Trust
Trust, which leads to information, is the only thing that will matter in the future of tech. Trust is something that can't be bought, is built over time, and isn't measured like any other metric.
Why it matters
Think about the influence that the people you trust have over your life.
They influence:
Who you date
Who you meet
Who you hire
Who you invest in
Who invests in you
Where you travel to
Where you live
What activities you do
The coffee you drink
Movies you watch
Bank you use
Car you drive
Products you try
…
The list goes on and on, and it's not a bad thing, it's good to take recommendations from those you trust.
But there are limitations.
Limitations
They don't know everyone, they haven't traveled everywhere, they haven't tested every product, etc. There's an information limitation.
Additionally, they're living their life. They're not thinking about how to make your life better 24/7. There's an attention limitation.
These two limitations can be fixed with technology. But technology needs something that most companies (who build this technology) can't get: Personal Information.
Personal Information
The friend you trust uses everything they know about you to make recommendations. Most of the things they know, no company knows. Who you're real best friends are, your favorite foods, your vibe, how much you like going out, what types of places you like visiting, where your parents live, if you've taken drugs, or even would consider it.
This type information of information is what leads them to make such great recommendations.
More on this in the next article.
Closing
Companies can't buy trust. They can't just acquire it by running ads.
Trust is built or broken the second someone hears about you/your company. It's what they hear, how they hear it, where they see you, etc.
Yet trust is the most important thing to have with your users as you build products for them.
Founders who realize the power of trust before launching are at a massive advantage. It's the first time in history that underdog startups have an edge in the eyes of Google, Meta, Twitter, etc. They haven't lost anyone's trust yet.