Gary Gruver

One of my favorite resets is simple: A long mountain bike ride (or a hike with the dog)… then straight into the garden to pick fruit and eat it immediately. A few years ago I planted 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 (𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗶) vines here in SoCal. One died. The other looked like it was hanging on by a thread. At one point I trimmed it back so hard I genuinely thought, “Welp. That’s it.” And then this year… it came back like it had something to prove. Now it’s covered in fruit. The funny part: it’s “paired” with a 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗺 — slow-growing, rigid, and surprisingly sensitive. The lilikoi has basically spread its wings right next to it, and the combo only works if I manage it carefully so the vine doesn’t overwhelm the palm. That dynamic has been sitting in my head as a metaphor for AI: AI can grow fast. It can also smother the thing you’re actually trying to protect. The outcome depends less on the tool… and more on the human management around it. Also: I grew up in northern Germany. I only knew lilikoi from one place — 𝗞𝗮𝘂𝗮𝗶, where that tangy-sweet lilikoi pie is basically a signature dessert. Back in my own yard, I realized something embarrassingly practical: I didn’t even know when the fruit was ripe. So I asked around. I guessed wrong. I cut a few too early. A few too late. Eventually I learned the signal. And now my daily ritual is almost comical in its simplicity: pick it in the morning, cut it, and spread it over yogurt — no sweetener needed. Three small lessons I’m taking from a plant I almost killed: 𝟭/ 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁. 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀. 𝟮/ 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 + 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (or it takes over the system). 𝟯/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 — not by reading about it. I captured the little ritual in the slides: 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗶 → 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗶 → 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗶 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗿𝘁. Where are you seeing “fast growth needs careful management” show up in your world right now — with AI, work, or life?

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Sam Altman’s warning about a potential AI bubble bursting is a critical reality check. It is a reminder that while AI promises transformative change, the path to real, durable value is complex and uncertain. However, this dual narrative of acknowledging a bubble while pushing innovation forward seems a little disingenuous, especially from someone who seems to be center of all things AI.

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When I was 14, dressed as Captain Kirk, I stood before my high school class of 100 and argued that scientific research was our most important investment. Today, watching America retreat from that commitment, I realize that that teenager understood something we need to be reminded of. To quote my speech, consider the returns we've already seen: NASA research generates $7-14 in economic benefit for every dollar invested in the form of GPS navigation, satellite communications, water purification systems, CAT scans, LED lights, memory foam, and insulin pumps, to name a few. And importantly, we can't predict which discoveries will matter most. Research into "diet pills" in the 1970s now helps 6 million Americans with ADHD contribute fully to our economy. A curious scientist studying bacteria in 1987 discovered an enzyme that, 35 years later, made COVID vaccines possible. Yet we're systematically underfunding this proven strategy. Once held as the "gem of the American healthcare system", the NIH's budget, when adjusted for inflation, has diminished by nearly 50% since 2003. This is only exacerbated by recent mass-layoffs and budget cuts. And it's not just the NIH, this is happening to instutions all over the country: "We had to tell parents their child couldn't enter our pediatric cancer trial because the funding was frozen," one researcher at Northwestern told reporters during the recent funding crisis. "These families had traveled across the country for hope, and we had to turn them away." Across the institution, $800 million in HIV and cancer research grants became inaccessible overnight, forcing scientists to halt experiments that can't simply be restarted. Dr. Mike Varshavski recently highlighted how devastating these changes can be: "Researchers studying a promising Alzheimer's treatment had to euthanize years' worth of specially bred lab mice when funding was interrupted. You can't just pause Alzheimer's research—the disease doesn't pause." Meanwhile, China's research investment has grown 16% annually. They now lead in 37 of 44 critical technology fields. While we debate whether to fund basic science, they're ensuring the next century's breakthroughs will happen in Beijing, not Boston. I understand the pressure to cut spending. But slashing research to balance budgets is like getting a loan to save money. It'll cost us less in the short term and much, much more in years to come. Sadly I don't have an easy solution to this problem except for raising awareness. But please remember to support the institutions doing this critical work. Science isn't just another budget item, it's something that gives us the hope that tomorrow will be better than today. That 14-year-old in the Star Trek costume knew it, and I hope you all remember it as well. P.S. Sorry for the crappy picture, this was taken later that day with my Windows phone.

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