The Overview Effect: Why Tech Leaders Need a Cosmic Perspective Right Now
An astronaut recently returned from 178 days in orbit with a shocking revelation—he believes we're living a "lie." Not a conspiracy, but something far more profound: the illusion of separation that keeps us trapped in petty conflicts while missing the bigger picture.
From space, Earth looks impossibly small and fragile against the infinite darkness. Borders disappear, conflicts seem trivial, and our planet reveals itself as one interconnected organism. This phenomenon, known as the Overview Effect, fundamentally shifts how astronauts see humanity's place in the universe. The "lie" isn't about hidden truths—it's about forgetting that we're all passengers on the same small planet, orbiting through the vast cosmos together.
My Own Overview Effect Moments
Reading about this astronaut's perspective hit me deeply because I've experienced my own version of the Overview Effect, both at work and in life. You know those moments when you're completely consumed by a deadline, caught up in workplace politics, or stressing about being seen as valuable to your organization? I've been there—lost in the weeds, fighting battles that felt enormous in the moment.
Then something happens that forces you to zoom out. Maybe it's a reminder of how finite life really is, or a moment when you realize how much energy you've spent on things that, in the grand scheme, are pretty insignificant. Suddenly, the presentation you've been obsessing over, the political maneuvering you've been navigating, or the timeline that's been keeping you up at night—none of it feels quite as earth-shattering anymore.
This perspective shift doesn't diminish our responsibilities or make our work meaningless. Instead, it helps us approach everything with more clarity, more humanity, and more focus on what actually matters.
The AI Renaissance Needs This Perspective More Than Ever
This overview effect feels especially crucial right now during what I call the AI renaissance. We're living through a period of unprecedented technological change, and honestly, it's creating a lot of fear and division in our industry.
People are worried about losing their jobs to AI. They're trying to figure out what skills to develop next. They're stressed about staying relevant in a rapidly changing landscape. And if anyone tells you they know exactly what the future holds, they're probably not being 100% accurate—because the truth is, we're all navigating uncertainty together.
But here's what the Overview Effect teaches us: we're all in this experience together. While we're busy competing, worrying, and trying to position ourselves for an unknowable future, we might be missing the bigger opportunity to collaborate, support each other, and approach this transformation with unity rather than division.
Finding Your Daily Anchor in the Uncertainty
The astronaut's perspective reminds us that in the vast scale of the universe, we're incredibly small. That might sound discouraging, but I find it liberating. It means the pressure we put on ourselves to have all the answers, to navigate every political situation perfectly, or to predict exactly how AI will reshape our careers—that pressure isn't serving us.
Instead, we need to find something meaningful to latch onto and work through every single day. Something that matters beyond the immediate stress and uncertainty. For some, it's building technology that genuinely helps people. For others, it's mentoring the next generation of tech professionals. Maybe it's contributing to solutions that bring people together rather than divide them.
Practical Applications for Tech Leaders
So how do we apply this Overview Effect to our daily work in technology?
Step Back Regularly: Build moments into your routine where you deliberately zoom out. Ask yourself: In six months, will this conflict matter? In the context of the problems we're trying to solve for humanity, how does this challenge fit?
Focus on Connection: Instead of competing with colleagues who are also navigating AI uncertainty, look for ways to collaborate and share insights. We're all trying to figure this out together.
Choose Your Battles: Not every workplace disagreement needs to be a war. Not every technology debate requires you to pick a side. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is acknowledge the bigger picture and focus your energy where it will actually make a difference.
Embrace the Unknown: Rather than stressing about predicting the unpredictable future of AI and technology, focus on building skills and relationships that will serve you regardless of what changes come.
The Unity We Need in Tech
The technology industry has an incredible opportunity right now. We're not just building tools and systems—we're shaping how humanity will interact with technology for generations to come. But we can only do this well if we remember that we're all on the same team.
The divisions we create—between technical and non-technical people, between different programming languages, between AI enthusiasts and skeptics—these are often artificial separations that prevent us from solving bigger problems together.
When I feel myself getting pulled into the stress and politics of daily work, I try to remember that astronaut's perspective. We're all on a small planet, spinning through space, trying to build something meaningful with the time we have.
Moving Forward Together
The Overview Effect isn't about minimizing our work or pretending that deadlines don't matter. It's about maintaining perspective so we can show up more thoughtfully, more collaboratively, and more focused on what actually moves us forward.
In the midst of the AI renaissance, when uncertainty feels overwhelming and the pressure to adapt feels constant, maybe what we need most is to remember that we're all navigating this together. The colleague who seems to have it all figured out? They're probably just as uncertain as you are. The company that appears to be winning the AI race? They're making it up as they go along too.
The most important discovery might not be the next breakthrough in artificial intelligence—it might be remembering that our shared humanity is what makes all this technology meaningful in the first place.
What's your experience with stepping back and gaining perspective in your work? Have you had moments where zooming out completely changed how you approached a challenge? I'd love to hear about your own Overview Effect moments.
About Jeremy Jeremy Mckellar is a Connector, Creative, and Tech Futurist focused on making technology meaningful and accessible. Connect with him on LinkedIn or follow his thoughts on technology at JeremyMckellar.com.
AI Collaboration Disclosure: This article was developed in collaboration with AI as a thinking partner to help synthesize and organize my thoughts. I believe AI tools can amplify our human insights when used thoughtfully—consider exploring how these tools might enhance your own content creation and strategic thinking.