Building's Easier, Marketing's Harder in Crowded Era
Has it always been 10x harder to market/sell then to build? Yes. But… it’s easier than ever to build (infrastructure, tools, AI) but more crowded than ever to market (global markets, global competition, platform-attention-capture).
Not Everyone Thrives in Startup’s Fast‑Paced Culture
I had to let go a team member yesterday and it sucks but at the end of the day not everyone is fit for startup speed and life
Turn Every Business Touchpoint Into Strategic Data
Data is everything and every touch point on your business building is data you need to be paying attention to. Product, customers, investor calls, market info, competitors, it’s alllllll data What you do with it is what makes your business...
Markets Restrict Trump's Aggressive Moves Amid Distressed Conditions
Markets have been the ultimate constraint on Trump. It was like that in April 2025 when China tariffs went to almost 150% and arguably also in January 2026 over Greenland. Markets are now very distressed. Trying to take Kharg Island...
ChatGPT Ad Pilot Surges 600% Yet Rollout Lags
Interested in ChatGPT ads? Seems that ad ramp-up we saw might have been since the pilot is ending at the end of March -> ChatGPT’s ad pilot has the industry excited, but some insiders are frustrated with the slow rollout "With...
War's Hidden Cost: $2‑5k Less per Family
Here’s the thing: wars have budget costs, and they have economic costs. The first shows up in government accounts. The second shows up as less national income. Spread across households, that’s roughly $2,000 to $5,000 per family. https://t.co/yrD2nUbrzW
Canada’s Social Media & Marketing Jobs Hiring Now
New jobs just dropped. Social media, marketing, media buying, and more roles across Canada are hiring right now. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to apply, this is it. Browse the full list now. https://t.co/hswAhZliaW
Meta AI Streamlines Facebook Marketplace Listings
Facebook has rolled out new Meta AI–powered features on Marketplace. 📦 Sellers can now upload images and have Meta AI generate draft listings with recommended descriptions, as well as draft automatic replies to initial messages. These tools simplify the listing process,...
UANI and FDD Back Unconditional Iranian Oil Sanctions Lift
So now @UANI and @FDD are strongly in favour of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil sales without conditionality
OpenAI to Double Staff, Add Business Ambassadors to Curb Anthropic
Anthropic and Google are making them dance :) -> OpenAI aims to grow to about 8,000 employees by the end of 2026, from ~4,500 today, as it seeks to arrest Anthropic's momentum with business customers "The ChatGPT-maker is also ramping up...
Norway Central Bank Accelerates Transparency of Policy Decisions
Norway’s central bank will boost transparency of its monetary policy decisions from next week, expediting the plan after a year of close scrutiny into the credibility of its communications https://t.co/CJDFluoCJ1 via @ottummelas https://t.co/pdSQh8A1U6
AI Agents Soon Run Entire Websites via Plain Language
Oh boy, what could go wrong? "With these new capabilities, websites could be almost entirely created and run via AI agents controlled by humans." -> https://t.co/XIx37k7Nu2 says it will now allow AI agents to draft, edit, and publish content on...
12 Lessons That Could Have Fast‑
In November, my little writing business crossed $20,000,000 in lifetime sales. It took us over 5 years to reach this milestone. But we could have gotten here a whole lot faster with everything we know now. Here are 12 of the biggest lessons...
Princeton Keynote Explores Debt, Deficits, Global Imbalances
Four weeks ago I was a keynote speaker at Princeton's Annual JRCPPF Conference. The topic this year was "Debt, Deficits & Global Imbalances". For those who might be interested (and there were some brilliant presentations), this video provides the links. https://t.co/BhKUkeJVQb
Executive Alignment and Clear Success Criteria Drive Pilot Wins
I’ve ran over 100 pilots (trials) in my 4.5 years at Gong. With a win rate of over 90%. 4 biggest lessons. 1. 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Never begin a pilot without executive alignment. Ideally, the economic buyer has already been engaged through demos / the...
Claude Code Uncovers SEO Opportunities in Minutes
I've spent THOUSANDS of hours in Ahrefs and Google Search Console doing keyword research and SEO audits Within 5 minutes of connecting Claude Code to the Ahrefs API and Google Search Console service account, it found a bunch of new opportunities...
Iran's Energy War Fuels Stalemate, Unites Its Adversaries
Depressing but important analysis from the @TheEconomist: The Iran war in a nutshell: America can’t reopen Hormuz, Iran can’t stop the airstrikes, & every escalation option is bad, explaining why there’s no clear path to a durable political solution —...
Turkey Blames Israel as Primary Cause of Middle East Wars
#TurkeyWatch 🇹🇷: Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel is the “primary cause” of wars in the Middle East. He said that Israel is pushing the region into an “unprecedented crisis”. https://t.co/MO46l8Agto
Nobel Laureate Simon Shaped G7 Russia Price Cap
This @ProSyn column by @baselinescene is a must-read. Before he won the Nobel for economics in 2024, Simon was deeply involved in design and execution of the G7 price cap on Russia. Few other voices carry as much authority now...
Iran War Shock Shifts Global Central Bank Outlook, Not US
Whereas the Iran war shock has barely budged inflation expectations and no more than mildly jolted expectations of monetary policy in the US, the same shock has completely transformed the outlook for many other central banks. More charts, graphs, and...
Weekly Substack Roundup: Travel, Media, and Content Jobs
New opportunities on my Substack this week: 💻 Rough Guides is looking for a Junior Travel Editor, maternity cover for 6 months 💻 Matador Network wants to collaborate with micro influencers (20k followers or less) on paid social content 💻 Real Simple is...
Great Content Starts with Human Insight, AI Just Helps
Creating content without AI is hard to do. And, it should be. When you ask a human for their opinion, their experiences, and things that help you trust them - those aren't easy things to answer. AI can't do that....
WFH Increases Productivity and Supports Reproduction
Nick Bloom and Steve Davis and your amazing colleagues - thank you for your research on WFH and humane shifts in work schedules that revealed the benefits of such shifts. Here is a new paper I have been following the...
Washington Rejects Debt Brake, Fuels Fiscal Insanity
As Dave Walker, former Comptroller General of the US, and I wrote in @FortuneMagazine, Washington rejected a Swiss-style “debt brake” earlier this week. NO DEBT BRAKE = FISCAL INSANITY. https://t.co/Tw28jA4nUE
Political Savvy, Not Innate Talent, Drives Security Success
What most people get wrong about organizational politics and the security program. Creating and running an enterprise wide security program requires you to navigate, and benefit from, organization politics. This takes influencing skill and executive presence. These aren’t simply innate skills....
Markets Bet War Short, Yet Expect Aggressive Central Banks
New weekly commentary here: https://t.co/V6x7cI6LT8 War and market speculation of the policy response ripples through the capital markets. Central paradox: Markets seem optimistic about duration of war but sees many central banks being extremely aggressive. https://t.co/xpvqmxf8k7
Kirby's Explicit Limits Reveal Hidden Plans, Fueling Betrayal
Ironically by being explicit about what United won't do, Kirby is being explicit about United will do should conditions deteriorate beyond his current expectations. I share this because, unknowingly, he has set the stage for feelings of intense betrayal.
China's Decline Signals Overlooked Amid Chinese Century Narrative
The Chinese Century is now the conventional wisdom. Previous narratives of China's peak and decline proved premature. But I see some definite signs that China is growing weaker, and only a few people seem to be paying attention. https://t.co/PUBIvyJcaw
One Person + Claude Equals Whole Team Productivity
Anthropic’s team, from the inside-out view. 1 person + Claude = full team output The top people already work like this – they manage the whole department’s effort through Claude, instead of managing the department to produce the effort.
Iran War Spares Global Container Volumes; CNY Hits China, Vietnam
Despite the headlines, global container trade volumes are largely unaffected by the Iran War (CNY is the reason that China and Vietnam are down MoM). https://t.co/YplrKgSLTc
CHROs Must Lead the AI Revolution
#VisionPaper The CHRO’s mandate has changed: Time to lead the AI revolution https://t.co/2cjuLraElJ #HCM #HRM #HumanResources #HRTech #CHRO #FutureofHR
Focus on Outcomes, Not Features, to Boost Conversions
I've tested 100+ product descriptions. Here's the pattern: Descriptions I wrote as 'features lists' got 2% ATCs. Descriptions I wrote as 'transformation stories' got 9% ATCs. Your specs don't matter. Outcomes do. Test everything. Trust nothing.
Every Consulting Wing Claims Its Exec Owns AI
I was just looking at an article from one of the big consulting firms. The Human Capital practice wrote a compelling piece arguing that HR should lead the AI transformation. I then spent a few minutes on google / gemini...
Germany's Real 10‑Year Yields Turn Positive After Decade
Good Morning from #Germany, where 10y govt bond yields have risen >3%, their highest level since 2011. The recent increase is driven disproportionately by higher long-term inflation expectations – meaning real 10y yields have fallen from 1.35% to 0.77%. The chart...
War's Toll on Britain's Economy Explained
Catch my take at 11:30am on the impact of war on the British economy #skynews
10‑Year Yield Near 4.4% Sparks Epic Week Ahead
The 10-year approaching 4.4% and then we get this "drop" from the president. Another FAFO moment? This coming week will be epic.
Unified Edge Connectivity Cuts Latency, Simplifies Distributed Operations
When connectivity integrates edge computing and unified control, organizations gain a clearer view of operations, reduce latency, and manage complexity with greater precision, especially in distributed environments like retail and logistics.
US‑Israeli Strikes on Iran Risk Spiraling Out of Control
Former British Diplomat Alastair Crooke on US-Israeli attacks on Iran: "The wheels are coming off this whole thing. It's spiraling really out of control. And it increased enormously with the [recent] attack on the Iranian South Pars gas field... That was...
5‑Minute Morning Plan Shields Peace and Prevents Burnout
Feeling overwhelmed before the day even begins? That’s your schedule running wild without a map. Take just 5 minutes each morning to intentionally plan your day for work, rest, and play. Not everything deserves your energy, and not every hour should...
Goldman: US‑Israeli Strike Triggers Historic Energy Disruption
Goldman > The unprecedented US and Israeli coordinated attack on Iran has resulted in the largest energy supply disruption in history.
Chinese Automakers Target 2026 Overseas Sales to Counter Domestic Slump
Caixin: "Major Chinese carmakers are setting ambitious overseas sales and localized production targets for 2026 to offset a cooling domestic market." https://t.co/P0EUxL3lEN
China's Trust Sector Abandons Risky Real‑Estate Debt Model
Caixin: "Driven by a regulatory crackdown on risk in the financial system, China's multitrillion-dollar trust industry is being forced to abandon its old, highly profitable model of funneling funds into non-standard debt for real estate projects and local governments." https://t.co/eN5eDafjR4
China, US Pledge New Mechanisms to Boost Trade
People's Daily: "China and the US agreed to explore the establishment of working mechanisms to expand economic and trade cooperation, continue to make good use of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences,...
China's Fixed-Asset Investment Grows 1.8% Early 2024
1/8 Caixin: "China’s fixed-asset investment (FAI) returned to growth in the first two months of this year, rising 1.8% year on year, beating expectations as infrastructure spending jumped." https://t.co/cCOIgPDXNn
US Overkills with Expensive Missiles, Ignoring
I'm a little ambivalent about the Iran war. On the plus side, America needed to learn how to fight a modern war. And it'll make Trump unpopular. On the minus side it'll kill a bunch of people and hurt the global economy
Define Processes, Iterate AI Integration to Scale Organization
Unlock AI's potential by clearly defining business processes and future workflows. Treat AI integration as an iterative innovation, testing, and refining processes to scale effectively across your organization. #AIStrategy #BusinessProcesses https://t.co/NPgxDSP9k9
Trump's Iran Move Could Lift November Market Lows
The stock market reaches its November low and President Trump considers ending the Iran conflict. Hopefully this war will end soon, enough lives lost already. Any good news and the stock market will be off to the races. $NDX $SPX...
Huge Supply Shock Triggers Market Overreaction, Says BlackRock
Rick Rieder of BlackRock told Unhedged. 👉 “This is one of the largest supply shocks we’ve seen in a generation, 👉markets have had to react quickly, 💥 when markets move quickly, they overreact.” https://t.co/RRf6LgSI91
Solo Founders Need Unified AI to Stop Context‑switch Chaos
Most founders don’t have a “strategy” problem. They have a context-switching problem. In our early interviews, the pattern is clear: - 5+ tools open - 0 clear next steps - Constant feeling of “I’m behind” That chaos quietly kills good ideas. Vora IQ is our answer: A unified...
Signal Your Vision: Use And‑But‑Therefore Narrative
Every founder tells a story. Your pricing shows value, your hiring shows ambition, your roadmap shows priorities. Investors read these signals before they trust your pitch. Use And-But-Therefore: We saw a gap And incumbents blocked it But we built X Therefore we win. Make...