cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on incumbents
Reposted from Oct 7, 2010 from cdixon.posterous.com By “incumbents” I mean the big companies that...
over a year ago
Reposted from Oct 7, 2010 from cdixon.posterous.com By “incumbents” I mean the big companies that are loosely competitive to your startup…
Tom Blomfield
What is “founder mode”?
We held a YC event a couple of months ago where Brian Chesky from Airbnb gave a passionate talk...
2 months ago
We held a YC event a couple of months ago where Brian Chesky from Airbnb gave a passionate talk about his experience running Airbnb over the last 17 years. He believed that as Airbnb hired more professional managers, he lost a close connection with the details of the end product...
Noahpinion
China at the peak
The country's rise is complete, but don't expect a rapid decline.
a year ago
The country's rise is complete, but don't expect a rapid decline.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
SEO is no longer a viable marketing strategy for startups
Many of the today’s most successful informational sites such as Yelp, Wikipedia and TripAdvisor...
over a year ago
Many of the today’s most successful informational sites such as Yelp, Wikipedia and TripAdvisor relied heavily on SEO for their initial…
Tom Blomfield
Automate Everything
Performing manual, repetitive tasks enrages me. I used to think this was a corollary of being a...
over a year ago
Performing manual, repetitive tasks enrages me. I used to think this was a corollary of being a programmer, but I’ve come to suspect (or hope) that this behaviour is inherent in being human.
But being able to hack together scripts simply makes it much easier to go from a state of...
Rest of World -...
The music streaming app for those who can’t pay for downloads
Ad-driven Trebel has scooped up 13 million users across Latin America who don't want to pay for...
a year ago
Ad-driven Trebel has scooped up 13 million users across Latin America who don't want to pay for YouTube or Spotify.
Rest of World -...
This renewable energy startup helps companies decarbonize across the Pacific
Bor Hung Chong from Nefin Group discusses green energy solutions beyond solar panels.
a year ago
Bor Hung Chong from Nefin Group discusses green energy solutions beyond solar panels.
Unpacked
Tech's Pledge To Fight AI Election Interference & Twillio’s woes with Segment | EP 6
Last week, 20 tech companies across Big Tech, social networks and AI providers signed a voluntary...
10 months ago
Last week, 20 tech companies across Big Tech, social networks and AI providers signed a voluntary pledge to fight election interference from AI-generated content going through 2024. We dive into the timing of the announcement (2024 is a big election year across the globe), some...
essay – snarfed.org
So long, Twitter API, and thanks for all the fish
Well, it’s come to this. Twitter is burning, a billionaire owes money, an API will soon get...
a year ago
Well, it’s come to this. Twitter is burning, a billionaire owes money, an API will soon get lobotomized, so Bridgy‘s Twitter support will die within the month is dead. Granary‘s and twitter-atom too. The Twitter API may now be effectively unmaintained, but they still managed to...
Rest of World -...
Indonesia’s e-bike shops are building their own batteries
Battery-pack builders chase maximum range, despite safety risks.
9 months ago
Battery-pack builders chase maximum range, despite safety risks.
AVC
What Does “Native” Mean
When a new technology comes to market, we often look for “native” applications of that technology....
a year ago
When a new technology comes to market, we often look for “native” applications of that technology. What is a “native” AI application? What is a “native” Web3 application? I have not seen a better articulation of “native” than my partner Albert’s post from 2009 on native mobile...
tomcritchlow.com
3,573 Days On The Road
Every year on the 24th October I've written a reflection on the last year of my independent...
3 months ago
Every year on the 24th October I've written a reflection on the last year of my independent consulting. This would have been my 10th issue, but is instead a special issue, for reasons that will become apparent.
Steve Blank
Is a $100 Million Enough?
Capitalism has been good to me. After serving in the military during Vietnam, I came home and had a...
9 months ago
Capitalism has been good to me. After serving in the military during Vietnam, I came home and had a career in eight startups. I got to retire when I was 45. Over the last quarter century, in my third career, I helped create the methods entrepreneurs use to build new startups,...
Aaron's Essays
The Hindsight Game
There are all kinds of strategies for evaluating startup ideas - investors talk about having a...
a year ago
There are all kinds of strategies for evaluating startup ideas - investors talk about having a “prepared mind,” others build market maps, I like to think about toys, and we could go on. What everyone wants to do is predict the future. That’s honestly impossible. But we can...
Rest of World -...
This app makes sure dinner is halal
The Indonesian app Momasa features recipes, cooking lessons, and restaurants that meet the standards...
2 months ago
The Indonesian app Momasa features recipes, cooking lessons, and restaurants that meet the standards of Islamic law.
Rest of World -...
How Prime Video failed so spectacularly in Africa
Filmmakers, critics, and users blame the platform’s struggle in Africa on poor user experience, a...
9 months ago
Filmmakers, critics, and users blame the platform’s struggle in Africa on poor user experience, a lack of local content, and mediocre publicity.
David Perell
Kevin Kelly: Seeing the Future
My guest today is Kevin Kelly, who co-founded Wired Magazine in 1993 and served as its Executive...
over a year ago
My guest today is Kevin Kelly, who co-founded Wired Magazine in 1993 and served as its Executive Editor for the first seven years. As one of the most important futurists of our generation, he’s published a number of books including The Inevitable, What Technology Wants, and New...
AVC
Open Office Hours at NYC Tech Week
NYC Tech Week is next week. It will be a week filled with events for the tech sector to engage and...
a year ago
NYC Tech Week is next week. It will be a week filled with events for the tech sector to engage and connect with each other. A particularly great part of tech week is VC Open Office Hours. There are over 100 VC investors signed up to participate next week. Here is how it works: 1/...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
When should you give up on an idea?
Suppose you launch your new startup and don’t get the traction you were hoping for. How do you know...
over a year ago
Suppose you launch your new startup and don’t get the traction you were hoping for. How do you know whether to give up or keep going? This…
Rest of World -...
The Vietnamese military has a troll army and Facebook is its weapon
Force 47 abuses Facebook's safety tools to silence government critics at home and anywhere in the...
a year ago
Force 47 abuses Facebook's safety tools to silence government critics at home and anywhere in the world.
Paul Graham: Essays
Where to See Silicon Valley
over a year ago
Working Theorys
Word Association Fame
The new attention playbooks will be full of old plays.
9 months ago
The new attention playbooks will be full of old plays.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
over a year ago
Raw Thought (from...
Fix the machine, not the person
over a year ago
Paul Graham: Essays
Why to Move to a Startup Hub
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
This Hajj VR simulator helps Muslims prepare for the holy pilgrimage
The pilgrimage can be hard to navigate for first-timers, so Pakistan’s Labbaik VR offers a chance to...
2 months ago
The pilgrimage can be hard to navigate for first-timers, so Pakistan’s Labbaik VR offers a chance to virtually preview holy sites.
Steve Blank
The 6th Lean Innovation Educators Summit – Education and Innovation in the Age of Chaos and...
Join Jerry Engel, Pete Newell, and Steve Weinstein for the sixth edition of the Lean Innovation...
over a year ago
Join Jerry Engel, Pete Newell, and Steve Weinstein for the sixth edition of the Lean Innovation Educators Summit December 14, 1-4 pm Eastern Time, 10 am-1 pm Pacific Time. Register here. — This virtual gathering will bring together entrepreneurship educators from around the world...
Rest of World -...
Mexico’s $100-billion auto parts industry is reinventing itself for the EV era
Behind the excitement around electrification, Mexican manufacturers are figuring out what their own...
a year ago
Behind the excitement around electrification, Mexican manufacturers are figuring out what their own transition will look like.
haseeb qureshi
What explains the rise of AMMs?
Imagine a college friend reached out to you and said, “Hey, I have a business idea. I’m going to run...
over a year ago
Imagine a college friend reached out to you and said, “Hey, I have a business idea. I’m going to run a market making bot. I’ll always quote a price no matter who’s asking, and for my pricing algorithm I’ll use x * y = k. That’s pretty much it. Want to invest?”
You’d run...
Noahpinion
The Roaring 20s are back on track
A healthy economy, strong productivity growth, and a continuing tech boom.
a year ago
A healthy economy, strong productivity growth, and a continuing tech boom.
Noahpinion
An Age of Austerity is probably on the way
It's not the 2010s anymore.
a year ago
It's not the 2010s anymore.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“Meaningful” startups
There is generally a lot of enthusiasm in the startup world these days. But some observers worry...
over a year ago
There is generally a lot of enthusiasm in the startup world these days. But some observers worry that too many startups are working on…
Paul Graham: Essays
A Student's Guide to Startups
over a year ago
Platformer
Six questions about Google Bard
The company's new large language model has arrived. Now what?
a year ago
The company's new large language model has arrived. Now what?
Stephen Diehl
Stablecoins Do Not Deserve Special Treatment
over a year ago
Unpacked
Zoom's AI policy backlash & customer data in model training
Listen now (27 mins) | Zoom came under fire recently for silently changing their terms of service in...
a year ago
Listen now (27 mins) | Zoom came under fire recently for silently changing their terms of service in a way that allows use of customer data (read your video and audio recordings) for training Zoom features. In this episode, we unpack the timeline of events that followed, Zoom's...
Steve Blank
Founders Need to Be Ruthless When Chasing Deals
One of the most exciting things a startup CEO in a business-to-business market can hear from a...
8 months ago
One of the most exciting things a startup CEO in a business-to-business market can hear from a potential customer is, “We’re excited. When can you come back and show us a prototype?” This can be the beginning of a profitable customer relationship or a disappointing sinkhole of...
Platformer
Ten strategies for replacing Twitter from people who used to work there
Announcing 'Extremely Hardcore,' Zoë Schiffer’s book on Musk’s Twitter takeover
a year ago
Announcing 'Extremely Hardcore,' Zoë Schiffer’s book on Musk’s Twitter takeover
Rest of World -...
Argentina’s “TikTok nun” is bringing Catholicism to the masses
Sister Cattaneo has gained 200,000 followers through cumbia dances, influencer collabs, and...
2 months ago
Sister Cattaneo has gained 200,000 followers through cumbia dances, influencer collabs, and preaching
Noahpinion
If Trump loses the election, our nation can finally rest
Let's not bring back the wacky 2010s.
a month ago
Let's not bring back the wacky 2010s.
Rest of World -...
Using AI to revive nostalgia — and preserve Hong Kong’s past
Michael Chang, CEO of Capture.HK, talks about how the company helps digitize old albums and video...
a year ago
Michael Chang, CEO of Capture.HK, talks about how the company helps digitize old albums and video tapes.
Tech + Economics +...
The patriarchy is a modern invention, not the natural order.
The "patriarchy", a male-dominated social order with entrenched hierarchies
giving power and...
11 months ago
The "patriarchy", a male-dominated social order with entrenched hierarchies
giving power and authority to men over women, is pitched by masculinity
influencers and pop social scientists as humanity's natural state. They
argue patriarchy represents the primal hard-wiring of...
Rest of World -...
Inside Foxconn’s struggle to make iPhones in India
Chinese engineers are flying to India to train the next generation of iPhone builders.
a year ago
Chinese engineers are flying to India to train the next generation of iPhone builders.
Working Theorys
In Defense of 'Tarpit Ideas'
In the startup world, there’s a term called “tarpit ideas.” These ideas look enticing at first. They...
6 months ago
In the startup world, there’s a term called “tarpit ideas.” These ideas look enticing at first. They have universal surface appeal, but they end up being huge drains on time and resources, and ultimately, they fail. The common trope is that young, first-time founders pursue...
Rest of World -...
The #1 rideshare app in Japan isn’t Uber, it’s a taxi app
Go summons taxis and the company behind it is Japan's newest unicorn.
a year ago
Go summons taxis and the company behind it is Japan's newest unicorn.
Essays - Benedict...
A month of the Vision Pro
The Vision Pro is amazing, but like the rest of VR and AR, Apple seems
years away from the mass...
9 months ago
The Vision Pro is amazing, but like the rest of VR and AR, Apple seems
years away from the mass market. And if it gets there, how much will it
matter?
Paul Graham: Essays
Is There Such a Thing as Good Taste?
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
Water, not lithium, is the resource Latin America should worry about
The region’s chances of becoming a “climate tech” protagonist will be thrown into disarray without...
a year ago
The region’s chances of becoming a “climate tech” protagonist will be thrown into disarray without the most important resource of them all.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
To make smarter systems, it’s all about the data
As this article by Alex Wright in the New York Times last week reminded me, when the mainstream...
over a year ago
As this article by Alex Wright in the New York Times last week reminded me, when the mainstream press talks about artificial intelligence…
Steve Blank
The Semiconductor Ecosystem – Explained
The last year has seen a ton written about the semiconductor industry: chip shortages, the CHIPS...
over a year ago
The last year has seen a ton written about the semiconductor industry: chip shortages, the CHIPS Act, our dependence on Taiwan and TSMC, China, etc. But despite all this talk about chips and semiconductors, few understand how the industry is structured. I’ve found the best way to...
Noahpinion
The free world teeters on the edge of a knife
If Trump is elected, there will be no liberal great powers left in the world.
2 months ago
If Trump is elected, there will be no liberal great powers left in the world.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“Otherwise do something else”
I remember back when I started my first company, a friend said to me “get ready to have a knot in...
over a year ago
I remember back when I started my first company, a friend said to me “get ready to have a knot in your stomach and feel nauseous for years…
Tech + Economics +...
Breaking up with Slack and Discord: why it's time to bring back forums.
When I first found my people online, forums were the main way people
gathered to discuss shared...
11 months ago
When I first found my people online, forums were the main way people
gathered to discuss shared interests. Web-based bulletin boards allowed
members to have ongoing, asynchronous conversations over days or weeks as
participants logged in to read and respond on their own...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on SEO
“SEO” (==”Search Engine Optimization”) is a term widely used to mean “getting users to your site via...
over a year ago
“SEO” (==”Search Engine Optimization”) is a term widely used to mean “getting users to your site via organic search traffic.” I don’t like…
Tech + Economics +...
Red state politics are too much of a headache for tech.
Is the Texas boom town of Austin losing its luster?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, investors...
a year ago
Is the Texas boom town of Austin losing its luster?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, investors and startup founders alike
flocked to the Texas capital, attracted to the lower cost of living,
“hip” lifestyle and business-friendly environment (i.e. no state income
...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Crypto token roundup
Roundup of lots of recent posts on crypto tokens: Balaji S. Srinivasan — Thoughts on Tokens Fred...
over a year ago
Roundup of lots of recent posts on crypto tokens: Balaji S. Srinivasan — Thoughts on Tokens Fred Wilson — ICOs and VCs here, Ethereum in 2…
Noahpinion
Putin is a rest stop on the road of post-Soviet collapse
The narrative of Russian revitalization is more hype than reality.
a year ago
The narrative of Russian revitalization is more hype than reality.
Platformer
The consumer AI era has begun
OpenAI beat Google to the market with its $42 monthly ChatGPT service. Can it handle the risks that...
a year ago
OpenAI beat Google to the market with its $42 monthly ChatGPT service. Can it handle the risks that come with it?
Rest of World -...
Half of Singapore’s e-commerce scams now happen on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram
After a 50% increase in scams in 2023, Singapore authorities say Meta isn’t doing enough to stop the...
5 months ago
After a 50% increase in scams in 2023, Singapore authorities say Meta isn’t doing enough to stop the explosion in fraud.
Aaron's Essays
Pro rata is a bad term
For a long time, I was a strong believer in investor pro ratas. As a founder, I understood the trade...
over a year ago
For a long time, I was a strong believer in investor pro ratas. As a founder, I understood the trade and was comfortable with it. As a partner at YC, I thought it made enough sense that I helped design an entire programmatic pro rata system that covered every investment YC made....
Steve Blank
Lessons for the DoD – From Ukraine and China
Portions of this post previously appeared in War On the Rocks. Looking at a satellite image of...
over a year ago
Portions of this post previously appeared in War On the Rocks. Looking at a satellite image of Ukraine online I realized it was from Capella Space – one of our Hacking for Defense student teams who now has 7 satellites in orbit. National Security is Now Dependent on Commercial...
Noahpinion
Where does libertarianism go from here?
Deregulation, state capacity, and growth-oriented centrism.
a year ago
Deregulation, state capacity, and growth-oriented centrism.
Rest of World -...
India shuts down the internet far more than any other country
The country had 771 blackouts between 2016 and 2023, and there have been 51 so far this year. We...
2 months ago
The country had 771 blackouts between 2016 and 2023, and there have been 51 so far this year. We mapped the affected areas.
Rest of World -...
The winners of Rest of World’s first photography contest
From images of solar cooking to snake radio telemetry, we received 548 entries from around the...
a year ago
From images of solar cooking to snake radio telemetry, we received 548 entries from around the world.
Rest of World -...
A traveler’s dream: Cash-free payment systems link up across Southeast Asia
From Bali to Bangkok, people are ditching cards for QR code payments. There’s a catch: For now, it’s...
a year ago
From Bali to Bangkok, people are ditching cards for QR code payments. There’s a catch: For now, it’s for locals only.
Rest of World -...
Japan’s news app unicorn was ready to take on the US market. Where did it go wrong?
Former SmartNews employees point to failed product launches and far-right obsession of former CEO.
a year ago
Former SmartNews employees point to failed product launches and far-right obsession of former CEO.
Dustin Curtis
It is link winter on X
We do not know how, why, or when the X algorithm devalues posts with links, but it does—without...
2 weeks ago
We do not know how, why, or when the X algorithm devalues posts with links, but it does—without telling you, and by a lot—and it makes the experience there worse.
Without links, information on X is headlines without stories, commentary without context, magic without the...
David Perell
Thoughts on Free Will
My friend Chris Sparks says: “When it comes to creating your environment, assume you have free will....
over a year ago
My friend Chris Sparks says: “When it comes to creating your environment, assume you have free will. When it comes to living in it, assume you have no free will.” Here’s an example: I lost my love of working out during the pandemic. Before it started, I worked out at a nice,...
Inverted Passion
Why you will skim this article
Most likely, you’re going to read this sentence and hit the back button. Still here? Good, then...
a year ago
Most likely, you’re going to read this sentence and hit the back button. Still here? Good, then you’re likely to scan through a few paragraphs in this article and then give up. (Unless, you’re a long-time reader and trust that my writing is worthy of your time. More on this...
SatPost by Trung...
From Beatlemania to Taylor-mania
How the meteoric rise of The Beatles helps to explain Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour, on pace to be the...
a year ago
How the meteoric rise of The Beatles helps to explain Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour, on pace to be the first tour ever to gross $1B.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"It's pretty difficult to solve big problems in four years"
Larry Page: When I talk to most companies, I do think their leaders are pretty short-term focused....
over a year ago
Larry Page: When I talk to most companies, I do think their leaders are pretty short-term focused. Imagine you're running Exxon, what do you…
SatPost by Trung...
Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos Enter a Room
In December 2000, the founders of Apple and Amazon were invited to critique a demo of the Segway. It...
3 months ago
In December 2000, the founders of Apple and Amazon were invited to critique a demo of the Segway. It was a wild two-hour session filled with gem quotes and business insights.
Dustin Curtis
Bourdain on The Journey
Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your...
over a year ago
Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with...
Steve Blank
Apple Vision Pro – Tech in the Search of a Market
A version of this article previously appeared in Fortune. If you haven’t been paying attention Apple...
10 months ago
A version of this article previously appeared in Fortune. If you haven’t been paying attention Apple has started shipping its Apple Vision Pro, its take on a headset that combines Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). The product is an amazing technical tour de force....
essay – snarfed.org
I’m not eating my own dog food
PetMD …or if you prefer, eating my own cooking, or scratching my own itch, or drinking my own...
a year ago
PetMD …or if you prefer, eating my own cooking, or scratching my own itch, or drinking my own champagne. Sure. These are all metaphors for the idea that if you build something, it turns out better if you use it yourself, especially if you want it yourself. However, when I think...
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
🤠 Democratize Luxury
3 months ago
Noahpinion
What just happened in San Francisco politics?
A guest post by Armand Domalewski
9 months ago
A guest post by Armand Domalewski
Noahpinion
Don't be a decel
Technological progress must be harnessed, not fought
a year ago
Technological progress must be harnessed, not fought
cdixon.org RSS Feed
New York City is poised for a tech revival
One thing that was puzzling about the “web 2.0 boom” from 2003-2008 was how irrelevant the East...
over a year ago
One thing that was puzzling about the “web 2.0 boom” from 2003-2008 was how irrelevant the East Coast, and particular New York City, was…
Platformer
Four questions platforms should answer before launching AI features
PLUS: Musk gets his view count back up
a year ago
PLUS: Musk gets his view count back up
Inverted Passion
Notes on how Supercell is run
Supercell, the company behind the massively popular Clash of Clans game, has one of the highest...
a year ago
Supercell, the company behind the massively popular Clash of Clans game, has one of the highest valuation per employee figures out there: they’re valued at $32mn per employee. That’s insane! How do they do it? 1/ What struck me is the sheer number of games they kill each year?...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
As [Edwin] Land ultimately recognized, the adoption of his [polarized headlight] system was fatally…
As Edwin Land ultimately recognized, the adoption of his polarized headlight system was fatally...
over a year ago
As Edwin Land ultimately recognized, the adoption of his polarized headlight system was fatally hampered by the fact that there was no…
AVC
Software That You Can’t Shut Down
The term “censorship resistant” is used a lot in the decentralized computing/web3/crypto space to...
a year ago
The term “censorship resistant” is used a lot in the decentralized computing/web3/crypto space to talk about a core feature of these systems. I don’t love the term censorship resistant because it is a wonky term. Software that is encoded in smart contracts (and other ways) on...
SatPost by Trung...
Trader Joe's: The Anti-Grocer
The grocer created a cult brand with sales of $16B+ a year by doing the opposite of industry...
a year ago
The grocer created a cult brand with sales of $16B+ a year by doing the opposite of industry best-practices (from wages to product to ads).
SatPost by Trung...
Write For Yourself
Not your audience.
6 months ago
Noahpinion
Japan is not a xenophobic country
It has a substantial amount of immigration, as well as pro-immigration policies and attitudes.
7 months ago
It has a substantial amount of immigration, as well as pro-immigration policies and attitudes.
Blog posts of...
Peter Thiel’s Startup Class Notes as PDF
@bgmasters created an awesome series of blog posts covering his notes of Peter Thiel’s startup class...
over a year ago
@bgmasters created an awesome series of blog posts covering his notes of Peter Thiel’s startup class CS183. Personally i try to re...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How We Got To Now
I really enjoyed Steven Johnson's How We Got To Now. I read a lot of history and science books, but...
over a year ago
I really enjoyed Steven Johnson's How We Got To Now. I read a lot of history and science books, but this book stood out because 1) the…
Nadia Asparouhova
Does meditation experience improve success with the jhanas?
Jhanas – a series of altered mental states that are accessed via concentration – are often described...
5 months ago
Jhanas – a series of altered mental states that are accessed via concentration – are often described as an “advanced meditation practice,” a phrase that suggests that one must be a skilled meditator to access them: just as only a skilled outdoorsman would embark upon an...
Noahpinion
Refusing to teach kids math will not improve equity
We have public schools for a reason.
a year ago
We have public schools for a reason.
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things for the middle of your week (#22)
Test score collapse, triumph of the vibes, U.S. dependence on China, the benefits of upzoning,...
a year ago
Test score collapse, triumph of the vibes, U.S. dependence on China, the benefits of upzoning, immigrants and jobs, and a world at war
cdixon.org RSS Feed
New York City needs a tech startup blog
At first it seemed like Silicon Alley Insider would be this, but they seem to have moved away from...
over a year ago
At first it seemed like Silicon Alley Insider would be this, but they seem to have moved away from covering NYC startups. The New York Times…
42!
Trusting third parties with our information
Photo by Sergiu Nista on Unsplash
We’ve noticed a disturbing trend here at our startup in the past...
a year ago
Photo by Sergiu Nista on Unsplash
We’ve noticed a disturbing trend here at our startup in the past 12 months or so. We’ve been growing and adding new team members, and almost without fail, almost all our new starters are getting hit with a scam email within a few days of...
SatPost by Trung...
The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Pixar
Revisiting the studio’s early highs (one lunch led to $6B at the box office), creative struggles...
4 months ago
Revisiting the studio’s early highs (one lunch led to $6B at the box office), creative struggles (stale IP, original flops) and why "Inside Out 2" could trigger a renaissance.
Noahpinion
Why it's so hard to fix the information ecosystem
Misinformation is a job; correcting misinformation is a hobby.
a year ago
Misinformation is a job; correcting misinformation is a hobby.
Noahpinion
Why China's economy ran off the rails
A short, simplistic, but fairly reasonable story.
a year ago
A short, simplistic, but fairly reasonable story.
Rest of World -...
How a bored NYU graduate captured the absurdity of Chinese diaspora life
Meet the creator behind @dongbeicantbefuckedwith — a private meme stash turned viral Instagram...
a year ago
Meet the creator behind @dongbeicantbefuckedwith — a private meme stash turned viral Instagram account.
Rest of World -...
Nigeria will become a net exporter of tech talent: Nigerian Minister Dr. Bosun Tijani
The tech entrepreneur-turned-bureaucrat spoke to Rest of World about his year in government, his...
2 months ago
The tech entrepreneur-turned-bureaucrat spoke to Rest of World about his year in government, his administration’s priorities for advancing AI in Nigeria, and the difficult task of choosing between allies.
Tech + Economics +...
Bitcoin ETFs will make greater fools of us all.
Reuters: US SEC approves bitcoin ETFs in watershed for crypto market
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Jan...
11 months ago
Reuters: US SEC approves bitcoin ETFs in watershed for crypto market
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. securities regulator
on Wednesday approved the first U.S.-listed exchange traded funds
(ETFs) to track bitcoin, its Chair Gary Gensler said, in a...
Steve Blank
Cram Down – A Test of Character for VCs and Founders
This article previously appeared in TechCrunch. Cram downs are back – and I’m keeping a list. At the...
over a year ago
This article previously appeared in TechCrunch. Cram downs are back – and I’m keeping a list. At the turn of the century after the dotcom crash, startup valuations plummeted, burn rates were unsustainable, and startups were quickly running out of cash. Most existing investors...
Ed Zitron's Where's...
The Apple Vision Pro: A Review
I’ve spent a lot of time with the Vision Pro, turning my experience into both the newsletter you’re...
10 months ago
I’ve spent a lot of time with the Vision Pro, turning my experience into both the newsletter you’re reading and one of the first two episodes of my upcoming iHeartRadio podcast Better Offline. I wrote the majority of this newsletter on the Vision Pro itself, though
SatPost by Trung...
Why I love Bluey (and hate Cocomelon)
These are the two most-streamed children's shows. And Joe Brumm's personal touch for Bluey trumps...
8 months ago
These are the two most-streamed children's shows. And Joe Brumm's personal touch for Bluey trumps Cocomelon's engagement-hacking approach.
Platformer
Google unveils Gemini
CEO Sundar Pichai and DeepMind's Demis Hassabis talk to Platformer about the promise — and product...
a year ago
CEO Sundar Pichai and DeepMind's Demis Hassabis talk to Platformer about the promise — and product roadmap — of their answer to GPT-4
Aaron's Essays
Things that aren't progress
A few months ago, I wrote about things that look like work, but aren't. As I paid more attention to...
over a year ago
A few months ago, I wrote about things that look like work, but aren't. As I paid more attention to founders doing these things, I started thinking about why they were happening. I realized that the behaviors were largely a function of bad goal setting.
When founders choose bad...
Articles -...
How to raise money
In this article, I will walk you through my fundraising formula that has helped me raise over $1...
a year ago
In this article, I will walk you through my fundraising formula that has helped me raise over $1 billion of capital in my career. I’ll also walk you through building a predictable and repeatable fundraising machine.
The probability of success for a high growth company is...
Working Theorys
The Rise of the Software Creator
In the age of AI, software creators, like content creators, will emerge as the industry’s...
6 months ago
In the age of AI, software creators, like content creators, will emerge as the industry’s non-professional creative class.
Noahpinion
This is not a good way to fight racism in America
Building a multiracial society is hard work. Don't be tempted by shortcuts.
10 months ago
Building a multiracial society is hard work. Don't be tempted by shortcuts.
Aaron's Essays
When to Shut Down Your Company
I originally wrote this essay four years ago and published it over at YC's blog at the time. A...
over a year ago
I originally wrote this essay four years ago and published it over at YC's blog at the time. A number of recent conversations I've had with founders made me realize that the framework below remains useful. As the market continues through its downswing, more founders will face...
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
#1 💡 Andrej Karpathy announced that he’s building an AI + education company.
5 months ago
#1 💡 Andrej Karpathy announced that he’s building an AI + education company.
Tech + Economics +...
The responsibility of AI titans in a post-work society.
Advocates of AI (and yes, before the pedants chime in, I'm aware that LLMs
are not technically AI,...
a year ago
Advocates of AI (and yes, before the pedants chime in, I'm aware that LLMs
are not technically AI, but for the purposes of popular debate and
perception – we'll go with it) will tell you that automation will create
new jobs and generate broad societal value such that it...
Noahpinion
Nobody knows how many jobs will "be automated"
Whatever that even means.
a year ago
Whatever that even means.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
The Subprime AI Crisis
None of what I write in this newsletter is about sowing doubt or "hating," but a sober evaluation of...
3 months ago
None of what I write in this newsletter is about sowing doubt or "hating," but a sober evaluation of where we are today and where we may end up on the current path. I believe that the artificial intelligence boom — which would be better described as a
Rest of World -...
How Urban Company built an empire of female gig workers
By disrupting the age-old home services industry, the Indian unicorn offered many women a rare...
a year ago
By disrupting the age-old home services industry, the Indian unicorn offered many women a rare opportunity for social mobility. Now, they want more.
Internal Tech Emails
Travis Kalanick on self-driving | SBF and the Bahamas
Basically got to keep bezos, cook, musk, zuck, page on our minds
over a year ago
Basically got to keep bezos, cook, musk, zuck, page on our minds
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Once you take money, the clock starts ticking
One of the interesting things about having been investing in startups for a number of years is that...
over a year ago
One of the interesting things about having been investing in startups for a number of years is that at any moment you get an inside peek at…
Noahpinion
The case of the angry history postdoc
Elite overproduction spotted in the wild.
6 months ago
Elite overproduction spotted in the wild.
Rest of World -...
Samsung knowingly exposed workers to highly toxic chemicals, whistleblower claims
In Vietnam, a key production base, a former safety officer alleges the factory also dumped chemicals...
a year ago
In Vietnam, a key production base, a former safety officer alleges the factory also dumped chemicals into waterways.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Business development: the Goldilocks principle
Background: At Hunch, we switched our focus (“pivoted“) about 14 months ago from B2C to B2B. Over...
over a year ago
Background: At Hunch, we switched our focus (“pivoted“) about 14 months ago from B2C to B2B. Over that time, we pitched over 500 potential…
SatPost by Trung...
OpenAI, Humane and Apple's Shadow
The future of consumer AI hardware is coming into focus. Who will win?
a year ago
The future of consumer AI hardware is coming into focus. Who will win?
Rest of World -...
Malaysia’s homegrown car brands bank on cheaper models to compete with Tesla and BYD
Proton and Perodua are betting on low prices and an emotional connection with Malaysia’s drivers to...
3 months ago
Proton and Perodua are betting on low prices and an emotional connection with Malaysia’s drivers to compete with BYD and Tesla.
Paul Graham: Essays
Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy
over a year ago
Nadia Asparouhova
Working notes for Summer of Protocols
I’m participating in the Summer of Protocols research program this summer as a Core Researcher. It’s...
a year ago
I’m participating in the Summer of Protocols research program this summer as a Core Researcher. It’s an 18-week program, funded by the Ethereum Foundation, that aims to catalyze a wider exploration of protocols and their social implications.
I plan to focus on protocols as...
Rest of World -...
The truth behind VinFast’s stunning stock market debut
Beware of EV companies bearing SPACs.
a year ago
Beware of EV companies bearing SPACs.
Paul Graham: Essays
Let the Other 95% of Great Programmers In
over a year ago
Platformer
Utah's war on social networks is a symptom of a larger problem
Congress failed to act — and now a patchwork of bad state laws is eroding our privacy
a year ago
Congress failed to act — and now a patchwork of bad state laws is eroding our privacy
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Business Brainstorms
Operational Minimalism, Zero shame in pulling the plug, OpenAI blog posts, ...
Welcome to another edition of Business Brainstorms - your weekly dose of invaluable insights, trends...
a year ago
Welcome to another edition of Business Brainstorms - your weekly dose of invaluable insights, trends and opportunities served up fresh from the cerebral kitchen of Jakob Greenfeld. Time to brainstorm! 💡 Opportunities “Whoever can find out how to crack the operational hurdles of...
David Perell
The Counterfactual Theory of Value
The Labor Theory of Value argues that the value of a product or a service is determined by the...
over a year ago
The Labor Theory of Value argues that the value of a product or a service is determined by the amount of labor required to produce it. If so, something that takes 100 hours to produce is worth 10x more than something that takes 10 hours. One issue with the Labor Theory is it...
Nothing Human
Meditations on Machinic Desire
The philosopher and accelerationist Nick Land writes, in his 1994 essay Machinic Desire, three of...
2 months ago
The philosopher and accelerationist Nick Land writes, in his 1994 essay Machinic Desire, three of the most insight-dense paragraphs I’ve ever encountered:
Platformer
Why journalists can't quit Twitter
The media should be building alternatives. Instead, some are doubling down
a year ago
The media should be building alternatives. Instead, some are doubling down
Rest of World -...
Ultra-cheap meals from China’s delivery giant are hugely popular. Drivers are bearing the costs
Meituan’s group order program boomed amid China’s post-Covid-19 thrift economy, but delivery drivers...
6 months ago
Meituan’s group order program boomed amid China’s post-Covid-19 thrift economy, but delivery drivers say they’re working longer for less pay.
Noahpinion
Sizing up the New Axis
A repost, more relevant than ever.
3 months ago
A repost, more relevant than ever.
AVC
My Year-End Playlist
As usual, here are some songs that stuck with me this year. fredwilson · Backing It When No One...
over a year ago
As usual, here are some songs that stuck with me this year. fredwilson · Backing It When No One Believed I hope you enjoy it.
AVC
CEO 360s
I’ve written about this topic before. It is an important topic and I want to raise it again. Boards...
a year ago
I’ve written about this topic before. It is an important topic and I want to raise it again. Boards often discuss CEO performance without really knowing how things work inside the company. And CEOs often have very little visibility to how they are doing and what the board thinks...
Rest of World -...
Online extremism linked to rise in school shootings in Brazil, researchers find
After a rise in shootings, an all-woman group is advising the new Brazilian government on how to...
a year ago
After a rise in shootings, an all-woman group is advising the new Brazilian government on how to deal with radicalization online.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Twelve months notice
Generally speaking, there are two approaches to relating to other people in the business world. The...
over a year ago
Generally speaking, there are two approaches to relating to other people in the business world. The first approach is transactional and…
SatPost by Trung...
How Olympic Air Pistols Took Over The Timeline
PLUS: WTF happened to Nike?
4 months ago
PLUS: WTF happened to Nike?
essay – snarfed.org
Breakfast tour
Like all of you, I got a little stir crazy over the last year. I made it outside plenty, but I still...
over a year ago
Like all of you, I got a little stir crazy over the last year. I made it outside plenty, but I still felt cooped up now and then, and I dearly missed going new places and seeing new things. On another note, I really, really like breakfast. Like, a lot. So naturally, I put these...
Unpacked
Uber Ads: Accelerating the path to profitability
What makes advertising attractive is that it's a 100% margin product that can subsidize the lower...
a year ago
What makes advertising attractive is that it's a 100% margin product that can subsidize the lower margin core business.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Between failure and Facebook
Recently, a friend was trying to recruit a programmer to join his early-stage startup. The...
over a year ago
Recently, a friend was trying to recruit a programmer to join his early-stage startup. The programmer had just graduated from college and…
Rest of World -...
How AI shook the world in 2023
With commercial tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney becoming widely available, AI was used for all...
11 months ago
With commercial tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney becoming widely available, AI was used for all things wonderful … and worrying.
Noahpinion
Decoupling is just going to happen
Chinese policy and geopolitical risk are doing a lot of the work here.
a year ago
Chinese policy and geopolitical risk are doing a lot of the work here.
Data Boutique
AI Depends Massively on Web Scraping
And web data sourcing is now a critical problem
a year ago
And web data sourcing is now a critical problem
Internal Tech Emails
Elon Musk's texts
I read the article. It is weak sauce and still makes me sound like a liar. It is filled with...
over a year ago
I read the article. It is weak sauce and still makes me sound like a liar. It is filled with equivocation and in no way indicates the strong interest you conveyed in person.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Shutting down
I’ve seen a number of situations recently where entrepreneurs decided to shut their startups down...
over a year ago
I’ve seen a number of situations recently where entrepreneurs decided to shut their startups down while they still had cash in the bank…
Rest of World -...
Sam Altman’s India comments spark a heated backlash
The OpenAI CEO’s dismissal of an Indian competitor launched a debate over the country’s tech...
a year ago
The OpenAI CEO’s dismissal of an Indian competitor launched a debate over the country’s tech capabilities.
Rest of World -...
How a Ugandan startup wound up in Mexico
Assak's unexpected entry into Mexico bodes well for international investment.
a year ago
Assak's unexpected entry into Mexico bodes well for international investment.
Paul Graham: Essays
A Fundraising Survival Guide
over a year ago
Noahpinion
What the Solow Model can teach us about China
Economists knew back in the 1950s that a country can't build its way to infinite wealth.
12 months ago
Economists knew back in the 1950s that a country can't build its way to infinite wealth.
Dustin Curtis
Building new worlds
Earlier this summer, the New York Times published an opinion piece titled The World Is a Mess. We...
over a year ago
Earlier this summer, the New York Times published an opinion piece titled The World Is a Mess. We Need Fully Automated Luxury Communism, by Aaron Bastani:
To say the present era is one of crisis borders on cliché. We inhabit a world of low growth, low productivity and low wages,...
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The ideal startup career path
For most people I know who join or start companies, the primary goal is not to get rich – it is to...
over a year ago
For most people I know who join or start companies, the primary goal is not to get rich – it is to work on something they love, with people…
Rest of World -...
OpenAI cuts its last and most important link to China
A milestone in the militarization of AI.
5 months ago
A milestone in the militarization of AI.
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things to start your week (#38)
WW2 production; "Neopopulism"; fake science; desire modification; deregulation ideas
6 months ago
WW2 production; "Neopopulism"; fake science; desire modification; deregulation ideas
Stephen Diehl
Exotic Programming Ideas: Part 4 (Datalog)
over a year ago
Data Boutique
Generic data marketplaces are broken
Misaligned interests and lack of value are the cause
a year ago
Misaligned interests and lack of value are the cause
AVC
NFT Art CDMX
We spent this past weekend in Mexico City at Bright Moment’s NFT Art CDMX. Bright Moments is the...
over a year ago
We spent this past weekend in Mexico City at Bright Moment’s NFT Art CDMX. Bright Moments is the premier NFT art “gallery” in the world. I use that term in parentheses because Bright Moments is much more than a gallery but that word is well understood. USV is a member of the...
Rest of World -...
The political power of an unlikely Tesla factory
How Elon Musk plays politicians from Monterrey to Buffalo.
a year ago
How Elon Musk plays politicians from Monterrey to Buffalo.
Internal Tech Emails
Scott Forstall emails Steve Jobs | Elon Musk on tweeting
He mentions third party developers. I do think at some point we will want to enable third parties to...
over a year ago
He mentions third party developers. I do think at some point we will want to enable third parties to write apps for P2.
Rest of World -...
WhatsApp gives India an ultimatum on encryption
Tracing the origins of messages is more complicated than it sounds.
7 months ago
Tracing the origins of messages is more complicated than it sounds.
Paul Graham: Essays
The Top Idea in Your Mind
over a year ago
The Thinking Cap
The Future of No Code is Low Code
Or why we should write more programming languages instead of trying to build virtual legos.
over a year ago
Or why we should write more programming languages instead of trying to build virtual legos.
Rest of World -...
What’s trending on Spotify in Africa?
Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy talks about the most surprising user behavior on the music streaming app.
6 months ago
Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy talks about the most surprising user behavior on the music streaming app.
Platformer
Substack says it will remove Nazi publications from the platform
Nazi content violates rules against incitement to violence, the company says
11 months ago
Nazi content violates rules against incitement to violence, the company says
David Perell
Hugging the X-Axis
I’ve always struggled with commitment. In a world as grand as ours, shouldn’t we try to experience...
over a year ago
I’ve always struggled with commitment. In a world as grand as ours, shouldn’t we try to experience it all? Change it up. Visit every country. Try a bunch of careers. The menu of life is vast, and it’d be a shame to only order a single entrée. When I say I was allergic to...
Rest of World -...
Pakistan’s China-style firewall is rattling its tech industry
Internet speeds in the country have dropped by up to 40% due to the government's efforts to monitor...
3 months ago
Internet speeds in the country have dropped by up to 40% due to the government's efforts to monitor internet traffic, said service providers.
Folklore.org:...
First day with the Macintosh team
Rod Holt, who remember every technical detail in the world, forgot he hired me
a year ago
Rod Holt, who remember every technical detail in the world, forgot he hired me
Aaron's Essays
Distributed Capital
In theory, the hard part about finding capital for unproven founders with unproven technologies in...
over a year ago
In theory, the hard part about finding capital for unproven founders with unproven technologies in unproven markets should be that no one wants the risk. There was a time when that was true, but it isn’t anymore.[1] For a founder, the issue is different: venture capital is...
Noahpinion
Who's "weird"?
A campaign insult offers a window into American society in the 2020s.
4 months ago
A campaign insult offers a window into American society in the 2020s.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Accurate contrarian theories
When Google released its search engine in 1998, its search results were significantly better than...
over a year ago
When Google released its search engine in 1998, its search results were significantly better than its competitors’. Many people attribute…
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
🛰️ Starlink Plus
2 months ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Technology predictions
For those of us in the prediction business, it’s sometimes useful to go back and read past...
over a year ago
For those of us in the prediction business, it’s sometimes useful to go back and read past predictions to try to discern patterns in what…
XO Capital - Field...
Distribution
As part of UCLA's MBA program, I've had the opportunity to sit in on some VC pitches. It's been a...
8 months ago
As part of UCLA's MBA program, I've had the opportunity to sit in on some VC pitches. It's been a while since I've stepped back and looked at the broader startup ecosystem. My head has been in the micro saas space for
Unpacked
Data Scraping in the Spotlight: Are Language Models Overstepping by Training on Everyone's Content?
As I wrapped up the research for this piece and was about to start writing, OpenAI had a perfect...
a year ago
As I wrapped up the research for this piece and was about to start writing, OpenAI had a perfect announcement to go with it - they are temporarily disabling the “Browse with Bing" feature on ChatGPT. If you haven’t used it before, this is a feature available to paying Plus users....
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How bundling benefits sellers and buyers
There is a widespread belief in technology circles that bundling of cable TV, newspaper, magazine...
over a year ago
There is a widespread belief in technology circles that bundling of cable TV, newspaper, magazine and other information goods will go away…
Rest of World -...
Worldcoin may not be legal in Colombia, but that’s not stopping it
Scan eyeballs first, ask questions later.
4 months ago
Scan eyeballs first, ask questions later.
Rest of World -...
The war in Gaza is reshaping moderation rules
A new wave of appeals to Meta’s Oversight Board could have far-reaching consequences.
a year ago
A new wave of appeals to Meta’s Oversight Board could have far-reaching consequences.
Inverted Passion
You can only succeed if you know how you can fail
We want to be successful with our decisions. Even though failure is often glamorized, nobody wants...
a year ago
We want to be successful with our decisions. Even though failure is often glamorized, nobody wants it on purpose. Everyone wishes to be successful when they’re starting a company, launching a product, hiring a leader or even while buying a house. It may sound obvious, but the...
Rest of World -...
Using AI to build the “definitive” Spanish writing tool
Abraham López is the CEO of Correcto, an AI-powered grammar tool.
6 months ago
Abraham López is the CEO of Correcto, an AI-powered grammar tool.
Rest of World -...
Why African startups must invest in tech policy conversations
Oswald Osaretin Guobadia discusses the biggest challenge startups face when dealing with government...
a year ago
Oswald Osaretin Guobadia discusses the biggest challenge startups face when dealing with government policies and regulators.
Tech + Economics +...
The block button is the ultimate source of dopamine. Use it.
I’m seeing this debate pop up on Threads and Mastodon, and I’ve speed-run
the whole discourse so...
a year ago
I’m seeing this debate pop up on Threads and Mastodon, and I’ve speed-run
the whole discourse so many times from Twitter to Bluesky that I’m
exhausted. But let me be clear. It's perfectly okay to use the block
function on any and every single platform. Block whoever you...
Rest of World -...
What do platforms actually want out of elections?
Nobody seems to know.
a year ago
Noahpinion
Mike Bird and Noah Smith debate industrial policy
In which we hash out at least a few of our differences.
a year ago
In which we hash out at least a few of our differences.
Internal Tech Emails
Facebook and Google "at Defcon 2"
From: Sheryl Sandberg We really want a deep relationship – or at this point any relationship – with...
6 months ago
From: Sheryl Sandberg We really want a deep relationship – or at this point any relationship – with Google
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why is enterprise tech so far behind consumer tech? Because it can be.
Brian Manning put it nicely in a comment to my post yesterday about enterprise software: In my...
over a year ago
Brian Manning put it nicely in a comment to my post yesterday about enterprise software: In my opinion, enterprise technology is WAY behind…
Noahpinion
Chinasplaining will backfire
A review of "China's World View", by David Daokui Li
9 months ago
A review of "China's World View", by David Daokui Li
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Dividing free and paid features in “freemium” products
One of the most difficult decisions to make when developing a “freemium” product is how to divide...
over a year ago
One of the most difficult decisions to make when developing a “freemium” product is how to divide the product between free and paid features…
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Nothing Human
Marl Meetups
it is a truth universally acknowledged: a man with a mailing list must organize a meetup
a year ago
it is a truth universally acknowledged: a man with a mailing list must organize a meetup
Articles - Alex...
The ageism in advertising
The advertising industry is addicted to youth. We are obsessed and
possessed. We crave it in our...
over a year ago
The advertising industry is addicted to youth. We are obsessed and
possessed. We crave it in our agencies and we covet it in our audiences. We
believe younger staff are more creative and younger consumers are more
valuable. But this is nothing more than received wisdom....
Rest of World -...
Why African governments must prioritize affordable internet and smartphones
Lacina Koné of Smart Africa discusses the continent’s digital transformation and potential.
a year ago
Lacina Koné of Smart Africa discusses the continent’s digital transformation and potential.
Rest of World -...
Uber’s big plan for India: buses
Uber Shuttle, a shared bus ride service, is available in two Indian cities. The company plans to...
2 weeks ago
Uber Shuttle, a shared bus ride service, is available in two Indian cities. The company plans to launch in three more cities soon.
SatPost by Trung...
Roger Ebert, MKBHD and the Job of a Critic
The best critics (or reviewers) educate, entertain and help us spend our time better.
8 months ago
The best critics (or reviewers) educate, entertain and help us spend our time better.
Working Theorys
Full-Stack Something | Theory No. 17
I've realized that one thing I really enjoy about writing is that I can do it all myself. Usually...
a year ago
I've realized that one thing I really enjoy about writing is that I can do it all myself. Usually people tell you this isn't a good mentality to have — the desire to be self-sufficient. But I disagree. Whether it's writing, building products, etc. — I think it's good to be...
Rest of World -...
Vietnam’s made-to-measure fashion brands are thriving in the TikTok era
As shoppers sour on Chinese fast fashion, more sustainable Vietnamese brands — loved by K-pop...
6 months ago
As shoppers sour on Chinese fast fashion, more sustainable Vietnamese brands — loved by K-pop artists and Western celebrities alike — are booming online.
Roberto Vitillo's...
Spark best practices
Spark execution model Spark's simplicity makes it all too easy to ignore its execution model, and...
over a year ago
Spark execution model Spark's simplicity makes it all too easy to ignore its execution model, and still manage to write jobs that eventually…
Aaron's Essays
Investors and their incentives
It is incredibly important to understand the incentives of investors when you are raising money....
over a year ago
It is incredibly important to understand the incentives of investors when you are raising money. This used to be fairly easy - you raised money from Venture Capitalists who wanted to see a big return on their investment. The best of these investors were incredibly focused on...
Unpacked
AI-enabled SaaS vs Moatless AI
Several enterprise SaaS companies have announced generative AI features recently, which is a direct...
a year ago
Several enterprise SaaS companies have announced generative AI features recently, which is a direct threat to AI startups that lack sustainable competitive advantage
Tech + Economics +...
Why are we so obsessed with the multiverse?
Why are we so drawn to the idea of multiple realities? More than a trend,
it seems to come from a...
a year ago
Why are we so drawn to the idea of multiple realities? More than a trend,
it seems to come from a deep emptiness within us—a longing for a place
where our world's limits don't exist, where anything is possible. From the
alternate timelines and worlds of Scott Pilgrim Takes...
Data Boutique
How Data Boutique Works #2: Volume Discounts
The volume-related pricing system explained
9 months ago
The volume-related pricing system explained
Noahpinion
Macroeconomics: The predator of foolish regimes
One thing no ruler can control.
3 days ago
One thing no ruler can control.
Rest of World -...
Apple’s reluctant shift toward India
Apple apparently sees India as a destination to assemble and sell its iPhones. But CEO Tim Cook...
a year ago
Apple apparently sees India as a destination to assemble and sell its iPhones. But CEO Tim Cook hasn’t made any big promises yet.
Tech + Economics +...
Is Twitch losing its edge with draconian content regulation?
The Verge: Twitch will ban people pretending to be naked
Twitch is changing its sexual...
11 months ago
The Verge: Twitch will ban people pretending to be naked
Twitch is changing its sexual content policies again, this time to
prohibit implied nudity on the platform. The platform already prohibits
nudity, but Twitch’s new attire policy, which goes into effect...
Devmoh
Apple's AI Strategy Explained
What is Tim Cook cooking?
a year ago
What is Tim Cook cooking?
Roberto Vitillo's...
How do you prepare for the system design interview?
I get asked this question a lot. I lost track of people I know that spend all their time brushing up...
over a year ago
I get asked this question a lot. I lost track of people I know that spend all their time brushing up on algorithmic puzzles and barely…
Nothing Human
Materialist Conceptions of God
yet another attempt at bridging religion and rationality
10 months ago
yet another attempt at bridging religion and rationality
Data Boutique
Using Historical Data: Basic Knowledge
Elements to consider when using historical data from web scraping
5 months ago
Elements to consider when using historical data from web scraping
Steve Blank
What Does Product Market Fit Sound Like? This.
I got a call from an ex-student asking me “how do you know when you found product market fit?”...
2 months ago
I got a call from an ex-student asking me “how do you know when you found product market fit?” There’s been lots of words written about it, but no actual recordings of the moment. I remembered I had saved this 90 second, 26 year-old audio file because this is when I knew we had...
tomcritchlow.com
Clients Have a Surprising Amount of Detail
There’s a wonderful blog post called “Reality has a surprising amount of detail” which talks about...
a year ago
There’s a wonderful blog post called “Reality has a surprising amount of detail” which talks about how interesting the world is and how much depth there is to every concept. Here’s a quote about boiling water:
Rest of World -...
Gig drivers in South Africa clash over Bolt’s low-priced Indian cars
Bolt introduced the cars to bring down fares. Now, other drivers see them as a threat.
a year ago
Bolt introduced the cars to bring down fares. Now, other drivers see them as a threat.
XO Capital - Field...
Deal Structures
A couple of people have asked about deal structures so here are a few we commonly use for buying...
10 months ago
A couple of people have asked about deal structures so here are a few we commonly use for buying micro saas companies.
All Cash
Pretty straight forward. You do all cash. Usually it's 100% into escrow.com and release maybe 50% before asset transfer and 50% after asset
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten...
Many breakthrough technologies were hatched by hobbyists in garages and dorm rooms. Prominent...
over a year ago
Many breakthrough technologies were hatched by hobbyists in garages and dorm rooms. Prominent examples include the PC, the web, blogs, and…
Noahpinion
The Democrats' new sunny vibes
Suddenly, the country has an opportunity to leave the madness of the 2010s behind.
4 months ago
Suddenly, the country has an opportunity to leave the madness of the 2010s behind.
Platformer
Nine wild details from the new Elon Musk biography
Walter Isaacson brings new tales of Jack Dorsey, that Sergey Brin selfie, and more
a year ago
Walter Isaacson brings new tales of Jack Dorsey, that Sergey Brin selfie, and more
Unpacked
YouTube, Ad Blockers & the Advertising "Tax"
Though it looks like big vs small tech at first glance, poking into how ad blocker companies operate...
a year ago
Though it looks like big vs small tech at first glance, poking into how ad blocker companies operate and their “whitelisting” programs will likely change your opinion
AVC
Coding Again
It has been many years since I’ve written code. I’ve hacked around in HTML and CSS a bit on this...
a year ago
It has been many years since I’ve written code. I’ve hacked around in HTML and CSS a bit on this blog and a few other places. But I have not actually written an application in a very long time. I think it might be thirty years since I’ve done any real programming. Over the...
Tom Blomfield
Startup Series Part 4: Deadlines
The question of deadlines is one of the most divisive issues in software development today....
over a year ago
The question of deadlines is one of the most divisive issues in software development today. Business-people despair at developers’ inability to meet goals, while developers lament the latest unachievable deadline imposed by their pointy-haired boss.
In practice, there is often a...
Nadia Asparouhova
Explaining tech’s notion of talent scarcity
TLDR: Most conversations about “top talent” assume Pareto distribution; however, a closer...
a year ago
TLDR: Most conversations about “top talent” assume Pareto distribution; however, a closer examination suggests that different corporate cultures benefit from different types of talent distribution (normal, Pareto, and a third option – bimodal) according to the problem they’re...
Tech + Economics +...
Elon Musk’s childishness knows no bounds.
Taylor Lorenz on Threads:
At the Dealbook summit, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino sitting in the...
a year ago
Taylor Lorenz on Threads:
At the Dealbook summit, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino sitting in the room,
Elon Musk just told advertisers — including Disney CEO Bob Iger — to go
fuck themselves."Don't advertise... If somebody did try to blackmail me
with...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Flow
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1996 on the concept of Flow: [Flow] is being completely involved in an...
over a year ago
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1996 on the concept of Flow: [Flow] is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls…
Rest of World -...
Indian tech CEO to ChatGPT’s Altman: India can dominate AI
Tech Mahindra CEO explains why he believes India has the potential for global AI supremacy.
a year ago
Tech Mahindra CEO explains why he believes India has the potential for global AI supremacy.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Platformer
Why you can't trust Twitter's encrypted DMs
A promised audit hasn't actually happened, sources say. PLUS: Twitter's Turkey problem, and a new...
a year ago
A promised audit hasn't actually happened, sources say. PLUS: Twitter's Turkey problem, and a new CEO
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things for the middle of your week (#21)
Saudi oil, delayed economic optimism, the EV revolution, U.S. education performance, Indian...
a year ago
Saudi oil, delayed economic optimism, the EV revolution, U.S. education performance, Indian industrialization, and Chinese urbanism
Essays - Benedict...
Ads, privacy and confusion
Privacy is coming to the internet and cookies are going away. This is long
overdue - but we don’t...
over a year ago
Privacy is coming to the internet and cookies are going away. This is long
overdue - but we don’t know what happens next, we don’t have much consensus
on what online privacy actually means, and most of what’s on the table
conflicts fundamentally with competition.
Rest of World -...
A Ponzi scheme targets desperate workers amid Zimbabwe’s employment crisis
E-Creator offered an opportunity to earn money by writing fake reviews for e-commerce websites.
a year ago
E-Creator offered an opportunity to earn money by writing fake reviews for e-commerce websites.
Rest of World -...
In-home beauty service in Pakistan: the woman sweet-talking tough clients
Though gig work gives respite from the grind of working in a salon, choosy clients make a...
a year ago
Though gig work gives respite from the grind of working in a salon, choosy clients make a beautician’s work demanding.
Tom Blomfield
Don't write tests - The Hidden Cost of TDD
I’ve been following the TDD/testing debate with some interest; I work at an early-stage payments...
over a year ago
I’ve been following the TDD/testing debate with some interest; I work at an early-stage payments startup called GoCardless where we test religiously. We’re not dogmatic about whether the tests come first or not, but code doesn’t get deployed without full unit & acceptance tests....
cdixon.org RSS Feed
If you asked people in 1989...
"If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they...
over a year ago
"If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they would have said that a decentralized…
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
“There’s a way to do it better. Find it.” Thomas Edison 💡Human QA At least based on my experience...
6 months ago
“There’s a way to do it better. Find it.” Thomas Edison 💡Human QA At least based on my experience this seems like a service a ton of companies desperately need. Automated checks are awesome, but they can never spot all the weird edge cases that a human can.
Rest of World -...
A coupon-crazy Brazilian app figured out how to beat Uber Eats
Out-discounting competitors: iFood’s bid to become Latin America's last-mile delivery king.
a year ago
Out-discounting competitors: iFood’s bid to become Latin America's last-mile delivery king.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Platform distribution risks
When your product extends a platform’s functionality, one of the main risks you face is that the...
over a year ago
When your product extends a platform’s functionality, one of the main risks you face is that the platform could embed your product’s key…
Aaron's Essays
Don't focus on the NASDAQ
While thinking about wiggles (Ignoring the Wiggles ), I looked at when the biggest tech cos in the...
over a year ago
While thinking about wiggles (Ignoring the Wiggles ), I looked at when the biggest tech cos in the world started relative to NASDAQ. At first, I thought I'd find no correlation between how well the index was doing and when successful companies were founded.
I love...
Rest of World -...
How we’re tracking AI incidents around global elections
Rest of World is collecting examples of AI being used for campaigning, misinformation, and memes in...
8 months ago
Rest of World is collecting examples of AI being used for campaigning, misinformation, and memes in a regularly updated tracker.
Noahpinion
Europe is not ready to be a "third superpower"
For that, it would need to act as a unified entity, defend itself against Russia, and embrace new...
a year ago
For that, it would need to act as a unified entity, defend itself against Russia, and embrace new technology.
XO Capital - Field...
How to 10x an acquisition
I'm going to break down how we more than 10x-ed ScreenshotAPI and why this acquisition worked when...
3 months ago
I'm going to break down how we more than 10x-ed ScreenshotAPI and why this acquisition worked when others didn't. Not everything here is generalizable, but I'll pull out what worked well from our first interactions with the seller to the deal closing a few
Noahpinion
Is it time for the Revenge of the Normies?
An optimistic take on technology and inequality.
a year ago
An optimistic take on technology and inequality.
Entrepreneur's Edge
The Power of Beliefs
The significant role that our beliefs play in our outcomes.
a year ago
The significant role that our beliefs play in our outcomes.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Notes on the acquisition process
Ten years ago, startup financing was an insider’s game. Since then, the topic has been widely...
over a year ago
Ten years ago, startup financing was an insider’s game. Since then, the topic has been widely discussed on blogs, to the great benefit of…
Platformer
Can Snap snap back?
At its annual summit, the company gets bullish on AI — but feels haunted by the ghost of its past...
a year ago
At its annual summit, the company gets bullish on AI — but feels haunted by the ghost of its past ambitions
SatPost by Trung...
Economics of Taylor Swift's $2B+ Eras Tour
Breaking down the numbers for the most successful concert tour ever.
a week ago
Breaking down the numbers for the most successful concert tour ever.
Rest of World -...
Chinese EV sellers found a loophole to export cars around the world
A gray market grows for Chinese EVs in Russia, the Middle East, and beyond.
10 months ago
A gray market grows for Chinese EVs in Russia, the Middle East, and beyond.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Yahoo should invest in products, not advertising
For 10 years, Yahoo was my default home page. Now I can barely stand using the site. I still use...
over a year ago
For 10 years, Yahoo was my default home page. Now I can barely stand using the site. I still use it for Finance and Flickr, but that’s it…
Noahpinion
Don’t Rock the Vote
Democrats are the party that benefits from low voter turnout. They just don’t know it yet. (Guest...
5 months ago
Democrats are the party that benefits from low voter turnout. They just don’t know it yet. (Guest post by Wally Nowinski)
Rest of World -...
The slow transformation of Facebook in India
As the general election approaches, there are few spaces where the opposition can be safe online
a year ago
As the general election approaches, there are few spaces where the opposition can be safe online
Tech + Economics +...
The fuckery.
I start each day with the intention of writing positively about tech and AI
and startups and vc...
a year ago
I start each day with the intention of writing positively about tech and AI
and startups and vc and then I open my laptop and…there it is. There’s the
fuckery.
Noahpinion
Insurance companies aren't the main villain of the U.S. health system
It's mostly the providers overcharging you, not the middlemen.
a week ago
It's mostly the providers overcharging you, not the middlemen.
Working Theorys
The "High Potential" Handicap | Theory No. 20
"Smart" kids are always praised for their high potential. They’re deemed inherently capable of so...
a year ago
"Smart" kids are always praised for their high potential. They’re deemed inherently capable of so much, largely because of their natural talents. They can do anything they want, if they just try.
Rest of World -...
AI image generators have a moderation problem
Tests carried out by Logically confirm these platforms accept 85% of prompts tailored for election...
a year ago
Tests carried out by Logically confirm these platforms accept 85% of prompts tailored for election manipulation.
SatPost by Trung...
YouTube: The Learning Machine
Can YouTube have a similar impact on education as the printing press did? Yes, and the explosion of...
7 months ago
Can YouTube have a similar impact on education as the printing press did? Yes, and the explosion of sports footage on the platform helps to explain why.
Business Brainstorms
Pets as Kids, Affiliate Fraud Prevention, Theory X vs. Theory Y, Conviction
Hey, this is Jakob Greenfeld, author of the Business Brainstorms newsletter - every week I write...
a year ago
Hey, this is Jakob Greenfeld, author of the Business Brainstorms newsletter - every week I write this email to share the most interesting trends, frameworks, opportunities, and ideas with you. Let's dive in! 💡 Opportunities “We may have reached peak “pets as kids”… Jolly Dog, an...
Rest of World -...
Argentina’s dictatorship abducted babies in the 1970s. An AI project imagines them today
“Our search is real, but these images aren’t.”
a year ago
“Our search is real, but these images aren’t.”
Rest of World -...
The Indian EV startup navigating short-lived government subsidies
Prashant Vashishtha is the founder and chairman of Sokudo Electric India.
5 months ago
Prashant Vashishtha is the founder and chairman of Sokudo Electric India.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Founder vesting
The most important term in a startup term sheet that no one seems to think carefully about is...
over a year ago
The most important term in a startup term sheet that no one seems to think carefully about is founder vesting. There are two key points…
Noahpinion
Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships?
A guest post by Brian Potter of Construction Physics.
3 months ago
A guest post by Brian Potter of Construction Physics.
Rest of World -...
The CEO who believes Africans must make their own AI tools
Pelonomi Moiloa explains why making AI widely available requires building language models that need...
9 months ago
Pelonomi Moiloa explains why making AI widely available requires building language models that need less data and other resources.
Rest of World -...
Exclusive: Microsoft Bing’s censorship in China is even “more extreme” than Chinese companies’
New Citizen Lab study comes as U.S. lawmakers scrutinize Microsoft’s willingness to comply with...
5 months ago
New Citizen Lab study comes as U.S. lawmakers scrutinize Microsoft’s willingness to comply with demands from Beijing.
Noahpinion
Six reasons chipmakers should put their fabs in Japan
It has every resource the semiconductor industry needs.
a year ago
It has every resource the semiconductor industry needs.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"A standard protocol for machines to negotiate bitcoin payments for resources"
Great idea from Brian Armstrong of Coinbase: 1/ Seems like there should be a standard protocol for...
over a year ago
Great idea from Brian Armstrong of Coinbase: 1/ Seems like there should be a standard protocol for machines to negotiate bitcoin payments…
AVC
The Newest Members of the USV Team
Last Thursday, three new blog posts hit USV.com announcing our three new analysts: This is our...
a year ago
Last Thursday, three new blog posts hit USV.com announcing our three new analysts: This is our tradition at USV. When someone starts at USV, we ask them to write a post on the USV blog introducing themselves. This helps founders who come to talk to us about their companies...
Platformer
The synthetic social network is coming
Between ChatGPT’s surprisingly human voice and Meta’s AI characters, our feeds may be about to...
a year ago
Between ChatGPT’s surprisingly human voice and Meta’s AI characters, our feeds may be about to change forever
Working Theorys
Trophy Jobs | Theory No. 12
We’ve all heard of the trophy wife or husband — a partner that’s valued heavily as a status symbol,...
a year ago
We’ve all heard of the trophy wife or husband — a partner that’s valued heavily as a status symbol, for superficial qualities over substance. Similarly, I’ve started to think about the idea of the trophy job — a job that people covet for its status more than its substance.
Internal Tech Emails
Sergey Brin: "Irate call from Steve Jobs"
so i got a call from steve jobs today who was very agitated.
a year ago
so i got a call from steve jobs today who was very agitated.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Options on early stage companies
I believe that what I’m about to say is accepted by venture capitalists as fact, even trivially...
over a year ago
I believe that what I’m about to say is accepted by venture capitalists as fact, even trivially obvious fact, yet very few entrepreneurs I…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Capitalism just like Adam Smith pictured it
From far away, things that are very different look alike. I grew up in a family of musicians and...
over a year ago
From far away, things that are very different look alike. I grew up in a family of musicians and English professors. To them, the entire…
David Perell
What I Got Wrong About Business
Too many people waste years in hollow ‘entrepreneurship’ classes.
Instead, we need to develop the...
over a year ago
Too many people waste years in hollow ‘entrepreneurship’ classes.
Instead, we need to develop the domain expertise that leads to entrepreneurial ideas.
The post What I Got Wrong About Business appeared first on David Perell.
Rest of World -...
China’s AI elite rethink their Silicon Valley dream jobs
The West may lose out in the talent race amid U.S. national security and immigration hurdles
5 days ago
The West may lose out in the talent race amid U.S. national security and immigration hurdles
Working Theorys
New Social App
Who am I? And other urgent existential questions.
8 months ago
Who am I? And other urgent existential questions.
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things to start your week (#50)
Permitting reform; industrial policy progress; China stimulus/bailouts; men and politics; wokeness;...
2 months ago
Permitting reform; industrial policy progress; China stimulus/bailouts; men and politics; wokeness; tariffs; a bad union demand
Steve Blank
Mapping the Unknown – The Ten Steps to Map Any Industry
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step Lǎozi 老子 I just had lunch with Shenwei, one...
over a year ago
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step Lǎozi 老子 I just had lunch with Shenwei, one of my ex-students who had just taken a job in a mid-sized consulting firm. After a bit of catching up I offered he was looking a bit lost. “I just got handed a project to […]
Articles - Alex...
Adland is an island
We spend eight hours a day thinking about the brands we build. Many of us
more. We consider our...
over a year ago
We spend eight hours a day thinking about the brands we build. Many of us
more. We consider our clients’ companies and the categories in which they
compete. We visit the sites in which our products are produced and the
stores in which they are sold. We analyse their adverts...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Machine learning is really good at partially solving just about any problem
There’s a saying in artificial intelligence circles that techniques like machine learning (and NLP)...
over a year ago
There’s a saying in artificial intelligence circles that techniques like machine learning (and NLP) can very quickly get you, say, 80% of…
Tech + Economics +...
Dear Blackbird. Women in tech are not “corporate girlies.”
Capital Brief: Blackbird-backed Kiki outlined plan to target 'corporate
girlies' in December...
11 months ago
Capital Brief: Blackbird-backed Kiki outlined plan to target 'corporate
girlies' in December investor memo
Blackbird-backed subletting startup Kiki wrote to investors on
Christmas Eve to tell them that it was struggling and would pivot to
target the “super...
Dustin Curtis
Blocked
A couple of years ago, I posted a slight criticism of Elon Musk that led prominent venture...
2 months ago
A couple of years ago, I posted a slight criticism of Elon Musk that led prominent venture capitalist Marc Andreessen to block me. Since then, I have been unable to view his posts1, which is a shame because I valued his thoughts and opinions.
Today, X engineering announced...
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