That’s such a gut-punch of a post — and you framed it perfectly. The line about companies “purchasing your opportunity cost” hits harder than any anti-corporate rant ever could. You put words to what so many quietly feel: the ache of doing competent work that doesn’t require you. It’s eerie how well the machine runs when we step away — and how that realization can either crush you or wake you up. This piece leans toward the latter.
Great piece — and insightful comment. I was let go from a corporate job in June and everything about the experience cemented my belief in the soul-sucking nature of such jobs. Which is exactly what they are. They aren't meaningful or purposeful or personal. They can be done by anyone anywhere, and the corporation doesn't care who that person is. To return to something that's meaningful (even without a salary) is so refreshing.
After working in big, fancy law firms for 45 years, I have seen how the workplace has changed. It has become a soul-sucking labyrinth of suffering, pain and abuse. Glad I'm out of it!
We often romanticize “leaving to build your own thing” as the only way to express uniqueness. Yet being the one person trusted to play a specific role inside a huge, complex organization is itself a rare privilege. Out of millions, you are the one shaping that function at this moment in time. Dismissing corporate paths as “not unique” can blind us to work that may be perfectly aligned with our talents and DNA.
Yes some good points raised here. I will pushback on the dismissal of corporate paths of "not unique" however. Because of the sheer volume of these jobs, it's almost impossible for them to be unique. These roles were designed to mould people to be efficient components, and so there's very little room for individuality in their systems.
Totally hear you, Alex - and yes, many roles are systematized by design. But maybe we’re over-indexing on the idea that a job must be the vessel for individuality. For some, it’s precisely the structure of a “moulded” role that enables stability - freeing up energy to express uniqueness elsewhere: in art, community, side projects, or even just how they show up in the world. Not all creativity needs to be monetized or career-bound.
Right, my guide in Minca was a biologist from Venezuela who just knew how to tell good stories. Unless we had the same guide, it probably didn't matter which one of two I went with. I would have had a good tome either way. You can be very replaceable and still do a good job and enjoy it.
A community I’ve found immense value from is called “80,000 Hours” a nonprofit organization by Benjamin Todd. Their directive is teaching others how to“find a fulfilling career that does good.” Instead of personality tests and other useless career advice, he focuses on what the world NEEDS. What are the top 10 problems the world is facing?(Ex:Cyber and AI security, biomedical research, environmental protections, international relationships). Can one person make a difference? What about college in this day and age? What about careers that do more harm than good? He directly addresses not everyone needs to be a doctor to make a difference. I would highly recommend checking out their website and resources.
I once had the leader of an industry association offer his time to me as a mentor.
We jumped in a call and talked for a bit, and I asked him what he thought my superpower was.
He said, “You can take something common that is familiar to everyone and turn it into an analogy that explains a highly technical concept.”
As a follow up, I asked what roles I should be looking at in the industry to make the best use of that skill.
His answer? “Oh, no one will pay you for that.”
I think many run up against this same reality, that the market has trouble assigning value (and wages) to the things that people do best.
We get caught up in HR, legal, legacy, and outdated thinking.
The 7 billion companies idea made me smile. Maybe we can get there, maybe it’s 1 billion companies made of 7 people with diverse skillsets to make the engine run, but it has to be different than today’s structure.
Wow, that's so cool. Really useful bit of information there! I will say however that I think this mentor of yours is wrong. That is a highly monetisable skill.
I felt this so hard! Mapping your superpower is so difficult given the current career mentality and job frameworks in place. But I’d argue that it’s possible - we just need to think outside the box a little bit. And as Alex argues, maybe even create a job that would be uniquely suitable for us.
V nice example on 'what somoene finds immediately useful', which is the thinking that goes into businesses. Philosophy is great, for when you have a trust fund.
Telling people they are wasting their lives every day that they don't manifest their absolute uniqueness is such a profoundly toxic and destructive message. How about telling people not to define themselves by the means they make a living and stop fuelling the already rampant sense of worthlessness that exists in society?
Definitely don't see how it's destructive in any way. I think that it's a wake up call for a lot of people, I've had a lot of people reach out to me to say that.
The average career is between 60,000-80,000 hours. And as much as you may not want to define yourself by how you spend those hours, it's a hell of a long time to do things that are so profoundly misaligned to your unique value or any wider social impact.
Part of the reason that there is this rampant sense of worthlessness that exists in society is because of the lack of moral alignment in these major organisations (major employers), and people are so far removed from the impact that they have.
To give a bit of perspective perspective on how corporate jobs are part of the problem, recent studies show that more than half of UK corporate workers will experience a significant mental health challenge by the end of this year, and nearly a third of banking and finance professionals already show clinical symptoms of depression. This is a direct result of the disconnect between individual values and institutional purpose, fuelling the very sense of worthlessness you mention.
It's totally fine to tell people that a career that brings them little to no joy is not the only option, but telling people 'find your snowflake role or your talent is wasted' creates a whole new silo of pressure, paralysis and self-critique in a society that is absolutely not set up to help people make such a change.
Great that this bird watcher has the dream simple life. But not everyone can be a humble bird watcher, just as not everyone can be a film star or professional athlete. And the people who haven't found their dream role in society are not necessarily wasting their lives.
It's a good point. I suppose I wouldn't frame it like that. I don't think it's a case of if you aren't able to find your snowflake role then you've failed. I think it's just trying to create a bit of urgency, as everyone should be trying to find ways that they can use their specific skills and abilities to have more impact in the world.
I understand that everyone has a different context and the reality is different for everyone, but I do truly believe that nobody should settle for a meaningless job if they know that they have the potential for more impact.
Totally agree, not everyone can be a humble bird watcher, the point was made to illustrate how you can be grateful, find meaning and have impact in work that others might see as humble.
I know you mean well, but unfortunately not everyone has that luxury and I think a better message to society is that 'impact' can be found in more places than a career - and that the sheer number of hours you do something does not have to be a reflection on its importance to you, your sense of self worth, or a measure of your accomplishment in life.
I loveee when a post hits home. You stated somethings I’ve been grappling with for a few months now so succinctly. “Every day you show up to be replaceable is a day the world misses out on what only you could build.” Thanks, Alex. 🙌🏾
“This was someone who’d found work that was inseparable from who he was. You couldn’t replace him with another birdwatcher. The tour wouldn’t be the same. His specific combination of knowledge, enthusiasm, and humanity made him irreplaceable.” so beautifully written
The paradox here cuts deeper than career advice—it's about the psychology of value creation in markets where replaceability is priced in. Your observation about salary compensating for wasted existence reveals something profound about how modern capitalism acknowledges but doesn't solve the existential cost of commodified labor. The birdwatcher in Minca found what traders and investors spend careers chasing: alignment between identity and output, where edge comes from being structurally impossible to replicate. Naval's 7 billion companies vision isn't utopian—it's game theory. When everyone competes in the same arena with fungible skills, returns compress to zero. The only durable moat is the work that literally cannot exist without your specific configuration of obsessions, experiences, and pattern recognition. This connects to Taleb's concept of antifragility: irreplaceable work gets stronger with volatility because it's rooted in who you are, not what the market temporarily rewards. The corporate premium for bullshit jobs is essentially an option premium—companies pay for liquidity and interchangeability, but true value accrues to those willing to be illiquid and irreplaceable. Markets reward scarcity, and you're the ultimate scarce asset.
I think this is a notion that many resonate with but sturggle to do without emotional and physical space to do so. I do think building things of value outside of work can be a great way to find meaning and a unique voice. My own experience is that the process of figuring it out is both liberating and frustrating at once. I like the dynamic.
I love this!! Maybe this is a perk for someone like me, with cognitive issues. Because I’m incapable of being a cog. My only path seems to be, to create something beautiful and mine. I just suck at marketing 😁
Fortunately outside the corporate world but I run my own boutique firm specializing in brand strategy and messaging. We have so much to give and currently feeling a bit bored and overall underutilized.
Fantastic piece. As I near the end of a roughly 30 year corporate career, I have had those thoughts many times and I find that the most meaningful times in my work were getting things done using my skills that made a difference. As I move onto to life after corporate I will use this article as inspiration for finding ways to share what I think my skills are with others. Thank you!
Great post. I recommend taking a look at Generalist World - a platform similar to your idea for building something for the 'professionally lost' (https://generalist.world/).
That’s such a gut-punch of a post — and you framed it perfectly. The line about companies “purchasing your opportunity cost” hits harder than any anti-corporate rant ever could. You put words to what so many quietly feel: the ache of doing competent work that doesn’t require you. It’s eerie how well the machine runs when we step away — and how that realization can either crush you or wake you up. This piece leans toward the latter.
Thanks very much! It doesn't take a lot of self reflection before you feel the gravity of that realisation.
Great piece — and insightful comment. I was let go from a corporate job in June and everything about the experience cemented my belief in the soul-sucking nature of such jobs. Which is exactly what they are. They aren't meaningful or purposeful or personal. They can be done by anyone anywhere, and the corporation doesn't care who that person is. To return to something that's meaningful (even without a salary) is so refreshing.
After working in big, fancy law firms for 45 years, I have seen how the workplace has changed. It has become a soul-sucking labyrinth of suffering, pain and abuse. Glad I'm out of it!
I'm glad you made it out! I'm sure better things await you.
'eerie how well the machine runs when we step away' - thats insightful. the idea of 'value' is changing, and so are opportunities.
Might be your best post yet!
“Salary is compensation for wasting your existence” hits hard.
Thanks so much! What a compliment :))
We often romanticize “leaving to build your own thing” as the only way to express uniqueness. Yet being the one person trusted to play a specific role inside a huge, complex organization is itself a rare privilege. Out of millions, you are the one shaping that function at this moment in time. Dismissing corporate paths as “not unique” can blind us to work that may be perfectly aligned with our talents and DNA.
Yes some good points raised here. I will pushback on the dismissal of corporate paths of "not unique" however. Because of the sheer volume of these jobs, it's almost impossible for them to be unique. These roles were designed to mould people to be efficient components, and so there's very little room for individuality in their systems.
Totally hear you, Alex - and yes, many roles are systematized by design. But maybe we’re over-indexing on the idea that a job must be the vessel for individuality. For some, it’s precisely the structure of a “moulded” role that enables stability - freeing up energy to express uniqueness elsewhere: in art, community, side projects, or even just how they show up in the world. Not all creativity needs to be monetized or career-bound.
Beeing in a huge organisation, and at high level you can have more impact, that if you are alone.
Right, my guide in Minca was a biologist from Venezuela who just knew how to tell good stories. Unless we had the same guide, it probably didn't matter which one of two I went with. I would have had a good tome either way. You can be very replaceable and still do a good job and enjoy it.
A community I’ve found immense value from is called “80,000 Hours” a nonprofit organization by Benjamin Todd. Their directive is teaching others how to“find a fulfilling career that does good.” Instead of personality tests and other useless career advice, he focuses on what the world NEEDS. What are the top 10 problems the world is facing?(Ex:Cyber and AI security, biomedical research, environmental protections, international relationships). Can one person make a difference? What about college in this day and age? What about careers that do more harm than good? He directly addresses not everyone needs to be a doctor to make a difference. I would highly recommend checking out their website and resources.
Oh this is really cool. I mentioned this to a friend of mine and he said that he had heard a lot of good things so i'll have to check them out!
I once had the leader of an industry association offer his time to me as a mentor.
We jumped in a call and talked for a bit, and I asked him what he thought my superpower was.
He said, “You can take something common that is familiar to everyone and turn it into an analogy that explains a highly technical concept.”
As a follow up, I asked what roles I should be looking at in the industry to make the best use of that skill.
His answer? “Oh, no one will pay you for that.”
I think many run up against this same reality, that the market has trouble assigning value (and wages) to the things that people do best.
We get caught up in HR, legal, legacy, and outdated thinking.
The 7 billion companies idea made me smile. Maybe we can get there, maybe it’s 1 billion companies made of 7 people with diverse skillsets to make the engine run, but it has to be different than today’s structure.
Wow, that's so cool. Really useful bit of information there! I will say however that I think this mentor of yours is wrong. That is a highly monetisable skill.
Definitely!
I felt this so hard! Mapping your superpower is so difficult given the current career mentality and job frameworks in place. But I’d argue that it’s possible - we just need to think outside the box a little bit. And as Alex argues, maybe even create a job that would be uniquely suitable for us.
YES!
Love your take and optimism!
I’m lucky to be in a role now that’s 75% in my lane and I was able to write the job description.
V nice example on 'what somoene finds immediately useful', which is the thinking that goes into businesses. Philosophy is great, for when you have a trust fund.
Telling people they are wasting their lives every day that they don't manifest their absolute uniqueness is such a profoundly toxic and destructive message. How about telling people not to define themselves by the means they make a living and stop fuelling the already rampant sense of worthlessness that exists in society?
Thanks for your comment.
Definitely don't see how it's destructive in any way. I think that it's a wake up call for a lot of people, I've had a lot of people reach out to me to say that.
The average career is between 60,000-80,000 hours. And as much as you may not want to define yourself by how you spend those hours, it's a hell of a long time to do things that are so profoundly misaligned to your unique value or any wider social impact.
Part of the reason that there is this rampant sense of worthlessness that exists in society is because of the lack of moral alignment in these major organisations (major employers), and people are so far removed from the impact that they have.
To give a bit of perspective perspective on how corporate jobs are part of the problem, recent studies show that more than half of UK corporate workers will experience a significant mental health challenge by the end of this year, and nearly a third of banking and finance professionals already show clinical symptoms of depression. This is a direct result of the disconnect between individual values and institutional purpose, fuelling the very sense of worthlessness you mention.
It's totally fine to tell people that a career that brings them little to no joy is not the only option, but telling people 'find your snowflake role or your talent is wasted' creates a whole new silo of pressure, paralysis and self-critique in a society that is absolutely not set up to help people make such a change.
Great that this bird watcher has the dream simple life. But not everyone can be a humble bird watcher, just as not everyone can be a film star or professional athlete. And the people who haven't found their dream role in society are not necessarily wasting their lives.
It's a good point. I suppose I wouldn't frame it like that. I don't think it's a case of if you aren't able to find your snowflake role then you've failed. I think it's just trying to create a bit of urgency, as everyone should be trying to find ways that they can use their specific skills and abilities to have more impact in the world.
I understand that everyone has a different context and the reality is different for everyone, but I do truly believe that nobody should settle for a meaningless job if they know that they have the potential for more impact.
Totally agree, not everyone can be a humble bird watcher, the point was made to illustrate how you can be grateful, find meaning and have impact in work that others might see as humble.
I know you mean well, but unfortunately not everyone has that luxury and I think a better message to society is that 'impact' can be found in more places than a career - and that the sheer number of hours you do something does not have to be a reflection on its importance to you, your sense of self worth, or a measure of your accomplishment in life.
Fair enough! I'm no expert and I'm open to changing my opinion but the articles I write are based on my observations and the conversations I'm having.
I think regardless we will see a very different approach to careers in the next 5 years so will be interesting to watch this play out.
I loveee when a post hits home. You stated somethings I’ve been grappling with for a few months now so succinctly. “Every day you show up to be replaceable is a day the world misses out on what only you could build.” Thanks, Alex. 🙌🏾
Thanks so much! I’m really glad to hear that it resonated with you! Which part spoke to you most?
You’re welcome! And these two points mainly spoke to me the most:
Every day you show up to be replaceable is a day the world misses out on what only you could build.
You’re a set of DNA that’s never existed before in human history and will never exist again.
“This was someone who’d found work that was inseparable from who he was. You couldn’t replace him with another birdwatcher. The tour wouldn’t be the same. His specific combination of knowledge, enthusiasm, and humanity made him irreplaceable.” so beautifully written
Thanks so much! It was a really moving experience.
The paradox here cuts deeper than career advice—it's about the psychology of value creation in markets where replaceability is priced in. Your observation about salary compensating for wasted existence reveals something profound about how modern capitalism acknowledges but doesn't solve the existential cost of commodified labor. The birdwatcher in Minca found what traders and investors spend careers chasing: alignment between identity and output, where edge comes from being structurally impossible to replicate. Naval's 7 billion companies vision isn't utopian—it's game theory. When everyone competes in the same arena with fungible skills, returns compress to zero. The only durable moat is the work that literally cannot exist without your specific configuration of obsessions, experiences, and pattern recognition. This connects to Taleb's concept of antifragility: irreplaceable work gets stronger with volatility because it's rooted in who you are, not what the market temporarily rewards. The corporate premium for bullshit jobs is essentially an option premium—companies pay for liquidity and interchangeability, but true value accrues to those willing to be illiquid and irreplaceable. Markets reward scarcity, and you're the ultimate scarce asset.
Thanks for the comment!
The last line here really cuts through!
I think this is a notion that many resonate with but sturggle to do without emotional and physical space to do so. I do think building things of value outside of work can be a great way to find meaning and a unique voice. My own experience is that the process of figuring it out is both liberating and frustrating at once. I like the dynamic.
Thanks for your comment Arod! I’m glad that it resonated with you and I’m looking forward to our next convo.
I love this!! Maybe this is a perk for someone like me, with cognitive issues. Because I’m incapable of being a cog. My only path seems to be, to create something beautiful and mine. I just suck at marketing 😁
Hahaha you and me both!
Ohhh, would be interested to hear your story.
The world needs to pay a motherfucker for being irreplaceable.
😂😂 preach!
Great read and so timely for me.
Thanks! What's your current situation?
Fortunately outside the corporate world but I run my own boutique firm specializing in brand strategy and messaging. We have so much to give and currently feeling a bit bored and overall underutilized.
“There are almost 7 billion people on this planet. Someday, I hope, there will be almost 7 billion companies.”
Pink Floyd were infinitely better than the -admittedly brilliant - individual works of David Gilmour and Roger Waters
Gilmour got more joy and fulfilment from producing his latest album (it’s highly likely he will win a Grammy) compared to Animals
But the listeners prefer Animals
Great analogy!
Fantastic piece. As I near the end of a roughly 30 year corporate career, I have had those thoughts many times and I find that the most meaningful times in my work were getting things done using my skills that made a difference. As I move onto to life after corporate I will use this article as inspiration for finding ways to share what I think my skills are with others. Thank you!
So glad to hear that it resonated with you! Let me know how you get on :))
Great post. I recommend taking a look at Generalist World - a platform similar to your idea for building something for the 'professionally lost' (https://generalist.world/).
Ooo thanks for sharing!