Jameel Gordon 4/1/25 Jameel Gordon 4/1/25

Why Being “The Problem” Is Exactly What the World Needs

Here’s some of the feedback I’ve been getting lately:

“You’re so extra.”

“Why do you have to be so different?”

“You’re trying to disrupt the entire healthcare industry, and you have no experience or knowledge in that—so why are you even trying?”

“You’re a one-man team.”

“People are afraid of you. Not afraid, but afraid of you.”

“This is Buffalo. They want to keep the city a secret, and here you come with all these big ideas, causing problems for the powers that be.”

I think I am the problem. And you know what? I’m perfectly okay with that.

If you’re an entrepreneur, especially one who dares to challenge the status quo, you’ve probably heard some variation of these phrases. People will question your motives, your expertise, and your ability to pull off something that hasn’t been done before. But here’s the truth: innovation isn’t about waiting for permission. It’s about breaking barriers, challenging outdated systems, and proving that just because something has “always been this way” doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.

The World Doesn’t Change with Conformity

Disruptors make people uncomfortable. That’s the price of vision. When you think differently, when you push beyond conventional limitations, you will encounter resistance. Not because you’re wrong, but because people fear change. And more importantly, they fear the power of someone who isn’t bound by the same fears they are.

Every industry has gatekeepers, people who believe they get to decide who belongs and who doesn’t. But here’s the reality: the greatest innovators in history weren’t “qualified” by traditional standards. Steve Jobs wasn’t an engineer. Oprah didn’t have a journalism degree. Elon Musk didn’t start as a car manufacturer. What they did have was relentless belief in their vision and an unshakable commitment to making it real.

So when someone tells you that you’re “too much,” hear it as confirmation that you’re doing something right. If people say you’re “the problem,” maybe the real issue is that they’ve gotten too comfortable with problems that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Building Without Approval

The truth is, you don’t need a whole team to start. You don’t need unanimous support. You don’t need every door to be open. What you do need is resilience. Some of the best businesses, innovations, and movements started with a single person refusing to accept “no” as the final answer.

Buffalo, like many places, has a culture that thrives on its own traditions. But that doesn’t mean those traditions should dictate your future. Whether you’re in tech, healthcare, sustainability, or any other industry, if you see a way to make things better, go for it. The powers that be might not like it, but movements aren’t built to please, they’re built to change.

Keep Being “The Problem”

If your ideas make people uncomfortable, keep going. If your ambition challenges the status quo, keep pushing. If your success forces others to rethink what’s possible, keep winning.

The world needs people who dare to be different. The world needs disruptors. The world needs you.

So be relentless. Be unstoppable. And above all, be the problem they never saw coming.

Jameel Gordon 3/24/25 Jameel Gordon 3/24/25

The Double-Edged Sword of Real Estate Investment

When I talk to people these days about investing in the future, I often get shrugged off—especially by a new generation of investors who have recently become financially literate. Many insist that they will only invest in real estate because they view it as owning tangible property rather than putting money into what they see as a shiny, intangible tech company. This perspective is particularly common among those who approach investing through a social justice lens, aiming to close the wealth gap across genders and races.

By many standards, I agree with this mindset. However, the reality is more complicated. Real estate can be a risky investment, particularly for those who lack the knowledge or resources to manage it effectively—especially when scaling such investments. It’s a high-stakes game, something I learned firsthand while studying real estate history and working as a real estate agent and broker. The consequences of poor decision-making, bad judgment, bad timing, and greed are evident in past housing crises—and, inevitably, in future ones, as financial instruments continue to grow more complex.

Additionally, while I can’t speak for every municipality, I’ve examined several closely and found that many so-called “properties” being purchased are actually financial instruments rather than true real estate. Many buyers assume they are purchasing land when, in reality, they are only acquiring the housing structure that sits on it—whether a house, building, co-op, or condo. If you don’t own the land itself, from my perspective, you don’t own much. You own the structure and possibly its associated lot, but not the actual land beneath it.

So yes, I agree that real estate is one of the safest and most reliable investment vehicles for building wealth. But it’s also one of the greatest tools of injustice in human history. Entire communities have been erased for the very land we now seek to own for our personal and generational wealth. Think about that.

Jameel Gordon 3/20/25 Jameel Gordon 3/20/25

The Marketplace of Life: Navigating Transactions, Exchange, and Purpose

It’s no surprise that we are all out here selling something. Whether we’re merchants in an actual marketplace or not, we’re constantly engaged in some form of exchange. Sometimes, it’s our products and services in a traditional business sense; other times, it’s our presence in the lives of others—through friendships, romantic relationships, and beyond.

I know this might sound a bit pessimistic, but as a trained salesman well-versed in the art of persuasion, trust me when I say: we are all selling something. At its core, this idea underpins the arts of persuasion and communication themselves. Something is always being bought or sold—whether literally or figuratively.

Our world operates on this intricate system of transactions, evolving into a global economic structure that intertwines with every aspect of our lives, cultures, and environments. As I step back to examine this phenomenon, I realize that no matter how we attempt to deconstruct it, everything ultimately circles back to the art of communication. Human interaction itself is a marketplace—whether we acknowledge it or not. Rarely do we engage with others without expecting something in return. Even knowledge-sharing is a transaction.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot because, as much as I’ve tried to step away from working, I still have responsibilities, bills, and a lifestyle to maintain. I still have dreams, desires, needs, and wants—and in this world, nothing is simply given. Every aspect of life involves an exchange, a transaction of some sort. Even applying for social services costs you something—time, effort, or compliance.

So, I find myself reflecting: What product or service am I offering to the world? There’s a simple answer to this, but execution is far from easy because it’s all tied into the larger economic system of exchange. Business 101 tells us to identify a need in the marketplace and meet it with a product or service—which, at its core, is about serving a community. Yet, I don’t approach life from a purely service-based mindset. Instead, I wrestle with this question, over and over, as I navigate a world where participation in the marketplace often feels both voluntary and involuntary.

Ultimately, my work is about crafting the life I want, shaped by my answer to the easy question above. And, in some ways, this is how I find a way to engage with others without the expectation of exchange—though even that is debatable. Because, in reality, something is always being exchanged, whether explicitly or implicitly.

What can I say? The global marketplace—make room for me. I’m coming, and I can’t stop the movement. I just can’t stop, and I won’t.

Jameel Gordon 3/11/25 Jameel Gordon 3/11/25

Stop! Stop Jameel!

Whether you read these as pleas directed at me or as commands and instructions from leaders and groups to others, I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. It’s being communicated consistently—both verbally and demonstratively. Yet, I’m always at a loss as to what, exactly, they want me to stop.✋🏾

What do you want me to stop?

Imagine that—I’m at a loss, and they’re asking me to stop? Maybe they should stop trying to stop me, and they wouldn’t be suffering so many losses.

Even when I think I’ve just taken an L, by the time I blink, turn the corner, leave the room, or let the weekend—or even just a couple of days—go by, I realize I actually won or won again.🥇

I can’t lose. And I’d like to think it’s because I have nothing to lose, but that’s not it. I have a lot to lose. A lot at stake. Which brings me back to my original question: What exactly do you want me to stop?

Oh, I see—you actually want me to stop loving everyone. You want me to become a hater. But there is no hate in my blood. I hate no one.

So cheers to that! 🥂

I’m forecasting more winning—and more winters—in my future. If you think I’m unstoppable, then you don’t know the half of it, my friends.

My friends! 🤫🥂💞🫰🏾

Jameel Gordon 3/3/25 Jameel Gordon 3/3/25

I Quit…Working.

A few months after launching my think tank, Oaks & Oars, I wrapped up a day’s worth of work and settled into my evening. As I relaxed, I decided to watch something on Netflix. Scrolling through the options, I came across the Barack Obama documentary Working: What We Do All Day. According to the show’s producer, it “explores what a ‘good’ job actually is.”

Since watching the documentary, I’ve been publicly critical of its messaging, its framing, and its host—a former President of the United States who was, quite clearly, fulfilling some obligation under his production company’s contract with Netflix. My main criticism? As the stories unfold on screen, so much is left unsaid. I know this because I’ve been in the shoes of many of the people featured or have worked closely with those who have. And on top of that, here stands a former president—once the most powerful person in the world—now fulfilling a multimillion-dollar deal with an entertainment technology behemoth.

Since then, I’ve been working diligently on sustainability, thinking deeply about how to prevent a climate crisis—something Bill Gates often speaks about. This, in turn, led me to question the future of economics. In a world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence, I have found that the math simply doesn’t add up. The economic models don’t compute. I sum up my thoughts in one sentence: Artificial intelligence is financial technology. There’s a lot to unpack there, and I’ve been meaning to write about it, but I haven’t felt the inspiration yet. Still, this work has led me to a realization: My life’s work is building a sustainable future for everyone.

Declaring this mission—deconstructing the complex relationships between economic systems, businesses, consumers, and the environment to build a truly sustainable future—led me to another realization: I’ve already solved the artificial intelligence problem. The climate crisis problem. The sustainability goals problem. The economics of the future problem. Even fashion, which has been hijacked and distorted by entertainment, has been restored to its rightful place. Beyond all that, I have painted a vision for a second Trump term—one so compelling that everyone is tapped in, locked in, and hopeful. At this point in time I don’t want to be asked what I do. If anyone has a problem, my DMs are open. I ended that announcement by reminding people that even visionaries need rest—and then I took the rest of the week off from my work.

As I stepped away from work and reflected deeply, one conclusion became clear: I quit…working.

Yes. I quit…working.

I’ve quit jobs before. I’ve resigned from positions. I’ve even retired from professions. But this is different. This time, I am done with the concept of work itself. To purge the last remnants of negativity from my system, I’ll say it outright: Fuck you.

Quite frankly, there’s nothing left for me to do—and nothing else I’d rather spend my time doing.

Jameel Gordon 2/27/25 Jameel Gordon 2/27/25

A World Without Currency: Would Everyone Be Fed?

Imagine a world where food isn’t bought, sold, or traded. Imagine a world where food just readily available to everyone, whenever they need it. No money, no bartering, no trading, no working for your next meal. You walk into a market, or restaurant, take or order what you need for a delicious meal or snack, and leave. Farms still produce, stores are still stocked, and hunger no longer exists, because access is no longer tied to wealth or labor.

Sounds ideal, right? But would it actually work?

Abundance vs. Access: The Real Challenge:

Right now, the world produces enough food to feed every single person, yet millions still go hungry. Not because there isn’t enough food, but because access is controlled by economics, logistics, and policy. So, in a world where food is simply available, would unfettered access work for humanity?

Here’s where things get complicated:

1. Would People Take More Than They Need: When resources feel unlimited, human nature tends to lean toward excess and hoarding. Think about what happens at an all-you-can-eat buffet—plates are piled high, much of it gets wasted, and people take more than they actually consume. We can observe the same during a global crisis such as a pandemic. If food were always available with no limits, would people take more than necessary, leaving others without?

2. Would There Be Enough Incentive to Keep Producing?: Farmers grow food, distributors transport it, and markets stock it because these processes are part of an economic system that rewards labor. In a world without currency or trade, what would motivate continued production at the scale needed to sustain billions of people? Would farming still be as intensive? Would people still work the land, transport goods, and manage food systems simply because it’s the right thing to do?

3. The Logistics of Fair Distribution: Even if food production remained stable, there’s still the challenge of getting it where it needs to go. Right now, food shortages are often caused by logistical failures rather than a lack of supply. In this new world, who ensures that food gets from farm to table? Who maintains roads, transportation networks, and storage facilities? If no one is compensated, would these systems break down over time?

So, Would It Work?:

In theory, a world where food is readily available to all is possible because we already produce more than enough. The challenge isn’t whether there’s enough food; it’s whether human systems can function without the incentives that drive production and distribution today.

For this world to succeed, we’d need:

A cultural shift where people take only what they need.

A decentralized system of responsibility to keep farms producing and food moving.

New motivations beyond economic survival whether that’s social responsibility, automation, or something we haven’t yet imagined.

It’s not food scarcity that makes hunger persist today. It’s the way we’ve structured access to food. If we can rethink that, we might get closer to a world where no one goes hungry, and food waste is greatly minimized because it is simply there when and where humans need it.

Salud! 🥂

Jameel Gordon 2/13/25 Jameel Gordon 2/13/25

Already Done ✅

When I quit my last job—or rather, when I retired from my last job—it was for a very specific reason.

For one, I had a strong sense that my time there, and in that role, was over. I knew I had to step away because the effort being put into shaping me into someone I didn’t want to be—into a perspective that clashed with how I see the world—was overwhelming.

I also knew that by leaving, I was fully stepping back into my true self, my true identity, and, most importantly, my true purpose. As with other pivotal moments in my life, this decision only reinforced that I truly think and see the world differently than many people, even those who may share some of my values. This isn’t new to me. It isn’t a new dilemma. That’s how I knew it was time to walk away from my old job—because they were, (and still are), hell-bent on making me conform to a worldview that simply does not align with mine.

Now, I’m facing the same dilemma, but on an even greater scale. Not only are old friends still trying to shape my perspective in absurd and bizarre ways, but now, new groups and forces have entered the picture.

I shared this before—I did not know I would face such opposition. This was grossly miscalculated by me. Yet, I also remain deeply grateful for the love and support I receive, even in the midst of all the hate for doing this work.

When I take everything into account—the success, the love, the hate—and when I remember that this is only my third year working on a vision and mission that is now dear to me, one that I will see through to the end, my greatest burden is, once again, who I must now become. And strangely, though this transformation is an act of wisdom, it still feels burdensome.

Truthfully, it’s burdensome because it breaks my heart. Like any breakup, like any relationship where you set hard boundaries for your own protection—boundaries that may be misunderstood, boundaries because you are misunderstood, frowned upon, or that others may try to guilt or shame you out of—choosing to do what’s best for you can be heartbreaking.

Yet here I am, about to complete another phase of my work. And I intend to do so fully in the comfort of my own skin, my own thinking, and my own authenticity—even if it unsettles others. Because this time, I am not going to quit. I am not going to walk away. I am not going to stop. I am going to see every bit of this through.

When I think back to the moment I decided to retire from my old job—to when I waited for the right time to submit my resignation, to step into the unknown, to build something from nothing—to now, where I have turned that vision into reality, step by step, milestone by milestone… I realize that without these moments of clarity, without these “bookmarks” of success, it would be easy to doubt myself. To believe I’m wasting my time. To think I’m failing. To find reasons to quit.

But I have these moments. These undeniable moments of clarity.

For instance, I remember stepping onto the University at Buffalo’s campus and sitting in meetings, asking for $150 billion to begin building out my vision. And now, I can account for at least $700 billion and a vision that’s worldwide.

Color. Cut. Clarity.

Now tell me—why would I stop? Why would I stop now?

Think about it. I asked for $150 billion. I received $700 billion and we’re still counting. I still can’t believe it.

Where I come from, we call that a God Ask.

I’m in a different league. 🏁

I am so high up that when I look around, it’s just me.

Think about that. It’s all of you—and yet, it’s just me. And still, I received five times more than what I asked for.

So really, think about it. I asked for $150 billion for what I wanted. And if I received five times that, what does that say about my vision? About what’s coming? About what I’m about to receive?

Riddle me that. Solve for that.

I’m high up, and I’m not going to stop. I’m going to see this through—because it’s already done. Now, I simply have to receive all of what I asked for. 🪄

That’s all for now. I am enjoying this moment of silence…

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Jameel Gordon 2/13/25 Jameel Gordon 2/13/25

Sun-kissed.

I am really enjoying where I am right now. There’s a certain level of peace and freedom and privilege in my genius. I am grateful for it all.

That’s all for now. I am enjoying this moment of silence…

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