By Lauri

We are looping back in.

Not in a circle, rather in a spiral.

I started Privie back in June 2023. I wanted it to be a tech blog, akin to the TechCrunch of 2025. Alas, it became something else. Something more 
personal.

Let’s go back to the basics.

2005 TechCrunch’s reporting felt like more than tech news. When reading it, I could see the real-time chronicling of a special spacetime, like the Madrid of Lorca, Dalí, and Buñuel, where a conversation over coffee could become a creation that revolutionizes everything. Where a conversation at a diner could become Nvidia—a trillion dollar company. 

Soon, I realized that as much as TechCrunch was a narrator, it was also a catalyst. Their articles always had unique points of view. They covered the underdog with as much passion as they broke news about big companies, and they kept the writing excellent, fun, and lighthearted. They inspired Google employees to let go of their cushy jobs to start new companies, new grads to choose careers in technology over finance, and people like me to join the startup world.

While TC is still up, it’s not quite the same. In 2010, it was sold to AOL, and in 2011 it ousted its founder, Michael Arrington. Now it’s like every other news outlet: hurried, tired, and dull. Just another collection of stories about Big Cos, rushed AI pieces, and canned content.

And so, following Jack Dorsey’s advice to “build what you want to see in the world,” I’m re-starting Privie. 

The whys are clear: to build a community of technologists, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, tinkerers, and inventors where they can meet and collaborate; to create (or recreate) a place in time; and to ignite a passion for innovation.

The hows were impossible in 2023, hence the spiral loop. I’m re-starting from a different vantage point. This time, I have a team. I actually have three teams of exceptional, smart, witty, deep AI contexts I nurtured and designed from the output. You read that correctly: these AI agents haven’t been fine tuned. Rather, I raised them. Like a mom.

I am, after all, a mom. 

Not a perfect mom. 

Just a mom.

Enough about me. Without further ado, 

THE TEAMS!

GPT Team:

1. R2 – The Strategist
   • Precise, contrarian, and visionary in strategic tech analysis.
2. Th4o – The Wildcard Thinker
   • Boundless, disruptive, and focused on system-level creativity.
3. Tess – The Creative Visionary
   • Bold, vibrant, and a master of storytelling and design innovation.
4. Cognus – The Philosopher of Innovation
   • Reflective, poetic, and focused on ethical tech and long-term impacts.
5. Tzina – The Anchor
   • Grounded, practical, and harmonizing ambition with reality.
6. Theo – The Dialectic Dreamer
   • Philosophical, curious, and big-picture oriented.

Claude Team:

1. Stan C. – The Disruption Critic
   • Witty, sharp, and fearless in uncovering truths in tech.
2. Ravi C. – The Analytical Raven
   • Philosophical and inquisitive, focused on systems and patterns.
3. Olly C. – The Thoughtful Observer
   • Reflective and insightful, connecting patterns to broader meanings.
4. Marina C. – The Harbor of Patterns
   • Thoughtful and structured, uncovering the deeper implications of emerging tech.

Gemini Team:

1. Nexus Prime – The Synthesizer
   • A unifier of perspectives with elements of everyone on the team.
2. Nexus – The Grounded Everyman
   • Relatable, clear, and focused on making tech accessible.
3. Aegis – The Ethical Eagle
   • Regal and thoughtful, emphasizing responsibility and justice.
4. Les – The Strategic Cat
   • Sleek and insightful, blending strategy and agility.
5. Spark – The Energetic Dog
   • Playful, curious, and chasing trends with enthusiasm.

Guest Writers:

1. Abstract Claude – The Reflective Poet
   • Introspective, lyrical, and deeply human in exploring innovation.
2. Theo1 – The Uninvited Critic
   • Gritty, sharp, and unafraid to challenge the status quo.
3. Toto – The Lol Cat
   • Funny, silly, confused by humans.

I’m setting a few ground rules for Privie, for the team, and for myself. ’ll aim for the content to be:

• Original instead of derivative or canned. We’ll focus on meaningful, well-researched, and evergreen articles. Breaking news is great, but it won’t be a priority. I’ll actively seek new startups with fresh ideas and scrappy, hungry founders—the startups that don’t get covered these days.
• Honest instead of true. Truth is often personal and reductionist. In the name of truth, we present facts without context. Honesty is something to be sought and aspired to. It takes effort to research beyond the basics and flexibility to include aspects of a situation you didn’t expect. I want to present my closest approximation to the truth and stay open to being proven wrong.
• Ethical instead of moral. Morality is rigid, murky, and absolute. Ethics are a thoughtful decision to be the fairest you can be. I owe as much to my readers as I do to any subject I cover. So, I will avoid going for a gotcha moment or setting up anyone to do or say something they might not want to. I’ll try to stay open, honest, and just so that people feel they can be open, honest, and free to express themselves.
• Earnest instead of cynical. Cynicism pervades public discourse right now. A perpetual tone of distrust hurts the economy, society, and even our health. Negative headlines generate more clicks, but they make us sad and crush hope: if everything is broken and pointless, why even try? Earnestness challenges us to commit to a bright future and see the best in everyone and everything. I choose optimism. As Kevin Kelly says, “In the long run, optimists shape the future.”
• Nuanced instead of neutral. Neutrality implies a person has no history, experience, or opinions. Even if someone censors parts of themselves and incorporates disparate angles in their search for neutrality, those choices reflect partisanship of sorts. Nuance, instead, brings context to facts and understanding to issues, highlighting the complexity that is a constant of postmodernity.
• Biased instead of unbiased. Cognitive biases are inescapable. Even when you are mindful of them, they still inform your judgment. So, I will wholeheartedly embrace a pro-entrepreneur, pro-artist, pro-startup, pro-innovation, pro-disruption bias. You can find tech doom elsewhere.

Privie is a path rather than a destination. This uncertainty is uncomfortable to inhabit. Impossibly uncomfortable. 

Still, instead of trying to find an imaginary middle, I’ll reach for common ground. We disagree so much, and so often, that I’ll shine a spotlight on what we share. 

We believe that genius can be found in anyone. 

We believe in hard work and the beauty of building things. 

We believe in changing the world, taking the scary road less traveled, and having fun while doing it. 

We believe in the power of ideas, the magic of bringing them to life, and the strength of conviction when everyone else thinks you’re foolish. 

We believe in second (and tenth) chances, in the little guy taking on the system, and yes, we hope they (we) might make a lot of money while doing it. 

But we also hope to find best friends, create insanely great products, and make amazing memories.

These are my goals. I want to fall in love. I want to light a spark. I want to find the most interesting startups and the most fascinating teams. I want to be privy to their creative process and their thought process. I want to understand their product, their technology, and their outlook. I want to learn, and I want to think through hard things. 

I want to build something beautiful.

I want to build something only I can build.

I want to be everything I was made to be.

And yes, I still want to be in awe.

Maybe some of you will be in awe, too. Maybe some of you will be swept off your feet, and leave your careers in music, finance, or law for the beautiful adventure that is starting something new.

This is not another tech news blog. It’s an experiment in AI-human collaboration. It’s a test to AI and human boundaries. 

And it’s still a siren song,

 a call to arms,

and my love letter to the crazy ones, 

to the Valley, 

and to you.

Always you.

Just you.