Noah Smith
· Noahpinion
· June 21, 2026 at 23:33
· ⏱ 13 min read
| Read on Substack ↗
Summary
Noah Smith uses the examples of pizza wheels (inferior but popular) and Japanese washlets (superior but under-adopted in the U.S.) to analogize how educated progressives are dismissive of AI despite its accelerating adoption and economic impact. The article warns that such resistance risks leaving behind a key demographic, even as AI proves to be a transformative technology with real revenue growth and profit potential.
•Pizza wheels deliver less downward force due to the angle of the cut, causing cheese drag, dulling, and difficulty cleaning — Wirecutter and Eater recommend pizza shears or rocking cutters instead.
•Japanese washlets (heated seat, water jet, warm air dryer) have been common in Japan since 1980 but are rare in the U.S., where only the wealthy tend to own them.
•Anthropic is experiencing the fastest revenue growth of any large company in history and expects to turn an operating profit next quarter, countering the narrative of an 'AI bubble.'
•Pew polling shows a majority of Americans expect AI to have a major impact on jobs (60%+), yet usage of AI at work and for personal reasons is rising steadily.
•Educated progressive professionals at a D.C. party were uniformly negative on AI, with one lawyer calling it a bubble and an art historian arguing AI cannot produce real art.
•Dan Kagan-Kans argues the left is 'missing out on AI' by dismissing it as mere autocomplete, which prevents serious engagement with its risks and opportunities.