The Rise of "High Agency" in Silicon Valley's Cultural Lexicon
Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial culture has long gravitated toward self-descriptive buzzwords that capture the zeitgeist of each era. Where tech entrepreneurs once branded themselves as "self-starters" and later "disruptors," a new term has emerged as the aspirational identity of choice: "high agency." This shift in terminology reflects a deeper evolution in how the tech industry views and values certain personality traits and approaches to problem-solving.
The term's meteoric rise in popularity is evident in the data: analytics platform Brandwatch documented a 500% increase in mentions across social media platforms like X and Reddit over the past year. The concept has penetrated multiple facets of tech culture, spawning dedicated podcasts focused on both AI and entrepreneurship while becoming increasingly prevalent in job listings across diverse sectors from solar energy to cryptocurrency.
The origins of "high agency" can be traced to 2016, when Eric Weinstein, then managing director at Peter Thiel's investment firm, introduced the concept during an appearance on Tim Ferriss's podcast. Weinstein characterized high agency as a MacGyver-like approach to the world - a constant search for possibilities where others might see none. He positioned this mindset as an antidote to what he perceived as decades of "low-agency, supersafe, timid, frightened kind of societal aspiration" that had dominated American culture since the 1970s.
The modern interpretation of high agency encompasses several key characteristics: individuals who demonstrate this trait are described as people who initiate their own ventures, identify overlooked opportunities, and refuse to accept conventional limitations. As tech entrepreneur Andrew Yeung explains, "High agency is about actively going after what you want without waiting for the circumstances to be perfect." This mindset has become particularly associated with Elon Musk, whom AI pioneer Emad Mostaque described as "the most holistically intelligent, high-agency person I know."
The concept's practical impact on business culture has been significant. Recruiting professionals like Mike Basso have observed a shift in hiring priorities, with employers increasingly emphasizing these intangible qualities over traditional metrics like experience and technical skills. For instance, Basso recounts how a candidate with 15 years of experience was passed over for a head of sales position because their tendency to focus on workplace limitations was interpreted as lacking the desired high-agency approach.
However, this cultural shift has not been without its critics. The emphasis on high agency has raised questions about the potential downsides of valorizing an approach that can sometimes translate into reckless or harmful behavior. The case of Luigi Mangione, whose aggressive pursuit of goals allegedly led to tragic consequences, has prompted some to question whether the celebration of "non-conformism and high agency" might have a dark side.
The term has also become a marker of exclusivity in certain contexts. When a software engineer in San Francisco proposed building a "walkable utopia" called Esmeralda, the development was specifically marketed to "creative, high-agency people," suggesting the phrase's evolution into a status signifier within tech culture.
Weinstein himself acknowledges the complex nature of the high-agency mindset he helped popularize. While recognizing that high-agency individuals can be "tough to deal with," he maintains that their capacity for challenging conventional wisdom - metaphorically giving "the middle finger" - represents a crucial competitive advantage for American innovation, particularly in comparison to more structured societies like China.
This evolution in Silicon Valley's self-conception reveals how the tech industry continuously reimagines its ideal archetype. The rise of "high agency" as a cultural touchstone reflects both the industry's persistent belief in individual agency and its ongoing search for frameworks to understand and promote entrepreneurial success. Whether this latest iteration will prove more enduring or influential than its predecessors remains to be seen, but its impact on current hiring practices and cultural conversations is undeniable.