Samples Are Modern Promotional Tools, Not Obligations
Because they're promotional tools. I've talked about this, but back in the day they went to journalists and book sellers only. Now they go to lots more ppl because of the rise of social media and the destruction of traditional media. But they're still promotional tools. Samples, if you will. At Costco when they give you a free taste of a chip you don't demand the potential customer buy the bag or you'll punch them. Hell, the grocer gives me a free calendar every year with the hope I'll remember
Netflix Aggressively Pushes Into Paramount‑Warner Merger Review
I hear that Netflix has been meddling in the regulatory review of Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery. “Frankly, I am surprised at how aggressive they’ve been with me,” a senior government official tells me. https://puck.news/is-netflix-meddling-in-the-warnermount-deal/
Seeking Tips for Brand‑Consistent AI‑Generated Infographics
Does anyone from @OpenAI want to share some tips on how to get image 2 to generate good infographics or have it match your brand style? I haven't had any luck either.
Use Amazon Attribution to Track ROI, Cut Losing Ads
Q&A If you are running a single ad for a book in a single country it’s easy to see if it’s performing or not based on the increase in sales/reads. If you are running multiple ads for the same book-...
IROAS Uses Dual Factors, Campaign Ranks Vary
Thanks @PhilKiel for engaging seriously with the CPMr report. A thoughtful critique is beneficial to all research. But, two pieces of the thread rest on methodology misreads, and most of the "limitations you surface" are limitations we published ourselves. Here's...
AI Sparks Rapid Shift From Legacy Tools to Innovation
For the last 20 years, sales leaders insisted on Salesforce. Same with NetSuite and finance. A terrible UI was not a dealbreaker since it's what they knew and trusted. Less than 6 months of being Claude-pilled and those same people...
Cursor AI Secures First Backer, VerdictCap’s Michael Fertik
Congratulations to @cursor_ai for landing the 🚀. And to @VerdictCap MD @michaelfertik for being their very first backer. 🦄
Sec Duffy: No One Wants to Buy Spirit Airlines
I spoke to @SecDuffy about fate of @SpiritAirlines and he said it appears no one wants to buy Spirit: "What would someone buy?" Duffy asked in interview. "If no one else wants to buy them, why would we buy them?"...
Rapid Revenue Doubling Justifies Sky‑high Valuation Multiples
Paying 30x revenue for a company growing this quickly doesn't strike me as crazy Cursor is doubling its revenue every three months For example $SNOW flake went public in late 2020 at ~80x sales while growing "only" 120% annually
Skipping Key Legal Docs Leaves Founders Vulnerable
A founder once told me the NDA was “just a formality.” Six months later their co-founder walked out with the IP. If you do not have these 10 documents locked in, you are not protected: 1. Founder Agreement with vesting schedule 2. IP Assignment Agreement 3. NDA (mutual...
VCs Should Admit Their Founder Preference Types
A good q. for VCs that needs to be asked more: Do you have a type? I mean, ofc, related to founders. Every VC has one or several. It's a real bias, but oftentimes based on experience. Anyone willing to share...
NY Attorney General Sues Prediction Market over Wire Act Violations
The New York AG's Office becomes the first law enforcement agency in the country to accuse a prediction market platform of violating the federal Wire Act by offering sports-event contracts across state lines. https://t.co/xCd3WbLHM6
GPT-Image-2 Launches, Excels at People Photos
📸 GPT-Image-2 is now live on https://t.co/1vEawpI5vb And it's great for photos of people (too) https://t.co/SVezBonGIs
President Blocks Refunds, Sues IRS, Claims Taxpayer Loyalty
So the president is telling companies not to claim refunds for the tariffs which would be passed on to consumers, because it will remove funds from the economy, but he’s also suing the IRS for $10 billion. Yep, he only...
Brad Setser Weighs in on Chinese Current Account Puzzles
Curious what @Brad_Setser makes of the arguments made in "The Chinese current account imbalances: Puzzles, patterns, and possible causes" by Chang Ma and Shang-Jin Wei of Fudan. https://t.co/Ysceo5gx1a https://t.co/ZvoJfqSbzn
Iran‑US Stalemate Raises Market Uncertainty
The Iran war is at a stalemate as the US hits pause on talks amid conflicting signals from Tehran. Is this good or bad news for the stock market? #stockmarket #IranWar #oil #dollar #gold #macro #trading https://t.co/Fc1ybvv6V0
Investors Flood Private Credit ETFs Amid Doom Headlines
Despite the negative headlines, private credit and BDC ETFs have drawn record inflows. “Doomsday headlines may be overstating the actual level of risk. Our flows are telling us a different story: that investors view this as an opportunity to invest at...
Conflicting Claims Reveal Doubt Over Near-Term Peace
🇺🇸 Trump: Ceasefire extended, peace talks coming 🇮🇷 Iran: "Buying time for a surprise attack" + Hormuz stays shut Who do you think is lying? I'm not convinced peace is close. Still sell-the-rally over buy-the-dip?! $SPY $QQQ $USO $XOM $CVX $VIX $DJIA https://t.co/wzI3OltwU5
VIX Surge Signals Rising Market Volatility
Lots to discuss on markets. #Warsh $VIX #Inflation #Volatility $AAPL. TUNE INTO @CNBC worldwide NOW as I dissect higher $VIX.
Warsh Backs Trimmed-Mean, Median Inflation Metrics
The Fed chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, noted during his testimony that he prefers “underlying” inflation gauges, such as “trimmed average” and “median” inflation. Here are the Cleveland Fed’s comparable measures. @augurinfinity https://t.co/9qyOInml8k https://t.co/dP07boVyym
Treat Inbound Leads as Contests, Not Closed Deals
Inbound leads feel like gifts. They're actually traps if you handle them wrong. Most AEs treat inbound like the deal is already half closed. It's not. Inbound buyers are also talking to your 3 closest competitors. Speed + deep discovery + strong demo = you...
See Markets as One System, Not Separate Pieces
The biggest mistake many people make when "looking" at markets? Thinking in pieces. 📊 Oil 💵 Dollar 📈 Yields 📉 Equities Not separate — one system. Fragmentation = confusion Wholeness = clarity The edge is seeing the whole fractal move https://t.co/sAUHD9fdg4
Fed Chair Role Requires Consensus, Not Unique Vision
A lot of economists secretly believe that any PhD trained economist with the resources and economist support of the Fed could be Fed Chair. That's because the Fed is so solid, it only requires a leader willing to go with...
China's Oil Wells at Risk Without Immediate Iranian Flow
Iran is without revenues, but way more important is that the oilwells that China relies on might be permanently damaged if oilflows does not start again within a short time
April Data Shows Consumer Spending Slowing Sharply
Pantheon Macroeconomics: More timely data for April indicates that consumer spending is already slowing sharply @augurinfinity https://t.co/9qyOInml8k https://t.co/CRJODJYxDu
SpaceX Eyes $60B Acquisition After $50B Raise
Interesting. @mntruell raises money at $50B valuation (reported) Friday. Agrees deal to work with SpaceX with option to be acquired by them for $60B, Tuesday.
Immigrants Power America’s Future Through Opportunity
I grew up in Pakistan barely able to afford a bicycle. Today I drive a Tesla with FSD through Silicon Valley and invest in companies building the future. That gap, from there to here isn't about me being smarter than anyone....
Treasury's Bill Swap Is Pure Cash Management, No Market Effect
The Treasury bought back 15BN in bills, notes, and bonds maturing in less than a year. In order to fund that purchase they issued or will issue 15BN of Tbills of similar but different maturity to better align the...
Marketing Skills 1.8 Adds Directories, Competitor Profil
Marketing Skills v1.8.0 is out. What shipped: 🆕 /directory-submissions — Product Hunt, G2, AI directories, and backlink strategy. Launch playbooks, listing optimization, and submission tracking. 🆕 /competitor-profiling — competitive intelligence research. Market positioning analysis, feature gap identification, pricing intelligence, and messaging teardowns. Enhanced skills: •...
Extinguish Small Sparks Before They Ignite a Blaze
Ignore Sparks, and You’re Playing with Fire https://t.co/Qo63wrwwHw Every fire starts as a spark. The trick is extinguishing it before it becomes a blaze. Read about 10 ways to tackle problems early and stop them from spreading. #business #life @fsonnenberg...
Pitch, Network, and Pizza at Batter Up SF
San Francisco founders, it is just under a week until Batter Up San Francisco. Practice your pitch, get actionable feedback from investors, network and of course, eat pizza. RSVP: https://t.co/5OU2oRYLjZ https://t.co/e6kLsrQWcH
Libya's Central Bank Funded Tripoli Assault Through Abu Dhabi
Eastern Libya’s Top Money Man - or how Libya’s central bank financed the assault on Tripoli by way of Abu Dhabi. The Sentry article featured in the Chartbook Top Links today. https://t.co/zY0VaxASFE https://t.co/unp3sIz4If
IEEPA Tariff Refunds Flawed and Likely To
New, from me & @AlfredCObregon: "IEEPA Tariff Refunds Are Far from Ideal—and Could Get Farther" https://t.co/TzV6NA3wCr https://t.co/4NOEcAZJKJ
Starbucks Nashville Hub Signals Shifting US Corporate Map
Great thread helping to explain why Starbucks is opening a support center in Nashville. We've seen these types of things in a lot of restaurant companies.
Sell ATM Shares at 1.25MNAV to Fund Reserves
Need to raise USD reserves 1. to bring dividend coverage back to 24 months? 2. Fund the put dates of the converts At 1.25MNAV there's a perfect way to do that cheaply. ATM common share selling. It's a no brainer $MSTR
Commodities Win High Inflation;
GS: Commodities have tended to outperform in periods of high and rising inflation but with falling inflation real estate and infrastructure stocks have tended to perform better https://t.co/uKhMnG8nTd
Target One Person, Not Everyone, for Inbound Success
I have reviewed hundreds of profiles. The ones that generate inbound were clearly written for one specific person. Not the whole world. One person with one problem.
Leicester's Cash‑out of Parachutes Fuels £375m Loss
The biggest concern for Leicester is that they have already cashed in on future instalments from Premier League parachute payments and player sale instalments by selling those sums to MacQuarie bank. Borrowed a net £85m in the last two seasons,...
Trump Media Appoints Former Hulu Exec Kevin McGurn Interim CEO
Trump’s Media Company Hires Kevin McGurn, Former Hulu and Vevo Exec, as Interim CEO https://t.co/dQ4uq3ymf6 via @variety
Self‑skit Ads Win when You Lack a Product
Here's the TOP performing ad type if you don't have a physical product: When you don't have a product to show, it can be hard to make the ad engaging. This is where the self-skit ad format shines ⭐️. Simply record a...
Tech Junk Debt Spikes as Broader Credit Stays Risk‑on
Software 45% of distressed lev loans, up from 42% $130B+ of junk-rated tech debt maturing in 2028 Meanwhile, the rest of credit is firmly risk-on
USD Floor and Oil Stabilization Signal Fed Trouble
The greenback found a short-term floor at $97.90 just as oil stopped going down. That's not a coincidence. Both are telling you the Fed is screwed. EM and credit feel it first because they fund in dollars and import the oil.
Retail Sales Surge Fueled by Gasoline, Weather, Refunds
Retail Sales: Retail sales strength was driven primarily by higher gasoline sales and other temporary factors... such as warm weather and larger tax refunds. @augurinfinity https://t.co/9qyOInml8k https://t.co/tBmvgFvoEf
Businesses Overlook Retention Despite Higher Acquisition Costs
On Which Does Your Company Focus: #Acquisition or #Retention https://t.co/pFDh3qmTg4 Despite the cost of bringing in new customers is much higher than the cost to keep existing customers, cos place a disproportionate focus on #marketing / #advertising to attract new...
Rays and Royals Battle over Worst Stadium Planning
If the outcomes weren't so depressingly consequential, it would be entertaining to watch the Rays and Royals compete over who has the least thought-out stadium plan. https://t.co/vsEYwrEp1z
AI-Powered Rules Automate LinkedIn Message Management
Imagine this: LinkedIn lets you create a prompt/instructions (let's call it MESSAGES.md and INVITES.md ). You can write instructions as to how to handle DMs and invites to connect. Examples: 1) Auto-archive any messages that are requests for a "paid...
Hire Proven Marketers, Not Generic Buzzword Speakers
ICYMI: Fresh new article dropped: If a candidate talks fluently about Marketing but never connects it to what you said five minutes ago, or specific things they’ve 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 (not “seen”), they’re performing. ChatGPT can do that too. You’re not hiring “generic VP Marketing.”...
Adobe Launches $25B Share Buyback, Signals Confidence
$ADBE Announces New $25 Billion Stock Repurchase Program. “Our new $25 billion share repurchase authorization is a direct expression of confidence in our robust cash flow and the long-term value we are delivering to investors. Returning meaningful capital to stockholders while...
Overhyped PR Backfires, Amplifying Lando Norris Controversy
Great piece by @donaldgmcrae of @guardian on overzealous public relations and management people for Lando Norris. The Streisand Effect in full. HT: @pearbea1 https://t.co/jg0L5Fg0Ll
Caesars Takes Over Iconic Westgate SuperBook Operations
Caesars is set to take over operations of the Westgate SuperBook, one of Las Vegas' most iconic retail sportsbooks, the groups announced earlier today; The popular SuperContest will remain "an integral part of the SuperBook experience," per release