A hobbyist just built a working MANPAD guided missile prototype for €96.
I scrolled past this story and couldn't shake the feeling: part alarm, part fascination.
The components? Things I've handled in my own tinkering projects.
The budget? €96 (A professional system costs 5,000 times that amount)
Yes, it's unsettling. It hints at the next stage of asymmetric conflict, a future we're not quite ready to process.
But here's what I can't stop thinking about:
This isn't just about weapons. It's a signal of something much broader – a democratization of production happening across every domain, physical and digital.
Look around:
→ Non-photographers generate professional-grade images
→ Users vibe-code their own apps without formal training
→ Non-lawyers defend cases armed with ChatGPT
→ Customers design products themselves
Does all of it work perfectly? No.
Does the quality always match what professionals deliver? Absolutely not.
(Which is exactly why professional evaluation competence is becoming mission-critical – something I explored in a recent post.)
But here's the shift for us professionals:
Staying in the status quo is no longer an option.
Fighting this wave won't stop it. The smarter move? Leverage it.
I hear the unease: change at this speed is uncomfortable. My approach: find where this democratization creates genuine value, not just noise. There's something powerful here if we apply it thoughtfully.
And here's the truth: we stay ahead only when we understand both the possibilities and the limits of these new tools.
The hobbyists are exploring the edges. Our job is to define what excellence looks like in this new landscape – and keep pushing it forward.
What's your take: opportunity or risk?