We spent the last decade glorifying specialists. And in many ways, rightly so. The complexity of modern systems demanded deep focus. But that same depth is now hitting its limits.
The frontier is no longer defined by isolated knowledge. It is defined by the ability to combine disciplines. To synthesize across models. To see second-order consequences and adjust accordingly.
This is where generalists return, not as jacks of all trades, but as strategic integrators. People who can think like engineers, regulators, and storytellers at once. People who can move through policy, product, and capital without needing to pause for translation.
In venture, this matters more than ever. A great founder today needs to understand regulation before it arrives. Understand macro without getting distracted. Understand product while building trust. That is no longer a job for one skillset. It is a job for synthesis.
I am seeing more investors shift toward these kinds of thinkers. People with law and code in their past. People who publish essays and fund infrastructure. People who can sit in a room with diplomats one day and a cap table the next.
The generalist now is not scattered. They are composed. They are selective about what to ignore and what to integrate. And that makes them powerful, because they can survive when the environment changes.
Specialists will always have a role. But the new strategic advantage is not depth alone. It is pattern fluency. And the ability to make sense of complexity without needing to control every part of it.
That is what I am investing in now, not just domain expertise, but minds that can hold more than one truth at once. That is how systems survive shock. That is how companies outlast cycles. And that is how people stay relevant when the world no longer plays by the same rules.