The archive

Every piece I've published — 239 essays, field notes, and dispatches.

AI·

AI Sovereignty: Can we trust Sam and Dario?

The AI wave is real and AGI may already be here — but enterprise trust in frontier labs is fracturing. A builder's tour of Sequoia's computation revolution, Karp's sovereignty warning, and the open-source path forward.

Renato J. Mascardo·25 min read
AI Sovereignty: Can we trust Sam and Dario?
Startups & Building·

What Outlasts Us

A family trip through Rome, Naples, and Copenhagen — the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, and Tivoli Gardens — becomes a lesson in what we build and what we leave behind.

Renato J. Mascardo·10 min read
What Outlasts Us
AI·

Dartmouth

From the 1956 workshop where AI was named to the 2026 reckoning in software and labor — why computer science still matters, Jevons paradox expands the field, and everyone must transform.

Renato J. Mascardo·20 min read
Dartmouth
AI·

Adios WordPress

After almost twenty years on WordPress.com, Memory Leak moves to a site built for SEO, AEO, and GEO — with agents as first-class citizens and an agentic development lifecycle behind the rebuild.

Renato J. Mascardo·11 min read
Adios WordPress
Technology·

We’re Back in the Garage

I was sitting in my dorm room at the University of Richmond — beige tower PC humming like it had something important to prove, CRT monitor warming the room,…

Renato J. Mascardo·10 min read
We’re Back in the Garage
Technology·

2025 Year-in-Review: Read. Write. Code.

2025 felt like one of those years where you don’t fully understand what happened until you look backward and realize: oh… that was a phase shift.

Renato J. Mascardo·5 min read
2025 Year-in-Review: Read. Write. Code.
Startups & Building·

The Physics of Focus

I believe that focus is the single most important variable in the equation of execution. Yet, time and time again, I see executive teams unable to summon it.…

Renato J. Mascardo·7 min read
The Physics of Focus
AI·

The Great Corporate Efficiency Reckoning

We’ve reached a moment where corporate transformation is no longer optional—it’s being forced. AI isn't just another technology wave; it's an existential…

Renato J. Mascardo·7 min read
The Great Corporate Efficiency Reckoning
AI·

The World Models Within Us

Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite authors, is best known for his Robot series — books that deeply influenced how I think about technology and ethics. The…

Renato J. Mascardo·6 min read
The World Models Within Us
Technology·

The Coming and Going of the Turing Test

For decades, the holy grail of artificial intelligence was simple: fool a human into believing they were talking to another human. That was the essence of the…

Renato J. Mascardo·8 min read
The Coming and Going of the Turing Test
Personal·

Bold Moves: The Antidote to the Status Quo

I still remember the feeling—the mix of excitement and terror—as I packed the last box into a U-Haul after college. Two buddies of mine drove with me across…

Renato J. Mascardo·7 min read
Bold Moves: The Antidote to the Status Quo
Personal·

Grit is a True Superpower

My daughter, a collegiate soccer player, recently called me with some tough news. After months of grueling recovery from surgery on a torn tendon in her left…

Renato J. Mascardo·8 min read
Grit is a True Superpower
Startups & Building·

Perspective is a Gift

The words hung in the crisp Park City air, feeling more real and significant than the mountain peaks surrounding us. "I'm cancer-free."

Renato J. Mascardo·6 min read
Perspective is a Gift