Rest of World -...
The end of anonymity on Chinese social media
Forced to use real names on platforms like Weibo, Chinese influencers quit social media instead.
a year ago
Forced to use real names on platforms like Weibo, Chinese influencers quit social media instead.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Getting a job in venture capital
Getting a job in venture capital is extremely hard. There are a lot of really smart, well...
over a year ago
Getting a job in venture capital is extremely hard. There are a lot of really smart, well qualified, eager people who want to work in VC…
Noahpinion
Why has U.S. manufacturing productivity stagnated for over a decade?
A few hypotheses about a very disturbing trend.
6 months ago
A few hypotheses about a very disturbing trend.
Rest of World -...
Before you start celebrating a possible Tesla factory in India …
There are ecological and economic challenges that the Indian government must not ignore as it woos...
a year ago
There are ecological and economic challenges that the Indian government must not ignore as it woos Elon Musk.
Aaron's Essays
Unbundled Capital
The way we talk about fundraising is wrong. Specifically, I don’t think that founders sell equity...
over a year ago
The way we talk about fundraising is wrong. Specifically, I don’t think that founders sell equity when they raise money. It’s the other way around - founders use their equity to buy capital from investors.[1]
Investors know this, which is why they spend so much time and money on...
Paul Graham: Essays
The Two Kinds of Moderate
over a year ago
Steve Blank
The Secret History of Polaroid CEO Edwin Land – part 1
The connections between the world of national security and commercial companies still has surprises....
8 months ago
The connections between the world of national security and commercial companies still has surprises. December 1976 – Vandenberg Air Force Base, U.S. military space port on the coast of California As a Titan IIID rocket blasted off, it carried a spacecraft on top that would change...
Internal Tech Emails
"I don't want to create a paper trail"
I would prefer that Omid do it verbally since I don't want to create a paper trail over which we can...
a year ago
I would prefer that Omid do it verbally since I don't want to create a paper trail over which we can be sued later? Not sure about this.. thanks Eric
Platformer
How Google is making up for lost time
The company is finally bringing AI to the places that matter
a year ago
The company is finally bringing AI to the places that matter
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Are people more willing to pay for digital goods on mobile devices?
Mary Meeker’s [ ](images/screen-shot-2009-12-27-at-11-51-18-am.png) The assertion seems to be that...
over a year ago
Mary Meeker’s [ ](images/screen-shot-2009-12-27-at-11-51-18-am.png) The assertion seems to be that there is something special about the…
Data Boutique
Problems When Disclosing How Data Is Collected
Recent news highlights how in-house data collection might not be taken well by users.
a year ago
Recent news highlights how in-house data collection might not be taken well by users.
Noahpinion
Stop saying "there is no decoupling". There is!
Decoupling will take time, and it won't look like the Iron Curtain, but it's happening.
a year ago
Decoupling will take time, and it won't look like the Iron Curtain, but it's happening.
Platformer
How banning one Palestinian slogan roiled Etsy
The company secretly banned the phrase “from the river to the sea” on sellers’ wares. Some employees...
a year ago
The company secretly banned the phrase “from the river to the sea” on sellers’ wares. Some employees aren’t happy
Rest of World -...
The SoftBank-backed company that lets you buy glasses over WhatsApp
The Indian eyewear company, Lenskart, is now an Asian giant.
a year ago
The Indian eyewear company, Lenskart, is now an Asian giant.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The challenge of creating a new category
One of the hardest things to do as a startup is to create a new category. Bloggers and press have a...
over a year ago
One of the hardest things to do as a startup is to create a new category. Bloggers and press have a natural tendency to “pigeonhole” – to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Ideal first round funding terms
My last 2 posts were about things to avoid, so I thought it might be helpful to follow up with...
over a year ago
My last 2 posts were about things to avoid, so I thought it might be helpful to follow up with something more positive. Having been part of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The problem with online “local” businesses
One of the most popular areas for startups today is “local.” I probably see a couple of business...
over a year ago
One of the most popular areas for startups today is “local.” I probably see a couple of business plans a week that involve local search…
Data Boutique
How Data Boutique Works #3: Third Party Solutions
Working with data? List your solution on Data Boutique
9 months ago
Working with data? List your solution on Data Boutique
SatPost by Trung...
How Olympic Air Pistols Took Over The Timeline
PLUS: WTF happened to Nike?
5 months ago
PLUS: WTF happened to Nike?
Entrepreneur's Edge
Understanding the Importance of Operating Leverage in the Age of Efficiency
Amazon grew it's revenue per employee from $50K to $1M over its first fifteen years.
a year ago
Amazon grew it's revenue per employee from $50K to $1M over its first fifteen years.
Varun's Notes
Can We Build Scenius From Scratch?
On crafting tight-knit communities with potential for high future impact in the post-pandemic era.
over a year ago
On crafting tight-knit communities with potential for high future impact in the post-pandemic era.
Working Theorys
Notes on 'Founder Mode'
Most founders are in “founder mode” — and most of them fail.
4 months ago
Most founders are in “founder mode” — and most of them fail.
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...
3 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.
Rest of World -...
Brazil’s flood disaster set off a torrent of AI misinformation
Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are failing an early test of misinformation safeguards.
7 months ago
Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are failing an early test of misinformation safeguards.
Paul Graham: Essays
The Hundred-Year Language
over a year ago
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
Platformer
Meta doubles down on layoffs
The company's recent products have flopped with consumers. Will a more focused team reverse the...
a year ago
The company's recent products have flopped with consumers. Will a more focused team reverse the trend?
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The idea maze
The pop culture view of startups is that they’re all about coming up with a great product idea....
over a year ago
The pop culture view of startups is that they’re all about coming up with a great product idea. After the eureka moment, the outcome is…
Rest of World -...
Brazil banned X. Right-wing politicians are still using it
Echoing Elon Musk, the politicians claim they are defending free speech.
3 months ago
Echoing Elon Musk, the politicians claim they are defending free speech.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Predicting the future of the Internet is easy: anything it hasn’t yet dramatically transformed, it...
People love to focus on horse races: NYC vs Silcon Valley, Facebook vs Twitter, IPO markets vs...
over a year ago
People love to focus on horse races: NYC vs Silcon Valley, Facebook vs Twitter, IPO markets vs private exchanges, the valuation of some…
Paul Graham: Essays
The Hacker's Guide to Investors
over a year ago
Noahpinion
Trumpism is kakistocracy
A cult of personality prizes loyalty above competence, resulting in "rule by the worst".
2 months ago
A cult of personality prizes loyalty above competence, resulting in "rule by the worst".
Rest of World -...
Our favorite Rest of World photos from 2023
39 photographers, 31 cities, 22 countries. This is what global tech looked like this year.
a year ago
39 photographers, 31 cities, 22 countries. This is what global tech looked like this year.
SatPost by Trung...
Sculpting Ourselves
Thoughts on Antoni Gaudí, Etsuro Sotoo, La Sagrada Família and finding the right ideas to work on.
a year ago
Thoughts on Antoni Gaudí, Etsuro Sotoo, La Sagrada Família and finding the right ideas to work on.
Paul Graham: Essays
The Top Idea in Your Mind
over a year ago
Platformer
14 predictions about 2024
AI! Elections! Threads! Media! And more
a year ago
AI! Elections! Threads! Media! And more
Stephen Diehl
Reflecting on Haskell in 2015
over a year ago
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....
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.
Paul Graham: Essays
Do Things that Don't Scale
over a year ago
Data Boutique
The Web Data Landscape Map: Visualizing The Ecosystem
Mapping actors and solutions
8 months ago
Mapping actors and solutions
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Notes on raising seed financing
Last night I taught a class via Skillshare (disclosure: Founder Collective is an investor) about how...
over a year ago
Last night I taught a class via Skillshare (disclosure: Founder Collective is an investor) about how to raise a seed round. After a long…
Data Boutique
Tracking How Bad The Situation At Farfetch Really Is
A case study for web data
10 months ago
A case study for web data
Blog posts of...
Startup Mentoring Sessions: How to get the most out of it.
Everyone is doing pitch training. Almost no-one does training for the mentoring session, but this is...
over a year ago
Everyone is doing pitch training. Almost no-one does training for the mentoring session, but this is where most startups get the m...
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things for your weekend (#36)
The silent majority and the Palestine protests; immigration is fine; batteries make solar work;...
7 months ago
The silent majority and the Palestine protests; immigration is fine; batteries make solar work; building warships in Japan; the decels of the Right
Rest of World -...
Latin American startups embrace OpenAI, but at what cost?
The region’s early-stage startups get less funding than their U.S. counterparts, making AI...
a year ago
The region’s early-stage startups get less funding than their U.S. counterparts, making AI tools-for-hire an onerous new expense.
Rest of World -...
It’s never goodbye in South Asia
South Asians don’t like to say goodbye — instead, across the many languages we speak in the region,...
a year ago
South Asians don’t like to say goodbye — instead, across the many languages we speak in the region, we prefer versions of the phrase “see you again."
tomcritchlow.com
The roadmap is not the territory
Most of my consulting work connects to “marketing strategy” in some way - clients come wanting to...
a year ago
Most of my consulting work connects to “marketing strategy” in some way - clients come wanting to talk about growing their business. But the funny thing about growth and marketing is that each component is like a thread that, once pulled, unravels the whole spool.
Rest of World -...
The rise and fall of Argentina’s celebrity crypto pastor
Generación Zoe promised investors massive returns thanks to market-predicting “robots” and a...
a year ago
Generación Zoe promised investors massive returns thanks to market-predicting “robots” and a cryptocurrency backed by gold. It sounded too good to be true.
Paul Graham: Essays
High Resolution Fundraising
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"Natural languages are adequate, but that doesn't mean they're optimal"
Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic...
over a year ago
Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic process that leaves them teeming with…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
I wrote a book: Read Write Own
I wrote a book: Read Write Own I believe blockchains and the software movement around them –...
a year ago
I wrote a book: Read Write Own I believe blockchains and the software movement around them – typically called crypto or web3 – provide the…
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things for your weekend (#49)
Degrowth, real and imagined; 90s taxes; China's banks; CHIPS Act bureaucrats; YIMBY education; the...
3 months ago
Degrowth, real and imagined; 90s taxes; China's banks; CHIPS Act bureaucrats; YIMBY education; the slacker era
SatPost by Trung...
Why Are the Olympics So Expensive?
Olympic host cities take on enormous financial risks in hopes of economic and cultural rewards....
6 months ago
Olympic host cities take on enormous financial risks in hopes of economic and cultural rewards. Tokyo 1964 was the ultimate triumph, but Paris 2024 may find it harder to justify the expense.
Internal Tech Emails
"I just need to decide if we're going to buy Instagram"
We have this big issue right now because gaming is shifting from us to mobile platforms.
a year ago
We have this big issue right now because gaming is shifting from us to mobile platforms.
Blog posts of...
How global media communication changes in a transparent world
These are crowdaggregated pictures from Syria (across basically all social media channels). No media...
over a year ago
These are crowdaggregated pictures from Syria (across basically all social media channels). No media publisher inbetween. Authenti...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Different types of risk
The idea that founders take on “risk” is a misleading generalization. It is far more informative to...
over a year ago
The idea that founders take on “risk” is a misleading generalization. It is far more informative to separate the specific types of risks…
Rest of World -...
South Korean streamers struggle with Twitch’s sudden exit
The streaming giant attributed its departure to high network fees.
10 months ago
The streaming giant attributed its departure to high network fees.
Platformer
New cracks emerge in Elon Musk's Twitter
Jira went down, Slack's gone, and site performance is degraded. What's next?
a year ago
Jira went down, Slack's gone, and site performance is degraded. What's next?
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...
Platformer
OpenAI's alignment problem
The company's board failed the institution. But did it have a point?
a year ago
The company's board failed the institution. But did it have a point?
Steve Blank
Startups that Have Employees In Offices Grow 3½ Times Faster
This article previously appeared in EIX – Entreprenuers and Innovators Exchange. Data shows that...
a year ago
This article previously appeared in EIX – Entreprenuers and Innovators Exchange. Data shows that pre-seed and seed startups with employees showing up in a physical office have 3½ times higher revenue growth than those that are solely remote. Let the discussion begin. During the...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The business plans of the next 10,000 startups are easy to forecast: Take X and add AI."
Kevin Kelly thinks artificial intelligence is finally ready deliver on its promise: The AI on the...
over a year ago
Kevin Kelly thinks artificial intelligence is finally ready deliver on its promise: The AI on the horizon looks more like Amazon Web…
Noahpinion
The Big Tariffs are here
Biden just slapped a 100% tax on Chinese car imports. Here's what that will and won't accomplish.
7 months ago
Biden just slapped a 100% tax on Chinese car imports. Here's what that will and won't accomplish.
Noahpinion
Americans are still not worried enough about the risk of world war
In which I try to be Gandalf instead of Cassandra.
8 months ago
In which I try to be Gandalf instead of Cassandra.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The Internet is for snacking
Web products have followed a steady evolutionary path from the compound to the atomic. Today’s...
over a year ago
Web products have followed a steady evolutionary path from the compound to the atomic. Today’s popular social sites are spin outs of…
Business Brainstorms
Helping dementia patients, Family Heirloom as a Service, Figma for architecture, asking for what you...
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 The CEO of Mercury Immad Akhund
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
#1 💡 “When I've worked for organizations without QA teams, I introduce the concept of "sniff...
a year ago
#1 💡 “When I've worked for organizations without QA teams, I introduce the concept of "sniff tests". This is a short (typically 1 hour) test session where anybody in the company / department is encouraged to come and bash on the new feature. The feature is supposed to be...
Steve Blank
Is a Venture Studio Right for You?
This post previously appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Three types of organizations –...
a year ago
This post previously appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. Venture...
Ed Zitron's Where's...
Never Forgive Them
In the last year, I’ve spent about 200,000 words on a kind of personal journey where I’ve tried...
2 weeks ago
In the last year, I’ve spent about 200,000 words on a kind of personal journey where I’ve tried again and again to work out why everything digital feels so broken, and why it seems to keep getting worse, despite what tech’s “brightest&
Nadia Asparouhova
Early stage funding markets for science - an analysis
In the summer of 2022, with support from Schmidt Futures, I took a closer look at several emerging...
a year ago
In the summer of 2022, with support from Schmidt Futures, I took a closer look at several emerging science funding mechanisms – rapid grants, scout programs, and focused research organizations (FROs) – to understand how they serve the needs of early stage science. I also...
Aaron's Essays
In defense of exploding term sheets
There’s a lot of content out there arguing that exploding term sheets—ones that expire after a set...
over a year ago
There’s a lot of content out there arguing that exploding term sheets—ones that expire after a set amount of time, whether or not they’re accepted—are bad. Some of this comes from founders who do not appreciate the pressure; some if it comes from VCs who want to emphasize their...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Showing up
Mark Twain famously quipped that “80 percent of life is showing up.” Running a startup, I’d say it’s...
over a year ago
Mark Twain famously quipped that “80 percent of life is showing up.” Running a startup, I’d say it’s more like 90 percent. For example, I…
Rest of World -...
How to become an #Influencer in India
Many middle-class Indians aspire to be the next Kusha Kapila or Ranveer Allahbadia. But there’s a...
a year ago
Many middle-class Indians aspire to be the next Kusha Kapila or Ranveer Allahbadia. But there’s a real struggle to monetize from Instagram.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
E-commerce startups
Very few successful e-commerce companies were started in the 2000s. Since then, e-commerce startups...
over a year ago
Very few successful e-commerce companies were started in the 2000s. Since then, e-commerce startups have enjoyed a revival. Dozens of…
Varun's Notes
Your Platform Is as Strong as Its Identity Layer
Analyzing platforms through a layered cake of identity, social networking, and super apps.
over a year ago
Analyzing platforms through a layered cake of identity, social networking, and super apps.
42!
F1, Sport and Reality TV
It’s been two days now since I stayed up late to watch the final race of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi...
over a year ago
It’s been two days now since I stayed up late to watch the final race of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi with my sons.
Full disclosure, we are all team Hamilton fans here, and were excited to watch the final deciding race as to who would take out the 2021 World Driver’s...
Roberto Vitillo's...
I am back
It's been three years since my last post on my old Wordpress blog! You can still find my earlier...
over a year ago
It's been three years since my last post on my old Wordpress blog! You can still find my earlier posts there as I was too lazy to move…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Bedrock programming
“Bedrock programming” is a phrase used to describe a style of programming that favors building code...
over a year ago
“Bedrock programming” is a phrase used to describe a style of programming that favors building code from the ground up versus reusing…
Working Theorys
The Time-Boxed Startup
What if startups had an expiration date?
10 months ago
What if startups had an expiration date?
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Doing old things better vs doing brand new things
New technologies enable activities that fall into one of two categories: 1) doing things you could...
over a year ago
New technologies enable activities that fall into one of two categories: 1) doing things you could already do but can now do better because…
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things: Nerdy economics edition (#54)
The DBCFT; Construction productivity and regulation; Rationality and complexity; U.S. productivity...
4 weeks ago
The DBCFT; Construction productivity and regulation; Rationality and complexity; U.S. productivity growth; Demand-side inflation; Health care monopsony and innovation
Platformer
Another whistleblower comes for Twitter
Is the real threat the company's "God Mode" — or its trust and safety team?
a year ago
Is the real threat the company's "God Mode" — or its trust and safety team?
Noahpinion
The new industrial policy, explained
We're starting to learn what replaces the old free-trade consensus.
a year ago
We're starting to learn what replaces the old free-trade consensus.
AVC
The Cleanse
I’ve never done a cleanse. But many of my friends and family members have done them. There are...
a year ago
I’ve never done a cleanse. But many of my friends and family members have done them. There are various flavors of cleanses but the basic idea is you cut back your consumption of food and drink and replace it with mostly liquid nutrition for anywhere from a day to a month. I...
Rest of World -...
Sierra Leone’s first lady hopes going viral on TikTok will secure Saturday’s elections
Amid economic turmoil, President Julius Maada Bio is seeking re-election in Sierra Leone. His wife,...
a year ago
Amid economic turmoil, President Julius Maada Bio is seeking re-election in Sierra Leone. His wife, Fatima, is dancing to a crowd of over 200,000 on TikTok to drum up votes.
Stephen Diehl
Bitcoin: The Postmodern Ponzi
over a year ago
Aaron's Essays
Fundraising isn't predictable
I recently had a conversation with a founder who'd just finished a number of unsatisfying...
over a year ago
I recently had a conversation with a founder who'd just finished a number of unsatisfying conversations with investors. The founder's company was growing well, had crossed $1mm ARR, but still couldn't raise money. According to conventional wisdom, that should have been enough to...
Noahpinion
Harris needs to be Pennsylvania fracking's biggest champion
Biden already boosted fracking. Harris needs to promise more of the same.
3 months ago
Biden already boosted fracking. Harris needs to promise more of the same.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Forces that affect whether a large company will buy your product (according to Marc Andreessen)
From Marc Andreessen’s “Moby Dick Theory of Big Companies“: You can count on there being a whole...
over a year ago
From Marc Andreessen’s “Moby Dick Theory of Big Companies“: You can count on there being a whole host of impinging forces that will affect…
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.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Rest of World -...
Kathmandu is making taxi drivers switch to EVs. Not all drivers can afford one
The Xpres-T, made by Indian carmaker Tata, is the only EV approved for use as a taxi in Nepal. It...
6 months ago
The Xpres-T, made by Indian carmaker Tata, is the only EV approved for use as a taxi in Nepal. It costs $27,000 — several years’ income.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Google and newspapers: the false choice of opting out
First let me say I love Google. I think Google created one of the greatest inventions of the past...
over a year ago
First let me say I love Google. I think Google created one of the greatest inventions of the past century and continues to give back much…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Graphs
It has become customary to use “graph” to refer to the underlying data structures at social networks...
over a year ago
It has become customary to use “graph” to refer to the underlying data structures at social networks like Facebook. (Computer scientists…
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Rest of World -...
Seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border? You’d better speak English or Spanish
Migrants speaking Haitian Creole or Indigenous languages face challenges at the border.
a year ago
Migrants speaking Haitian Creole or Indigenous languages face challenges at the border.
Working Theorys
Background Social
Theory #41: on apps that let you tell me what you're up to without telling me what you're up to.
7 months ago
Theory #41: on apps that let you tell me what you're up to without telling me what you're up to.
Working Theorys
Placeholders for Life
Life is not a dress rehearsal
9 months ago
Life is not a dress rehearsal
Platformer
Another Facebook content moderation company quits the business
Amid worker unrest and a lawsuit, Sama says it's done. Will others follow?
a year ago
Amid worker unrest and a lawsuit, Sama says it's done. Will others follow?
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Strong and weak technologies
During a media tour in 2007 in which Steve Jobs showed the device to reporters, there was one...
over a year ago
During a media tour in 2007 in which Steve Jobs showed the device to reporters, there was one instance in which a journalist criticized the…
Rest of World -...
Instagram helps Brazilians dodge a national sales ban on vapes
As Brazilian law clashes with Meta’s policies, illegal vapes flood social media and the streets.
2 months ago
As Brazilian law clashes with Meta’s policies, illegal vapes flood social media and the streets.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The Not So Global Internet"
Fred Wilson writes about how frustrating it is when companies break the internet: We are in the...
over a year ago
Fred Wilson writes about how frustrating it is when companies break the internet: We are in the caribbean this week celebrating the year end…
Noahpinion
The death (again) of the internet as we know it
A few big changes are making the online world a more boring place to hang out.
7 months ago
A few big changes are making the online world a more boring place to hang out.
SatPost by Trung...
Steve Jobs, Rick Rubin and "taste"
The Apple co-founder and the super-producer share similar ideas regarding taste and creativity.
a year ago
The Apple co-founder and the super-producer share similar ideas regarding taste and creativity.
Roberto Vitillo's...
What every developer should know about TCP
Why do you need to place your servers geographically close to your users? One of the reasons is to...
over a year ago
Why do you need to place your servers geographically close to your users? One of the reasons is to achieve lower latencies. That makes a lot…
Blog posts of...
The things first time founders do…
Last week @robfitz asked me on short notice to join a panel at #foundersexchange about what first...
over a year ago
Last week @robfitz asked me on short notice to join a panel at #foundersexchange about what first time founders shouldn’t do. I qu...
Rest of World -...
Mexicans say some police officers are taking bribes with mobile payment services
Victims of extortion say reimbursements are extremely difficult since apps and banks say they handed...
a year ago
Victims of extortion say reimbursements are extremely difficult since apps and banks say they handed over their cards voluntarily.
Platformer
How Google's Bard AI could shake up search
Dependence on search traffic has already kickstarted a race to the bottom for publishers. Will...
a year ago
Dependence on search traffic has already kickstarted a race to the bottom for publishers. Will Google's new AI tools accelerate it?
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
Alibaba.com’s U.S. expansion hinges on wooing mom-and-pop shops
President Kuo Zhang tells Rest of World in an exclusive interview that the company is bullish about...
3 months ago
President Kuo Zhang tells Rest of World in an exclusive interview that the company is bullish about the U.S. market.
Noahpinion
Americans hate inflation more than they hate unemployment
Lesson #2 from Trump's victory.
a month ago
Lesson #2 from Trump's victory.
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
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…
Noahpinion
How China's "debt traps" actually work
Raiding the Global South like a piggy bank.
a year ago
Raiding the Global South like a piggy bank.
Rest of World -...
The tech executive who believes AI needs more voice-based learning systems
Bayo Adekanmbi explains why voice-based learning is the best way to increase AI adoption across...
9 months ago
Bayo Adekanmbi explains why voice-based learning is the best way to increase AI adoption across Africa.
Rest of World -...
It’s not (just) Ticketmaster’s fault
A Mexican superstar’s concert tour proves no ticketing company’s tech is a match for fans and fraud.
a year ago
A Mexican superstar’s concert tour proves no ticketing company’s tech is a match for fans and fraud.
Stephen Diehl
Congressional Letter Campaign
over a year ago
AVC
The Hour Of Code
I have written many times about the Hour Of Code here at AVC. It is the highlight of the annual...
over a year ago
I have written many times about the Hour Of Code here at AVC. It is the highlight of the annual Computer Science Education Week which is the first week of December, which is this week. Yesterday Marco Argenti, Goldman Sachs’ CIO, and I went with NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks...
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…
Rest of World -...
2023 Impact Report
The global reach and impact of our journalism in 2023
8 months ago
The global reach and impact of our journalism in 2023
Internal Tech Emails
Microsoft execs on Apple's music store
We were smoked.
a year ago
Paul Graham: Essays
What Doesn't Seem Like Work?
over a year ago
Essays - Benedict...
Building AI products
How do we build mass-market products that change the world around a
technology that gets things...
6 months ago
How do we build mass-market products that change the world around a
technology that gets things ‘wrong’? What does wrong mean, and how is that
useful?
Rest of World -...
Overworked and unable to quit: Delivery drivers in Brazil found something worse than gig work
Trapped in a subcontracting nightmare, some delivery drivers are facing grueling hours, low pay, and...
a year ago
Trapped in a subcontracting nightmare, some delivery drivers are facing grueling hours, low pay, and no control over their work.
Noahpinion
People's Park and the Great American Infill
After the 1970s, we agreed to all let each other have our space. That's over.
12 months ago
After the 1970s, we agreed to all let each other have our space. That's over.
Stephen Diehl
Fintech and Practical Utopianism
over a year ago
XO Capital - Field...
2023 In Review
2023 was a tough year. It started out with a bang (high expectations, everything going right) and...
a year ago
2023 was a tough year. It started out with a bang (high expectations, everything going right) and ended with a whimper for us. The zero interest rate environment really came down hard on a few products like Cold Email Studio and now that the AI craze is cooling off, we&
Nadia Asparouhova
Cultivating agency
I didn’t always know that I wanted to have kids. I wasn’t against it, necessarily – for awhile,...
over a year ago
I didn’t always know that I wanted to have kids. I wasn’t against it, necessarily – for awhile, there were just more reasons in the “why not” column than the “why”: uncertainty about whether I’d be a good parent, fear of losing my identity, a lack of maternal instinct. Those...
XO Capital - Field...
Our First Community Call
This week Danny jumped on a live Twitter Spaces with me. We talked about:
When to "quit"
XO...
10 months ago
This week Danny jumped on a live Twitter Spaces with me. We talked about:
When to "quit"
XO community, courses,
Motivations for picking a startup idea
Decision making differences between short holds and longer holds.
Noahpinion
Price controls: Too early for a victory lap
Narrative-driven triumphalism does not make for sound policy.
a year ago
Narrative-driven triumphalism does not make for sound policy.
Noahpinion
America's supply chains are a disaster waiting to happen
A guest post by Yann Calvó López and Ben Golub.
3 months ago
A guest post by Yann Calvó López and Ben Golub.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
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...
Essays - Benedict...
Retail, search and Amazon’s $40bn ‘advertising’ business
Amazon sold close to $40bn of advertising last year - bigger than Prime,
bigger than the entire...
a year ago
Amazon sold close to $40bn of advertising last year - bigger than Prime,
bigger than the entire global newspaper industry and probably more
profitable than AWS. But is this really advertising, rent, or something
else? And what does that mean for Google?
Ed Zitron's Where's...
Rabbit Holed
Thank you to Emily Shepherd for her hard work reporting parts of this story, as well as her...
8 months ago
Thank you to Emily Shepherd for her hard work reporting parts of this story, as well as her assistance clarifying details related to GAMA and finding company documents related to Rabbit and Cyber Manufacture.
In November 2021, a company called Cyber Manufacture Co raised $6...
Rest of World -...
Traditional multinationals are making their mark on Latin American tech
The region’s conservative corporations are finding different ways to get into technology.
a year ago
The region’s conservative corporations are finding different ways to get into technology.
Nadia Asparouhova
The creator economy
I’ve had some lingering thoughts over the past year about what it means to be a “creator,” further...
over a year ago
I’ve had some lingering thoughts over the past year about what it means to be a “creator,” further accelerated by a recent conversation with a friend, and I want to try to unpack those feelings here.
The “creator economy” popped into our vernacular with surprisingly little moral...
Essays - Benedict...
Unbundling AI
ChatGPT and LLMs can do anything, so what can you do with them? How do you
know? Do we move to...
a year ago
ChatGPT and LLMs can do anything, so what can you do with them? How do you
know? Do we move to chat bots as a magical general-purpose interface, or do
we unbundle them back into single-purpose software?
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Question from a reader
I’ve gotten some emails recently from readers of this blog with questions about early stage...
over a year ago
I’ve gotten some emails recently from readers of this blog with questions about early stage startups. I’m sorry if I haven’t responded to…
Rest of World -...
Rebel or sellout? How Nigeria’s startup darling became tech minister
Bosun Tijani was a rock star in the Nigerian startup scene, but his transition to government has...
11 months ago
Bosun Tijani was a rock star in the Nigerian startup scene, but his transition to government has been controversial.
Roberto Vitillo's...
A martingale approach to detect changes in histograms
If a user has opted into submitting performance data to Mozilla, the Telemetry system will collect...
over a year ago
If a user has opted into submitting performance data to Mozilla, the Telemetry system will collect various measures of Firefox performance…
Noahpinion
America's semiconductor policy is missing a key piece
A guest post by Steven Glinert.
8 months ago
A guest post by Steven Glinert.
Rest of World -...
AI translation is jeopardizing Afghan asylum claims
Cost-cutting translations are introducing errors and putting refugees at risk.
a year ago
Cost-cutting translations are introducing errors and putting refugees at risk.
Noahpinion
Trump just rug-pulled the China hawks on TikTok
The CCP and its allies have bought themselves a new champion.
9 months ago
The CCP and its allies have bought themselves a new champion.
Rest of World -...
Traffic laws can’t keep up with Mexico City’s electric mopeds
Chinese-made mopeds have become popular in the traffic-clogged city, but users and manufacturers...
5 months ago
Chinese-made mopeds have become popular in the traffic-clogged city, but users and manufacturers aren’t sure which laws apply to them.
Working Theorys
Angel Investing | Theory No. 28
A 5-year reflection & predictions on the practice of writing small checks into early-stage startups.
11 months ago
A 5-year reflection & predictions on the practice of writing small checks into early-stage startups.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why content sites are getting ripped off
A commenter on my blog the other day (Tim Ogilvie) mentioned a distinction that I found really...
over a year ago
A commenter on my blog the other day (Tim Ogilvie) mentioned a distinction that I found really interesting between intent generation and…
Noahpinion
Bad and good arguments for industrial policy
Has China invented a better way to run an advanced economy?
5 months ago
Has China invented a better way to run an advanced economy?
Roberto Vitillo's...
How to review a data analysis
Writing good code is hard, writing a good analysis is harder. Peer-review is an essential tool to...
over a year ago
Writing good code is hard, writing a good analysis is harder. Peer-review is an essential tool to fight repetitive errors, omissions and…
Rest of World -...
China’s EV giant BYD is picking up speed in Jordan
How Jordan became a battleground for Chinese EVs.
a year ago
How Jordan became a battleground for Chinese EVs.
Rest of World -...
Writers and publishers in Singapore reject a government plan to train AI on their work
Singapore's literary community is pushing back against an official effort to train LLMs using their...
8 months ago
Singapore's literary community is pushing back against an official effort to train LLMs using their published works, part of a growing global resistance.
Business Brainstorms
The Buyer’s Pyramid, Unreasonable Hospitality, Boring Stuff that Works
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 “Has anyone made a good AI tool yet where I can load in...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Climbing the wrong hill
I know a brilliant young kid who graduated from college a year ago and now works at a large...
over a year ago
I know a brilliant young kid who graduated from college a year ago and now works at a large investment bank. He has decided he hates Wall…
Roberto Vitillo's...
Why you should measure tail latencies
The response times of your service can cost you dearly if left unchecked. Even when a small fraction...
over a year ago
The response times of your service can cost you dearly if left unchecked. Even when a small fraction of requests experiences extreme…
Steve Blank
Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2024 – Lessons Learned Presentations
We just finished our 9th annual Hacking for Defense class at Stanford. What a year. Hacking for...
6 months ago
We just finished our 9th annual Hacking for Defense class at Stanford. What a year. Hacking for Defense, now in 60 universities, has teams of students working to understand and help solve national security problems. At Stanford this quarter the 8 teams of 40 students collectively...
Rest of World -...
How Apple’s India gamble paid off
India’s growing middle class is fueling a billion-dollar sales surge.
5 months ago
India’s growing middle class is fueling a billion-dollar sales surge.
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....
Varun's Notes
You Should Watch More Canceled TV Shows
An argument against the Lindy Effect. How can we sample from the long tail?
over a year ago
An argument against the Lindy Effect. How can we sample from the long tail?
Platformer
Reddit doubles down
Delaying its API changes would benefit everyone — but users have other options, too
a year ago
Delaying its API changes would benefit everyone — but users have other options, too
cdixon.org RSS Feed
A few points about the “tech bubble” debate
Pretty much every day now a major blog or newspaper writes an article asking whether we are...
over a year ago
Pretty much every day now a major blog or newspaper writes an article asking whether we are experiencing another tech bubble (e.g. see today…
Internal Tech Emails
Sundar's meeting with Tim
Tim’s overall message to Google was “I imagine us as being able to be deep deep partners; deeply...
a year ago
Tim’s overall message to Google was “I imagine us as being able to be deep deep partners; deeply connected where our services end and yours begin and sees no natural impediment to us doing more together. Knows there is a past but doesn’t feel encumbered by it and wants to figure...
Tech + Economics +...
OpenSea slashes NFT marketplace staff by 50%
OpenSea, the prominent NFT marketplace startup, has laid off about half
of its staff, the...
a year ago
OpenSea, the prominent NFT marketplace startup, has laid off about half
of its staff, the company confirmed to Decrypt on Friday.
A company representative told Decrypt that approximately 50% of
employees were impacted across the company. The company would not
...
Stephen Diehl
FTX: Greed, Grift and Grandiosity
over a year ago
Business Brainstorms
Hiring a geo-guesser, change merchants, one distribution channel is all it takes
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 “request for service: roast my onboarding for SaaS...
Dustin Curtis
Luxury for everyone: thoughts on Vision Pro and Apple's DNA
In 2009, Microsoft released an enormous 200lb coffee table with an embedded 30-inch touchscreen...
7 months ago
In 2009, Microsoft released an enormous 200lb coffee table with an embedded 30-inch touchscreen called Surface. Although the iPhone had been around for a little while, the larger screen made Surface feel absolutely futuristic: in the Photos app, you could toss around pictures...
Nothing Human
Prayer over a new smartphone
Hello, phone. For many years, starting today, you will be my most loyal companion and my most...
a year ago
Hello, phone. For many years, starting today, you will be my most loyal companion and my most treasured possession. I will feel your weight in my pocket every moment of every day, a presence as constant as my breath. The muscles and bones of my hand, arm, and shoulder will deform...
Internal Tech Emails
Mark Zuckerberg: "speed and strategy"
One way to make sure we can move quickly is for everyone to understand our strategy behind the major...
a year ago
One way to make sure we can move quickly is for everyone to understand our strategy behind the major product areas we're working on. I've tried to summarize some of the key ones here.
Noahpinion
Europe's fate is in Germany's hands now
That's a scary thought, but not for the reason it used to be.
5 months ago
That's a scary thought, but not for the reason it used to be.
Rest of World -...
Technology is transforming the deadly voyage from Cuba to Florida
From Havana to Key West on a surfboard and a cellphone.
a year ago
From Havana to Key West on a surfboard and a cellphone.
David Perell
Coolest Things I Learned in 2020
This is a collection of the most popular ideas I shared in 2020.
The post Coolest Things I Learned...
over a year ago
This is a collection of the most popular ideas I shared in 2020.
The post Coolest Things I Learned in 2020 appeared first on David Perell.
Paul Graham: Essays
Disconnecting Distraction
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
Two trophies, one meme
How the World Cup and the Golden Globes united Argentina through a single viral image.
a year ago
How the World Cup and the Golden Globes united Argentina through a single viral image.
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
🛳️ Cruise hustles
5 months ago
Noahpinion
Maximum Canada is happening
Canada has a nation-building population strategy. Does America?
a year ago
Canada has a nation-building population strategy. Does America?
Folklore.org:...
Joining Apple Computer
Reflections on the 40th anniversary of my joining Apple
a year ago
Reflections on the 40th anniversary of my joining Apple
Noahpinion
2023 is when the empires strike back
Cold War 2 won't be decided by the opening moves.
a year ago
Cold War 2 won't be decided by the opening moves.
haseeb qureshi
DeFi in Eth2: Cities, suburbs, and farms
Ethereum today is incredibly congested—it’s even more congested now than it was during the height of...
over a year ago
Ethereum today is incredibly congested—it’s even more congested now than it was during the height of the ICO bubble.
This is impressive, but also worrying! Ethereum 2.0 is still a ways away, but the tiny island of Ethereum 1.0 is already populated to the point of...
Rest of World -...
Bringing the Philippines’ beloved mom-and-pop stores into the 21st century
Local startups are working to digitize sari-sari shops, or convenience stores, which are a large...
5 months ago
Local startups are working to digitize sari-sari shops, or convenience stores, which are a large part of the Philippine retail industry.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The inevitable showdown between Twitter and Twitter apps
People usually think of business competition as occurring between substitutes – products that serve...
over a year ago
People usually think of business competition as occurring between substitutes – products that serve similar functions for the user. Famous…
David Perell
Rob Henderson: An Internet Academic
Rob Henderson is one of my favorite up-and-coming writers. I like him because he’s one of those...
over a year ago
Rob Henderson is one of my favorite up-and-coming writers. I like him because he’s one of those people who doesn’t fit into a category. He’s a Ph.D. candidate in psychology, but I met him in a book club about technological stagnation. He’s spent years in the academy, first at...
Noahpinion
Real estate is China's economic Achilles heel
It's the country's biggest engine of growth an employment, financial asset, and source of government...
a year ago
It's the country's biggest engine of growth an employment, financial asset, and source of government revenue.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Being friendly has become a competitive advantage in VC
Over the last decade or two, the supply of venture capital dollars has increased dramatically at the...
over a year ago
Over the last decade or two, the supply of venture capital dollars has increased dramatically at the same time as the cost of building tech…
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
2 weeks ago
The West may lose out in the talent race amid U.S. national security and immigration hurdles
Steve Blank
Save the Date! the 5th Lean Innovation Educators Summit
SAVE THE DATE for the 5th Lean Innovation Educators Summit on The Role of Educators and the...
over a year ago
SAVE THE DATE for the 5th Lean Innovation Educators Summit on The Role of Educators and the University in Building Sustainable and Innovative Ecosystems February 3rd, 2022 from 1 to 4pm EST, 10 to 1pm PST Join me, Jerry Engel, Pete Newell, and Steve Weinstein as well as educators...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Is now a good time to start a company?
Back in 2006, my co-founder at Hunch, Caterina Fake, wrote a blog post called “It’s a bad time to...
over a year ago
Back in 2006, my co-founder at Hunch, Caterina Fake, wrote a blog post called “It’s a bad time to start a company.” There were no doubt…
AVC
The New York Tech Sector
The New York Times had a piece yesterday suggesting that tech will no longer be a growth engine for...
a year ago
The New York Times had a piece yesterday suggesting that tech will no longer be a growth engine for NYC and the surrounding metro area as it has been for the last twenty years. I am not going to link to the piece because it is behind a paywall but if you want to read […]
Rest of World -...
Amazon launched a program for Indian handicrafts. Local artisans say it’s not working
Makers say Amazon Karigar has failed to distinguish their crafts from mass-produced items.
2 months ago
Makers say Amazon Karigar has failed to distinguish their crafts from mass-produced items.
Rest of World -...
A beauty contest controversy turned Uber into an unlikely battlefield between Nigeria and South...
Bolt has suspended inter-country requests between South Africa and Nigeria as users book hoax rides...
4 months ago
Bolt has suspended inter-country requests between South Africa and Nigeria as users book hoax rides to prank drivers.
Rest of World -...
Apple suppliers are scrambling to fill over 40,000 jobs in Vietnam
Foxconn and Luxshare slashed workers. But under pressure to expand away from China, they suddenly...
a year ago
Foxconn and Luxshare slashed workers. But under pressure to expand away from China, they suddenly need them back.
Rest of World -...
When EV startups shut down, will their cars still work?
As Chinese EV makers close, drivers of “smartphones on wheels” say software updates and maintenance...
4 months ago
As Chinese EV makers close, drivers of “smartphones on wheels” say software updates and maintenance are in jeopardy.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
We're Watching Facebook Die
In the first quarter of 2024, Meta made $36.45 billion dollars - $12.37 billion dollars of which was...
7 months ago
In the first quarter of 2024, Meta made $36.45 billion dollars - $12.37 billion dollars of which was pure profit. Though the company no longer reports daily active users, it now uses another metric: “family daily active people.” This number refers to “registered and logged-in
David Perell
Sensitivity Isn’t Static
The sensitivity of our senses ebbs and flows. If you’re looking to be more perceptive, start by...
a year ago
The sensitivity of our senses ebbs and flows. If you’re looking to be more perceptive, start by changing your environment.
The post Sensitivity Isn’t Static appeared first on David Perell.
Platformer
How BeReal missed its moment
To become the next big social app, competitors have to move faster
a year ago
To become the next big social app, competitors have to move faster
Essays - Benedict...
Metabrand
Has Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook, or rebranded VR? What is the
metaverse? And can any...
over a year ago
Has Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook, or rebranded VR? What is the
metaverse? And can any company decide to build the future anymore?
Nadia Asparouhova
Understanding science funding in tech, 2011-2021
For those who sit between science and tech, it’s hard not to notice the proliferation of new...
over a year ago
For those who sit between science and tech, it’s hard not to notice the proliferation of new initiatives launched in the last two years, aimed at making major improvements in the life sciences especially.
While I don’t have a science background, nor any personal relationship to...
Data Boutique
Web Data Is A Commodity And Needs A Marketplace To Grow
The Advantages Of Central Markets
a year ago
The Advantages Of Central Markets
Rest of World -...
How Careem went from Pakistan’s ride-hailing leader to stuck on the sidelines
After falling from dominance, Careem is experimenting — from corporate rides to price bidding — to...
7 months ago
After falling from dominance, Careem is experimenting — from corporate rides to price bidding — to maintain its presence in Pakistan.
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…
Roberto's blog
Conquer dev environments with Nix
I regularly use different devices with different OSs, such as a MacBook, a Windows desktop with WSL,...
7 months ago
I regularly use different devices with different OSs, such as a MacBook, a Windows desktop with WSL, a couple of Raspberry PIs, and so on. I have a bunch of tools I like to have at my fingertips when I log into a machine, like fd and Neovim. Setting up and maintaining the same...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Man and superman
There are two broad philosophical approaches to explaining the forces that drive world events. The...
over a year ago
There are two broad philosophical approaches to explaining the forces that drive world events. The first one is sometimes called the Great…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“PCs are going to be like trucks”
Steve Jobs in 2010: When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks because that’s what you...
over a year ago
Steve Jobs in 2010: When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks because that’s what you needed on the farms. Cars became more…
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.
Data Boutique
How Data Boutique Works #2: Volume Discounts
The volume-related pricing system explained
9 months ago
The volume-related pricing system explained
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Google’s feature creep
Microsoft used to be considered the king of feature creep. Here was Microsoft Word when it was most...
over a year ago
Microsoft used to be considered the king of feature creep. Here was Microsoft Word when it was most cluttered: I don’t use any of…
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...
10 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,...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some problems are so hard they need to be solved piece by piece
Andrew Parker had a great post a few years ago where he sketched out all the startups going after...
over a year ago
Andrew Parker had a great post a few years ago where he sketched out all the startups going after pieces of Craigslist: Startups that have…
Noahpinion
Interview: Dan Wang, China specialist
We talk about China's economy, decoupling, export controls, industrial policy, state control, and...
a year ago
We talk about China's economy, decoupling, export controls, industrial policy, state control, and lots more.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Noahpinion
Heat pumps, heat pumps, heat pumps!!
A simple but incredibly useful machine is quietly transforming our buildings.
a year ago
A simple but incredibly useful machine is quietly transforming our buildings.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
Silicon Valley's False Prophet
The tech industry has craved a messiah since the death of Steve Jobs, but in OpenAI CEO Sam Altman...
6 months ago
The tech industry has craved a messiah since the death of Steve Jobs, but in OpenAI CEO Sam Altman they’ve discovered more of a false prophet — a seedy grifter that uses his remarkable ability to impress and manipulate Silicon Valley’s elite to mask a total
Platformer
YouTube restores Trump
Meta explained its Trump decision in full. YouTube went another direction
a year ago
Meta explained its Trump decision in full. YouTube went another direction
Noahpinion
Bank weakness is how our economy cools off
Not polycrisis, but stabilization.
a year ago
Not polycrisis, but stabilization.
Folklore.org:...
Eulogy for Brian
Eulogy for Brian Howard, Macintosh hero, 1944-2010
a year ago
Eulogy for Brian Howard, Macintosh hero, 1944-2010
Rest of World -...
The role of trust in building fintech for Africa
Yanmo Omorogbe of Nigerian wealth management firm Bamboo talks about navigating government...
5 months ago
Yanmo Omorogbe of Nigerian wealth management firm Bamboo talks about navigating government regulations and the role of longevity.
Rest of World -...
India’s plan to export its wildly successful digital payments system
After starting cross-border payments with Singapore, India is now setting up more international...
a year ago
After starting cross-border payments with Singapore, India is now setting up more international partnerships.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why you shouldn’t keep your startup idea secret
A frequent question entrepreneurs have when they are just starting their company is: how secretive...
over a year ago
A frequent question entrepreneurs have when they are just starting their company is: how secretive should I be about my idea? My answer…
Essays - Benedict...
TV, merchant media and the unbundling of advertising
Amazon’s ad business is bigger than YouTube and more profitable than AWS.
Shein is the biggest...
over a year ago
Amazon’s ad business is bigger than YouTube and more profitable than AWS.
Shein is the biggest fast-fashion retailer in the US, with no stores. US
pay TV subscribers have fallen by a third. Where do ad budgets go, where
does rent go, and how many brands will there be?
Business Brainstorms
Designjoy of Canva, password manager for seniors, Future of SaaS in the wild world of AI, ...
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 “Business idea: “The Designjoy of Canva” - Lower priced...
Noahpinion
Thoughts on techno-optimism
What it means to me, and why I support it.
a year ago
What it means to me, and why I support it.
SatPost by Trung...
David Tran and Sriracha's $1B+ Journey
How a Vietnamese-Chinese refugee took a Southeast Asian recipe and turned it into a $1B hot sauce...
a month ago
How a Vietnamese-Chinese refugee took a Southeast Asian recipe and turned it into a $1B hot sauce brand.
SatPost by Trung...
8 Lessons from "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
What Larry David's legendary sitcom can teach about creativity and work.
11 months ago
What Larry David's legendary sitcom can teach about creativity and work.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
The Shareholder Supremacy
I promise you, everything that's happening makes sense. It all feels so chaotic, so utterly,...
6 months ago
I promise you, everything that's happening makes sense. It all feels so chaotic, so utterly, offensively stupid, so disconnected from reality that it's hard to understand how Meta can run a terrible company with decaying services that's also wildly profitable, or how Meta,...
Aaron's Essays
A framework for choosing what to do
A year ago, I left YC and felt a bit lost about what to do next.[1] A lot of people were pretty sure...
over a year ago
A year ago, I left YC and felt a bit lost about what to do next.[1] A lot of people were pretty sure they knew what I should do. But...I didn't and most of their suggestions didn’t excite me.
As I thought through my possible paths, I realized that I didn't have a useful framework...
Rest of World -...
How translator-influencers bring banned foreign videos onto China’s internet
On social media platform Weibo, influencers curate, translate, and edit content from the outside...
a year ago
On social media platform Weibo, influencers curate, translate, and edit content from the outside world.
tomcritchlow.com
A Lil' Website Refresh
Welcome to tomcritchlow.com version…. 19? 25? Honestly there have been so many iterations over the...
9 months ago
Welcome to tomcritchlow.com version…. 19? 25? Honestly there have been so many iterations over the years who even knows. The point is there’s a new coat of paint.
David Perell
Where the Liberal Arts Went Wrong
We’ve lost touch with the ultimate purpose of education: to transform our being and improve our...
a year ago
We’ve lost touch with the ultimate purpose of education: to transform our being and improve our character. The liberal arts are the ends, not the means.
The post Where the Liberal Arts Went Wrong appeared first on David Perell.
Internal Tech Emails
Facebook vs. TikTok | Elon Musk emails Tesla's board
Today we see a shift towards social media products serving as “discovery engines.”
over a year ago
Today we see a shift towards social media products serving as “discovery engines.”
Business Brainstorms
Madden ratings for humans, power plus difficulty equals virality, and things that don't work
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! 💡 Madden Ratings for Humans “startup idea: madden ratings for humans if...
Platformer
Google goes to court
On the eve of a major antitrust trial — and its 25th birthday — the company is bracing for a fight
a year ago
On the eve of a major antitrust trial — and its 25th birthday — the company is bracing for a fight
Raw Thought (from...
Fix the machine, not the person
over a year ago
Internal Tech Emails
Steve Jobs negotiates Apple's deal with Microsoft
Greg, Here is a review of the terms we last discussed, as well as some issues I have encountered....
over a year ago
Greg, Here is a review of the terms we last discussed, as well as some issues I have encountered. Please ping me to let me know that you received this email.
Essays - Benedict...
Ways to think about a metaverse
Your boss wants a metaverse strategy, but what would that be, and what does
metaverse even mean?...
over a year ago
Your boss wants a metaverse strategy, but what would that be, and what does
metaverse even mean? If we strip away the noise, what can we say about
this, and what can we predict?
AVC
The VC’s Customer
I saw Dan Primack assert that the venture capitalist’s customer is their limited partners in this...
a year ago
I saw Dan Primack assert that the venture capitalist’s customer is their limited partners in this tweet about the Citizen app, the recap, and their VCs: I DM’d Dan to let him know that is not the right way to think about the venture capital business. Back in 2005, in the early...
Rest of World -...
India’s election wasn’t the deepfake doomsday many feared
So far, AI-generated content has been more about trolling than information warfare.
7 months ago
So far, AI-generated content has been more about trolling than information warfare.
Data Boutique
Tracking Farfetch [Part 2]: Kering's Exit
A case study for web data
10 months ago
A case study for web data
Stephen Diehl
From Adjunctions to Monads
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
The startup working to teach AI about African history
There’s less historical material about Africa for AI to find online. Archivi.ng believes its work...
a year ago
There’s less historical material about Africa for AI to find online. Archivi.ng believes its work will change that.
Platformer
Elon Musk's creep show
Caught in a series of lies about his willingness to fight Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire's...
a year ago
Caught in a series of lies about his willingness to fight Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire's disturbing spiral accelerates
David Perell
Li Jin: Creating the Creator Economy
My guest today is Li Jin, the founder and managing partner at an early-stage venture capital...
over a year ago
My guest today is Li Jin, the founder and managing partner at an early-stage venture capital firm called Atelier. Before recording this introduction, I didn’t know what an atelier was, so I looked it up and it’s right on brand for Li: it’s defined as a workshop or a studio,...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Dow 10,000 and economic reflexivity
People who criticize Obama’s economic policies forget that, around the beginning of this year, a lot...
over a year ago
People who criticize Obama’s economic policies forget that, around the beginning of this year, a lot of serious people thought we were…
Rest of World -...
The apps were designed for home security. They’re being used to watch and harass domestic workers
Tiger Global-backed MyGate and Google-backed NoBrokerHood are digitizing social biases.
a year ago
Tiger Global-backed MyGate and Google-backed NoBrokerHood are digitizing social biases.
Rest of World -...
Why Nigerian filmmakers are skipping Netflix to go straight to YouTube
Filmmakers say YouTube prevents piracy and is more accessible than Netflix, Prime Video, and...
a year ago
Filmmakers say YouTube prevents piracy and is more accessible than Netflix, Prime Video, and Showmax.
Noahpinion
Why the U.S. should fight Cold War 2
And what it means to "fight" in this case.
a year ago
And what it means to "fight" in this case.
SatPost by Trung...
The Concorde Jet vs. Boeing 747
PLUS: The Matrix's 25th Anniversary.
9 months ago
PLUS: The Matrix's 25th Anniversary.
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.
Noahpinion
Let's evaluate Kamala Harris' entire economic policy program!
Fun!!
3 months ago
Rest of World -...
The TikTok ban is bigger than just ByteDance
The U.S. clampdown on Chinese-owned companies won't end here.
8 months ago
The U.S. clampdown on Chinese-owned companies won't end here.
Rest of World -...
The Book of Unexpected
Make way for the robot elephants: Technology is providing surprising updates to long-standing...
3 months ago
Make way for the robot elephants: Technology is providing surprising updates to long-standing traditions.
AVC
Helium Mobile
USV has been an investor in the Helium network since 2019. I have always loved the idea of using...
a year ago
USV has been an investor in the Helium network since 2019. I have always loved the idea of using web3 technologies to let consumers to “peer produce” a communications network creating a people-powered network. Helium started out powering communications between low-power “Internet...
Throwable
AI is Coming for Software Engineers (I'm a Software Engineer)
There seems to be a lot of AI anxiety across professions and I'm here to tell you that no one should...
a year ago
There seems to be a lot of AI anxiety across professions and I'm here to tell you that no one should worry as much as software engineers.
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things to start your week (#23)
SF's Market Street debacle, the debate over real wages, why U.S. growth has gotten smoother, TikTok...
a year ago
SF's Market Street debacle, the debate over real wages, why U.S. growth has gotten smoother, TikTok as a propaganda engine, and California homelessness
Working Theorys
Tattoo Decisions
On making opinionated commitments
5 months ago
On making opinionated commitments
AVC
Machine Learning and Schools
I read last week that the NYC Department of Education has banned ChatGPT from its networks and...
a year ago
I read last week that the NYC Department of Education has banned ChatGPT from its networks and devices. I understand that reaction and mentioned the issues that AI/ML create for educators in a post a few weeks ago. I attended a dinner this past week with USV portfolio founders...
Rest of World -...
Stability AI’s plan to counter AI’s Silicon Valley’s bias
“It’d be dystopian if all AI systems had the values of a 35-year-old male in San Francisco.”
a year ago
“It’d be dystopian if all AI systems had the values of a 35-year-old male in San Francisco.”
Paul Graham: Essays
The Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn
over a year ago
Unpacked
NVIDIA Explained: Origins, GPUs and AI stock bump | EP8
NVIDIA has seen their valuation 5x over the last 5 years and is now worth more than $2 trillion. In...
9 months ago
NVIDIA has seen their valuation 5x over the last 5 years and is now worth more than $2 trillion. In the latest episode, we dive a few layers deep into the company. We start with the origin of the company and the launch of their first GPU in 1999 which unlocked several...
Rest of World -...
The obscure social media app beloved by China’s tech scene
Jike might be the most important social network in Chinese tech.
a year ago
Jike might be the most important social network in Chinese tech.
Working Theorys
Don't Build a Social Network, Build a Social Utility | Theory No. 21
We often think of “social products” as synonymous with “social networks,” but they’re not. Social...
a year ago
We often think of “social products” as synonymous with “social networks,” but they’re not. Social networks are just a subset of social products, though arguably the most popular and lucrative kind that we’ve become used to hearing about. But I think it’s the wrong time to build a...
Stephen Diehl
The Simple English Argument Against Crypto
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
A former fish farmer’s startup is flourishing during a tech downturn
Gibran Huzaifah’s eFishery made a case for tech companies solving rural issues.
a year ago
Gibran Huzaifah’s eFishery made a case for tech companies solving rural issues.
Tech + Economics +...
The eternal victimhood of the right-wing mind.
The right-wing has become obsessed with what they term the 'Victimhood
Olympics.' Conservative...
a year ago
The right-wing has become obsessed with what they term the 'Victimhood
Olympics.' Conservative politicians and pundits have made a cottage
industry out of the idea that progressives indulge in a competitive display
of grievances, vying for the spotlight of sympathy and the...
Rest of World -...
A horrific video sparks a national reckoning in India
The northeastern state of Manipur has plunged into violence since May as the two major ethnic groups...
a year ago
The northeastern state of Manipur has plunged into violence since May as the two major ethnic groups fight over identity, land, and influence.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some lessons learned
Note: Google was kind enough to invite me to give a short talk at their Zeitgeist conference earlier...
over a year ago
Note: Google was kind enough to invite me to give a short talk at their Zeitgeist conference earlier this week. It was a really interesting…
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?...
Steve Blank
Secret History – When Kodak Went to War with Polaroid
This part 2 of the Secret History of Polaroid and Edwin Land. Read part 1 for context. Kodak and...
7 months ago
This part 2 of the Secret History of Polaroid and Edwin Land. Read part 1 for context. Kodak and Polaroid, the two most famous camera companies of the 20th century, had a great partnership for 20+ years. Then in an inexplicable turnabout Kodak decided to destroy Polaroid’s...
David Perell
Surrendering to Your Nature
A mark of maturity is surrendering to the person you actually are instead of the one you wish you...
a year ago
A mark of maturity is surrendering to the person you actually are instead of the one you wish you were.
The post Surrendering to Your Nature appeared first on David Perell.
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...
Paul Graham: Essays
The Four Quadrants of Conformism
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The tradeoff between open and closed
When having the “open vs closed” debate regarding a technology platform, a number of distinctions...
over a year ago
When having the “open vs closed” debate regarding a technology platform, a number of distinctions need to be made. First, what exactly is…
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
#1 💡 Massviews Analysis is a super useful free tool to identify niche trends, whether you’re trying...
11 months ago
#1 💡 Massviews Analysis is a super useful free tool to identify niche trends, whether you’re trying to research content ideas or doing research on business opportunities. You can put in any Wikipedia category, and it will show you what pages inside that category are most...
tomcritchlow.com
LinkedIn is not a social or professional network, it's a learning network
The world of work is changing.
9 months ago
The world of work is changing.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Plans are nothing, but planning is indispensable
It is widely believed that writing a business plan is a waste of time, because: 1) very few people...
over a year ago
It is widely believed that writing a business plan is a waste of time, because: 1) very few people will read it, and 2) you’ll end up…