Every week, we put together a list of our top 5 articles of the past week. Happy reading!
Business is the New Sports Not Boring (reading time: 20 minutes)
There’s an important trend that’s been occurring during the pandemic, the rise of stock speculation. Millions of people using Robinhood are betting on stocks all day long. This wonderful post explains how in recent times companies are starting to resemble sports teams. These changes are all based on structural changes wrought by the internet, notably the free flow of information, software’s dominance and zero cost distribution. There is a nice tie at the end on the implications for business strategy.
Organizing for Innovation Venture Desktop (reading time: 14 minutes)
Are corporations that innovate good for society? I certainly think so, and so does Brett Bivens from Venture Desktop. He argues that companies should be prepared to innovate. He provides some neat ways for leaders to do so; pushing power to the edges, develop self-awareness in the C-suite and getting incentives right.
The Gospel According to Peter Thiel City Journal (reading time: 18 minutes)
I’ve always considered Peter Thiel as a kind of super villain from a comic book, almost like a Lex Luthor. His superpower is that he’s incredibly smart. For that reason, I like trying to understand the man behind the persona. I highly recommend this article if you share the same curiosity. He believes that human progress is driven by the creativity and bravery of a few which is a powerful purpose. It also sheds light on his worldview and makes me think he’s not so evil after all.
Websites used to be secondary to stores. That dynamic is shifting Vogue Business (reading time: 6 minutes)
Websites used to support physical stores. Now, it’s pretty clear that stores support websites. The center of any strategy starts online. This has been clear for some time now but given the pandemic, the “traditional” retail world has had no choice but to embrace this new reality.
This article explains how omnichannel retailers are starting to use their stores in order to support their web platform in new and interesting ways.
Remaking the Case for Strategy in an Interdependent World Boundary Less Conversations (reading time: 37 minutes)
This was a fascinating conversation with Martin Reeves, senior partner @ BCG and Simone Cicero (Platform Design Toolkit). BCG’s strategy roots are very clear and it shows with Martin’s thinking. The conversation dives into ecosystems, mental constructs and more. The strategy geek in me loved every second.
