Dear friends and family…

Amid all of the headline noise, this Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on how gratitude is not only about looking back at what brought us here—but also about standing on the verge of what we are about to build.

We are witnessing a rare, pivotal moment where several technological revolutions are converging. Individually, they are impressive; however, their simultaneous and compounding nature is accelerating change at an unprecedented rate, unleashing the greatest expansion of human potential in history:

Generative AI is becoming the world’s most patient teacher, tireless teammate, and boundless amplifier of human creativity. It helps us write, design, untangle problems, spot hidden patterns, and free ideas that once felt locked away by years of experience. When knowledge flows this freely, everyone’s horizon lifts.

Robotics is stepping out of factories and into daily life. Soon, machines that can see, grip, walk, and reason will shoulder the dull, dangerous, and back-breaking tasks—giving us space to pour our energy into work that calls for judgment, care, and imagination.

Biotech is moving from merely treating sickness to creating health. We’re learning to read, edit, and program biology with the same precision we use to write software—unlocking longer lives, medicine tailored to each person, and prevention that stops disease before it starts.

Materials science is quietly reshaping the world around us. From ultra-strong composites to programmable matter and earth-friendly materials, we’re inventing substances with properties nature never dreamed of—and crafting them sustainably.

Quantum technologies are expanding the frontier of what can be computed, secured, simulated and created. Challenges once labeled “impossible”—folding proteins, modeling climates, securing data—are coming into reach, fueling leaps in drug discovery and personalized therapies.

Energy innovation is moving us toward a world where power becomes clean, abundant, and nearly free.

Solar, fusion, advanced geothermal, massive storage—together they’re ushering in an era where energy stops being the bottleneck of progress.

The future is not something that happens to us; it’s something we get to build.

But gratitude also invites humility—and honesty.

As with every technological transition—steam engines, electricity, the internet—the gains don’t come without challenges. We will need to navigate new ethical questions, reskill workers, redesign systems, reinforce trust, and ensure that prosperity is widely shared.

Progress is not automatic; it is earned thru deliberate, daily choices.

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems” as James Clear (one of my favorite authors, Atomic Habits, Mastering Creativity, etc) reminds us. The most effective way to improve is not to focus on the desired output (the goal) but on the input (the system). By fixing the inputs—the small, consistent actions we take every day (the outputs will take care of themselves) — or, as our friend and former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder shared thru his Matra of “Relentless Positive Action”; focus on the process, not just the outcome. And along the way, learn something new every day.

If we want a future that is abundant, fair, and human-centered, then Thanksgiving is a perfect moment to recommit to the systems that will get us there:

• Stay curious to pull us toward possibilities
• Learn continuously to adapt as the world changes
• Build tools that elevate humanity rather than push it aside
• Design technologies that expand access, not concentrate it
• Find courage to experiment, iterate, and improve
• Support one another through uncertainty and change

This is the mindset behind every moonshot: bold dreams rooted by consistent daily positive actions.

So, this year, my gratitude runs deeper than achievement. I’m thankful for possibility. For the innovators who lose sleep over breakthroughs. For the builders who show up at dawn. For the caregivers, teachers, and quiet problem-solvers who keep the world turning. For an age when exponential tools are slipping into everyone’s hands.

And above all—amid the noise—I’m grateful for you: the family who laughs through the chaos, the friends who listen without judgment, the colleagues who choose to hope over cynicism. May you face tomorrow with open hearts, curious minds, and generous spirits.

Here’s to a Thanksgiving brimming with abundance—and to a future we’ll build together, brighter than any present we’ve yet known.

With warmth and hope,

Happy Thanksgiving!