Every week, we put together a list of our top 5 articles of the past week. Happy reading!
How Amazon’s Bottomless Appetite Became Corporate America’s Nightmare Bloomberg
If you want to truly understand Amazon’s ambitions, this article sums it up quite well. The company has been on a tear and is unlike any other entity that exists today. Even as a close follower of the company, I learned new elements of the company’s strategy.
Cryptonetworks and why tokens are fundamental Nick Grossman, Union
Square Ventures
In last week’s newsletter, we shared an article bashing the crypto space. This week we’re sharing Nick Grossman’s bullish take on crypto. The key sentence: Each network’s cryptocurrency or “token” acts as the internal currency, incentive mechanism, and “binding agent” for the other processes that help the platform function. Nick gives a few specific examples on how this can benefit users in the long run.
Systems of Participation Todd Simpson, iNovia Capital
Related to the crypto reading above comes Todd Simpson’s great article. Todd has written extensively about systems of participation and how that relates to consensus systems like cryptocurrency. He provides a fascinating mental model on how to look at systems of participation.
We term this focused, democratized approach Intentional Money. Beyond other currency attributes, such as being a medium of exchange, cryptocurrencies can be designed as “mediums of intent.”
Why So Many High-Profile Digital Transformations Fail Harvard Business Review
I’m not a fan of the term “digital transformation” but this HBR article explains the issue legacy corporations face; how to adapt in the information age? There have been many high profile attempts at becoming more “digital” that have failed. There are a few good insights in this article as to the reasons why.
Understanding Speed and Velocity: Saying “NO” to the Non-Essential Farnam Street
Going fast doesn’t always mean you’re doing the right thing. Velocity and speed are different things. Speed is the distance traveled over time. You can run around in circles with a lot of speed and cover several miles that way, but you’re not getting anywhere. Velocity measures displacement. It’s direction-aware. This article is a great explanation of one of the core tenets of Agile, velocity.
