The Bold: March 14th, 2018

Good morning and happy Wednesday! For my fellow Cornellians out there, I hope you all enjoyed the snow day that we had a couple weeks ago. That was just the second full snow day Cornell has had in 25 years.

After talking about the birth of the internet in the last edition of The Bold, it is only fitting that we learn about the story of an entrepreneur who used this technology to go from absolute poverty to becoming not only the leader of the seventh biggest company in the world, but also an inspiration to hundreds of millions of people…

Before we get started, I just want to say that each section of the newsletter takes about two minutes to read, so please feel free to jump to the topics that excite you most. Lastly, here is the question of the week: By the 2015 definition of poverty by the World Bank, what percentage has poverty in the world increased or decreased in the past thirty years?

Think you got the answer? At the bottom of section 4) the answer can be found. Now lets begin:

1) Genomics

2) Blockchain, AI, and Cornell Shoutouts

3) The Quick Ten

4) Story of A Courageous Entrepreneur

Genomics

___________________________________________________________________

As humans, over time we have been able to control our surrounding environment more and more. For example, humans originally were able to use fire to turn cold environments into warm ones, but now with heaters and air conditioning we can determine the exact temperature of our homes. Some of us even get mad when that temperature changes even one degree, such as possibly me =).

But what happens when we are not only able to gain control of the outside world, but when we are also able to gain control of our own biology? What happens in a world when we can write DNA as easily as we can write computer programs today? Genomics is quickly evolving, and here are the hot and emerging topics in the space.

The Beginning

US Government vs Craig Venter: Our story begins in 1990, when the US announced a project called the Human Genome Project. The goal for the project seemed almost impossible at the time: determining the entire DNA sequence of one human. Following the US’s lead, scientists in six of the most advanced nations in the world joined this project.

However eight years later, a man named Craig Venter believed he could beat the world in a race to sequencing the first human genome. Let the race begin…

In February 15th, 2001 the US won the race, publishing the first human genome. However the next day, Craig Venter posted the second human genome. Even though Craig Venter lost that race by just a day, he showed the world that sequencing DNA is not only possible by the government but also by private enterprise. And the world has taken notice ever since.

Cost to Sequence DNA: Since that day, the price of sequencing DNA has fallen dramatically. For Craig Venter in 2001, he needed a price tag of $300 million to sequence human DNA. However, below is a graph showing the price drop in sequencing a genome. The price in 2016 is 0.0003% of what it cost in 2001! In fact, new machines can now sequence DNA at $100. As the cost to sequence DNA continues to decrease, new industries will be born. But why does this whole DNA sequencing thing even matter? First lets talk about DNA.

DNA: Since we are talking so much about DNA, what does DNA do? DNA contains the instructions that organisms use to develop, survive, and reproduce. In English, that means the instructions used to produce almost everything in your body lies in your DNA. So DNA is directly related to nearly everything about you. That is why DNA sequencing is such a big deal, and has the potential to revolutionize medicine.

Algorithms Want Data: As the cost to sequence DNA decreases, clearly there will be more DNA that is sequenced. Which means algorithms will get more data, and will be able to make better predictions about your future based off your DNA. These predictions can range from genetic diseases, physical attributes such as the color of your eyes, to possibly including mental attributes such as how smart you, how social you will be, your level of grit, etc… Think of it as Genetic Fortune-Telling.

Predicting and Writing the Future: DNA Sequencing

However predicting someone’s future from his or her DNA is just the beginning. We are increasingly learning how to not only read DNA, but also modify and write new DNA. CRISPR is a recently discovered scientific tool that can take certain parts of an organism’s DNA and replace it with new parts. Every year, new techniques are found to not only improve CRISPR, but possibly replace it with a whole new approach.

Below contains recent news about sequencing and writing DNA.

DNA Sequencing:

FDA Approved First Direct to Consumer Genetic Test Ever: Historic news on 03/09. The FDA for the first time allowed a company to sell a direct to consumer kit that uses your DNA to predict your risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This development shows that predicting future behavior from DNA is getting easier and easier. The future has begun.

Nations Jumping Into the Fray — Dubai: Data is the new oil. Human DNA sequences are the new premium oil. Nations have noticed this importance, and have jumped into the action. For example, take Dubai which has already begun the process of requiring its population of 3 million to get their DNA sequenced.

DNA Writing:

Treating Genetic Disease in an Adult: In November 2017, gene editing was tried in someone’s body to change his or her DNA to help fight disease.

Brits in Favor of Editing Genes to Stop Disease: With CRISPR, a doctor can rewrite DNA. One use will be to take a baby who has a genetic disease, and replace the troublesome DNA with good DNA. Future applications? Being able to not only stop diseases, but choose whether you want your babies to have blue eyes, to be tall, as well as other features. This possibility is known to people as designer babies. It is clear that soon in our future this technology will exist.

Beer that Glows in the Dark: CRISPR is not only for humans. From CRISPR, a man was able to create glowing beer. At end of this link is a buzzfeed video about the beer.

Blockchain, AI, and Cornell Shoutouts _____________________________________________

Blockchain: Fast Three

Berkeley ICO move: Possibly the biggest news in blockchain for the past two weeks. Councilman Ben Bartlett of Berkeley proposed using an ICO to raise funds for the city. But why? Currently governments use municipal bonds to raise the money to build stuff. However there are currently many middlemen in the process of issuing these bonds, which makes them so expensive that smaller communities can’t even afford to raise money.

One of blockchains strengths in getting rid of the middlemen, so this idea has promise. Councilman Bartlett is working with the mayor as well as Neighborly to create an official plan in May of this year. Even with tremendous potential, this proposal still faces various challenges.

Ripple: We have all heard of Bitcoin. Most of us have heard of Ethereum. Yet some believe that Ripple may one day be the most valuable crypto of them all. Ripple makes the process for institutions to send money to each other frictionless. This past week Ripple had important news, reporting that it is working with 61 Japanese banks to create an app to help people “settle cash transfers instantly.”

Sierra Leone: In a part of Sierra Leone, a startup Agora used Blockchain to verify the results of a state election. This event is the first of Blockchain moving into the world of elections.

AI: Another Fast Three

Ever Heard About That AI Boom?

AI is All Around Us: In a recent study, it was revealed that 85% of all Americans already use AI. The most common uses are in navigation apps (84%) or in streaming music services (72%).

The Future of Job Interviews: Companies such as Unilever to Dunkin Donuts are using technology to read the emotions of candidates in job interview just from video. Affectiva is one of the creators of this tech. Imagine a world where just by using an AI and video of someone, people can immediately determine whether the person in the video is being truthful or not.

Elon Musk Says AI “more dangerous than nukes”: At the South by Southwest conference, Elon Musk had an interview. He had some really interesting ideas. Whether you love him or hate him, he is a man on a mission to help the world and he is committed to seeing it happen. Respect.

Cornell Shoutouts

For this week in Cornell Shoutouts, I will humbly talk about what I have been currently working on.

Shaping the Future: Shaping the Future plans to revolutionize how our politics works with a simple approach: every Tuesday and Friday there will be a question meant for a specific politician. Than our community in mass will take that politician’s most recent Facebook post for that day, and we will together ask the same question as a comment for that post. The idea is that by all of asking the same question at the same time, our voices will amplify into a powerful force that can hold our politicians accountable and shift the public debate.

For all of those who are either interested, want to join or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

The Quick Ten

___________________________________________________________________

Biggest News of the Week

1) Your Facebook Could Have Been Hacked: I am a massive believer in the ability of one man to change the world. Over the past couple weeks, I discovered a story about how just one man found a vulnerability that allowed him to be able to hack into ALL OF FACEBOOK’S TWO BILLION ACCOUNTS. Unbelievable. He only got paid $15,000 for the discovery, and in this post he explains how he did it.

Other News I Found Interesting

2) Flying Cars on the Move: We have all seen the sci-fi movies with flying cars, but this industry is right now in an exciting stage. This article beautifully lays out the current industry landscape, and the current players which include Google, Airbus, and many startups.

3) Largest Cybersecurity DDOS Attack Ever: The worlds largest DDOS attack ever hit Github. DDOS is an attack where you create so much traffic that the infrastructure of the site breaks. Think about it like placing weights on your table that are so heavy your table eventually breaks. This post gives a great summary of attack, with very cool images.

4) More People Listening to Music: Who here loves music? Clearly Americans, who listen to music 20% more in 2017 than they did in 2016. Two reasons for this trend: accessibility to music has increased, and AI makes it easier to find music we like. As AI gets even better at predicting what we like, one wonders if we not only will listen to music even more, but will also become even more dependent and addicted to our phones.

5) From Nothing to $200 million… in Six Months: Hims is a startup dedicated to selling products in hair, skin, and sex. Yes, sex. Think about it like a hip and cool Viagra. With $8 million in sales already and a slick website, Hims shows again that direct to consumer businesses are hot. Or shall I say sexy.

6) 13 Million People, One Tree: Over the past couple weeks, geneticists created a family tree containing 13 million people, including 11 generations from 1650 to today. This news shows that we are more alike than we think. In fact 99.9% of our DNA is same as any other human.

7) Will Truckers Want Self-Driving Trucks? Self-driving trucks are coming. Recent news from Uber and Waymo (Google) in this space show rapid innovation and improvement. This article lays out the space with a refreshing and new twist.

8) Australia is First Country to Eradicate Cervical Cancer: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, heart disease is first. However in Australia, cervical cancer has almost been eradicated. According to a recent study, this trend can be due to vaccines implemented in Australia, however more studies need to be done. Hopefully the world looks to Australia to see what factors led to this decrease.

9) Trevor Noah, AI, and Law: LMAO. Please watch.

10) Fake News vs Real News: A huge MIT study showed that fake news spreads faster on social media than real news. Oh no.

Last Tidbit from the Past Couple Weeks:

11) New XPrize Competition: XPrize is an organization that creates challenges offering crazy prize money to solve tough problems. Think back to its first challenge, that helped galvanize the commercial space industry. Now they have a new challenge, creating a physical robotic avatar that you can access. If successful, this challenge can enable you to see and to walk in any part of the world instantly. The cash prize for the winner? $10 million. As crazy as it sounds, challenges like these move the world forward in an exciting direction.

Story of A Courageous Entrepreneur

___________________________________________________________________

Hustle + Resourcefulness > Talent any day of the week. This statement is embodied by Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba. He is one of the most inspirational leaders on the planet.

Jack Ma

Jack’s story begins in 1964, when he was born into a family that had no money but lived in a majestic part of China called Hangzhou. So majestic in fact, that Hangzhou was a major tourist traction. As a young boy, Jack Ma offered to give free tours for free lessons in English, which is why he speaks great English today. When he became older, with no connections or money his only option was to get into university. Jack Ma tried to get into university, but failed the exam twice. His parents begged him not to take it again for fear he would fail a third time, but nonetheless he still took the exam again and passed.

After college, Jack had a very difficult time finding a job. In one story, he talks about a time when KFC was hiring and he decided to apply. KFC accepted 23 out of 24 applicants, and he was the one applicant not accepted. Eventually he went on to become an English teacher. However in 1995, Jack Ma went on a trip that would change his life forever. He went to America, and while he was there a friend told him about the internet. He searched the word “beer” on the internet and saw American beer, German beer, but no Chinese beer! Then he typed the word “China”, and still no results. At that moment Jack Ma decided to build an internet business.

When he returned to China, Jack Ma was ready to tackle the world. Except for the fact he had no money to his name, and he had no tech experience. The even bigger obstacle however was the fact that unlike in America where he have the American Dream, there was no such thing in China as the Chinese dream. In China’s recent history, there had never been someone who rose to riches without connections and money. However Jack Ma was unshaken by the challenge and in the next four years started two businesses. Both failed.

Now Jack Ma had to make a bold decision, to decide whether to start another business or give up on his dream to revolutionize China using the internet. His refused to give up on his dream. In 1999, he gathered 18 friends in his room, and gave a roaring speech laying out his vision for his company called Alibaba. The rest is history. Think of Alibaba as the Chinese version of Amazon and eBay combined, but with way more capability. Alibaba today is worth $500 billion dollars, and has over 580 million monthly active shoppers. That number of customers is way more than the populations of America, Canada, and Mexico combined.

Jack Ma is an inspiration and icon to not just the people in China but all over the world. Here is an awesome video of him singing lion king at a big annual event his company holds.

Answer to the question of the week: There are many definitions of poverty. Using the 2015 definition of poverty by the World Bank, poverty has decreased 74.1% in the world. As an entrepreneur, why does this matter to you? Well there is good news and tough news. The good news is that as world poverty decreases, people have more resources to buy goods. Which means that for a potential business, you now have more possible customers than ever before. The tough news is that this trend means there will be more competition than ever before. Yet one thing is absolutely clear, poverty has decreased at a steady rate for the past thirty years, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. That is great news for the world.

_____________________________________________________________

You are all awesome. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you gained at least one insight that will help you on your journey. After writing about the brilliance and greatness of Jack Ma, below is one of his quotes. Talk to you soon.

“It doesn’t matter if I failed. At least I passed the concept on to others. Even if I don’t succeed, someone will succeed.” — Jack Ma

Warmly,

Justin