I went to a speaker event today to meet Guy Spier. I have to admit I was hoping he would drop some juicy secrets which led to his extraordinary investment success. However, he went on to talk about his way of dealing with people. Disappointed at first, I soon realize that, this, is actually what differentiates a great investor and the rest.
Human can’t compete with machines. Especially in the age that we are in. An age featured by explosive technology innovation and advanced artificial intelligence. What most people got it wrong is that, they view machines as competition and spend time practicing the skills/tasks that could be replaced one day. Or, they try to hold on to jobs that they know won’t be there in a couple of years time.
Instead of aligning ourselves with machines, we should train ourselves to be human. It might sound ironic, but the reality is worse than you think. Technology and overall advancement in humanity have alienated us more than ever. What’s the last time you greeted a stranger when you walked into an elevator? Do you say hi to the person walk towards you in the hallway? Could you remember a dinner not ended with people looking at their phones?
Technology distances our hearts and tardies our judgement of human elements in situations. Take equity investment for example, we have to remember that behind each stock ticker, there is a management team. Behind each dramatic movement of price, there is a human motive. Even all technical signals align, it alone doesn’t make an investment case. On the contrary, the man behind the curtain can easily make or break a deal. It is easier to manipulate data than to fabricate behavioral traits.
Being able to connect and empathize with another human being is the ultimate key to achieve anything you want in life. In order to compete with artificial intelligence, we should all work on our human intelligence.
Dreamerella 