cdixon.org RSS Feed
"There's no way to tell where the border is between measurement and manipulation"
Jaron Lanier discussing whether machine learning systems like Netflix recommendations, Facebook's...
over a year ago
Jaron Lanier discussing whether machine learning systems like Netflix recommendations, Facebook's newsfeed, Google search etc are…
Noahpinion
Is the West falling behind in science?
China is now the leader in applied physical sciences. How can the U.S. and its allies catch up?
6 months ago
China is now the leader in applied physical sciences. How can the U.S. and its allies catch up?
Platformer
How the Brazil riots change Facebook's Trump equation
After a new string of riots against democracy, let's game out whether Meta should restore the former...
a year ago
After a new string of riots against democracy, let's game out whether Meta should restore the former president's account
Ed Zitron's Where's...
Monopoly Money
Last week, in the midst of the slow, painful collapse of the generative AI hype cycle, something...
4 months ago
Last week, in the midst of the slow, painful collapse of the generative AI hype cycle, something incredible happened.
On Monday, a Federal Judge delivered a crushing ruling in the multi-year-long antitrust case filed against Google by the Department of Justice. In 300-pages of...
Rest of World -...
How an economic crisis shifted Sri Lanka’s e-commerce industry
Rakhil Fernando of Daraz talks about how the company had to shift its focus from lifestyle products...
a year ago
Rakhil Fernando of Daraz talks about how the company had to shift its focus from lifestyle products to essentials.
Noahpinion
Western leftists have lost the plot
Gleeful support for the massacre of innocents is simply inhumane.
a year ago
Gleeful support for the massacre of innocents is simply inhumane.
David Perell
The Paradoxes of Modern Life
The Paradox of Reading: The books you read will profoundly change you even though you’ll forget the...
over a year ago
The Paradox of Reading: The books you read will profoundly change you even though you’ll forget the vast majority of what you read. The Paradox of Writing: Great writing looks effortless. But because the ideas are so clear, casual readers don’t appreciate how much time it took to...
Ed Zitron's Where's...
OpenAI Is A Bad Business
OpenAI, a non-profit AI company that will lose anywhere from $4 billion to $5 billion this year,...
2 months ago
OpenAI, a non-profit AI company that will lose anywhere from $4 billion to $5 billion this year, will at some point in the next six or so months convert into a for-profit AI company, at which point it will continue to lose money in exactly the same way. Shortly after
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.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Noahpinion
The dark vision of America
Persecuting groups of people to score political points is not OK.
3 months ago
Persecuting groups of people to score political points is not OK.
AVC
Threads
Like tens of millions of others, I downloaded Threads onto my phone yesterday and signed up. The...
a year ago
Like tens of millions of others, I downloaded Threads onto my phone yesterday and signed up. The thing that Twitter has been missing since it killed off its ecosystem over a decade ago is competition. And as we all know, lack of competition is a very bad thing. In governments and...
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.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Rest of World -...
The entrepreneur trying to make thrifting truly eco-friendly with AI
Nofal Khan is the co-founder and CEO of Swag Kicks, one of Pakistan’s largest online thrift...
7 months ago
Nofal Khan is the co-founder and CEO of Swag Kicks, one of Pakistan’s largest online thrift platforms.
Working Theorys
Weekend Theorys No. 3
Books as athleisure, Twitter/X goes Substack, and oh yeah, Apple's Vision Pro
10 months ago
Books as athleisure, Twitter/X goes Substack, and oh yeah, Apple's Vision Pro
Tech + Economics +...
AI does not produce reliable information. As Donald Trump's lawyer has fucked around and found out.
Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, used
an artificial...
11 months ago
Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, used
an artificial intelligence program to generate bogus legal citations in his
motion for early termination of his supervised release.
Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for...
Platformer
Meta unspools Threads
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri on the company's big new swing at Twitter
a year ago
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri on the company's big new swing at Twitter
Rest of World -...
Meta is training its AI with public Instagram posts. Artists in Latin America can’t opt out
Latin America lacks robust data protection laws that would allow Meta users in the region to...
5 months ago
Latin America lacks robust data protection laws that would allow Meta users in the region to prohibit the company from using their content.
Business Brainstorms
A/B QR, how to run a business, airport rides, high-growth Asia-Pacific companies, lessons from Keith...
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 “i want to go to a doctor that will run every single...
Ed Zitron's Where's...
CrowdStruck
Soundtrack: EL-P - Tasmanian Pain Coaster (feat. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Cedric Bixler-Zavala)
When I...
5 months ago
Soundtrack: EL-P - Tasmanian Pain Coaster (feat. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Cedric Bixler-Zavala)
When I first began writing this newsletter, I didn't really have a goal, or a "theme," or anything that could neatly characterize what I was going to write about other than that I was
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Always have 18 months of cash in the bank
I was once told by an experienced entrepreneur (I can’t remember who) to always have at least 18...
over a year ago
I was once told by an experienced entrepreneur (I can’t remember who) to always have at least 18 months of cash in the bank. The logic…
Rest of World -...
Scan to donate: Brazil’s instant digital payment system brings relief to flood victims
As flooding battered the country, Pix became the most popular way to send and receive aid — and a...
6 months ago
As flooding battered the country, Pix became the most popular way to send and receive aid — and a target for scammers.
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…
Roberto Vitillo's...
Leader election best practices
Sometimes a single process in a system needs to have special powers, like being the only one that...
over a year ago
Sometimes a single process in a system needs to have special powers, like being the only one that can access a shared resource or assign…
Rest of World -...
Download this: The world’s favorite apps
Test your knowledge of the world’s most popular social media sites, dating apps, gaming platforms,...
4 months ago
Test your knowledge of the world’s most popular social media sites, dating apps, gaming platforms, and more.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
The Descent of Elon Musk
Money can't buy happiness, but it can get you pretty damn close. As the second richest man alive, ...
8 months ago
Money can't buy happiness, but it can get you pretty damn close. As the second richest man alive, Elon Musk should be rolling electric coal down Rodeo Drive in a cybertruck, smugly aware of the fact that, despite what the haters say, he's kind of
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Bitcoin and volatility
The beauty of software platforms is that you can solve almost any problem by writing more software....
over a year ago
The beauty of software platforms is that you can solve almost any problem by writing more software. For example, one of the most common…
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
#1 💡 In my university days everyone had to attend a workshop on stress management. The one golden...
10 months ago
#1 💡 In my university days everyone had to attend a workshop on stress management. The one golden nugget I took away from it is that stress is 100% a framing issue. You only feel stressed when you think you can't handle it. Absolutely nothing wrong with a full calendar, juggling...
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 -...
Anxious and online, Chinese youth embrace spirituality apps
Young Chinese people are hiring online tarot readers and feng shui masters to seek cheap therapy.
a year ago
Young Chinese people are hiring online tarot readers and feng shui masters to seek cheap therapy.
Rest of World -...
19 books to read in 2023
Rest of World's staff favorites, from around the globe to add to your must-read pile.
a year ago
Rest of World's staff favorites, from around the globe to add to your must-read pile.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Rest of World -...
The church of Roblox: How young Filipino Catholics are building more inclusive spaces
Though not officially sanctioned, the role-playing clergy encourage young people to go deeper into...
6 months ago
Though not officially sanctioned, the role-playing clergy encourage young people to go deeper into their faith while providing a safe space for queer Catholics.
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
Hardware startups
For a long time, entrepreneurs and investors shied away from hardware. This seems to be changing. As...
over a year ago
For a long time, entrepreneurs and investors shied away from hardware. This seems to be changing. As Paul Graham says, there are many…
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?
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The product lens
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the markets for startup financing. Many of the...
over a year ago
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the markets for startup financing. Many of the discussions use words like “valuations…
Unpacked
Twitter Pays Creators: The Momentum Towards Revenue Sharing
Amidst fierce platform competition, creators stand to gain a lot from the emergence of...
a year ago
Amidst fierce platform competition, creators stand to gain a lot from the emergence of revenue-sharing programs
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Noahpinion
Why did the U.S. miss the battery revolution?
We were early to the party on every other technological revolution, but we missed this one.
4 months ago
We were early to the party on every other technological revolution, but we missed this one.
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
🙈 Copying doesn’t matter
a month ago
Rest of World -...
Scammers are cashing in on Worldcoin’s chaotic Kenya launch
Without a cash withdrawal option, Kenyans are turning to the country’s informal crypto economy — and...
a year ago
Without a cash withdrawal option, Kenyans are turning to the country’s informal crypto economy — and some are losing their coins in the process.
Tech + Economics +...
The unchecked rise of theocracy will extinguish liberal democracy.
As a transgender woman, under any form of populist theocracy, my existence
would be illegal. This...
a year ago
As a transgender woman, under any form of populist theocracy, my existence
would be illegal. This is the reality of governance by faith-based
doctrine. And it's a reality that cannot be allowed to spread.
Religious freedom is a cornerstone of liberal democracy. Individuals...
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.
Working Theorys
Second Nature Skills
What can you do without trying that hard?
4 months ago
What can you do without trying that hard?
Noahpinion
Repost: Someone has to run the fabs
Egalitarianism is important but we neglect STEM education at our peril
a year ago
Egalitarianism is important but we neglect STEM education at our peril
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…
Working Theorys
Placeholders for Life
Life is not a dress rehearsal
9 months ago
Life is not a dress rehearsal
Tech + Economics +...
“Walking meetings” are not going to bring people back to the office.
Joy Adan, senior thought leadership manager at Reward Gateway, an
Australian human resource...
a year ago
Joy Adan, senior thought leadership manager at Reward Gateway, an
Australian human resource consulting company, said that connecting with
co-workers and building those relationships were a critical part of
work and should not be trivialised.
“Coffee badging...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Gadgets and Computers
From Benedict Evans’ Cars as Feature Phones: This is a common theme in many classes of device: you...
over a year ago
From Benedict Evans’ Cars as Feature Phones: This is a common theme in many classes of device: you start with a product that has a few…
Noahpinion
Try patriotism
A repost, with some updates.
8 months ago
A repost, with some updates.
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?
SatPost by Trung...
How Hermès Sells "Time"
The ~$250B French luxury giant creates the most sought after leather bags through craftsmanship,...
10 months ago
The ~$250B French luxury giant creates the most sought after leather bags through craftsmanship, heritage and long-term thinking.
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...
Internal Tech Emails
Tim Cook's notes | Steve Jobs emails himself
We made a fundamental error with the launch. Normal fan base focused on iPhone XS/XS Max. Momentum...
over a year ago
We made a fundamental error with the launch. Normal fan base focused on iPhone XS/XS Max. Momentum from event wasn’t sustained. Didn’t need to be last year but in retrospect we should have done more to keep the buzz going.
David Perell
How I’ve Studied the Bible
Years ago, I realized that the Bible is the foundational book of Western civilization. If I was...
11 months ago
Years ago, I realized that the Bible is the foundational book of Western civilization. If I was going to be an educated person, I needed to know what it said.
The post How I’ve Studied the Bible appeared first on David Perell.
tomcritchlow.com
How do You Cultivate Customer-Centric Executives?
summary
The answer is that the most successful companies have a key executive who is...
9 months ago
summary
The answer is that the most successful companies have a key executive who is customer-centric - someone who has a rich mental model for what customers want and is able to step into the customer's shoes.
I theorize that beyond a culture of being customer-centric it's the...
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.
SatPost by Trung...
Beware value capture
Tech apps influence our behaviour through metrics. Don't follow them blindly.
11 months ago
Tech apps influence our behaviour through metrics. Don't follow them blindly.
AVC
Subscribing To AVC
For many years, there were three ways to subscribe to AVC: 1/ Email – Get new posts delivered to...
a year ago
For many years, there were three ways to subscribe to AVC: 1/ Email – Get new posts delivered to your inbox 2/ RSS – Get new posts delivered to your RSS reader 3/ X – Follow AVC on X X revoked the API access that I was using to autopost three or four months ago. […]
Noahpinion
Is immigration raising rents in America?
No, but in a few big cities it might be.
a year ago
No, but in a few big cities it might be.
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 -...
Meet the “digital parents” giving millions in China a vision of family love they never had
Creators Jiang Xiuping and Pan Huqian, a viral Douyin duo, act as fictional parents, providing...
7 months ago
Creators Jiang Xiuping and Pan Huqian, a viral Douyin duo, act as fictional parents, providing solace to young adults and adolescents amidst economic inequalities and a scarcity of mental health support in China.
Rest of World -...
Fake Russian influencers are going viral on Chinese social media
They are bolstered by growing pro-Russia, nationalist sentiment on the Chinese internet.
a year ago
They are bolstered by growing pro-Russia, nationalist sentiment on the Chinese internet.
Tom Blomfield
Peter Nixey: Cook something or get out of the kitchen
Peter Nixey: Cook something or get out of the kitchen:
peternixey:
I seem to have a lot of...
over a year ago
Peter Nixey: Cook something or get out of the kitchen:
peternixey:
I seem to have a lot of conversations recently with people who find themselves in the kitchen but without the means to cook anything.
As a cook myself they often ask me how to go about finding themselves a chef...
David Perell
Trevor Bauer: Playing Professional Baseball
My guest today is Trevor Bauer, who is arguably the very best pitcher in Major League Baseball. In...
over a year ago
My guest today is Trevor Bauer, who is arguably the very best pitcher in Major League Baseball. In 2020, he had the lowest Earned Run Average of any pitcher and won the National League Cy Young Award, which goes to the top pitcher in the game. I wanted to interview Trevor not...
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.
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...
Noahpinion
The economics of "Rich Men North of Richmond"
It made some good points, and some not-so-good points.
a year ago
It made some good points, and some not-so-good points.
Tech + Economics +...
Portfolio careers are the future of work.
The traditional idea of sticking to one career path for life, once seen as the golden standard of...
a year ago
The traditional idea of sticking to one career path for life, once seen as the golden standard of work success, is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Now, we're moving towards the paradigm of the "portfolio career."
Think of a portfolio career like a patchwork quilt of jobs....
Paul Graham: Essays
Six Principles for Making New Things
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
A changing tech landscape makes for weird birthdays online
As social media as we know it crumbles around us, birthday greetings have become the province of...
a year ago
As social media as we know it crumbles around us, birthday greetings have become the province of aunties and corporations.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
How Does OpenAI Survive?
Throughout the last year I’ve written in detail about the rot in tech — the spuriousness of...
4 months ago
Throughout the last year I’ve written in detail about the rot in tech — the spuriousness of charlatans looking to accumulate money and power, the desperation of the most powerful executives to maintain control and rapacious growth, and the speciousness of the latest hype cycle —...
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Stephen Diehl
Currency in the Age of Digitization
over a year ago
Working Theorys
Baseline Fame
When privilege becomes a pre-requisite.
7 months ago
When privilege becomes a pre-requisite.
Data Boutique
Economics of Web Data: ROI
Customer's Value Standpoint
a year ago
Customer's Value Standpoint
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
#1 💡 So simple yet so easy to overlook: Is whatever you’re putting out there actually attracting...
11 months ago
#1 💡 So simple yet so easy to overlook: Is whatever you’re putting out there actually attracting the kind of people you want to attract? If you focus on metrics alone, you will quickly find yourself with pretty numbers but little value. For example, you can easily
Noahpinion
Repost: Weebs!
Everything you didn't realize you wanted to know about the non-Japanese people who love Japanese pop...
a year ago
Everything you didn't realize you wanted to know about the non-Japanese people who love Japanese pop culture.
Rest of World -...
The capybara influencer revolt
A wildlife influencer’s famous capybara was confiscated by Brazilian authorities. A mass movement...
a year ago
A wildlife influencer’s famous capybara was confiscated by Brazilian authorities. A mass movement ensued.
Rest of World -...
Amazon and Walmart didn’t defeat India’s mom-and-pop stores. But rapid delivery might
Services like Blinkit and Zepto are estimated to put more than 25% of India’s neighborhood kirana...
a month ago
Services like Blinkit and Zepto are estimated to put more than 25% of India’s neighborhood kirana stores out of business by 2030.
Internal Tech Emails
Microsoft exec on the iPod: "Apple is just so far ahead"
I bought the high end creative labs portable player. It was the NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra. I have to...
over a year ago
I bought the high end creative labs portable player. It was the NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra. I have to tell you my experience with our software and this device is really terrible.
Rest of World -...
The Mexican senator building a plan for artificial intelligence
Alejandra Lagunes leads Mexico’s National Artificial Intelligence Alliance.
a year ago
Alejandra Lagunes leads Mexico’s National Artificial Intelligence Alliance.
SatPost by Trung...
Jim Simons and the Making of Renaissance Technologies
The philosophy and lessons behind "a moneymaking machine like no other" (with a cumulative trading...
7 months ago
The philosophy and lessons behind "a moneymaking machine like no other" (with a cumulative trading profit of $100B +).
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)
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things: Will of the Masses edition (#55)
Abandoning X; Drone world; Asian voters' rightward shift; China and the Global South; Polycrisis;...
6 days ago
Abandoning X; Drone world; Asian voters' rightward shift; China and the Global South; Polycrisis; Illegal immigration's fiscal impact; Iranian power
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 -...
Philippine chipmakers are embracing automation — and leaving low-skilled workers behind
Hundreds of workers at the Philippine unit of Nexperia threatened to go on strike over layoff fears,...
2 months ago
Hundreds of workers at the Philippine unit of Nexperia threatened to go on strike over layoff fears, a sign of growing discontent over automation in the industry.
Tech + Economics +...
WeWork files for bankruptcy amid office market downturn.
On Monday, Mr Neumann issued a statement saying the impending
bankruptcy was “disappointing”....
a year ago
On Monday, Mr Neumann issued a statement saying the impending
bankruptcy was “disappointing”. “It has been challenging for me to
watch from the sidelines since 2019 as WeWork has failed to take
advantage of a product that is more relevant today than ever before,”
...
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 -...
A preacher who moonlights as a cab driver is suing Uber and Bolt in Kenya
Zakaria Johana believes ride-hailing apps have been playing dirty, and is among a growing group...
a year ago
Zakaria Johana believes ride-hailing apps have been playing dirty, and is among a growing group taking them to court to prove it.
Rest of World -...
The AI project pushing local languages to replace French in Mali’s schools
RobotsMali uses ChatGPT, Google Translate, and other AI tools in hopes of helping young students...
9 months ago
RobotsMali uses ChatGPT, Google Translate, and other AI tools in hopes of helping young students learn faster and stay in school.
Internal Tech Emails
Apple execs on Facebook
On Jul 11, 2011, at 8:03 PM, Steve Jobs wrote: I agree - if we eliminate Fecebooks third proposal it...
a year ago
On Jul 11, 2011, at 8:03 PM, Steve Jobs wrote: I agree - if we eliminate Fecebooks third proposal it sounds reasonable.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Top 10 websites
Top 10 websites in the US according to Quantcast: A few observations: As Josh Kopelman points out,...
over a year ago
Top 10 websites in the US according to Quantcast: A few observations: As Josh Kopelman points out, 4 of the top 10 sites (YouTube, Facebook…
Platformer
It's time to change how we cover Elon Musk
After a weekend of whoppers about X and fighting Mark Zuckerberg, the press should take a more...
a year ago
After a weekend of whoppers about X and fighting Mark Zuckerberg, the press should take a more skeptical approach
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...
Rest of World -...
Jumia Food delivery workers’ final payments are still missing
Jumia says it paid its logistics partners. Logistics partners say they paid all the workers. The...
7 months ago
Jumia says it paid its logistics partners. Logistics partners say they paid all the workers. The workers say they haven’t been paid.
Rest of World -...
At home with Asia’s shopping influencers
In Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia, three livestreamers build well-paid but precarious careers.
a year ago
In Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia, three livestreamers build well-paid but precarious careers.
Rest of World -...
Elon Musk said he’d eliminate bots from X. Instead, election influence campaigns are running wild
In a year of global elections, X is making it easy to meddle.
4 months ago
In a year of global elections, X is making it easy to meddle.
Paul Graham: Essays
The Future of Startup Funding
over a year ago
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...
Internal Tech Emails
Steve Jobs and Palm
This is not satisfactory to Apple.
a week ago
This is not satisfactory to Apple.
Inverted Passion
Don’t sell your soul to the algorithm
The danger of pleasing the algorithm to go viral is that gradually you end up selling yourself to...
a year ago
The danger of pleasing the algorithm to go viral is that gradually you end up selling yourself to big tech companies. This is how it works: This loop has two sinister effects: All this to make the richest companies and their shareholders even richer. This is why we must refuse to...
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
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
Dustin Curtis
Bill Gates is Angry
Steven Levy interviewed Bill Gates for Wired, and it is quite an illuminating conversation. In past...
over a year ago
Steven Levy interviewed Bill Gates for Wired, and it is quite an illuminating conversation. In past public appearances, Gates – like most experts – has attempted to walk the line between antagonizing the Trump administration and promulgating real science. But now he appears to be...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Computers that can make commitments
Blockchains are computers that can make commitments. Traditional computers are ultimately controlled...
over a year ago
Blockchains are computers that can make commitments. Traditional computers are ultimately controlled by people, either directly in the case…
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
The credentials trap
I talk a lot to people who are deciding between startups and established companies. They’re usually...
over a year ago
I talk a lot to people who are deciding between startups and established companies. They’re usually early in their careers and have been…
Rest of World -...
How Microsoft and the UAE got caught in the crossfire of the U.S.-China tech war
Geopolitical tensions have ensnared Microsoft’s deal for AI company G42.
5 months ago
Geopolitical tensions have ensnared Microsoft’s deal for AI company G42.
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
What’s not evil: ranking content fairly *and* letting public content get indexed
Please see update at bottom Most websites spend massive amounts of time and money to get any of...
over a year ago
Please see update at bottom Most websites spend massive amounts of time and money to get any of their pages index and ranked by Google’s…
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
Skydio
I’m excited to announce today that Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $3M financing of Skydio, a...
over a year ago
I’m excited to announce today that Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $3M financing of Skydio, a startup developing artificial intelligence…
Rest of World -...
Predatory loan apps are thriving in the Google Play store, despite ban
Google says it takes the problem seriously, but over a dozen loan apps remain available in the...
11 months ago
Google says it takes the problem seriously, but over a dozen loan apps remain available in the store.
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things for the middle of your week (#35)
Chinese defense spending, activists vs. normies, corporate diversity, phones in schools,
7 months ago
Chinese defense spending, activists vs. normies, corporate diversity, phones in schools,
Working Theorys
3 Hours or Nothing
Musing #14 | The merits of being binary with your time
8 months ago
Musing #14 | The merits of being binary with your time
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Revenue vs margin
Three years ago, Fred Wilson wrote a great blog post called When Talking About Business Models,...
over a year ago
Three years ago, Fred Wilson wrote a great blog post called When Talking About Business Models, Remember that Profits Equal Revenues Minus…
David Perell
Chrisman Frank and Ana Lorena Fabrega: How Childhood Education Will Change
This week, I have two guests. Both are affiliated with Synthesis, a new kind of online school where...
over a year ago
This week, I have two guests. Both are affiliated with Synthesis, a new kind of online school where kids learn through games and simulations. One is Chrisman Frank, the CEO of Synthesis. The other is Ana Lorena Fabrega, who is their Chief Evangelist. Here’s the backstory: A few...
Noahpinion
Harris has the right idea on housing
It has to be managed as both a consumer good and as an asset class.
4 months ago
It has to be managed as both a consumer good and as an asset class.
Internal Tech Emails
Jeff Bezos on acquiring Ring
To be clear, my view here is that we're buying market position – not technology.
over a year ago
To be clear, my view here is that we're buying market position – not technology.
Paul Graham: Essays
The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
The secret to becoming the world’s biggest digital bank: A user-friendly app
From quick credit to digital banking, Nubank bet on an easy app experience to stand out to users and...
a year ago
From quick credit to digital banking, Nubank bet on an easy app experience to stand out to users and criminals alike.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Samsung’s predicament
In the past year, Samsung went from being a moderately successful electronics manufacturer to the...
over a year ago
In the past year, Samsung went from being a moderately successful electronics manufacturer to the leading non-iOS mobile device maker…
Noahpinion
At least five things to finish your week (#19)
Real wages, why North Korea is poor, China's stalled catch-up, the economics of social media, AI...
a year ago
Real wages, why North Korea is poor, China's stalled catch-up, the economics of social media, AI takes some jobs, and a comic about rabbits
Rest of World -...
Why Meta still needs China
You can take Facebook out of China, but you can’t take China out of Facebook.
a year ago
You can take Facebook out of China, but you can’t take China out of Facebook.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Understanding your market
Some startups become huge sensations without requiring any active marketing – YouTube, Skype, and...
over a year ago
Some startups become huge sensations without requiring any active marketing – YouTube, Skype, and Twitter come to mind. However, the vast…
Data Boutique
How Data Boutique Works #1: Data Auctions
The data auction system explained
9 months ago
The data auction system explained
Noahpinion
Happy fun Cold War 2 update
It's getting a little warmer out there.
6 months ago
It's getting a little warmer out there.
Rest of World -...
Pakistan’s mass transit is failing. BusCaro thinks it has the solution
After the failure of Airlift and Swvl, this startup is stepping in to provide an alternative to...
6 days ago
After the failure of Airlift and Swvl, this startup is stepping in to provide an alternative to Pakistan’s unreliable public transport system.
Noahpinion
What America needs to do now on national security
The Ukraine-and-TikTok bill is a good start. Here are five more things we need to work on.
8 months ago
The Ukraine-and-TikTok bill is a good start. Here are five more things we need to work on.
Platformer
How you want me to cover artificial intelligence
Seven principles for journalism in the age of AI
a year ago
Seven principles for journalism in the age of AI
Rest of World -...
Brazil is the first stop in the Latin American electric motorcycle market
Vammo, an electric mobility company for delivery workers, chose to launch in the country because 85%...
a year ago
Vammo, an electric mobility company for delivery workers, chose to launch in the country because 85% of its electric grid runs on renewable energy.
Devmoh
How Google Stores 10,000 Petabytes of Data Efficiently
Google Colossus Explained Simply
a year ago
Google Colossus Explained Simply
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
Why targeted tariffs are more effective than broad tariffs
Something the Trump administration should probably think about.
a month ago
Something the Trump administration should probably think about.
Aaron's Essays
I and We
Starting a company is, in large part, an act of ego. When that business is a startup, the ego...
over a year ago
Starting a company is, in large part, an act of ego. When that business is a startup, the ego component is even larger. This is a good thing.
Ego is what gives the founder the confidence to create something new. Ego powers the belief that the new thing the founder creates will...
XO Capital - Field...
Acquisition #12 - Onsched
We've been a little quiet over here as we start rolling out XO 2.0, using outside capital instead of...
4 months ago
We've been a little quiet over here as we start rolling out XO 2.0, using outside capital instead of our own cash to acquire larger businesses. It's taken a bit of time from deal #11 to #12. We didn't buy anything for 9
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.
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
Financing risk
Startups that raise seed funding face the risk of not being able to raise additional money. This is...
over a year ago
Startups that raise seed funding face the risk of not being able to raise additional money. This is what is sometimes known as “financing…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The one number you should know about your equity grant
The one number you should know about your equity grant is the percent of the company you are being...
over a year ago
The one number you should know about your equity grant is the percent of the company you are being granted (in options, shares, whatever…
Internal Tech Emails
iMessage for Android
I am concerned the iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove and obstacle to iPhone families...
over a year ago
I am concerned the iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove and obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones.
Entrepreneur's Edge
Your Name is an Ad Creative that is Everywhere, All at Once
Learn how to leverage cognitive science to create an instant brand advantage.
a year ago
Learn how to leverage cognitive science to create an instant brand advantage.
Devmoh
Why did Meta open-source Llama 2?
Meta seems to be all in on open-source AI. They released Llama 2, which features some impressive...
a year ago
Meta seems to be all in on open-source AI. They released Llama 2, which features some impressive benchmarks compared to other open source language models. Why does Meta keep releasing open-source models? What is their incentive? To attract and retain top AI talent.
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...
Noahpinion
Why Americans fear the AI future
Five decades of rising inequality and slow growth have made us a less optimistic country.
a year ago
Five decades of rising inequality and slow growth have made us a less optimistic country.
42!
Reflections on 2020
I feel kind of conflicted writing this, because 2020 was a horror of a year for most people around...
over a year ago
I feel kind of conflicted writing this, because 2020 was a horror of a year for most people around the world. Instead, for me, and my family, it was somewhat of a start of new beginnings and some huge wins.
I feel that I have finally stepped out of a decade long black tunnel,...
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
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...
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...
Inverted Passion
How to increase wealth for everyone
I’ve started reading The Capitalist Manifesto, a book full of data on how free markets generate...
a year ago
I’ve started reading The Capitalist Manifesto, a book full of data on how free markets generate prosperity. The author is nuanced and uses data and logic to show how we should be rooting for capitalism (instead of bringing it down). Income and wealth inequality created as a...
SatPost by Trung...
Blumhouse: The Hollywood Horror Hit Machine
How Jason Blum turned "constraints breed creativity" into a business model.
a year ago
How Jason Blum turned "constraints breed creativity" into a business model.
Rest of World -...
Ethiopians are struggling to keep up with the new “EV or nothing” policy
Ethiopia became the first country in the world to ban the import of gas and diesel cars. But the...
5 months ago
Ethiopia became the first country in the world to ban the import of gas and diesel cars. But the country has only around 50 charging stations.
David Perell
Ambitious People Need Each Other
Ambitious people don’t just need peers. They need mentors. They need people who will encourage them...
a year ago
Ambitious people don’t just need peers. They need mentors. They need people who will encourage them to pursue hard and meaningful projects.
The post Ambitious People Need Each Other appeared first on David Perell.
Ed Zitron's Where's...
The People Deliberately Killing Facebook
Over the last decade, few platforms have declined quite as rapidly and visibly as Facebook and...
7 months ago
Over the last decade, few platforms have declined quite as rapidly and visibly as Facebook and Instagram. What used to be apps for catching up with your friends and family are now algorithmic nightmares that constantly interrupt you with suggested content and advertisements that...
Stephen Diehl
Haskell for Web Developers
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
PETA is building robot elephants for Hindu temples
For centuries, elephants have been captured to live in temples. Animal rights groups say replacing...
2 months ago
For centuries, elephants have been captured to live in temples. Animal rights groups say replacing them with robots will minimize animal cruelty and risks to humans.
David Perell
Tiago Forte & Will Mannon: Building Cohort-Based Courses
I have two guests today: Tiago Forte and Will Mannon. Tiago is my business partner and the creator...
over a year ago
I have two guests today: Tiago Forte and Will Mannon. Tiago is my business partner and the creator of an online course called Building a Second Brain. The two of us record a podcast like this every year to reflect on what we’ve learned about the online education industry. And...
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
Steve Blank
Lean Meets Wicked Problems
This post previously appeared in Poets & Quants. I just spent a month and a half at Imperial College...
a year ago
This post previously appeared in Poets & Quants. I just spent a month and a half at Imperial College London co-teaching a “Wicked” Entrepreneurship class. In this case Wicked doesn’t mean morally evil, but refers to really complex problems, ones with multiple moving parts, where...
Internal Tech Emails
Google and AI | Elon Musk on Tesla comp
Such a deep ML system could well be developed outside of Google-- at Microsoft, Baidu, Yandex,...
10 months ago
Such a deep ML system could well be developed outside of Google-- at Microsoft, Baidu, Yandex, Amazon, Apple, or even a startup.
Rest of World -...
Why Mexico’s delivery workers are ditching food for packages
As the popularity of Chinese e-commerce platforms grows, some gig workers are finding it more...
5 months ago
As the popularity of Chinese e-commerce platforms grows, some gig workers are finding it more appealing to deliver packages than food orders.
haseeb qureshi
How DeFi cannibalizes PoS security
On-chain lending has become the most popular decentralized finance (DeFi) application today,...
over a year ago
On-chain lending has become the most popular decentralized finance (DeFi) application today, with over $600M in loans originated this year across MakerDAO, Compound, and dYdX. On-chain lending has the potential to disrupt traditional secured lending. But it seems it may do more...
Stephen Diehl
The Intellectual Incoherence of Cryptoassets
over a year ago
Stephen Diehl
From Adjunctions to Monads
over a year ago
Noahpinion
What should China do to revive its economy?
There are a couple of aces that the government hasn't yet played.
a year ago
There are a couple of aces that the government hasn't yet played.
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
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…
AVC
The Daily Bolster
USV is an investor in Bolster, a marketplace for fractional and full-time executive talent for...
a year ago
USV is an investor in Bolster, a marketplace for fractional and full-time executive talent for startups and growth companies. This week Bolster launched a daily short (5min) podcast and email with actionable insights and advice from founders, operators, and investors. It is...
David Perell
How Philosophers Think
Philosophers are the most rigorous thinkers I know. Like intellectual boxers; they come to...
over a year ago
Philosophers are the most rigorous thinkers I know. Like intellectual boxers; they come to understand ideas by making them fight with each other. Their style of analysis is effective because it’s so bloody. One friend calls his style “violent thinking.” He talks about thinking...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Crypto Tokens: A Breakthrough in Open Network Design
It is a wonderful accident of history that the internet and web were created as open platforms that...
over a year ago
It is a wonderful accident of history that the internet and web were created as open platforms that anyone — users, developers…
Rest of World -...
Mexico’s growing e-commerce infrastructure is built on top of its smallest shops
Amazon and MercadoLibre get all the credit, but it’s really a patchwork of mom-and-pop shops that...
a year ago
Amazon and MercadoLibre get all the credit, but it’s really a patchwork of mom-and-pop shops that keep Mexico’s e-commerce running.
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.
Rest of World -...
India’s electric rickshaws are leaving EVs in the dust
Little-known e-rickshaw companies like YC Electric are at the forefront of the country’s EV...
8 months ago
Little-known e-rickshaw companies like YC Electric are at the forefront of the country’s EV revolution.
Rest of World -...
A little-understood role in a global VC could also be one of the most influential
Ana Jiménez, 500 Global’s chief of staff for Latin America, on building a relationship of trust and...
a year ago
Ana Jiménez, 500 Global’s chief of staff for Latin America, on building a relationship of trust and strategic vision with her organization’s leader.
Internal Tech Emails
Bill Gates: "The quality is giving us a bad name"
I don’t know how unique I am but my experience in clicking on streaming media stuff and seeing if it...
8 months ago
I don’t know how unique I am but my experience in clicking on streaming media stuff and seeing if it works is still less than 50%.
Noahpinion
How not to be fooled by viral charts
Part 1: How to spot misinformation, mistakes, and meaningless data
a year ago
Part 1: How to spot misinformation, mistakes, and meaningless data
cdixon.org RSS Feed
VC’s care about the upside case, not the mean
The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when pitching VCs is to argue that their startup is likely to...
over a year ago
The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when pitching VCs is to argue that their startup is likely to succeed. Instead, they should argue…
Paul Graham: Essays
The Real Reason to End the Death Penalty
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
Venezuelan migrants helped build Colombia’s tech scene. Now the country is kicking them out
New rules make getting a visa more difficult, even as Colombia struggles to find enough tech...
a year ago
New rules make getting a visa more difficult, even as Colombia struggles to find enough tech workers.
Noahpinion
Feeling strangely optimistic about Egypt
It has many of the building blocks for a successful industrialization story.
a year ago
It has many of the building blocks for a successful industrialization story.
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 1 of Ansi Common Lisp
over a year ago
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.
Blog posts of...
First-time fundraising is hell - maybe this helps 💰
Its easy to start fundraising, but most people struggle closing their round. Especially now. Why? I...
over a year ago
Its easy to start fundraising, but most people struggle closing their round. Especially now. Why? I try to give a few mental models and a bit tactical advice.
Unpacked
Reddit's IPO Filing & India's AI Regulation | EP 7
Here are the highlights from the podcast episode. You can find a longer form analysis on both topics...
9 months ago
Here are the highlights from the podcast episode. You can find a longer form analysis on both topics in the podcast episode - Spotify | Apple Podcasts. The podcast follows the same core principles as the writing (primarily analysis driven with occasional opinions sprinkled in)....
Data Boutique
Scrape Or Buy? The Zalando Case Study
Cost of Web Data in a Real-Life Example
a year ago
Cost of Web Data in a Real-Life Example
Internal Tech Emails
Microsoft execs on TikTok, Nintendo, Apple, and more
At some point, getting Nintendo would be a career moment and I honestly believe a good move for both...
a year ago
At some point, getting Nintendo would be a career moment and I honestly believe a good move for both companies.
Steve Blank
Even the Smartest VCs Sometimes Get it Wrong – Bill Gurley and Regulated Markets
Bill Gurley was one of Silicon Valley’s smartest and most successful VCs. He recently gave a talk at...
a year ago
Bill Gurley was one of Silicon Valley’s smartest and most successful VCs. He recently gave a talk at the All-In Summit that was really two talks in one. The first part was railing against the consequences of regulatory capture on innovation and a second part, about the...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The only college major that matters
If you want to work in venture capital focusing on internet/software companies, or start one of...
over a year ago
If you want to work in venture capital focusing on internet/software companies, or start one of those companies, or work as an employee in…
Rest of World -...
The exclusive network behind India’s global tech success
How IIT school degrees became a fast track to tech royalty.
a year ago
How IIT school degrees became a fast track to tech royalty.
Rest of World -...
A step counter, but for your prayers
At least 20 apps exist to help Muslims track their dhikrs, a form of Islamic worship in which people...
2 months ago
At least 20 apps exist to help Muslims track their dhikrs, a form of Islamic worship in which people repeat prayers and holy phrases.
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...
42!
My first ever app I made and sold...
I was digging through a cupboard today, when I came across the package shown below.
I was initially...
over a year ago
I was digging through a cupboard today, when I came across the package shown below.
I was initially flabbergasted that I still had a copy on hand, but that soon gave way to feelings of nostalgia that took me back 30 years (yes, that is 3 decades) to when I first created this.
It...
SatPost by Trung...
How Olympic Air Pistols Took Over The Timeline
PLUS: WTF happened to Nike?
4 months ago
PLUS: WTF happened to Nike?
Roberto Vitillo's...
Back of the envelope estimation hacks
There are two types of engineers, the ones that can quickly do estimates and the ones that can't....
over a year ago
There are two types of engineers, the ones that can quickly do estimates and the ones that can't. Are these people just smarter, or is there…
Essays - Benedict...
Notes on newsletters
Email newsletters unlocked a new way to pay for content, but is this a tool
or a network? You can...
over a year ago
Email newsletters unlocked a new way to pay for content, but is this a tool
or a network? You can write all you like, but how do you get readers? And
is the take rate 10% or 90%?
Noahpinion
A data-driven case for productivity optimism
A guest post by Brian Albrecht of Economic Forces.
4 months ago
A guest post by Brian Albrecht of Economic Forces.
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 -...
ShopeeFood drops non-compete clause after Rest of World reporting
Drivers for the Vietnam delivery company had used workarounds but feared detection. After Rest of...
8 months ago
Drivers for the Vietnam delivery company had used workarounds but feared detection. After Rest of World's reporting, the clause was dropped.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Critics and practitioners
“When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get...
over a year ago
“When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together they talk about where you can buy…
Steve Blank
Profound Beliefs
This post previously appeared in EIX. In the early stages of a startup your hypotheses about all the...
a year ago
This post previously appeared in EIX. In the early stages of a startup your hypotheses about all the parts of your business model are your profound beliefs. Think of profound beliefs as “strong opinions loosely held.” You can’t be an effective founder or in the C-suite of a...
Internal Tech Emails
Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel
Peter and I have had a number of conversations about what we expect the world to look like in 2030...
5 months ago
Peter and I have had a number of conversations about what we expect the world to look like in 2030 so we can plan and position our future work accordingly.
Paul Graham: Essays
Do Things that Don't Scale
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How Aristotle Created the Computer
The philosophers he influenced set the stage for the technological revolution that remade our world....
over a year ago
The philosophers he influenced set the stage for the technological revolution that remade our world. Originally published by The Atlantic…
Noahpinion
Interview: Heather Boushey, economist and member of the Council of Economic Advisers
In which we talk all about Bidenomics.
a year ago
In which we talk all about Bidenomics.
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...
Working Theorys
Taste is Eating Silicon Valley.
Just as software ate the world and dramatically transformed industries in the last era, taste is now...
3 months ago
Just as software ate the world and dramatically transformed industries in the last era, taste is now eating software—and with it, Silicon Valley.
Rest of World -...
Self-checkout is putting elderly grocery baggers out of work in Mexico
Volunteer packers at stores like Walmart say they’re receiving 50% fewer tips than before the...
a year ago
Volunteer packers at stores like Walmart say they’re receiving 50% fewer tips than before the pandemic.
essay – snarfed.org
Deep piano
Roberto Chignoli I started playing piano again recently, after a 20 year hiatus. Our 6 year old...
over a year ago
Roberto Chignoli I started playing piano again recently, after a 20 year hiatus. Our 6 year old Brooke started learning, and we suddenly had a keyboard in the house again, so I joined her. It’s been great! I’m playing scales and exercises, diving into Rachmaninoff and Debussy,...
SatPost by Trung...
Coca-Cola: "A cure for all nervous affections"
How cocaine, the "patent medicine" industry and mass advertising created the world's most iconic...
a year ago
How cocaine, the "patent medicine" industry and mass advertising created the world's most iconic beverage.
Stephen Diehl
Functional Programming, Abstraction, and Names
over a year ago
Noahpinion
Energy Bell: The sketch of an idea
How can we get America back to the forefront of energy research?
5 months ago
How can we get America back to the forefront of energy research?
Rest of World -...
The AI startup outperforming Google Translate in Ethiopian languages
"Chatbots like ChatGPT are utterly broken or useless for these languages."
a year ago
"Chatbots like ChatGPT are utterly broken or useless for these languages."
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why did Skype succeed and Joost fail?
Skype and Joost are interesting companies to compare – they are about as close as you can get to one...
over a year ago
Skype and Joost are interesting companies to compare – they are about as close as you can get to one of those sociological studies that…
Rest of World -...
Argentines are recruiting friends, strangers into Worldcoin’s cash-for-eyeballs scheme
With inflation and unemployment gripping the nation, a burgeoning network of intermediaries is...
7 months ago
With inflation and unemployment gripping the nation, a burgeoning network of intermediaries is convincing people to have their irises scanned at Worldcoin Orb centers.
Noahpinion
Who's afraid of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro?
Export controls were never going to make China's semiconductor industry vanish.
a year ago
Export controls were never going to make China's semiconductor industry vanish.
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.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The bowling pin strategy
A huge challenge for user-generated websites is overcoming the chicken-and-egg problem: attracting...
over a year ago
A huge challenge for user-generated websites is overcoming the chicken-and-egg problem: attracting users and contributors when you are…
The Thinking Cap
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.
Working Theorys
The Prestige-Prosperity Gap
We expect prestige and wealth to grow in tandem. When status goes up, wealth goes up...
5 months ago
We expect prestige and wealth to grow in tandem. When status goes up, wealth goes up proportionately, and vice versa. But the modern world is a lot messier. There can be bizarre mismatches between prestige and prosperity. Some people have social or professional status far...
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
a year ago
essay – snarfed.org
New job, hello climate tech
I have a new job! I’m doing climate tech at NCX (née SilviaTerra), using satellite imagery to...
over a year ago
I have a new job! I’m doing climate tech at NCX (née SilviaTerra), using satellite imagery to prevent deforestation and sequester more carbon in trees. A few years ago, I looked around for a side project on the climate crisis. Nothing big, maybe 5-10 hours a week, but I was ready...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Four categories of Bitcoin-related projects
New Bitcoin-related software projects are launching every day. From what I can tell these projects...
over a year ago
New Bitcoin-related software projects are launching every day. From what I can tell these projects fall into four main categories: Bitcoin…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The NYC tech scene is exploding
The pace of innovation in the New York area is very impressive right now. Some of the top...
over a year ago
The pace of innovation in the New York area is very impressive right now. Some of the top entrepenuers in the country are building and…
Rest of World -...
China’s bite-sized soap operas are peddling cheap plots for big profits
Sex scenes, revenge, and cliffhangers are jam-packed into minutes-long smartphone dramas.
a year ago
Sex scenes, revenge, and cliffhangers are jam-packed into minutes-long smartphone dramas.
Rest of World -...
Singapore’s gig workers worry new benefits could mean lower pay
A first-in-the-region law gives gig workers injury compensation and retirement benefits. But some...
2 months ago
A first-in-the-region law gives gig workers injury compensation and retirement benefits. But some workers fears the higher costs will be passed on to them.
Steve Blank
Before there was Oppenheimer there was Vannevar Bush
I just saw the movie Oppenheimer. A wonderful movie on multiple levels. But the Atomic Bomb story...
a year ago
I just saw the movie Oppenheimer. A wonderful movie on multiple levels. But the Atomic Bomb story that starts at Los Alamos with Oppenheimer and General Grove misses the fact that from mid-1940 to mid-1942 it was Vannevar Bush (and his number 2, James Conant, the president of...
AVC
What Happened In 2023
I like to bookend the New Year holiday with two posts, one looking back at the year that is ending...
11 months ago
I like to bookend the New Year holiday with two posts, one looking back at the year that is ending (What Happened) and one looking forward to the year ahead (What Will Happen). This is the first of these two posts. The second one will run tomorrow. I ended my What Will Happen In...
tomcritchlow.com
What are Executive Off-Sites Good For?
A blessed Q4 be upon you. And you as well.
over a year ago
A blessed Q4 be upon you. And you as well.
SatPost by Trung...
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Art of Re-invention
The icon's biggest financial film success came from his riskiest bet: the comedy "Twins".
a year ago
The icon's biggest financial film success came from his riskiest bet: the comedy "Twins".
Noahpinion
At least five interesting things for your weekend (#41)
Soviet America (or not); the energy revolution; Trump's tax cuts; the Build-Nothing Country; macro...
6 months ago
Soviet America (or not); the energy revolution; Trump's tax cuts; the Build-Nothing Country; macro data mysteries
Data Boutique
The Hard Economics of Selling Web Data
Market components to consider when selling pre-scraped datasets
a year ago
Market components to consider when selling pre-scraped datasets
Noahpinion
No, NEPA really is a problem for clean energy
A guest post by Aidan Mackenzie and Santi Ruiz
a year ago
A guest post by Aidan Mackenzie and Santi Ruiz
Raw Thought (from...
Fix the machine, not the person
over a year ago
Rest of World -...
Kenya’s biggest protest in recent history played out on a walkie-talkie app
More than 40,000 Kenyans have downloaded Zello since protests began against the government’s plan to...
5 months ago
More than 40,000 Kenyans have downloaded Zello since protests began against the government’s plan to raise taxes.
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:
Working Theorys
Two Shticks
Everyone needs two shticks.
4 days ago
Everyone needs two shticks.
Stephen Diehl
The Non-Innovation of Cryptocurrency
over a year ago
Internal Tech Emails
Bill Gates on Netscape | Larry Page and YouTube
I don't want a lot of guesses about Netscape generated by people who may know less than I do. I want...
a year ago
I don't want a lot of guesses about Netscape generated by people who may know less than I do. I want to learn a lot of facts - most of which I don't already know.
essay – snarfed.org
We’re drowning
Matthew Childs / Reuters We live in a golden age of software reuse. We’ve never before had such a...
over a year ago
Matthew Childs / Reuters We live in a golden age of software reuse. We’ve never before had such a wealth of freely available code, in so many languages, so easy to find and install. And yet, we’re drowning. We slap together rickety rowboats and toss them out on PyPI Ocean and npm...
Noahpinion
At least five things for your weekend (#30)
"Are we better off", the economy of Dune, energy abundance, wacky polls, doomscrolling, anger about...
9 months ago
"Are we better off", the economy of Dune, energy abundance, wacky polls, doomscrolling, anger about interest rates, and visualizing urban density
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
Data Boutique
Should Websites Open Access to Data?
Looking at web data from the website perspective
a year ago
Looking at web data from the website perspective
AVC
Sleep
I got an Oura ring a couple of years ago and have been working on improving my sleep and sleep...
a year ago
I got an Oura ring a couple of years ago and have been working on improving my sleep and sleep habits ever since. For much of my adult life, I have been a poor sleeper. I have always been able to fall asleep quickly, but I have been plagued by two sleep issues. The first […]
Business Brainstorms
💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week
#1 💡 Lots of interesting discussions after Sam Altman got fired from OpenAI. One of the interesting...
a year ago
#1 💡 Lots of interesting discussions after Sam Altman got fired from OpenAI. One of the interesting themes: What does the guy actually do? Is he actually important for the company? Surely other people, the technicians, are responsible for the breakthroughs, right?
Folklore.org:...
What Hath Woz Wrought
The first product I developed for Apple
a year ago
The first product I developed for Apple
SatPost by Trung...
Travelogue: Central & Eastern Europe
17 thoughts from a trip to Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Dubrovnik
4 months ago
17 thoughts from a trip to Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Dubrovnik
Rest of World -...
The company building AI dubbing that preserves original voices
Seamus McAteer, the founder of Speechlab, discusses AI-generated speech and the importance of...
a year ago
Seamus McAteer, the founder of Speechlab, discusses AI-generated speech and the importance of translating accents.
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?
Paul Graham: Essays
Default Alive or Default Dead?
over a year ago
Unpacked
Meta, News Outlets and the Canada Online News Act
On Thursday last week, the Canadian Senate finally passed into law the Canada Online News Act, which...
a year ago
On Thursday last week, the Canadian Senate finally passed into law the Canada Online News Act, which will force tech giants (predominantly Meta and Google) to pay news organizations in Canada for content that is shared on these platforms. The foundational premise of the law is...
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Incumbents die due to irrelevance or ineptitude
Judging from the tech press, you’d think the biggest risk to successful companies is competition....
over a year ago
Judging from the tech press, you’d think the biggest risk to successful companies is competition. But when you examine the history of…
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
Business Brainstorms
API for simple manual online tasks, pickleball for surfing, freelancer laptop stickers, ...
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 “I want an AI companion that I can share my goals with...
Noahpinion
Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper
Yes, market-rate!
9 months 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…
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.
Rest of World -...
The Philippine army is recruiting young tech civilians to fight cyber attacks
The country is among the most vulnerable to online threats, many of them from China. To fight back,...
a month ago
The country is among the most vulnerable to online threats, many of them from China. To fight back, the army is recruiting IT professionals.
Noahpinion
Go read some Vernor Vinge
R.I.P. to my favorite science fiction author
9 months ago
R.I.P. to my favorite science fiction author
Noahpinion
Grading the economic schools of thought
Who got the 2020s inflation right?
a year ago
Who got the 2020s inflation right?
Rest of World -...
Crime victims, ignored by Venezuela’s broken justice system, turn to influencers
To get the authorities’ attention, victims get help from influencers specialized in niches like...
a year ago
To get the authorities’ attention, victims get help from influencers specialized in niches like corruption and pet justice.
XO Capital - Field...
v2
XO V1 concluded with 10 acquisitions and 1 "fund".
The V1 "conclusion" is really a line in the sand...
8 months ago
XO V1 concluded with 10 acquisitions and 1 "fund".
The V1 "conclusion" is really a line in the sand but it feels right as we continue to offload assets to focus on larger deals using outside capital. This will transition us into v2 which we'
David Perell
Gagan Biyani: Building Silicon Valley Startups
My guest today is Gagan Biyani, the current CEO of an education startup (where I’m both an investor...
over a year ago
My guest today is Gagan Biyani, the current CEO of an education startup (where I’m both an investor and an advisor) that helps teachers run Cohort-Based Courses on the Internet and has students from around the world. Gagan also founded a multi-billion dollar online education...
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...
Paul Graham: Essays
Chapter 2 of Ansi Common Lisp
over a year ago
Noahpinion
Why so many of us were wrong about missile defense
Writing about military spending is difficult.
8 months ago
Writing about military spending is difficult.
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
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…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
There are three New York Cities
There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born...
over a year ago
There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
function my_exit_payout(…)
/* aggregateoptionsstrike_price = your options strike price per share * number of shares you own...
over a year ago
/* aggregateoptionsstrike_price = your options strike price per share * number of shares you own company sale price is 1) if private…
David Perell
How Should You Write?
There are two ways to write: The Printer Method and the Pixel Method. With the Printer Method, you...
over a year ago
There are two ways to write: The Printer Method and the Pixel Method. With the Printer Method, you write and rewrite every sentence until it’s perfect. Nail the first sentence, then the second, and so on. Perfection is the name of the game so you don’t advance to a new sentence...
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.
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"You actually have to remind yourself not to believe"
[Virtual Reality] is the last medium. We’re at the very beginning of it, but version 147 is The...
over a year ago
[Virtual Reality] is the last medium. We’re at the very beginning of it, but version 147 is The Matrix or Total Recall. Our brain is no…
Internal Tech Emails
Elon Musk and OpenAI
Guys, I've had enough. This is the final straw.
a month ago
Guys, I've had enough. This is the final straw.
Noahpinion
Yes, it's OK to be mad about crime in San Francisco
Let's not make excuses for Chaos City.
a year ago
Let's not make excuses for Chaos City.
Stephen Diehl
The Complete Argument Against Crypto
over a year ago
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