>session transcripts were the new oil

Something about this idea really resonates with certain personality types. I equate it to the Zettelkasten hype phase from several years ago. People (...like me..) got really wrapped up in the belief that the process was more important that the content. "Linking" was an "activity." Something good will happen as long as you (a) take notes on stuff and (b) link them to other notes on stuff.

You see the same thing with the session transcripts people. They're building ever more sophisticated setups of indexing and storing and cross referencing every conversation they've ever had on the (I would argue) mistaken belief that the transcripts are the valuable part, rather than the uncomfortable part where you go do something. A lot of it, I say from falling in the trap, is fancy procrastination.

(Although, I have found myself jealous on many occasions where their fancy system retrieves something they vaguely recall from a conversation they had 3 months ago. So, who knows.)

Absolutely agreed. Anyone who's a serious procrastinator sooner or later noticed that pattern of theirs in which they spent immense effort on optimizing the process instead focusing on the outcome they really wish — just don't really believe they can deliver it.

> Something about this idea really resonates with certain personality types.

Like ancient people? Because "new oil" whilst I get what it might imply sounds bad to me. Oil has been superseded in many places so "new oil" is like going backwards still.

Reference: data is the new oil is a term coined in 2006.

We're in 2026. See what I mean.