What’s Your Favorite Color?

When someone asks me my favorite color, I usually have to smile.

Because my answer is always… “It depends. My favorite color what?”

Paint? Car? Shirt?"

It’s a reminder that “favorite” is rarely absolute—it’s contextual. It depends on the need, the moment, and even my mindset. 

I see the same thing happen in technology discussions all the time.

Someone will ask:

• “What’s the best AI model?”

• “Which cloud is best?”

• “What programming language should I use?”

And the honest answer is: Best for what? And when? An AI model that’s perfect for summarizing text may be a poor choice for complex reasoning.

A lightning-fast image generator might struggle with nuanced conversation. The AI model that being raved about today might be obsolete tomorrow as your needs (or the world) evolves.

Context matters. Perspective matters. Timing matters.

Technology choices should be like picking colors for the right canvas—driven by the purpose, not just personal preference.

The real skill isn’t finding “the best.”

It’s knowing how to make the right choice for this situation.

What’s an example in your work where the “best” choice changed completely once the context shifted?