Default

Default is a project exploring how most outcomes in life, technology, and markets are not chosen—but inherited.

It argues that defaults, not decisions, are the primary force shaping behavior, discovery, and long-term trajectories—and that modern systems increasingly lock people into invisible paths that constrain serendipity and agency.

One-Sentence Definition

A default is the outcome that happens when no one actively chooses.

One-Image Definition

Imagine a long corridor with many open doors.
No signs. No instructions.

At the far end, one door is already open, softly lit, with worn floorboards showing that many people have passed through before.

Most people walk straight into it—not because it is best, but because it requires the least effort.

That door is the default.

Core Thesis

Most people believe their lives are shaped by deliberate decisions.

In reality:

• Careers
• Relationships
• Beliefs
• Consumption
• Discovery

are largely determined by what happens when no explicit choice is made.

Defaults:

• Are invisible
• Scale silently
• Persist even when better alternatives exist
• Shape which unknown unknowns people are ever exposed to

By the time a default is questioned, it has already won.

Why Defaults Matter Now

Three forces make defaults more powerful than ever:

1. Cognitive overload
   Modern systems exceed human decision capacity.
2. Algorithmic mediation
   Feeds, recommendations, and flows decide before users do.
3. AI-accelerated execution
   When execution becomes cheap, defaults—not features—determine outcomes.

In this world, the absence of choice becomes the dominant choice.