It is much later than you think

A long overdue update + restarting Exformation

Friends,

It has been over a year since we last chatted and a lot has happened, so I thought I would send you an update on my life and what will become of this space.

Around this time last year, I switched jobs, becoming a Resident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. My ambit hasn’t changed, I’m still closely following tech and innovation policy, but I’m spending most of my time working to ensure we have smart AI policy.

Then last March, I started writing the Techne newsletter at The Dispatch. My goal was to cover tech and innovation policy, which included commentary on state AI bills, autonomous cars, Google’s antitrust cases, the $42.45 billion program for broadband expansion, Nvidia and the value of compute, NASA’s canceled VIPER project, and recently, the competitive implications of DeepSeek. But I also covered topics in geoengineering and explained why LA’s plant ecosystem drove the fires.

But I wrapped up that newsletter a couple weeks ago, largely because of what happened in my personal life. Both of my parents died last year. My dad, Eric Rinehart, passed away on June 19th, and then my mother, Penny Rinehart, followed him three months later. Probably the hardest thing I ever had to write were their obituaries. How can you summarize someone’s life in a thousand words or less? Needless to say, settling their estate has become a part-time job.

It was a rough winter without them. Every year during the holidays, I would head back to Central Illinois and spend time with them, helping around the house after working 9 to 5. And in recent years, I would often talk to my dad to get his take on various projects I was working on. He was an economist for the State of Illinois’ economic development agency and a stickler for proper grammar, so he was the first person I would send a draft to.

There's so much of me that's from them, but if there is anything that truly defines their legacy in me, it's their optimism. Both of my parents loved the spring, my father for the chance to restart his gardens and my mother to bring back to life the pond that centered our backyard. Spring is approaching and I too am excited for renewal.

All of this is to say, Exformation is about to become much more active as it will serve as a primary outlet for my work. Sometimes that will mean something short and technical. Other times, it will be a long form piece that just doesn’t work anywhere else. I’m also going to be sending out some of my older Techne work, updated or with additional context.

Thank you for your patience during this quiet period. As I step into this new season, both professionally and personally, I'm excited to grow this space. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out. After all, the best ideas often come from conversation.

Until next time,

🚀 Will