The Builders of the Next America
Why moonshots must belong to everyone now
I’ve been thinking a lot about fragility lately.
It’s not always loud. Sometimes it creeps in quietly, like the feeling that the ground beneath us is subtly shifting.
You can see it everywhere.
In politics, governance has become a performance.
In education, where students go into debt to learn, AI can now teach more efficiently and cost-effectively.
In our institutions, which seem better at managing decline than building the future.
Something foundational is cracking, not in a sudden collapse, but in a slow, splintering kind of way - a quiet decay. The scaffolding of the American Dream has grown thin. The systems that once held us up now feel hollow.
And yet - I’m more optimistic than ever!
Because in moments like this, new builders emerge.
The outsiders, the first-timers, the ones no one saw coming.
They’re building tools, cultures, companies, and systems that quietly, and then suddenly, change everything.
We are living through a once-in-a-century turning point.
The stakes are civilizational, but the tools are finally in our hands: AI, robotics, synthetic biology, and permissionless creativity. For the first time in history, ordinary people have access to extraordinary leverage.
And yet, most of the world still believes that moonshots belong to billionaires, technocrats, or people with the right résumés and zip codes.
That’s a lie we’ve inherited. And it’s one we must rewrite.
The moonshot era must be democratized. It cannot belong to the few - it must be built by the many. But this shift won’t come from content alone. It will come from capability.
We need a new system - one that gives millions the skills, frameworks, and confidence to learn faster, build smarter, and shape the future on their own terms.
And it’s already happening.
From AI engineers and education rebels, to civic hackers and solo founders - people are building. They’re defying the gravity of the old world. No need for permission.
Civilizations are built by the clearest hands, not the loudest voices. People who still believe in doing the work, even when the systems have let them down.
With belief,
Yon
👋 Hello! My mission with Beyond with Yon is to ignite awareness, inspire dialogue, and drive innovation to tackle humanity's greatest existential challenges. Join me on the journey to unf**ck the future and transform our world.