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Working Theorys

Working Theorys
Untitled Future, 1 a short story serial
a week ago
Working Theorys
Digital Tug-of-War On TikTok ban whiplash, digital trade, Harvard MBAs, and CEOs running it back.
a week ago
Working Theorys
Writing Wrapped I published 52 pieces this year (plus favorite tweets and an essay from the vault).
a month ago
Working Theorys
Two Shticks Everyone needs two shticks.
a month ago
Working Theorys
Invisible Duels You didn’t agree to this duel. Yet it’s happening.
2 months ago
Working Theorys
Thoughts For Sale Mass-market intellectualism is an oxymoron, right? Ask Substack.
2 months ago
Working Theorys
Taste is Eating Silicon Valley. Just as software ate the world and dramatically transformed industries in the last era, taste is now...
4 months ago
68
4 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.
Working Theorys
About Practice Learning anything comes down to two things: practice and performance.
4 months ago
Working Theorys
The Co-Sign That Changes Everything Ascendancy in any domain is a game of two moves: self-made wins and high-status vouches. You...
4 months ago
62
4 months ago
Ascendancy in any domain is a game of two moves: self-made wins and high-status vouches. You alternate between the two, taking leaps from one step to the next, aiming for that mythical high point (before either crashing down or fading away under the same community’s judgment or,...
Working Theorys
Notes on 'Founder Mode' Most founders are in “founder mode” — and most of them fail.
5 months ago
Working Theorys
When founders outgrow their startups On the rise of personal power and the new founders' dilemma.
5 months ago
Working Theorys
The Lost Sense OR: The Marginalization of "Touch" in a Digital World
5 months ago
Working Theorys
30 and Retirable P.S. It’s not just about being retirable, but being more retirable than your neighbor.
5 months ago
Working Theorys
Second Nature Skills What can you do without trying that hard?
5 months ago
Working Theorys
Tattoo Decisions On making opinionated commitments
6 months ago
Working Theorys
Cool Self There are a lot of theories about the meaning of life. About what we go through life searching for....
6 months ago
72
6 months ago
There are a lot of theories about the meaning of life. About what we go through life searching for. What we’re lucky if we find. Some of these theories give us answers, but many prompt us to ask more questions. Recently I’ve landed on my own theory, one rooted in a kind of common...
Working Theorys
The Prestige-Prosperity Gap We expect prestige and wealth to grow in tandem. When status goes up, wealth goes up...
7 months ago
73
7 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...
Working Theorys
Writers Block What I learned from Version 1.0, plus Version 2.0 soon :)
7 months ago
Working Theorys
In Defense of 'Tarpit Ideas' In the startup world, there’s a term called “tarpit ideas.” These ideas look enticing at first. They...
7 months ago
57
7 months ago
In the startup world, there’s a term called “tarpit ideas.” These ideas look enticing at first. They have universal surface appeal, but they end up being huge drains on time and resources, and ultimately, they fail. The common trope is that young, first-time founders pursue...
Working Theorys
Ping Minimalism OR: "Personal firewalls" or "Few may disturb"
7 months ago
Working Theorys
How to Be Like Derek Guy If you spend any time on Twitter, you know the handle @dieworkwear by heart. And you know it’s the...
7 months ago
49
7 months ago
If you spend any time on Twitter, you know the handle @dieworkwear by heart. And you know it’s the handle of Derek Guy, menswear expert extraordinaire. (I’m still unsure if that’s his real name, but I haven’t bothered to look it up because at this point I trust him implicitly.) I...
Working Theorys
The Rise of the Software Creator In the age of AI, software creators, like content creators, will emerge as the industry’s...
8 months ago
71
8 months ago
In the age of AI, software creators, like content creators, will emerge as the industry’s non-professional creative class.
Working Theorys
Background Social Theory #41: on apps that let you tell me what you're up to without telling me what you're up to.
8 months ago
Working Theorys
Accountability as a Service Hey you, did you do the thing you said you would do?
8 months ago
Working Theorys
Membership clubs & desktop apps are back. And more things I talked about over coffee & dinner this week.
8 months ago
Working Theorys
Baseline Fame When privilege becomes a pre-requisite.
8 months ago
Working Theorys
What I Talk About When I Talk About Reading Optimize your life for good conversations.
9 months ago
Working Theorys
Writer-Builders Theory #39 | The archetype of new kind of renaissance man
9 months ago
Working Theorys
3 Hours or Nothing Musing #14 | The merits of being binary with your time
9 months ago
Working Theorys
How to Go Direct Owning your own message, with intermediaries
9 months ago
Working Theorys
The Taste Discount Everything is easier when tastes align.
9 months ago
Working Theorys
Some Thoughts on Airchat For people in a tiny slice of the world and internet, there’s no greater canon event than the...
9 months ago
66
9 months ago
For people in a tiny slice of the world and internet, there’s no greater canon event than the prospect of a new social app taking off. Sometimes there are multi-year droughts. In a plentiful year, there are one or two prospects that excite us. (And I wrote a stream of...
Working Theorys
New Social App Who am I? And other urgent existential questions.
9 months ago
Working Theorys
Explain It Like I'm One of You Basketball podcasts, new media, and no more ELI5
9 months ago
Working Theorys
The Granny Hobby Protocol And the hands-on, thumbs-off economy
10 months ago
Working Theorys
Placeholders for Life Life is not a dress rehearsal
10 months ago
Working Theorys
Before the Crowd Shows Up The arena rewards those who arrive early.
10 months ago
Working Theorys
Rabbitholes as Portals Fall down the right ones
10 months ago
Working Theorys
caring about newness we don't create with the intent to recycle
10 months ago
Working Theorys
Second Encounters Firsts are overrated
10 months ago
Working Theorys
The Time-Boxed Startup What if startups had an expiration date?
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Word Association Fame The new attention playbooks will be full of old plays.
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Great Products Have Great Premises The most powerful thing a product can do is give its user a premise.
11 months ago
Working Theorys
The Creator Search Fund Don't buy a company, commercialize a creator.
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Weekend Theorys No. 4 Time to lameness, netizens vs. citizens, and OpenAI scaring creative people (again)
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Pursuits that can’t scale What you should do "instead of going to therapy”
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Love the Mission or Love the Game Are you a Type I or Type II entrepreneur? (or an unserious third thing)
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Weekend Theorys No. 3 Books as athleisure, Twitter/X goes Substack, and oh yeah, Apple's Vision Pro
11 months ago
Working Theorys
Weekend Theorys No. 2 Crypto social games, work "trials," and meeting your creations in the wild.
12 months ago
Working Theorys
Crypto social games don’t need the crypto Crypto social games, work "trials," and meeting your creations in the wild
12 months ago
Working Theorys
Companionship Content is King | Theory No. 29 Why short-form video has a ceiling & how companionship content escapes it.
a year ago
Working Theorys
Weekend Theorys No. 1 "Healthy” social apps, the folly of the "one-two punch," and side projects that command respect
a year ago
Working Theorys
Angel Investing | Theory No. 28 A 5-year reflection & predictions on the practice of writing small checks into early-stage startups.
a year ago
Working Theorys
Status Limbo | Theory No. 27 To get status, you have to give up status.
a year ago
Working Theorys
The 20/20 Workweek | Theory No. 26 The 40-hour, 80-hour, and 4-hour workweek are out. What comes next?
a year ago
Working Theorys
Zero-Sum vs. Positive-Sum Product Theory | Theory No. 25 What kind of product are you building?
a year ago
Working Theorys
24 Working Theorys for 2024 Twenty-four ideas across four major themes: startups & investing, social products, media & creators,...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Twenty-four ideas across four major themes: startups & investing, social products, media & creators, and lifestyle
Working Theorys
The Idea That Won't Go Away | Theory No. 24 In a battle of new and old ideas, which one wins?
a year ago
Working Theorys
One-Round Wonder | Theory No. 23 Can a startup have the best of both bootstrapped and venture funded paths?
a year ago
Working Theorys
How to Do Business School Right | Theory No. 22 There’s an age-old debate about whether you should go to business school or not. It rarely comes up...
a year ago
7
a year ago
There’s an age-old debate about whether you should go to business school or not. It rarely comes up these days but yes, I went to business school — arguably to the most business-school-y of business schools, Harvard Business School. Business school isn’t “popular” in modern...
Working Theorys
Don't Build a Social Network, Build a Social Utility | Theory No. 21 We often think of “social products” as synonymous with “social networks,” but they’re not. Social...
a year ago
11
a year ago
We often think of “social products” as synonymous with “social networks,” but they’re not. Social networks are just a subset of social products, though arguably the most popular and lucrative kind that we’ve become used to hearing about. But I think it’s the wrong time to build a...
Working Theorys
The "High Potential" Handicap | Theory No. 20 "Smart" kids are always praised for their high potential. They’re deemed inherently capable of so...
a year ago
9
a year ago
"Smart" kids are always praised for their high potential. They’re deemed inherently capable of so much, largely because of their natural talents. They can do anything they want, if they just try.
Working Theorys
Big TAM Founders, Small TAM Startups | Theory No. 19 What's one way to maximize your startup's chance of success? Be a big TAM founder working on a...
a year ago
Working Theorys
Why Are All the Public Intellectuals Men? | Theory No. 18 The most identifiable people in this arena aren’t "traditional" scholars. They’re usually not...
a year ago
11
a year ago
The most identifiable people in this arena aren’t "traditional" scholars. They’re usually not researchers, scientists, or writers by education or trade. Instead, they seem to have just put themselves forth as vessels — to study the world, share their observations, and sprinkle in...
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
13
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...
Working Theorys
The Brunch Test | Theory No. 16 A framework for building products that balance familiarity with freshness.
a year ago
Working Theorys
Unbundling Cash & Equity | Theory No. 15 a heretical take on "total compensation"
a year ago
Working Theorys
Define the Game | Theory No. 14 I grew up playing tennis with my sister at the public courts near home. For a long time, I just...
a year ago
13
a year ago
I grew up playing tennis with my sister at the public courts near home. For a long time, I just cherished the joy of playing and watching the careers of the "big 3" unfold. But recently I’ve started to appreciate something more about tennis: the clarity of the meta-game around...
Working Theorys
Trophy Jobs | Theory No. 12 We’ve all heard of the trophy wife or husband — a partner that’s valued heavily as a status symbol,...
a year ago
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a year ago
We’ve all heard of the trophy wife or husband — a partner that’s valued heavily as a status symbol, for superficial qualities over substance. Similarly, I’ve started to think about the idea of the trophy job — a job that people covet for its status more than its substance.
Working Theorys
The Generational Business Trap | Theory No. 11 On the varied longevity of businesses & why we shouldn't idolize permanence.
a year ago
Working Theorys
Agency in the Age of AI | Theory No. 10 In the age of AI, where do I fit in? It’s a conversation permeating dinners, group chats, and honest...
a year ago
14
a year ago
In the age of AI, where do I fit in? It’s a conversation permeating dinners, group chats, and honest online discourse.
Working Theorys
Product vs. Production | Theory No. 9 HQ Trivia, TikTok Trivia, & the not-so-subtle art of creating compelling live media.
a year ago
Working Theorys
Collective Experiences | Theory No. 8 On the value of creating shared context in the age of personalized, on-demand media.
a year ago
Working Theorys
Rise of the Silicon Valley Small Business | Theory No. 7 In 2023, we’ll see more Silicon Valley startups that operate like small businesses. And some of them...
over a year ago
9
over a year ago
In 2023, we’ll see more Silicon Valley startups that operate like small businesses. And some of them will have big outcomes. Perhaps even billion-dollar ones. I call this phenomenon the Silicon Valley small business (an SV-SB for short).