Happy Friday! If you're new to Now I Know, you'll notice that today's format differs from the rest of the week. On Fridays, I pause to write the "Weekender," my  "week in review" type of thing, or to share something else I think you may find interesting. Thanks for reading! — Dan

Hi!

Four years ago, the local high school in my town created a new course called “Start Up.” Students form groups of two to five kids each and create small businesses over the course of the school year. I’ve been volunteering with the program since its inception, and for the past three years, served as a judge at their pitch event. Each group gets five to ten minutes to take the judges — me and two others — through their idea, what they’ve built, the product-market fit, and the future direction for their product.

Yesterday was the pitch day — and it was very, very different than in years prior.

Why? AI and vibe coding.

Before I dive into this, a bit about my own personal AI policy: Everything I write for Now I Know is written by me, not by an AI chatbot. I like writing and storytelling — why would I outsource the fun? — and I like to think that part of why you read these words is because of how I write them. That said, I generally and openly embrace the use of AI tools to help me do things that I don’t like to do or don’t have the experience/skills to do without it. That’s true for virtually every other tool and resource out there, AI or otherwise — I generally don’t like lugging bags of groceries from the store to my house, so I use a car to help there, for example. I see AI as an enabling technology, and consider myself an early-ish adopter. But I don’t use it to replace the things that bring me joy; that’d be silly.

Back to the Start Up pitch event. In the three previous years, the students leaned heavily into physical, manufactured products. I think the big reason why is because they had access to a couple of 3D printers, which, in theory at least, should also be an enabling technology. But in practice, not so much. These are kids — 16- and 17-year-olds, typically — and they neither have the time nor experience to manufacture a product at scale. They came to events with 3D-printed items that didn’t work — if at all — or glued-together prototypes) and cost projections that made no sense. Nothing they couldn’t overcome, of course. With enough time and effort, they could get there in a year or two — but the products were, by and large, unrealistic given the otherwise busy schedule of a kid more focused on their college ambitions than a one-off idea concocted in one of their many classes.

This year was different. Most of the pitches were software solutions to niche problems. And many of the teams had well-built wireframes and product flows. Some even had working prototypes. They were able to take an idea to concept and slightly beyond. And few, if any, had any computer science or programming experience. Additionally — and this surprised me a ton — the teams with physical, manufactured product ideas were much better than in years past, too. The software teams had raised the bar so much that the tangible object teams needed to match their quality; they brought us very thoughtful market analyses and well-developed prototypes that — with an appropriate amount of time and effort — could result in a saleable product. The work presented by at least four of the teams — three software, one tangible — were actual products I could us using in the next few years.

I’m eager to see what they create next year and beyond. And just as importantly, I think we’re going to see a monumental change in how quickly, and well, innovations come to market over the next few years. I kind of understood that before yesterday, but I really appreciate it now, after judging the Start Up event.

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

Sign up now!

Monday:: Lost in Translation? Not on the Tennis Court: Why refs can swear in many languages.

Tuesday: How Mickey Mouse Saved Time: That reminds me, this weekend is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time in most of the United States. Don’t forget!

Wednesday: How KFC Keeps its Biggest Secret a Secret: 11 herbs and spices, but the specifics aren’t being shared.

Thursday: The Underground World Time Forgot: It’s a cave, but you can’t visit, and probably won’t want to. But it’s cool!

Now I Know is supported by readers like you. Yes, you! Many of my readers donate a few dollars a month to help Now I Know grow and thrive. And in exchange, they get an ad-free version!

And thanks! — Dan

Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:

1) “Master and Commander” (Atavist, 38 minutes, February 2026). The subhead: “When a scraggly band of folk musicians arrived to tour the UK, residents of a small Welsh town were enamored—until they learned that the band’s leader ruled with an iron fist.” And honestly, I don’t think the subhead does this justice. “Iron fist” seems way, way too kind to the leader of this band.

2) “What AI Executives Tell Their Own Kids About the Jobs of the Future” (Wall Street Journal, 7 minutes, March 2026). Given the above, I thought this could be appropriate to share today. Apologies if you get stuck behind a paywall — I was able to access it without an issue, but I know that can be flukey.

3) “Inside the cutthroat competition for the best baguette in Paris” (Washington Post/gift link, 8 minutes, February 2026). Welcome to the baguette Grand Prix.

Have a great weekend!

Dan