Every social media post looks the same now. Every tweet, thread, or LinkedIn post holds the same formula for engagement because we solved the problem of each algorithm.

Add a post to the algorithm, auto-tune to reach the masses, and end up with a relentless march toward mediocrity. Now, everyone competes for the same attention in the same format on the same platforms.

We see this everywhere. It’s not only social media that’s guilty of the crime. Most websites look the same, and a lot of software takes queues from Notion.

TPG co-founder Jim Coulter put this problem in the context of private equity by saying, “You raise money on doing the same thing (that you’ve done, and most others are doing), but it’s a terrible way to invest and thrive as a firm.”

We gravitate to the middle because it’s where returns (money, attention from others) appear easiest to find. It’s also where there’s less work, and humans are predisposed to doing what’s easy.

If I am to avoid doing unusual things, it becomes difficult to see what chance I have to be more than an average person. – Winston Churchill

What we miss, however, is that someone always shows up with something “everyone” says will not work, but it does, and the game resets. The BIG returns and money go to the person (or businesses) that reset the game.

The secret is that the edges, where there’s less competition, is ultimately an easier place to win.

The irony is that if we’re successful on the edge, our niche becomes the middle, and competition increases. Competition creates healthy markets but makes staying ahead harder as a company or individual.

Steve Schwarzman famously notes that Blackstone always looks to innovate because the cost of capital eventually becomes a race to the bottom in any market where returns are clearly apparent. Replace “bottom” with “middle,” and you have the current state of many things today.

Failure has never scared me. We can’t improve without taking risks. Mediocrity scares the hell out of me – being average often means we didn’t do anything different or push the boundaries.

Let’s keep pushing those boundaries, and doing things differently.