Roel Smelt
Exploring what technology does to us — and then trying it out.

Latest

04
Apr
Hierarchy dissolving into intelligence — people connected by glowing network nodes inside a Roman amphitheater

From Hierarchy to Intelligence — AI4 Accountancy as a Laboratory

Jack Dorsey says hierarchy exists to route information. AI can do that now. Here's what that looks like from the inside — from my parents' shop to Sociocracy, Booking.com, and a WhatsApp group building accounting software without a single developer.
6 min read
01
Apr
A silhouette wearing a dissolving spacetime headset, with pure consciousness light beyond

The Headset We Forgot We're Wearing

Two things are happening right now that almost nobody has connected. First: AGI is arriving faster than the conversation about
7 min read
25
Mar
AI labeling legislation — the new cookie banner

The AI Label Is the New Cookie Banner

We're about to make the same mistake we made with cookie banners. The EU wants to label AI-generated content. It sounds reasonable. It's the wrong solution to the right problem.
3 min read
21
Mar
Human and agent collaborating — the future of thought leadership

I Cancelled My SaaS Stack. My Agent Does It Now.

Last month I cancelled Substack, Descript, Riverside, Pressmaster. Not because they were bad. Because they weren't agentic-first — and in 2026, that's the only question that matters.
3 min read
18
Mar
Why We Need Heroes Who Build Impossible Things

Why We Need Heroes Who Build Impossible Things

I want to tell you a fairytale. Not the kind with dragons and castles, but something better. Something real. Cern
6 min read
17
Mar
What Naval Saw About AI and What He Didn't Say

What Naval Saw About AI and What He Didn't Say

TL;DR: Naval Ravikant's AI article predicts technological abundance but stops before the spiritual crisis it creates. Testing
9 min read
14
Mar
CRINK Didn't Happen to America: America Built It

CRINK Didn't Happen to America: America Built It

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea—the CRINK alliance—didn't form because of shared values. They formed because American
5 min read
13
Mar
The Donroe Doctrine: When Retreat Becomes Strategy

The Donroe Doctrine: When Retreat Becomes Strategy

Three decades in business taught me one thing: most organizations confuse motion with progress. The pattern is everywhere. Companies mistake
5 min read
07
Mar
When AI Becomes Your Manager: What Happens to Human Purpose

When AI Becomes Your Manager: What Happens to Human Purpose

TL;DR: AI agents crossed a capability threshold in December 2025. Organizations are adopting autonomous AI decision-makers as department heads.
9 min read
04
Mar
Kill Your Uncles and Sleep Well: What the Bhagavad Gita Teaches About Necessary Action

Kill Your Uncles and Sleep Well: What the Bhagavad Gita Teaches About Necessary Action

The darkest moment in the Bhagavad Gita happens before the war begins. Arjuna stands on the battlefield. Across from him:
5 min read