In March 2020, the world suddenly shutdown, we all were told to stay home for an indefinite period of time. People adapted. Makeshift home offices popped up. You heard people’s roommates, spouses, and children on Zoom calls. Better lighting setups, professional microphones, and curated backgrounds began to emerge slowly, and then all at once. Some tech companies led the way by telling employees that they could be remote forever. This newfound geographical freedom sent people all over the world, no longer constrained to high priced cities where jobs were. People who knew nothing, but were happy to pretend made proclamations about the future of work, and began to tout the arrival of a new better way to work, one that meant people didn’t have to be together in person. Then vaccines arrived, people started trickling into offices, or getting on planes to meet their colleagues, and then a steady but growing drum beat of getting people back into offices began. Eventually, the economy turned, swinging the pendulum from employee power to employer power, giving companies leverage to bring employees back to the office if they wanted to remain at the company. This is an oversimplification but it’s where we’re at today.

At El Cap, we look at the world through the lens of collisions. We focus on companies where behavior change collides with a technological shift, allowing new entrants the opportunity to potentially disrupt incumbents, or create new categories entirely. 

Personal news…I’m going to be a studio head. Actually, I’m going to be a full stack studio. I might get really into it and become the next Disney. Just kidding, that’s probably not going to happen. At least not for me. But maybe it could happen for someone else in the future? I’m using a hyperbolic example to think through what the implications are of a lot of the exciting primitives being introduced in the AI world for others to create on top of.

This past Sunday, I stocked up on some snacks from Whole Foods, filled up an extra large water bottle to make sure I stayed sufficiently hydrated, and made my way to the movie theater. I was ready for an adventure. I was gearing up to recline in my seat for over three hours to watch Babylon. The main story in Babylon follows the rise of an actress during the silent film era, and her struggles to make the transition into talkies, the sound film era.

Introducing El Cap

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