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The “thin edge of the wedge” strategy Establishing relationships with new users is the hardest part of growing a startup.  For consumer...
26th Dec 2010
46

The “thin edge of the wedge” strategy

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

26th Dec 2010
Establishing relationships with new users is the hardest part of growing a startup.  For consumer products establishing relationships can…
Wrestling with the scammers Photo by Dan Nelson on Unsplash I guess one of the downsides of the rising popularity and profile of...
16th Sep 2022
37

Wrestling with the scammers

from 42! [alt+shift+b] in startups

16th Sep 2022
Photo by Dan Nelson on Unsplash I guess one of the downsides of the rising popularity and profile of our HR startup is that it attracts the lowest online lifeforms to try and see if they can make illicit profit from it. We have been getting the occasional trial user signing up...
Content negotiation considered harmful Matilda, 1996 Content negotiation is a feature of HTTP that lets clients ask for, and servers...
24th Mar 2023
75

Content negotiation considered harmful

from Ryan Barrett [alt+shift+b] in startups

24th Mar 2023
Matilda, 1996 Content negotiation is a feature of HTTP that lets clients ask for, and servers return, different content types based on the request’s Accept header. Sounds great, right? Well, no. Content negotiation is the classic example of an idea that sounds good in theory, but...
Sammy Cahn said thank you In 1990, at the age of 20, I moved to New York City and got a job as the tape room guy for...
21st May 2009
1

Sammy Cahn said thank you

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

21st May 2009
In 1990, at the age of 20, I moved to New York City and got a job as the tape room guy for Warner/Chappell Music Publishing. One day, after a few months, I hear an old man yelling, “Goddamn it! What’s wrong with this typewriter? Can’t someone make a simple goddamn typewriter...
How many trials should I be getting for my SaaS? One misconception I see from new SaaS founders: they need more trials than they think they do.
15th Aug 2020
19

How many trials should I be getting for my SaaS?

from Justin Jackson [alt+shift+b] in startups

15th Aug 2020
One misconception I see from new SaaS founders: they need more trials than they think they do.
The strength of many little customers Many small entrepreneurs think, “If we could just land Apple, Google, or the government as a client,...
11th Mar 2008
1

The strength of many little customers

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

11th Mar 2008
Many small entrepreneurs think, “If we could just land Apple, Google, or the government as a client, we’d be all set!” But this approach has many problems: Those people may change their mind or leave the company. If you do land the big client, they practically own...
DeepSeek: Links and Memes (So Many Memes) How a Chinese AI lab spun out of a hedge fund shook up the entire tech industry.
1st Feb 2025
93

DeepSeek: Links and Memes (So Many Memes)

from SatPost by Trung Phan [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Feb 2025
How a Chinese AI lab spun out of a hedge fund shook up the entire tech industry.
Interactive navigation in embedding space tdjgordon, Pixabay Discussed a fascinating idea for a foundation model tool at lunch today:...
23rd Jan 2025
88

Interactive navigation in embedding space

from Ryan Barrett [alt+shift+b] in startups

23rd Jan 2025
tdjgordon, Pixabay Discussed a fascinating idea for a foundation model tool at lunch today: interactive navigation in embedding space. Right now, you prompt most generative models with human language. That works, but it’s imprecise and coarse. If you’re generating an image of an...
AI Depends Massively on Web Scraping And web data sourcing is now a critical problem
7th Jul 2023
32

AI Depends Massively on Web Scraping

from Data Boutique [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th Jul 2023
And web data sourcing is now a critical problem
The age of average In the early 1990s, two Russian artists named Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid hired a market...
20th Mar 2023
73

The age of average

from Articles - Alex Murrell [alt+shift+b] in startups

20th Mar 2023
In the early 1990s, two Russian artists named Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid hired a market research firm to survey the public on what they wanted in a work of art. Across 11 countries they then set about painting a piece that reflected the results. Each piece was...
Understanding Distributed Systems 1.1 Coordination is expensive as it reduces the availability and performance of distributed applications...
25th Mar 2021
57

Understanding Distributed Systems 1.1

from Roberto Vitillo's Blog [alt+shift+b] in startups

25th Mar 2021
Coordination is expensive as it reduces the availability and performance of distributed applications (PACELC theorem). I have extended…
Amazon's $43B ad business, explained Jeff Bezos long shunned ads. However, Amazon's juicy first-party data has enabled it to compete with...
1st Sep 2023
36

Amazon's $43B ad business, explained

from SatPost by Trung Phan [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Sep 2023
Jeff Bezos long shunned ads. However, Amazon's juicy first-party data has enabled it to compete with Alphabet and Meta in the new digital advertising landscape.
Getting Old 👴🏼
23rd Jan 2023
32

Getting Old

from Blog posts of Andreas Klinger [alt+shift+b] in startups

23rd Jan 2023
👴🏼
How 2024’s tech trends changed our lives From AI-powered classrooms in Mali to EV taxis in Vietnam, people worldwide are seeing opportunities...
2nd Dec 2024
71

How 2024’s tech trends changed our lives

from Rest of World - Global [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Dec 2024
From AI-powered classrooms in Mali to EV taxis in Vietnam, people worldwide are seeing opportunities from this year’s biggest tech shifts.
6th Dec 2019
Why Open Source AI Will Win You shouldn't bet against the bazaar or the GPU p̶o̶o̶r̶ hungry.
15th Sep 2023
48

Why Open Source AI Will Win

from Varun's Notes [alt+shift+b] in startups

15th Sep 2023
You shouldn't bet against the bazaar or the GPU p̶o̶o̶r̶ hungry.
Selling pickaxes during a gold rush There is a saying in the startup world that “you can mine for gold or you can sell pickaxes.” This...
5th Feb 2011
48

Selling pickaxes during a gold rush

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Feb 2011
There is a saying in the startup world that “you can mine for gold or you can sell pickaxes.” This is of course an allusion to the…
Sing your way to learning a new language Unlike apps like Duolingo, Beelinguapp focuses on storytelling and song to engage its over 5 million...
1st Sep 2023
49

Sing your way to learning a new language

from Rest of World - Global [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Sep 2023
Unlike apps like Duolingo, Beelinguapp focuses on storytelling and song to engage its over 5 million users.
The SMILE Curve Has Come for Software Why software value is migrating to the edges, just like hardware did decades ago
14th Apr 2026
1

The SMILE Curve Has Come for Software

from Entrepreneur's Edge [alt+shift+b] in startups

14th Apr 2026
Why software value is migrating to the edges, just like hardware did decades ago
Gadgets and Computers From Benedict Evans’ Cars as Feature Phones: This is a common theme in many classes of device: you...
16th Jan 2017
1

Gadgets and Computers

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

16th Jan 2017
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 electronic functions added, and ...
The Thirty Years' War Is Starting Again The Thirty Years' War Is Starting Again Every few decades, one of America's two political parties...
3rd Aug 2025
1

The Thirty Years' War Is Starting Again

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Aug 2025
The Thirty Years' War Is Starting Again Every few decades, one of America's two political parties undergoes a structural realignment so complete that the continuity of the name becomes a polite fiction. The Democrats did it in the 1960s. The Republicans are doing it now. Reagan's...
Predicting AI job exposure Many people would like to analyse which jobs, companies and industries are most exposed to AI, and...
24th May 2026
1

Predicting AI job exposure

from Essays - Benedict Evans [alt+shift+b] in startups

24th May 2026
Many people would like to analyse which jobs, companies and industries are most exposed to AI, and assign scores, build charts, and map that against the progress of LLMs. I think this is mostly impossible: you don’t know how the jobs will change, you don’t know what else...
Roundup #89: It isn’t X, it’s Y AI risk; Reindustrialization; The rent crisis; AI and jobs; Mass deportation; Chinese investment;...
4 weeks ago
1

Roundup #89: It isn’t X, it’s Y

from Noahpinion [alt+shift+b] in startups

4 weeks ago
AI risk; Reindustrialization; The rent crisis; AI and jobs; Mass deportation; Chinese investment; Cyber risk
Socket activation I’ve spent some time over the last few weeks reading about the various *nix init systems: venerable...
5th Jul 2021
53

Socket activation

from Ryan Barrett [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Jul 2021
I’ve spent some time over the last few weeks reading about the various *nix init systems: venerable SysV, interim replacement Upstart, controversial monolith systemd, Apple’s proprietary launchd, and niche variants like runit and Epoch. Lots of history, lots of flame wars. One...
From Newton to Einstein and Back From Newton to Einstein and Back One of my favourite proofs from undergraduate physics is the...
1st Feb 2016
1

From Newton to Einstein and Back

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Feb 2016
From Newton to Einstein and Back One of my favourite proofs from undergraduate physics is the derivation of the classical kinetic energy formula from Einstein's energy-momentum relation. Specifically, we'll see how the classical expression for kinetic energy emerges as a...
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest nickel reserves, struggles to achieve its EV dreams China’s growing involvement and the rapid shift to lithium batteries dissuade investors.
3rd Feb 2025
109
3rd Feb 2025
China’s growing involvement and the rapid shift to lithium batteries dissuade investors.
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...
27th May 2017
1

Crypto Tokens: A Breakthrough in Open Network Design

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

27th May 2017
It is a wonderful accident of history that the internet and web were created as open platforms that anyone — users, developers, organizations — could access equally. Among other things, ...
Meditations on Machinic Desire The philosopher and accelerationist Nick Land writes, in his 1994 essay Machinic Desire, three of...
23rd Oct 2024
100

Meditations on Machinic Desire

from Nothing Human [alt+shift+b] in startups

23rd Oct 2024
The philosopher and accelerationist Nick Land writes, in his 1994 essay Machinic Desire, three of the most insight-dense paragraphs I’ve ever encountered:
Shortest date, and ketchup Here’s a story about my shortest date, and ketchup. I suggested we meet at a bar at 35th Street...
12th Sep 2022
1

Shortest date, and ketchup

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

12th Sep 2022
Here’s a story about my shortest date, and ketchup. I suggested we meet at a bar at 35th Street and 8th Avenue. Although she’s from New York, she didn’t know where that is. She said, “No.” OK, now I’m judging. Miserable voice. Doesn’t know the basic layout of the city...
A Legacy of Speaking Up A tribute to my late father in honor of being named an inaugural Centennial Alumni Catalyst by the...
6th Oct 2025
1

A Legacy of Speaking Up

from Hyphen Nation [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th Oct 2025
A tribute to my late father in honor of being named an inaugural Centennial Alumni Catalyst by the Stanford Graduate School of Business
Monads Made Difficult Monads Made Difficult This is a short, fast and analogy-free introduction to Haskell monads derived...
7th Jul 2013
1

Monads Made Difficult

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th Jul 2013
Monads Made Difficult This is a short, fast and analogy-free introduction to Haskell monads derived from a categorical perspective. Categories We have a abstract category $\mathcal{C}$ which consists of objects and morphisms. Objects : $●$ Morphisms : $● \rightarrow ●$ For each...
Everything is downstream of ambition Everyone wants to build the one person billion dollar company. But how many people you need used to...
10th Aug 2026
3

Everything is downstream of ambition

from Balancing Act [alt+shift+b] in startups

10th Aug 2026
Everyone wants to build the one person billion dollar company. But how many people you need used to be a decision you made last, not first.
VCs are Scared When They Should be Greedy I originally wrote this essay for The Information, where it was published on July 6, 2022. I've...
20th Jul 2022
35

VCs are Scared When They Should be Greedy

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

20th Jul 2022
I originally wrote this essay for The Information, where it was published on July 6, 2022. I've read a lot of the advice that venture capitalists have given founders on the current state of the markets. Most of that advice focuses on how founders need to adjust to survive the...
The Brunch Test | Theory No. 16 A framework for building products that balance familiarity with freshness.
4th Oct 2023
33

The Brunch Test | Theory No. 16

from Working Theorys [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Oct 2023
A framework for building products that balance familiarity with freshness.
Why seed investors don’t like convertible notes A popular option in seed round financing is a convertible note instead of setting a valuation in an...
12th Aug 2009
35

Why seed investors don’t like convertible notes

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

12th Aug 2009
A popular option in seed round financing is a convertible note instead of setting a valuation in an equity financing.  A convertible note is…
App store shenanigans I’ve downloaded and tested a few hundred iPhone and iPad apps.  One thing that I’ve noticed is that...
1st Apr 2011
35

App store shenanigans

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Apr 2011
I’ve downloaded and tested a few hundred iPhone and iPad apps.  One thing that I’ve noticed is that many of the top rated and ranked apps…
Don’t start a business until people are asking you to When you bake a cake, you need to do first things first. You need to get the ingredients before you...
13th Apr 2016
1

Don’t start a business until people are asking you to

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

13th Apr 2016
When you bake a cake, you need to do first things first. You need to get the ingredients before you turn on the oven. You need to bake it before you frost it and slice it. Most have an idea but no customers. For them I always say, “Don’t start a business until people are...
How To Improve QA With Data Boutique For In-House Web Scraping Independent data help you get to 99% reliability
5th May 2023
39

How To Improve QA With Data Boutique For In-House Web Scraping

from Data Boutique [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th May 2023
Independent data help you get to 99% reliability
Nathan Fielder and the Most Meta Documentary Ever Thoughts on “You Can See Everything”.
a week ago
4

Nathan Fielder and the Most Meta Documentary Ever

from SatPost by Trung Phan [alt+shift+b] in startups

a week ago
Thoughts on “You Can See Everything”.
Steve Jobs on iPod and DRM Guys – We need to make sure that when Music Match launches their download music store they cannot...
26th Oct 2024
94

Steve Jobs on iPod and DRM

from Internal Tech Emails [alt+shift+b] in startups

26th Oct 2024
Guys – We need to make sure that when Music Match launches their download music store they cannot use iPod. Is this going to be an issue?
Organizations optimized for short-term survival The system selects for survivors, not learners
4th Aug 2025
1

Organizations optimized for short-term survival

from Better than Random [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Aug 2025
The system selects for survivors, not learners
The Limitations of RAG The Limitations of RAG Retrieval-Augmented generation or RAG is the future of enterprise search. In...
2nd Nov 2024
1

The Limitations of RAG

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Nov 2024
The Limitations of RAG Retrieval-Augmented generation or RAG is the future of enterprise search. In short it's the art of grinding your documents into a fine, high-dimensional vector slurry, sifting through the high-dimensional slurry for chunks, and then piping the chunks...
Vision Pro What has Apple built, what is it for, what does it mean for Meta, and why does it cost $3,500?...
15th Jun 2023
96

Vision Pro

from Essays - Benedict Evans [alt+shift+b] in startups

15th Jun 2023
What has Apple built, what is it for, what does it mean for Meta, and why does it cost $3,500? Check back in 2025.
Scuba, panic, empathy I used to scoff at those people who had panic attacks. “The cake is late! Oh no! I’m freaking out!...
26th Jul 2022
1

Scuba, panic, empathy

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

26th Jul 2022
I used to scoff at those people who had panic attacks. “The cake is late! Oh no! I’m freaking out! I can’t breathe!” Ridiculous. Hysterical. Over-reacting. learning scuba diving, and went on my first practice dive. While I was 15 meters underwater, I felt a sudden need to...
Premium: The Hater's Guide To SoftBank Soundtrack: Ozzy Osbourne — Mr. Crowley A lot of people have been making a lot of fun of the...
6th Jul 2026
1

Premium: The Hater's Guide To SoftBank

from Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th Jul 2026
Soundtrack: Ozzy Osbourne — Mr. Crowley A lot of people have been making a lot of fun of the SoftBank 46th annual shareholder meeting and Masayoshi Son’s (to quote Bryce Elder of the Financial Times) Untethered Goose Game, specifically referring to slides that, well, looked like...
Bubble Trouble As I previously warned, artificial intelligence companies are running out of data. A Wall Street...
4th Apr 2024
68

Bubble Trouble

from Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Apr 2024
As I previously warned, artificial intelligence companies are running out of data. A Wall Street Journal piece from this week has sounded the alarm that some believe AI models will run out of "high-quality text-based data" within the next two years in what an AI researcher called...
The Hero as Flexible Bureaucrat against efficiency and accountability
28th Jun 2025
70

The Hero as Flexible Bureaucrat

from Nothing Human [alt+shift+b] in startups

28th Jun 2025
against efficiency and accountability
How to Break Into VC Here’s what I would do if I was a young person trying to break into VC: Write. Short writeups, on...
9th Nov 2025
1

How to Break Into VC

from haseeb qureshi [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Nov 2025
Here’s what I would do if I was a young person trying to break into VC: Write. Short writeups, on Twitter. Not generic market philosophical thinkpieces, because those will be assumed to be AI slop or regurgitated research. No one will read it unless you’re brilliant, which you’re...
Another Instinct Article It has been an insanely busy 2 weeks - and in the time it took me to have time to write this,...
18th Sep 2026
-2

Another Instinct Article

from Jamesin’s Substack [alt+shift+b] in startups

18th Sep 2026
It has been an insanely busy 2 weeks - and in the time it took me to have time to write this, Instinct went from raising a $250M Series B at a $2.5B valuation to reportedly raising $1B at $10B.
Biden should run on a message of abundance Things are going pretty well in America, and Biden's policies have largely helped.
1st Feb 2024
65

Biden should run on a message of abundance

from Noahpinion [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Feb 2024
Things are going pretty well in America, and Biden's policies have largely helped.
Of Termites & Tokens Maybe the future of work is… termites? Let me explain.
8th Jun 2026
1

Of Termites & Tokens

from tomcritchlow.com [alt+shift+b] in startups

8th Jun 2026
Maybe the future of work is… termites? Let me explain.
How Bangladesh’s tech industry navigated an unprecedented political crisis July’s internet blackout and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sudden exit is estimated to have cost...
3rd Sep 2024
83

How Bangladesh’s tech industry navigated an unprecedented political crisis

from Rest of World - Global [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Sep 2024
July’s internet blackout and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sudden exit is estimated to have cost the industry $300 million.
OK Milt, I’ll start writing again Yesterday I procrastinated, tinkered, and wasted time, doing nothing of any value. killing him...
9th Dec 2013
1

OK Milt, I’ll start writing again

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Dec 2013
Yesterday I procrastinated, tinkered, and wasted time, doing nothing of any value. killing him instantly. I’ve been crying off and on all morning, thinking about what we do with our time — what’s worthy and what’s a waste. It’s so easy to waste time doing stuff that’s not...
Some thoughts on incumbents Reposted from Oct 7, 2010 from cdixon.posterous.com By “incumbents” I mean the big companies that...
7th Oct 2010
40

Some thoughts on incumbents

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th Oct 2010
Reposted from Oct 7, 2010 from cdixon.posterous.com By “incumbents” I mean the big companies that are loosely competitive to your startup…
Revisited: big VCs investing in seed rounds A few years ago, the trend of companies raising smaller seed rounds combined with the emergence of...
2nd Apr 2012
30

Revisited: big VCs investing in seed rounds

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Apr 2012
A few years ago, the trend of companies raising smaller seed rounds combined with the emergence of new seed funds caused many big VCs to…
How Data Boutique Works #3: Third Party Solutions Working with data? List your solution on Data Boutique
4th Apr 2024
124

How Data Boutique Works #3: Third Party Solutions

from Data Boutique [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Apr 2024
Working with data? List your solution on Data Boutique
Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition – 2023 Wrap Up We just wrapped up the third year of our Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition class...
6th Feb 2024
111

Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition – 2023 Wrap Up

from Steve Blank [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th Feb 2024
We just wrapped up the third year of our Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition class –part of Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. Joe Felter, Mike Brown and I teach the class to: Give our students an appreciation of the challenges and...
How Aristotle Created the Computer The philosophers he influenced set the stage for the technological revolution that remade our world....
20th Feb 2017
46

How Aristotle Created the Computer

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

20th Feb 2017
The philosophers he influenced set the stage for the technological revolution that remade our world. Originally published by The Atlantic…
Delegate or die: the self-employed trap. Most self-employed people get caught in the delegation trap. to find and train someone would take...
23rd Jan 2011
1

Delegate or die: the self-employed trap.

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

23rd Jan 2011
Most self-employed people get caught in the delegation trap. to find and train someone would take more time than you have! So you keep working harder, until you break. In 2001, CD Baby was three years old. I had eight employees but I was still doing everything else...
How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents US parents toilet train their kids much later than they used to. And that trend is a sales bonanza...
6th Mar 2026
1

How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

from Hustle Originals [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th Mar 2026
US parents toilet train their kids much later than they used to. And that trend is a sales bonanza for Pampers and Huggies.
The Department of Defense Is Getting Its Innovation Act Together – But More Can Be Done This post previously appeared in Defense News  and C4SIR. Despite the clear and present danger of...
15th Jan 2024
67
15th Jan 2024
This post previously appeared in Defense News  and C4SIR. Despite the clear and present danger of threats from China and elsewhere, there’s no agreement on what types of adversaries we’ll face; how we’ll fight, organize, and train; and what weapons or systems we’ll need for...
things i learned about contracting Always sign a contract for any job Charge by project, not by hour Give a quote properly Charge 1/2...
20th Sep 2025
1

things i learned about contracting

from Shilin typing [alt+shift+b] in startups

20th Sep 2025
Always sign a contract for any job Charge by project, not by hour Give a quote properly Charge 1/2 upfront Don’t start until the payment goes through or is wired and in transfer Do your work well. Go the extra mile. Underpromise but overdeliver Never complain to the people you...
Test marketing If you want a bigger company to help you some day, imitate what food companies call “test...
1st Apr 2000
1

Test marketing

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Apr 2000
If you want a bigger company to help you some day, imitate what food companies call “test marketing”. So first they’ll release it only in a small city like Albany. They ask customers for feedback, then make improvements based on that. They repeat this process until it’s a...
Trust as a bottleneck to growing teams quickly This is an adaptation of an internal doc I wrote for Anthropic. I’ve been noticing recently that...
13th Jul 2024
1

Trust as a bottleneck to growing teams quickly

from benkuhn.net [alt+shift+b] in startups

13th Jul 2024
This is an adaptation of an internal doc I wrote for Anthropic. I’ve been noticing recently that often, a big blocker to teams staying effective as they grow is trust. “Alice doesn’t trust Bob” makes Alice sound like the bad guy, but it’s often completely appropriate for people...
Going Deep on DeepSpeed Going Deep on DeepSpeed Getting started with training modern AI models on multi-GPU hardware can...
5th Jun 2023
1

Going Deep on DeepSpeed

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Jun 2023
Going Deep on DeepSpeed Getting started with training modern AI models on multi-GPU hardware can feel quite daunting. So let's break down the key concepts and how to get started with the Microsoft DeepSpeed library. Here's a short DeepSpeed tutorial, this is a deep (har har)...
The 80% energy principle As Westerners, we believe in pushing up against the limits, and going over them. We need to learn...
28th Mar 2021
18

The 80% energy principle

from Justin Jackson [alt+shift+b] in startups

28th Mar 2021
As Westerners, we believe in pushing up against the limits, and going over them. We need to learn the Okinawa Island secret: hara hachi bu.
Metrics, Cowardice, and Mistrust why we need better ideologies than "data driven decision making"
17th Oct 2023
94

Metrics, Cowardice, and Mistrust

from Nothing Human [alt+shift+b] in startups

17th Oct 2023
why we need better ideologies than "data driven decision making"
The Rot-Com Bubble If you enjoy this post, why not subscribe to my podcast Better Offline? This week's a two parter...
3rd Jun 2024
129

The Rot-Com Bubble

from Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Jun 2024
If you enjoy this post, why not subscribe to my podcast Better Offline? This week's a two parter that further expands on the Rot-Com Bubble, coming out Wednesday and Friday. The noxious growth-at-all-costs mindset of the Rot Economy sits at the core of every issue that I'
So you want to build a crypto startup? I’m a crypto VC. That means I spend my days talking to crypto entrepreneurs, hearing pitches, and...
4th Oct 2019
47

So you want to build a crypto startup?

from haseeb qureshi [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Oct 2019
I’m a crypto VC. That means I spend my days talking to crypto entrepreneurs, hearing pitches, and evaluating products. The first thing you realize working in this industry is that pretty much everyone is winging it. (That applies to me, but it especially applies to...
Describe your music like a non-musician When describing your music, don’t use musician language. For most people, listening to music is...
1st Jul 2000
1

Describe your music like a non-musician

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Jul 2000
When describing your music, don’t use musician language. For most people, listening to music is like a cat watching cars go by. “That one was blue.” Only an expert or mechanic would be able to describe the technical details of the passing car. Think what one...
dashing dog, searching for purpose People search for their passion or purpose. But “purpose” and “passion” are words we use when we’re...
30th Jun 2023
1

dashing dog, searching for purpose

from Derek Sivers [alt+shift+b] in startups

30th Jun 2023
People search for their passion or purpose. But “purpose” and “passion” are words we use when we’re not working.
How To Estimate An Engineering Project (Or Really Any Project) There is apparently a cabal of engineers who want you to know that estimating is impossible. Don't...
3rd Sep 2023
53

How To Estimate An Engineering Project (Or Really Any Project)

from Throwable [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Sep 2023
There is apparently a cabal of engineers who want you to know that estimating is impossible. Don't believe 'em.
Hanging on to 'stuff' Like most families, we like to start the new year with a bit of a clean slate, which means moving on...
3rd Jan 2023
37

Hanging on to 'stuff'

from 42! [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Jan 2023
Like most families, we like to start the new year with a bit of a clean slate, which means moving on old pieces of furniture and belongings that are just cluttering our life and no longer needed. But this is a surprisingly difficult task. Almost every time we go to get rid of a...
How we turned into assholes The internet was supposed to unite us. So what the fuck happened? And how did we become a...
3rd Nov 2023
29

How we turned into assholes

from Tech + Economics + Humans [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Nov 2023
The internet was supposed to unite us. So what the fuck happened? And how did we become a cross-generational digital nation of assholes? We dreamed of a global, decentralized network spreading information, enabling communication, and connecting humanity. But somewhere...
13th Aug 2008
Utopia Bets / Apocalypse Bets I think that it is nearly impossible to figure out the exact changes that new technologies will...
3rd Mar 2016
42

Utopia Bets / Apocalypse Bets

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Mar 2016
I think that it is nearly impossible to figure out the exact changes that new technologies will create in the world. That's problematic because investing in startups is largely about figuring out whether or not a team with a new technology - or application of existing technology...
2026 predictions It’s that time again—as 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to drop 2026 predictions. I think 2026 is...
29th Dec 2025
1

2026 predictions

from haseeb qureshi [alt+shift+b] in startups

29th Dec 2025
It’s that time again—as 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to drop 2026 predictions. I think 2026 is going to surprise, both to the upside and to the downside. Organized by category: Macro / Chains $BTC is > $150K by year-end, but BTC dominance decreases in 2026. Despite the...
Derivative Zoo Derivative Zoo There are many types of operators that we call derivatives. Classical...
1st May 2018
1

Derivative Zoo

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st May 2018
Derivative Zoo There are many types of operators that we call derivatives. Classical Derivative One-Sided Derivative Higher Order Derivative Implicit Derivative Complex Derivative Partial Derivative Directional Derivative Covariant Derivative Lie Derivative Exterior...
There are no strong opinions weakly held It's a shield for loud conviction and quiet backpedaling if needed.
1st Sep 2025
1

There are no strong opinions weakly held

from Better than Random [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Sep 2025
It's a shield for loud conviction and quiet backpedaling if needed.
"It's pretty difficult to solve big problems in four years" Larry Page: When I talk to most companies, I do think their leaders are pretty short-term focused....
6th Jul 2014
32

"It's pretty difficult to solve big problems in four years"

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th Jul 2014
Larry Page: When I talk to most companies, I do think their leaders are pretty short-term focused. Imagine you're running Exxon, what do you…
Asymmetries in Fundraising Too often, founders approach fundraising as if they are supplicants to the investors. They...
15th Jun 2021
39

Asymmetries in Fundraising

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

15th Jun 2021
Too often, founders approach fundraising as if they are supplicants to the investors. They understand that fundraising features many asymmetries, but the founders mostly see the asymmetries that are tilted towards the investors. Here’s the thing - in today’s market, the...
Pi from String Amplitudes Pi from String Amplitudes From the paper by Arnab Priya Saha and Aninda Sinha. A new series for...
1st Sep 2024
1

Pi from String Amplitudes

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Sep 2024
Pi from String Amplitudes From the paper by Arnab Priya Saha and Aninda Sinha. A new series for \(\pi\) and its convergence. $$ Where \((a)_{n-1}\) is the Pochhammer symbol. $$ \(\lambda\) is a free parameter for optimizing convergence. As \(\lambda\) approaches infinity, the...
A hundred actors on stage Imagine you’re in the audience of a play, and there are a hundred actors on stage. It’s not...
5th Mar 2000
1

A hundred actors on stage

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Mar 2000
Imagine you’re in the audience of a play, and there are a hundred actors on stage. It’s not necessarily the loudest or most hyperactive. Maybe you’d be drawn to the woman with the long black hair, half-hidden, standing silently at the edge of the stage. Would you stand...
Why I don’t want stuff About once a month, someone asks for my mailing address because they want to send me...
16th Feb 2016
1

Why I don’t want stuff

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

16th Feb 2016
About once a month, someone asks for my mailing address because they want to send me something. They liked something I wrote, and want to send me a gift in return. I’m very thankful, but have to say no. Here’s why. I just moved into this place a few weeks ago. I’ve moved...
Art is useless, and so am I Art is useless by definition. If it was useful, it would be a tool. That question served me...
10th Mar 2017
1

Art is useless, and so am I

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

10th Mar 2017
Art is useless by definition. If it was useful, it would be a tool. That question served me well but had its downsides. It kept me from playing and doing things just for me. It’s no coincidence that I stopped making music twenty years ago. It didn’t qualify as the most...
Women in South Africa’s gig economy feel forced to work extra hours for free Women who work as domestic cleaners with SweepSouth, an on-demand app, say clients frequently ask...
4th Jan 2024
44

Women in South Africa’s gig economy feel forced to work extra hours for free

from Rest of World - Global [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Jan 2024
Women who work as domestic cleaners with SweepSouth, an on-demand app, say clients frequently ask them to do unpaid work, and the company hasn’t responded to their complaints.
Slouching Towards Innovation A lot of innovation work revolves around shiny objects - maybe a slick interactive prototype, or a...
13th Sep 2022
43

Slouching Towards Innovation

from tomcritchlow.com [alt+shift+b] in startups

13th Sep 2022
A lot of innovation work revolves around shiny objects - maybe a slick interactive prototype, or a concept video. A lot of innovation projects never see the light of day.
Thoughts For Sale Mass-market intellectualism is an oxymoron, right? Ask Substack.
20th Nov 2024
100

Thoughts For Sale

from Working Theorys [alt+shift+b] in startups

20th Nov 2024
Mass-market intellectualism is an oxymoron, right? Ask Substack.
Roundup #84: Bears on bikes Vibecession (or not); AI depolarization; Existential AI risk; Millennials vs. Boomers;...
1st Jul 2026
1

Roundup #84: Bears on bikes

from Noahpinion [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Jul 2026
Vibecession (or not); AI depolarization; Existential AI risk; Millennials vs. Boomers; Deindustrialization; Russian oil revenue; GLP-1s; AI and jobs
6th Jun 2013
Do App Store Rules Matter? After a decade of arguing, regulators will change Apple’s App Store rules. How much money is...
7th Jul 2021
59

Do App Store Rules Matter?

from Essays - Benedict Evans [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th Jul 2021
After a decade of arguing, regulators will change Apple’s App Store rules. How much money is involved, what might happen next and, most importantly, who cares? This is a big deal for Spotify, but does it matter to anyone else?
Feedback panel SaaS, gift ideas, selling futures, industrial grade calendaring, ... Hey, this is Jakob Greenfeld, author of the Business Brainstorms newsletter - every week I write...
1st May 2023
37

Feedback panel SaaS, gift ideas, selling futures, industrial grade calendaring, ...

from Business Brainstorms [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st May 2023
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 “An idea for an AI tool I'd love to use — I upload chat...
9 Creative Lessons From Virgil Abloh Insights from the late designer who went from studying architecture, working with Kanye, founding...
4th Oct 2024
91

9 Creative Lessons From Virgil Abloh

from SatPost by Trung Phan [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Oct 2024
Insights from the late designer who went from studying architecture, working with Kanye, founding Off-White and leading menswear at Louis Vuitton.
Nvidia Earnings, Dollars Per Gigawatt, Open and Hugging Face Nvidia's earnings were remarking and boring — two sides of the same coin. Everything the company...
1st Sep 2026
1

Nvidia Earnings, Dollars Per Gigawatt, Open and Hugging Face

from Stratechery by Ben Thompson [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Sep 2026
Nvidia's earnings were remarking and boring — two sides of the same coin. Everything the company does is about avoiding a consolidated world.
Subterranean Warfare – An Urgent DoW Need Without An Owner This article previously appeared in Cipher Brief. The DoW urgently needs to organize its scattered...
2 weeks ago
3

Subterranean Warfare – An Urgent DoW Need Without An Owner

from Steve Blank [alt+shift+b] in startups

2 weeks ago
This article previously appeared in Cipher Brief. The DoW urgently needs to organize its scattered subterranean warfare assets into a single unified organization. Ideally, a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager (DRPM) for Subterranean Warfare, reporting to the Deputy Secretary of...
Games are problems people pay to solve Good definitions are powerful. Lately, while reading The Art of Game Design, it became clear to me...
22nd Apr 2023
42

Games are problems people pay to solve

from Inverted Passion [alt+shift+b] in startups

22nd Apr 2023
Good definitions are powerful. Lately, while reading The Art of Game Design, it became clear to me that the author’s definition of games makes a lot of sense. He defines games as problems that people pay to solve with either their time or money. Unlike movies or books, games are...
Jewish Americans are feeling unsettled Increasingly squeezed between the new leftism and the new rightism.
1st Jul 2025
37

Jewish Americans are feeling unsettled

from Noahpinion [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Jul 2025
Increasingly squeezed between the new leftism and the new rightism.
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...
26th Jun 2023
32

Meta, News Outlets and the Canada Online News Act

from Unpacked [alt+shift+b] in startups

26th Jun 2023
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...
Hypothetical Divine Signatures Hypothetical Divine Signatures The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews famously claimed that "faith...
14th Jan 2026
1

Hypothetical Divine Signatures

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

14th Jan 2026
Hypothetical Divine Signatures The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews famously claimed that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," which was a perfectly serviceable theological patch for an era where the average person’s greatest...
8th May 2020
56

Look at yourself objectively

from Raw Thought (from Aaron Swartz) [alt+shift+b] in startups

29th Oct 2022
Platform Risk Platform risk is when another company controls your destiny. This week there was a big scare with...
3rd Feb 2023
10

Platform Risk

from XO Capital - Field Notes [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Feb 2023
Platform risk is when another company controls your destiny. This week there was a big scare with Twitter's enforcement of a policy they claim had been around for a while. Twitter’s new developer terms ban third-party clients | Engadget Twitter has quietly updated its...
Why I left America I was living on the beach in Santa Monica, California, and life was perfect. I was in paradise, and...
9th Mar 2022
1

Why I left America

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Mar 2022
I was living on the beach in Santa Monica, California, and life was perfect. I was in paradise, and deeply happy. But I always want to learn and grow. To grow intellectually, you need to be surprised. If we’re not surprised, we’re not really learning. We may add new...
Asking questions Small children are great at asking questions. Their questions are simple, direct, and utterly...
30th Mar 2020
44

Asking questions

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

30th Mar 2020
Small children are great at asking questions. Their questions are simple, direct, and utterly without ego. If you spend time with 2-5 year olds, you’ll find yourself answering a near infinite series of progressively more challenging questions. This is one of the main paths by...
Regulatory hacks A common way to think of business regulations is by analogy to sports: the rules are specified up...
10th Oct 2012
36

Regulatory hacks

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

10th Oct 2012
A common way to think of business regulations is by analogy to sports: the rules are specified up front, and the players follow the rules…
Size markets using narratives, not numbers Anyone who has pitched VCs knows they are obsessed with market size.  If you can’t make the case...
3rd Apr 2010
41

Size markets using narratives, not numbers

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Apr 2010
Anyone who has pitched VCs knows they are obsessed with market size.  If you can’t make the case that you’re addressing a possible billion…
MLIR Part 13 - Running GPT-2 Running GPT-2 We now have a Python tensor language, an MLIR builder, a transformation pipeline and a...
19th Jun 2026
1

MLIR Part 13 - Running GPT-2

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

19th Jun 2026
Running GPT-2 We now have a Python tensor language, an MLIR builder, a transformation pipeline and a native execution boundary. The remaining task is to connect those pieces to the pretrained model and check that the result agrees with our original NumPy implementation. The...
The Architecture Behind A One-Person Tech Startup As grandiose as the title of this article might sound, I should clarify we’re talking about a...
7th Apr 2021
1

The Architecture Behind A One-Person Tech Startup

from anthonynsimon.com [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th Apr 2021
As grandiose as the title of this article might sound, I should clarify we’re talking about a low-stress, one-person company that I run from my flat here in Germany.
Dive into GHC: Intermediate Forms Dive into GHC: Intermediate Forms In the last blog post,...
11th Jul 2016
1

Dive into GHC: Intermediate Forms

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

11th Jul 2016
Dive into GHC: Intermediate Forms In the last blog post, we Parsing Renaming Typechecking Desugaring Simplification Code Generation Passes The following functions are the main passes are that are used inside of the HscMain . -- Parse a module. parseModule :: GhcMonad m =>...
Blumhouse: How Jason Blum Created A Hollywood Horror Hit Machine Jason Blum turned "constraints breed creativity" into a business model.
5th Jun 2026
2

Blumhouse: How Jason Blum Created A Hollywood Horror Hit Machine

from SatPost by Trung Phan [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Jun 2026
Jason Blum turned "constraints breed creativity" into a business model.
The thin layer problem Outperforming your manager without getting fired
6th Oct 2025
1

The thin layer problem

from Better than Random [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th Oct 2025
Outperforming your manager without getting fired
Thomas Jefferson on Patents If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the...
16th Jul 2011
32

Thomas Jefferson on Patents

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

16th Jul 2011
If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an…
AIVC I was approached by a company this week that has trained a large language model on all of the blog...
4th May 2023
59

AIVC

from AVC [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th May 2023
I was approached by a company this week that has trained a large language model on all of the blog posts I have written here at AVC. There are 9059 of them for those that are counting. They wanted to offer me a chat bot called “ask Fred.” I told them no thanks. Let me […]
Stepping Into Your Own Light Stop internalizing failure and externalizing success. Own your achievements with confidence.
9th Jun 2026
1

Stepping Into Your Own Light

from Hyphen Nation [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Jun 2026
Stop internalizing failure and externalizing success. Own your achievements with confidence.
AI and the Human Condition AI might replace all of the jobs; that's only a problem if you think that humans will care, but if...
5th Jan 2026
1

AI and the Human Condition

from Stratechery by Ben Thompson [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Jan 2026
AI might replace all of the jobs; that's only a problem if you think that humans will care, but if they care, they will create new jobs.
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...
4th Jun 2010
38

There are three New York Cities

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Jun 2010
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…
Older founders do this better There's a popular narrative in Silicon Valley that you have to be in your 20s to build a successful...
8th Jul 2022
16

Older founders do this better

from Justin Jackson [alt+shift+b] in startups

8th Jul 2022
There's a popular narrative in Silicon Valley that you have to be in your 20s to build a successful startup. But founders in their 40s, 50s, 60s are more likely to be successful.
A Broken Heart You always know it’s a good bug when your first reaction is, “How could this even happen?” The other...
31st Jan 2026
1

A Broken Heart

from Allen Pike [alt+shift+b] in startups

31st Jan 2026
You always know it’s a good bug when your first reaction is, “How could this even happen?” The other day, I was refining the dashboard of a web app we’re working on – as you do – and I noticed it was taking forever to load. Like, it had been loading in a single second, but now it...
Rabbit Holed Thank you to Emily Shepherd for her hard work reporting parts of this story, as well as her...
6th May 2024
92

Rabbit Holed

from Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At [alt+shift+b] in startups

6th May 2024
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...
Naïve Quitting My first real job was as the librarian at Warner/Chappell Music. After 2½ years, though, I...
24th May 2010
1

Naïve Quitting

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

24th May 2010
My first real job was as the librarian at Warner/Chappell Music. After 2½ years, though, I decided to quit to be a full-time musician. (Partially because I was too happy there! I was scared that if I didn’t force myself to quit, I’d never leave. Too comfortable.) (It...
Sleep is so weird Ian Dyball Our bodies are designed such that we need to lose consciousness, entirely, for a full...
5th Feb 2024
70

Sleep is so weird

from Ryan Barrett [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Feb 2024
Ian Dyball Our bodies are designed such that we need to lose consciousness, entirely, for a full third of every day. This is evidently necessary for some kind of regular brain maintenance, maybe forming long term memories, who knows what else. If we don’t sleep, we quickly become...
The Hard Economics of Selling Web Data Market components to consider when selling pre-scraped datasets
11th Oct 2023
32

The Hard Economics of Selling Web Data

from Data Boutique [alt+shift+b] in startups

11th Oct 2023
Market components to consider when selling pre-scraped datasets
Why you should go after a market with strong demand Building a new product is an enormous risk. You're risking your time, energy, and resources. Look...
2nd Oct 2020
16

Why you should go after a market with strong demand

from Justin Jackson [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Oct 2020
Building a new product is an enormous risk. You're risking your time, energy, and resources. Look for a evidence of demand!
The Season Finale of TBPN On the show, the meta-show, and stocking up on cultural power.
14th Apr 2026
2

The Season Finale of TBPN

from Working Theorys [alt+shift+b] in startups

14th Apr 2026
On the show, the meta-show, and stocking up on cultural power.
Can you have child safety and Section 230, too? The verdicts in last week’s social media trials have alarmed open-internet advocates. But it’s...
1st Apr 2026
1

Can you have child safety and Section 230, too?

from Platformer [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Apr 2026
The verdicts in last week’s social media trials have alarmed open-internet advocates. But it’s possible to regulate platform design while also protecting speech
Either micromanage your people or lean on them Something in between is the worst
5th Jan 2026
1

Either micromanage your people or lean on them

from Better than Random [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Jan 2026
Something in between is the worst
Relax for the same result A few years ago, I lived in Santa Monica, California, right on the beach. So a few times a week,...
2nd Oct 2015
1

Relax for the same result

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Oct 2015
A few years ago, I lived in Santa Monica, California, right on the beach. So a few times a week, I’d get on my bike and go as fast as I could for the fifteen-mile loop. I mean really full-on, 100 percent, head-down, red-faced sprinting. After a few months, I noticed I was...
Hello World... Meet Devin. If you’re anything like me — you can think back to countless memories of coding sessions running...
11th Dec 2024
1

Hello World... Meet Devin.

from Jamesin’s Substack [alt+shift+b] in startups

11th Dec 2024
If you’re anything like me — you can think back to countless memories of coding sessions running deep into the night.
Unleash the bololô: Masses of delivery workers set off horns and fireworks at bad customers’ homes In Brazil, workers protest nasty customers with bikes, horns and fireworks.
4th Dec 2023
33
4th Dec 2023
In Brazil, workers protest nasty customers with bikes, horns and fireworks.
Paralyzed by the Perfect Resume Those with the most to lose are often the least likely to take big swings
3rd Sep 2026
3

Paralyzed by the Perfect Resume

from Hyphen Nation [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Sep 2026
Those with the most to lose are often the least likely to take big swings
Small actions change your self-identity When we think about what’s worth doing, we usually think of big things. Approaching a...
10th Sep 2008
1

Small actions change your self-identity

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

10th Sep 2008
When we think about what’s worth doing, we usually think of big things. Approaching a celebrity Having taken that one step, you start to think of yourself as brave, or an achiever, or a bit of an expert on a subject. You do just one thing that makes you feel like a...
The U.S. town with a pumpkin-based economy How one small town in Illinois survived the Rust Belt’s manufacturing decline to become the world’s...
5th Sep 2025
1

The U.S. town with a pumpkin-based economy

from Hustle Originals [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Sep 2025
How one small town in Illinois survived the Rust Belt’s manufacturing decline to become the world’s canned pumpkin hotspot.
Information is the (other) currency of venture capital Many seasoned entrepreneurs have had the following experience.  A VC eagerly wants to meet with you....
1st Sep 2009
36

Information is the (other) currency of venture capital

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Sep 2009
Many seasoned entrepreneurs have had the following experience.  A VC eagerly wants to meet with you.  You have what seems like a very good…
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...
14th Apr 2022
38

In defense of exploding term sheets

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

14th Apr 2022
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...
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...
12th Oct 2023
67

Open Office Hours at NYC Tech Week

from AVC [alt+shift+b] in startups

12th Oct 2023
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/...
The competitive claw machine boom How a childhood obsession became an online phenomenon and a full-time career for claw-machine...
9th Jan 2026
1

The competitive claw machine boom

from Hustle Originals [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Jan 2026
How a childhood obsession became an online phenomenon and a full-time career for claw-machine enthusiasts.
Interfacing MCP with Combinatorial, Convex, and SMT Solvers Interfacing MCP with Combinatorial, Convex, and SMT Solvers Lately I've been working on using MCP...
2nd Jun 2025
1

Interfacing MCP with Combinatorial, Convex, and SMT Solvers

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Jun 2025
Interfacing MCP with Combinatorial, Convex, and SMT Solvers Lately I've been working on using MCP beyond just using it for symbolic algebra manipulations, I've been thinking about how to interface large language models with a suite of dedicated solvers for scientific computing...
Sublime Capability It's no big deal.
9th Mar 2026
1

Sublime Capability

from Scope of Work [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Mar 2026
It's no big deal.
Divorced from reality Fundamentals will matter
10th Sep 2026
2

Divorced from reality

from Balancing Act [alt+shift+b] in startups

10th Sep 2026
Fundamentals will matter
Making Sense of Martech In July 2021, I joined Juan Mendoza on the Making Sense of Martech podcast to discuss my recent...
11th Mar 2019
1

Making Sense of Martech

from Podcasts - Alex Murrell [alt+shift+b] in startups

11th Mar 2019
In July 2021, I joined Juan Mendoza on the Making Sense of Martech podcast to discuss my recent article Adland is an Island.
4th Nov 2024
100

💡 Business Brainstorms 💡- My favorite ideas of the week

from Business Brainstorms [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Nov 2024
🙈 Copying doesn’t matter
America's chip export controls are working Don't be fooled by the people who say we should sell China everything we've got.
2nd Jan 2026
1

America's chip export controls are working

from Noahpinion [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Jan 2026
Don't be fooled by the people who say we should sell China everything we've got.
Founder Stories: Li Lu of Himalaya Capital A story of survival, success and advocacy
20th May 2026
1

Founder Stories: Li Lu of Himalaya Capital

from Hyphen Nation [alt+shift+b] in startups

20th May 2026
A story of survival, success and advocacy
Do you want it the most? Figure out what you actually want. Find a game that's worth winning. Then be honest with yourself:...
3 weeks ago
6

Do you want it the most?

from Justin Jackson [alt+shift+b] in startups

3 weeks ago
Figure out what you actually want. Find a game that's worth winning. Then be honest with yourself: are you going to be the person who wants it the most?
20 Years Later Twenty years later, I can’t remember what I saw and what I think I saw. I remember listening to the...
12th Sep 2021
44

20 Years Later

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

12th Sep 2021
Twenty years later, I can’t remember what I saw and what I think I saw. I remember listening to the news with my mom, Judah, and Mimi as the anchors casually mentioned that a small plane seemed to have hit a tower. We were on I-95 - or maybe the Garden State - headed south to...
Competing in search A quarter century after 'don't be evil', a judge has found that Google is abusing its monopoly in...
19th Aug 2024
119

Competing in search

from Essays - Benedict Evans [alt+shift+b] in startups

19th Aug 2024
A quarter century after 'don't be evil', a judge has found that Google is abusing its monopoly in search. But no-one knows what happens next, and whether this ruling will change anything. Will Apple build a search engine? Will ChatGPT change search? Does it matter?
Avoiding Errors in Demo Day Fundraising I’ll be addressing the topic below along with Alfred Lin from Sequoia and Ilya Sukhar from Matrix on...
21st Mar 2023
97

Avoiding Errors in Demo Day Fundraising

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

21st Mar 2023
I’ll be addressing the topic below along with Alfred Lin from Sequoia and Ilya Sukhar from Matrix on 3/24: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qgghYDq4QxCiW9REOOrbmw It would be challenging to name all the fundraising mistakes that founders make during the many demo days...
Listicle of Buddhist Lists Listicle of Buddhist Lists Buddhism has more lists than a Buzzfeed article. Inspired by the List of...
15th Jan 2019
1

Listicle of Buddhist Lists

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

15th Jan 2019
Listicle of Buddhist Lists Buddhism has more lists than a Buzzfeed article. Inspired by the List of Buddhist Lists, here are the Buddha's teachings as millennial listicles. Plus or minus some bad puns. Mindfulness: Noticing your brain is completely bonkers right now, and being...
The Coddling of the Tech Mind We built daycares for adults
22nd May 2026
1

The Coddling of the Tech Mind

from Balancing Act [alt+shift+b] in startups

22nd May 2026
We built daycares for adults
A martingale approach to detect changes in histograms If a user has opted into submitting performance data to Mozilla, the Telemetry system will collect...
15th Dec 2016
39

A martingale approach to detect changes in histograms

from Roberto Vitillo's Blog [alt+shift+b] in startups

15th Dec 2016
If a user has opted into submitting performance data to Mozilla, the Telemetry system will collect various measures of Firefox performance…
Q-Codes; Or… Stop repeating yourself ⌨️ I use apple’s keyboard “text” shortcodes to setup a lot of things i have to type regularly. It’s...
26th Aug 2022
37

Q-Codes; Or… Stop repeating yourself ⌨️

from Blog posts of Andreas Klinger [alt+shift+b] in startups

26th Aug 2022
I use apple’s keyboard “text” shortcodes to setup a lot of things i have to type regularly. It’s easily one of my favorite productivity hacks!
Stuff I would tell my younger self A collection of advice I'd give to my younger self, if I could.
28th Feb 2024
1

Stuff I would tell my younger self

from anthonynsimon.com [alt+shift+b] in startups

28th Feb 2024
A collection of advice I'd give to my younger self, if I could.
The next big thing will start out looking like a toy One of the amazing things about the internet economy is how different the list of top internet...
3rd Jan 2010
37

The next big thing will start out looking like a toy

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Jan 2010
One of the amazing things about the internet economy is how different the list of top internet properties today looks from the list ten…
Working With Founders Who Have Conviction and Taste Consulting can be easy money. Fleecing clients for cheap tricks. Clients have problems, you have...
16th Apr 2024
143

Working With Founders Who Have Conviction and Taste

from tomcritchlow.com [alt+shift+b] in startups

16th Apr 2024
Consulting can be easy money. Fleecing clients for cheap tricks. Clients have problems, you have powerpoints. It’s easy to flip a few quick slides into a chunk of cash and cackle off into the mountains.
Y Combinator W23 batch, AI value chain and startup trends YCombinator (YC), the renowned Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator, recently announced their...
1st Jul 2023
41

Y Combinator W23 batch, AI value chain and startup trends

from Unpacked [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Jul 2023
YCombinator (YC), the renowned Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator, recently announced their Winter 2023 cohort and, unsurprisingly, ~31% of startups have a self-reported AI tag.
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...
28th Feb 2022
54

A framework for choosing what to do

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

28th Feb 2022
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...
Naming a company Great company names are worth millions. In fact, choosing a name is one of the most important...
1st Mar 2023
42

Naming a company

from Articles - Brett_Adcock [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Mar 2023
Great company names are worth millions. In fact, choosing a name is one of the most important decisions you will make as an entrepreneur. Your company's name could be a lever that separates you from your competition. It could be the key element that helps your customers...
The Granny Hobby Protocol And the hands-on, thumbs-off economy
3rd Apr 2024
106

The Granny Hobby Protocol

from Working Theorys [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Apr 2024
And the hands-on, thumbs-off economy
Mark Zuckerberg tries to buy Instagram The process began with you asking if we'd do this at $500m, but then you didn't want to end up doing...
7th Sep 2024
117

Mark Zuckerberg tries to buy Instagram

from Internal Tech Emails [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th Sep 2024
The process began with you asking if we'd do this at $500m, but then you didn't want to end up doing it at that valuation. I am curious to know at what valuation you would do this, and then I can just let you know whether we'd do that.
Building products from improvised user behaviors For a long time, there were niche communities of “lo-fi” camera enthusiasts: people who shared...
2nd Jan 2012
37

Building products from improvised user behaviors

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

2nd Jan 2012
For a long time, there were niche communities of “lo-fi” camera enthusiasts: people who shared photos taken on old cameras that had…
Meta Earnings, Meta’s Timing Problems, The Financial Tail Meta's earnings were a bit disappointing; future promises about AI products were more disconcerting.
3rd Aug 2026
1

Meta Earnings, Meta’s Timing Problems, The Financial Tail

from Stratechery by Ben Thompson [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Aug 2026
Meta's earnings were a bit disappointing; future promises about AI products were more disconcerting.
High-paying tech jobs are fueling a mini baby boom in Taiwan’s chip hub As Taiwan’s fertility rate plummets and young women increasingly choose to remain single, the...
3rd Sep 2025
47

High-paying tech jobs are fueling a mini baby boom in Taiwan’s chip hub

from Rest of World - Global [alt+shift+b] in startups

3rd Sep 2025
As Taiwan’s fertility rate plummets and young women increasingly choose to remain single, the island’s Silicon Valley is bucking the trend.
Working notes for Summer of Protocols I participated in the Summer of Protocols research program this summer as a Core Researcher. It was...
27th May 2023
1

Working notes for Summer of Protocols

from Nadia Asparouhova [alt+shift+b] in startups

27th May 2023
I participated in the Summer of Protocols research program this summer as a Core Researcher. It was an 18-week program, funded by the Ethereum Foundation, that aimed to catalyze a wider exploration of protocols and their social implications. I decided to focus on protocols as...
The Greatest Meme Template Ever Why does Juan Joya Borja (aka El Risitas aka “Spanish Laughing Guy”) always put a smile on our...
1st Mar 2024
128

The Greatest Meme Template Ever

from SatPost by Trung Phan [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Mar 2024
Why does Juan Joya Borja (aka El Risitas aka “Spanish Laughing Guy”) always put a smile on our faces.
Your Startup Is Probably Dead On Arrival Your Startup Is Probably Dead On Arrival If you started a company more than two years ago, it’s...
17th Mar 2026
1

Your Startup Is Probably Dead On Arrival

from Steve Blank [alt+shift+b] in startups

17th Mar 2026
Your Startup Is Probably Dead On Arrival If you started a company more than two years ago, it’s likely that many of your assumptions are no longer true. You need to stop coding, building, recruiting, fund raising, etc., and take stock of what changed around you. Or your company...
Why barcodes are about to go extinct QR codes are here. Barcodes should be very afraid.
4 weeks ago
3

Why barcodes are about to go extinct

from Hustle Originals [alt+shift+b] in startups

4 weeks ago
QR codes are here. Barcodes should be very afraid.
Reference checks as a service, the need for more competition everywhere, GPT travel planning,... Hey, this is Jakob Greenfeld, author of the Business Brainstorms newsletter - every week I write...
10th Apr 2023
35
10th Apr 2023
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: Reference checks as a service. Do...
Business development: the Goldilocks principle Background: At Hunch, we switched our focus (“pivoted“) about 14 months ago from B2C to B2B. Over...
28th Nov 2011
34

Business development: the Goldilocks principle

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

28th Nov 2011
Background: At Hunch, we switched our focus (“pivoted“) about 14 months ago from B2C to B2B. Over that time, we pitched over 500 potential…
Linking CUDA Kernels into Python Linking CUDA Kernels into Python Gaussian blur is a common image processing operation that smooths...
18th Nov 2022
1

Linking CUDA Kernels into Python

from Stephen Diehl [alt+shift+b] in startups

18th Nov 2022
Linking CUDA Kernels into Python Gaussian blur is a common image processing operation that smooths images using a Gaussian kernel. While it's straightforward to implement on CPU, it can be quite slow for large images. Let's explore how to implement this efficiently using CUDA and...
The Blackbird Platform The first project launched this week on our portfolio company Blackbird‘s platform. It is a friends...
5th Apr 2023
52

The Blackbird Platform

from AVC [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Apr 2023
The first project launched this week on our portfolio company Blackbird‘s platform. It is a friends and family program at a restaurant in Williamsburg Brooklyn called Gertie. Blackbird wrote about it today on their excellent Supersonic blog: Throughout, when you tap Gertie’s...
The Future of No Code is Low Code Or why we should write more programming languages instead of trying to build virtual legos.
4th Aug 2022
34

The Future of No Code is Low Code

from Varun's Notes [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Aug 2022
Or why we should write more programming languages instead of trying to build virtual legos.
The case of WOPR and the lost code... I got an email earlier this week from a guy reaching out after he read a post of mine on a gaming...
5th Mar 2021
44

The case of WOPR and the lost code...

from 42! [alt+shift+b] in startups

5th Mar 2021
I got an email earlier this week from a guy reaching out after he read a post of mine on a gaming forum that was posted over two decades ago! I couldn't for the life of me remember what I had said, but he reiterated that it was about a simulation that I wrote in BASIC that was...
Distributed Capital In theory, the hard part about finding capital for unproven founders with unproven technologies in...
1st Mar 2021
44

Distributed Capital

from Aaron's Essays [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Mar 2021
In theory, the hard part about finding capital for unproven founders with unproven technologies in unproven markets should be that no one wants the risk. There was a time when that was true, but it isn’t anymore.[1] For a founder, the issue is different: venture capital is...
Why does it matter that Twitter is supplanting RSS? The other day I claimed that Twitter is supplanting RSS, and that long term that’s a bad thing....
1st Oct 2009
30

Why does it matter that Twitter is supplanting RSS?

from cdixon [alt+shift+b] in startups

1st Oct 2009
The other day I claimed that Twitter is supplanting RSS, and that long term that’s a bad thing.  Andrew Weissman had a very reasonable…
Revenue grew from $14,143 to $32,470, but not much profit yet. UPDATES: money stuff, got an apartment in NYC, & gave a talk at Fractal Tech.
9th Dec 2024
1

Revenue grew from $14,143 to $32,470, but not much profit yet.

from Anthony Castrio's Official Newsletter [alt+shift+b] in startups

9th Dec 2024
UPDATES: money stuff, got an apartment in NYC, & gave a talk at Fractal Tech.
Don’t be a donkey Are you trying to pursue many different directions at once? The problem is thinking short term —...
8th Jun 2011
1

Don’t be a donkey

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

8th Jun 2011
Are you trying to pursue many different directions at once? The problem is thinking short term — assuming that if you don’t do all the things now, they won’t happen. You may have heard this story: Buridan’s donkey is standing halfway between a pile of hay and a bucket of...
Aim for the edges An amazing shift has happened in the last few decades. remarkably unusual. Our culture is now...
7th May 2008
1

Aim for the edges

from Derek Sivers podcast [alt+shift+b] in startups

7th May 2008
An amazing shift has happened in the last few decades. remarkably unusual. Our culture is now split into niches. In 1948, Milton Berle’s TV show had 80% of all viewers, because it was one of only three choices! When the Beatles played on Ed Sullivan in 1964, they had 60% of...
How to make the best possible translation of a book? You know that frustration of reading a book that should have been an article? Me too. So I try to...
14th Aug 2024
1

How to make the best possible translation of a book?

from Derek Sivers [alt+shift+b] in startups

14th Aug 2024
You know that frustration of reading a book that should have been an article? Me too. So I try to do the opposite — to write so succinctly that you wish I would have said a little more. You complete it with your own thoughts.
The limits of conventional wisdom All bits of wisdom have limits, boundaries, thresholds.
10th Dec 2021
15

The limits of conventional wisdom

from Justin Jackson [alt+shift+b] in startups

10th Dec 2021
All bits of wisdom have limits, boundaries, thresholds.
How to host a static website with HTTPS on AWS, using S3 and CloudFront Amazon’s AWS is an inexpensive and limitlessly scalable platform that can be ideal for hosting fast,...
4th Jun 2019
45

How to host a static website with HTTPS on AWS, using S3 and CloudFront

from Dustin Curtis [alt+shift+b] in startups

4th Jun 2019
Amazon’s AWS is an inexpensive and limitlessly scalable platform that can be ideal for hosting fast, secure, and reliable static websites. I host several sites using the method described below, and it costs me pennies per month. The only problem is that getting things set...
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