Don't Worry about the Vase

Don't Worry About the Vase is a blog and Substack newsletter written by Zvi Mowshowitz, an American writer and member of the rationalist community. The blog began on WordPress around March 2017 and has since migrated its primary publishing to Substack, where it has grown to over 32,000 free subscribers and hundreds of paid subscribers. In 2024, the publication received over 3.3 million views.

Zvi Mowshowitz has an unusual background: he is a former Hall of Fame competitive Magic: The Gathering player, holds a mathematics degree from Columbia University, previously worked at Jane Street Capital, and was CEO of MetaMed, a medical research analysis company. He is also on the board of directors of the Center for Applied Rationality (CFAR).

The blog has evolved over time from covering rationality and game theory to extensive COVID-19 analysis during the pandemic, and now focuses primarily on artificial intelligence. The weekly AI update is the flagship content, providing detailed summaries and analysis of AI research, model releases, safety concerns, and policy debates. Zvi is known for his willingness to take strong positions and for the breadth and depth of his coverage.

All content is published free of charge with no paywall. Optional paid subscriptions are available at $10/month or $100/year. Funding for Zvi's full-time writing comes primarily from anonymous donors facilitated by the Good Ancestor Foundation, which has funded the blog for at least three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025). Zvi has stated publicly that he is financially comfortable and is not actively seeking additional funding for the blog.

In addition to the blog, Zvi founded Balsa Research, a small policy nonprofit focused on the Jones Act and shipping reform, housing policy, and NEPA reform, though this is a separate entity from the blog.