On Becoming Defensible
In a world where the enshittification of everything is becoming the new standard, this is what will give you a fighting chance.
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"If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time." — Chinese Proverb
Many professionals today are seeing their identities, jobs, and career paths uprooted or shattered by AI. It’s unsettling to watch it all go down. Nobody seems to know what’s gonna happen next and the anxiety in the room is palpable.
Layoffhedge is tracking 211+ companies that have cut 462,794+ people. According to KFF, since January 2025, the Trump administration’s workforce reshaping initiatives have led to significant federal workforce declines of more than 420,000 people.
This shit is WILD to say the least.
Quick side note on defensibility if it’s your first time you’re hearing it:
Defensibility is the state or quality of being capable of defense or justification, meaning an action, position, or system can be supported with sound reasons, evidence, or arguments when scrutinized or criticized.
What should you do?
There was a time when generalists and multi-hyphenate folks were dumped on for being unfocused, creative, and having too many projects.
Apparently, we were ahead of the game. By building skills and disciplines across a portfolio of careers and interests, we now have an edge in this Brave New World.
They sold us a dream. We were taught to go to school, get a good job, and you too can have the white picket fence, dog, and 2.5 kids (I’m still trying to sort the .5 kid thing).
It’s an old construct that’s past its expiration date.
And it’s time to play a different game.
If I had one piece of advice for you today, it would be to go out and build stuff.
Write a book (without AI)
Host a dinner
Start a garden
Launch a podcast
Move to a completely different industry
Cofound a company
Why?
The things you learn and who you’ll become overtime will compound diversifing your rage. It will make you defensible in a world where the enshittification of everything is becoming the new standard.
Making your own rules
When the old rules that have governed our society and culture start to break down, it’s time to revisit them. Or better… make your own.
Here are three I’ve found useful on my 41-year journey:
If everybody is just making it up as they go, I can do the same.
Purpose is a myth. It shows up when I commit to doing something.
I care about people and the work I do.
The world is shifting before our eyes and the lines are getting blurred.
Becoming defensible is the best (and possibly only) insurance policy.
Are you seeing something similar in your day-to-day? How are you building defensibility? Let me know in the comments.
Keep building,
-V2
P.S. The wisdom I teach is this newsletter is the same ones we teach live inside The Shipyard Skool. If you want to join a community of ambitious people who are done searching and ready to start building, come join us here.