Every week, we put together a list of our top 5 articles of the past week. Happy reading!
The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius Paul Graham (reading time: 13 minutes)
Whenever Paul Graham writes an essay, everyone pays attention. Paul is a famous silicon investor and in this latest post he proposes the bus ticket theory of genius. In order to achieve something great, you need to become obsessed with it. On top of natural ability and determination, an almost unhealthy obsession is required to uncover something great. Discovering discoveries is a great way to frame it.
The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet Yancey Strickler (reading time: 6 minutes)
Yancey Strickler knows a thing or two about the internet and its nuances. He co-founded Kickstarter. With all the perils of excessive connectivity, completely unplugging also is an untenable option. Safer spaces are needed for public discourse otherwise there is a risk of continued radicalization of those that remain.
In which purpose demolishes culture while culture is distracted eating strategy
Benjamin Taylor (reading time: 4 minutes)
“Aligned culture, values and behaviours will speed us on our way but to properly ignite change in organisations and in systems we need that common purpose.”
This a quick read on company purpose and its significance. While I’m leery of expressions like “culture eats strategy”, purpose driven organizations tend to outperform. I would like to see more research on this topic.
Fintech: The Fourth Platform Forbes (reading time: 6 minutes)
The rise of investment is financial technologies is a relatively recent trend. Matthew Harris from Bain Ventures provides insights into the field. He explains how the rise of specific technologies have enabled possibilities for value exchange.
State of Digital Marketing Luma Partners (reading time: 20 minutes)
Luma’s state of digital marketing is required reading if you are interested in media & digital marketing. This edition covers the streaming wars, martech M&A and value creation.
BONUS: You’re all calculating churn rates wrong CatchJS (reading time: 13 minutes)
This article was a recommendation from newsletter fan Alexis. It’s a good explainer on what is a churn rate and how basic stats tend to lie to us.
