Every week, we put together a list of our top 5 articles of the past week. Happy reading!
G.E. Makes a Sharp ‘Pivot’ on Digital NY Times
The challenges of General Electric have been well documented and shared on this newsletter as well. This NYT article provides an interesting perspective on the reason for their challenges; going ‘digital’ was too far outside their core expertise. The turnaround for GE Digital is starting to slowly work and gaining traction among their core customers.
Canada’s Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Real Ventures
If you’re curious about Montreal’s artificial intelligence ecosystem, this is a must read. Real Ventures provides a great overview of the history, the important players in the ecosystem and what it means for the city. The city has become very well known as an “AI Hub”; the root cause is its collaborative and non-predatory model.
Do entrepreneurs need a strategy? Harvard Business Review
When should you plan a strategy in advance or when should you “screw it, and just do it”. It’s a classic entrepreneurial dilemma, is planning a good or a bad thing especially in the early stages. The authors have created an “entrepreneurial strategy compass”; it’s a truly remarkable framework for startup entrepreneurs to consider in their strategy.
Style Is an Algorithm Racked
We’re quickly moving to a world where style is being dictated by an algorithm. Human curation is increasingly tenuous where an Amazon algorithm can better predict our tastes. If our taste is dictated by data-fed algorithms controlled by massive tech corporations, then we must be content to classify ourselves as slavish followers of robots. I highly recommend this long and intriguing read.
A farewell to free journalism Washington Post
We’re starting to work with well-known media brands and as such we’re keeping a closer eye on the news industry. This op-ed by Megan McArdle, a Washington Post columnist is a call to arms for consumers; good journalism will need to be paid for. As Google and Facebook build an insurmountable lead in advertising, the business model for news needs to adapt quickly.
