Not academic anymore - A reflection I didn’t want to write

Earlier today, I sat with technology leaders—people shaping the future of AI—who genuinely, and unironically, expressed that they miss Jerry Falwell.

Not because they agreed with him.

Because they miss the certainty.

That’s where we are.

In a room full of optimization experts, people are reaching backward—not for facts, but for anchors.

And now, Charlie Kirk is gone.

Whatever your beliefs, whatever mine, no one should perish in pursuit of cultural absolutes.

That’s not leadership. That’s loss.

And loss doesn’t care about your timeline, your politics, or your click-through rate.

We used to debate these topics in seminar rooms. Now they’re embedded in policy, embedded in code.

This isn’t theoretical anymore.

This isn’t academic.

This is human. And it’s urgent.

When technologists start longing for prophets, for moral certainties from a past built on exclusion and fear, it’s a signal—not of faith, but of ethical drift.

We can mourn Charlie’s death without endorsing his message. And we should.

Because the moment we stop holding space for the humanity of those we disagree with, we’ve already lost the plot.

We don’t need ghosts to guide us.

We need courage, clarity, and conversation.

And above all, we need each other alive.