Very few people – perhaps nobody, ever – has experienced what I feel right now. And I’m referring to the totality of human experience.
For context, I’m writing on 7 October 2024 – one year on from that horrible day; one year on from slaughter; one year on from the total failure of politics.
Normally, I write and then post the next day, but in this case, I am delaying it for two months. I cannot quite explain why I have done this.
Why this build-up, the suspense, the hyperbole? Because tomorrow, together with the most brilliant person – Dr Simon Wallace – we launch Suffrago.
Suffrago has the potential to radically improve not only political decision-making AND political discourse AND political understanding in the UK, but Suffrago could do the same thing in every democracy, anywhere on earth. And boy, doesn’t democracy need some help right now.
If Suffrago is successful, then significant financial gain will come my way, securing my family – or destroying them – for generations. And this could happen real fast, too.
Because in the world of tech, standard business methodology and valuations do not apply.
Starting Suffrago, which from Day One will boast 650 data dashboards for every MP in the UK, paired with an AI-powered legislation explainer and a quasi-anonymous voting platform, feels like launching a law firm with 100,000 cases on the books from the get-go. And to make it more interesting, it’s being run by just two people—one of whom is me, juggling a chronic health condition and a tight-knit family. No sane person would embark on such a venture. But here I am, doing exactly that
Usually, most businesses start off slowly, with a zero valuation: we, on the other hand, will be starting at sprinting pace and with a considerable valuation. Most businesses have little impact on politics, whereas ours might really move the dial.
I wrote, at the outset, that no human has likely experienced this sensation – because until the advent of technology, coupled with globalisation, it was impossible to dream up a business, then code it, then launch it, with no paying customers, and still be worth gazillions. And that’s not to mention the massive potential positive impact. And no normal business has one of the largest companies in the history of the planet wanting a demo before she launches, but we already do.
Appropriately, I’ve asked Chat GPT to find me a word, in any language, to sum up my feelings at this weird time (two gluten-free beers in, to calm the nerves), and she says that I feel “sonder”. Which, apparently, means the sudden realisation that our decisions impact not just us, but potentially millions. Sonder—the crushing weight of knowing the magnitude of influence we may have, and the ripple effect it could cause across lives, generations, and democracies. The gravity of it is exhilarating and terrifying. So says the AI.
I finish by recording, for posterity, that I am trying to do the right thing – that I promise you, folks.
