My spicy take at the Reagan National Economic Forum debate about manufacturing was simple. If we have degrees in Community Studies or Environmental Sociology... ...then let's give degrees to welders and electricians, who do work that's both way harder and way more useful.

When we started, we weren't sure if high end buyers would embrace flat fee homebuying. Today, a buyer closed on a $12M home in Beverly Hills with TurboHome. Our agent negotiated the deal to $1.7M under list and saved the buyer $270K in commission vs. a 2.5% agent.

The latest New Bazaar features a chat with @jansramek on California Forever: what remains to be done for it to succeed; why he chose to erect a new city in reg-heavy California; Cali NIMBY politics; logistical challenges; and the scale of the opportunity. eig.org/newbazaar/a-city-fro…

In what is BY FAR the best contemporary case of courtyard urbanism that I have seen, the Dutch are building fine-grained courtyard blocks (good ones!) on ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS off of Amsterdam. But reclaiming land from the sea for courtyard blocks is not even the most interesting aspect of this. It's the development system, which uses a subdivision and parcel "passport" system to avoid megadevelopment and allow many builders and owners to participate in building out the courtyard blocks. This is fascinating. You will want to read it. Link below.

I am grateful to the reporter, Julie, for this thoughtful article She spent her time to really learn about what we're proposing with @esmeralda_inst, interviewed tons of people, & dug deep on history & context This is sadly not a given in journalism these days, so I'm extra grateful when it does happen!

We are honored that the @SFChronicle published an article about our project this morning!

The modern West was built on a combination of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. We abandon that cocktail for newfangled nootropics and appetite suppressants at our peril. Culture is downstream of drugs and religion.

🇺🇸🚀 SOME NEWS: I'll be leaving my role at the White House at the end of this month. After a break I’ll be working on helping tackle some of the large challenges facing America on AI (more on that later). It is hard to express how big a privilege it has been to serve the American people and how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to do so. First and foremost, it has been an honor to serve under President @realDonaldTrump . Without his leadership, we would not be leading in the AI race. Second, I owe a lot to the person I’ve worked mostly closely with over the last 18 months - @DavidSacks . His continuing advocacy for America winning on AI has been and continues to be crucial. Some key public accomplishments from last year I’m proud of 1. Architecting and publishing the American AI Action Plan - charting the course for America to win on AI and helping execute on that for the last year. 2. The AI acceleration partnerships to help American AI stack win globally. 3. The National AI Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence executive order (forming the basis for working with the Hill this year) 4. Advocating for the American AI stack with our allies globally (the AI summits in France and India, state visits to the UK, the Middle East and more) So what’s next? The past 18 months have given me a front row seat to this critical moment on AI facing America and our allies. Whether it is energy, data centers or a clear path for Americans to experience the benefits of AI, there are many tough issues we all need to navigate together. I plan on building institutions that help tackle some of those challenges for America and its allies. I want to thank many others who have helped along the way in the administration : Kevin Hassett, @mkratsios47 , CoS @SusieWiles47 , VP @JDVance , @StevenCheung47 , Sec Bessent, Sec Lutnick, Sec Rubio and @jacobhelberg , @USWREMichael , Josh Gruenbaum, Watson Fagan, Ryan Baasch, Jeff Kessler, Alexei Bulazel, DepSec Landau, DepSec Dabar, Will Scharf, Taylor Budowich, @JamesBlairUSA , @elonmusk and many, many others. You know who you are and I know I’ll continue to see you a lot more. Most of all, I want to thank @aarthir on supporting everything and being part of this unexpected but amazing journey from last January. None of this would be possible without her. This journey has been the privilege of a lifetime and shown me how special this country is and how it needs all of us to contribute in anyway we can - and I plan on continuing to do just that. 🇺🇸

Another fun shoot. Tradition isn't outdated; it's innovation that actually worked over a long period of time. In the age of AI and iPhones, I think it's important to remember—we’re not the smartest people who have ever lived. Even if it seems like it.

Today, I’m excited to join Andreessen Horowitz as a General Partner and Head of Global Affairs. This is my next chapter in the mission of securing America at home and ensuring technological innovations are adopted to keep us safe, working together with our allies to build a more secure and prosperous future. Today, as the U.S. and China compete on the global stage, the spread of technology is tinged with geopolitics and more fragmented. Security now requires a focus on digital sovereignty, supply chain resiliency, and the trustworthiness of the infrastructure underpinning our economies and our national security. My full announcement: a16z.news/p/technology-is-se…

BREAKING: Navier, the new-age hydrofoil boat startup, has secured a $100M deal with the Maldives to deliver 100 boats, enabling connections between islands, airports, and resorts.

About 18 months ago, I shared my excitement about California Forever and Esmeralda with an elder member of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council (SREC). I was told these projects would NEVER happen. Fast forward to this week: my friends @jansramek and @devonzuegel headlined the 2026 SREC Spring Retreat in Healdsburg, organized around the theme of placemaking. 😁 Ambitious urbanist founders are shifting the Overton window. Urbanist Ventures is here to find and support them before they are popular.

I’m a structural welder in the PNW. I make 68/hr. On the check. I work all year. 12 years going. I would take a modest pay cut to help America and help build ships. Give me that opportunity please.

The biggest shipyard in China and the biggest shipyard in South Korea both fit inside the Solano Shipyard. 6.5 miles of waterfront on a federal deep-water channel used by Panamax class, destroyer-sized ships. There are 365,000 skilled workers within 50 miles. Just sayin'.

We're excited to announce that Jan Sramek, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of California Forever, will speak at the 2026 Reagan National Economic Forum. Housing, permitting, urban development, and the question of whether America can still build the things we need — these are among the most important conversations on American economic life, and they're central to RNEF's agenda this year. Mark your calendar for Friday, May 29 to hear this conversation live from #RNEF2026. 📅Register for the livestream: reaganfoundation.org/events/… @jansramek @CAForever

Good point. Much of upper Manhattan was farmland until 1880s or 90s and went straight to 4 story townhouses and apartments

Completely agree with @jansramek In Utah, 50% of the housing that will be created over the next 30 years is projected to be in greenfield developments. Rather than create endless, formless sprawl, we have a generational opportunity to build distinct, freestanding new towns. Places with a wide range of homes, jobs, and amenities and a strong sense of community. Places designed for humans not optimized for traffic throughput. We're building this at Bennet and pumped about other local projects like @utahcityutah and @thepointutah that are facilitating growth with more thoughtful and intentional approaches.

America's fastest-growing cities are all in exurbs, and that's not going to change. Urbanists have two choices: 1) pretend this is not the case (2) recognize that the only way to make these projects better is to invent and prove a new, different model, like @CAForever.

Quick update: not dead. $FIG Q1 results: → 46% YoY revenue growth, accelerating for the 2nd straight quarter → Net Dollar Retention Rate increased to 139%, our highest rate in over two years → Raising 2026 revenue guidance for the year Design matters more than ever.