Tim Ferriss recently wrote an article that bounced around the publishing world. I had a number of people text it to me, asking my opinion.

The bottom line is that I loved the piece (not the data, but his perspective), and I agree with Tim on far more than I disagree. In fact, I think he's correctly diagnosed what AI is killing. What I’m focused on is what comes next.

First and foremost, you should definitely listen to Tim. He’s been one of the most influential voices in modern entrepreneurship and nonfiction over the last two decades. His list of accomplishments as an author – and human being – is unmatched. Breathtaking, really. Look it up.

Second, you should know that I'm biased. Upton Sinclair once said:

"It’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

I work with authors on these types of books. If anyone on the internet is motivated to conclude “the how-to book is fine, actually,” it’s me. Discount everything accordingly.

That said, I've got a fairly unique vantage point on this topic. I’ve spent 15+ years in publishing, including three years working directly with Tim as his Director of Special Projects and as an editor on The 4-Hour Body. I’ve also worked on books that have sold several hundred thousand copies in the last couple of years. That experience shapes how I see this.

I consider Tim a friend and mentor. I learned a TON in our years working together, and I attribute much of my career's success to his mentorship. I've been very fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants, and Tim's quite arguably the tallest of the bunch.

This isn't really a rebuttal to Tim. Like I said, Tim is right about what is dying. The business of selling printed information at volume to strangers is in structural decline. What I’m focused on is what remains valuable once that model collapses.

Read the full article on my personal blog.