronghold of German Industry
https://www.wsj.com/economy/china-is-devastating-the-last-stronghold-of-german-industry-c7a98514
Midsize companies that employ millions of workers are now shedding jobs and relocating overseas to cut costs. 

AI Spending War

Will Someone Finally Blink in the AI Spending War?
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/will-someone-finally-blink-in-the-ai-spending-war-0f59aa60
If Meta does rent out excess compute, it could signal that big tech has overbuilt.