I Flew 4,000 Miles to Say “Be Stupid”

Picture TED and Davos crashing a chess tournament.

That’s Norway Summit.

Also, yes—I moderated. Again.

Third time. Still not fired.

The Norway Summit brings together some of the best minds in AI, energy, and innovation while a chess tournament unfolds around it.

On the top: Magnus Carlsen deep in thought.

On the bottom: me trying to keep up with Vishy Anand, five-time world champion. 

At first, it sounds like a weird mash-up.

But chess is strategy. It’s pattern recognition. It’s knowing when to pivot—just like navigating AI, markets, and whatever chaos tomorrow brings.

I opened the event with a talk called “Be Stupid.”

The idea? The world is moving too fast. AI, crypto, energy, robotics, finance—everything is evolving at light speed. The experts are confused. The confident are usually wrong.

And in this environment, being stupid is the hardest, and smartest, thing you can do.

But forget my talk for a second.

One of the real highlights for me? My fireside chat with Vishy Anand, who still ranks among the top players in the world—in his 50s.

We talked about aging, evolving, and staying elite in a world that changes faster than ever.

And what he told me is so important I’m sharing it here.

This wasn’t just about chess. It was about how to stay relevant when everything around you is trying to make you obsolete.

Here’s What I Learned:

1. Complacency Kills—Even at the Top

After winning his first world title, Vishy got worse—not because he stopped working, but because he worked on the wrong things.

“You can still work very hard and still fall behind,” he said. It’s not about working hard. It’s about working on what’s changing.

2. Psychology and Skill Are Entangled

When he was young, he played fast because he didn’t know what could go wrong.

That blind confidence? It’s a superpower.

The trick, as you age, is to not let wisdom turn into hesitation.

3. The Game Changes. You Must Too.

The chess world became more nimble. Openings changed. Engines got smarter. Old tricks stopped working.

Sound familiar? This is every industry post-AI. Vishy didn’t just complain. He updated.

“I had to drop assumptions I didn’t even know I had.” That’s how deep the reprogramming has to go.

4. Youth Isn’t About Age. It’s About Belief.

The younger players weren’t necessarily better—they just weren’t weighed down by what had already failed.

They assumed things would work. That made them try more. That made them win more.

Boom. That’s it. Optimism as strategy.

This isn’t just about chess.

It’s about how to survive in any game that changes underneath you.

It doesn’t matter if it’s startups, investing, writing, or reinventing your career at 52.

The trick isn’t just learning new moves—it’s forgetting the old ones that are holding you back.

Listen in here for the full fireside chat. It’s worth it for everything he shares.

Thanks, Vishy. For the wisdom. For the humility.

And thanks, Norway.