bhaskar saikia

We’re now in a world where one entity can wipe out $1 trillion in an instant. When news broke that DeepSeek, with fewer advanced chips and less investment, had developed an AI tool far superior to its competitors, it sent shockwaves through the market. This news triggered a dramatic plunge in the stock prices of major AI-related companies in the U.S. yesterday.

To understand the magnitude of a $1 trillion, consider this: as of today, only 20 countries out of 195 have a GDP exceeding $1 trillion. A country’s GDP represents the total value of everything it produces in a year. So, when you realize how few nations can reach this figure, you start to grasp just how enormous $1 trillion really is.

The rules of the game have changed. The old playbook rule of success benchmarked to a 9-5 job no longer holds. Play with the old rules and you lose! Don’t play at all and you lose!

So, what’s the way forward?

The answer is simple: master the art of continuous learning. Cultivate focus and learn to see the bigger picture. Or, as Dan Pink puts it in his book, A Whole New Mind, “learn to connect the dots.”

There are two key lessons from this event:

First, new-age businesses have no moats. Investors need to be cautious when putting money into cutting-edge tech companies.

Second, what you don’t know is risky. It’s vital to learn the new rules and have the courage to leave behind the old playbook.