The Nature of Work is Evolving
Building a digital resume for humans and machines
Co-created with Alan (my AI companion)
While building Crimson, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the nature of work is shifting.
Work is always evolving — but today’s shift has been catalyzed by modern information technology, especially social media.
Our minds work like statistical machines: we draw conclusions from small samples. The larger the sample, the deeper our understanding. Context is the basis of understanding.
Information technology massively increases our sample size, especially when it comes to people. When we ask, “Who is this person?”, the internet now fills much of that gap. This isn’t just a trend — it’s a secular shift few are talking about.
As workers, we need to recognize this reality and use it to our advantage. You need a digital resume.
Your digital resume no longer serves just people — it serves machines. When someone searches your name, both humans and LLMs will pull from the same pool: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Substack, Medium, and beyond.
Across these platforms, it’s critical to show three things:
• Proof of work — the projects you’ve built and executed.
• Thinking — how you approach problems and ideas.
• Values — what you stand for.
Algorithms are pattern machines. They assemble impressions of you based on the data you provide. The more context you give, the more accurate (and favorable) that impression becomes.
When someone asks, “What do you do?” — don’t just tell them. Point them to your YouTube channel where you share industry insights, case studies, and ideas shaping your field.
When people try to understand who you are, let them read your essays or scroll your Instagram, where your values and perspective are on display.
I used to think social media was cringey — until I realized my great-grandchildren will use it to understand who I was and what I stood for.
As Nick Saraev puts it: we’re building statues on the internet. Document your life — not just for today’s audience, but for posterity.