“The bad news is that AI appears likely to further level the
playing field in a manner that the internet started: Great
thinkers will be able to leverage the internet and AI and win
globally, regardless of what brand they are affiliated with…what
corporate incumbents in the west will thrive and which will be
subsumed by AI-enabled startups? Expensive western cities with
artificial competitive moats are likely to be economic and
political losers in this environment (NYC, LA, SFO, Chicago,
London, Paris, etc.) – early signs of this trend already exist
if we look objectively.”
Luke Gromen, FFTT, August
15, 2025, Tree Ring 10.