“A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”

Thoughts on the Market by Andy Krieger

October 26, 2026

I see the Artificial Intelligence boom as a great wave in which many forces arrive at once, some reinforcing each other and some pushing against each other.  John F. Kennedy’s old saying that “a rising tide lifts all boats” was meant to be an optimistic image of shared progress. But anyone who lives near the coast knows the sea has another side. The same water that floats a harbor full of boats can, when pushed high enough, flood streets and tear vessels from their moorings.  A rising tide can leave a trail of death, destruction, and widespread suffering.  In minutes, the tide can wipe out in minutes decades of investments, tear apart critical infrastructure, and leave economic ruin in its wake.

As I see it, viewing the AI Boom as a “great wave” provides a useful lens for today's surge in artificial intelligence. To use AI well, we first need to understand what actually creates the biggest waves:  the greatest waves are born where forces converge, and sometimes where they collide, but no single factor is enough on its own.