Slowpreneur
A renewed interest in human curation, a slow move away from big social, a clearer understanding of platform incentives, the economic feasibility of subscription businesses, and builders driven by a new set of values – combined, it feels like a good time for Internet businesses that are both human-scale and profitable.
Jim Simons: "I’m not an extremely fast thinker myself; I just work hard."
That was all I needed to do—work hard, not fast. A paper I published in '68 took me five years. But it has had 1,850 citations. For a math paper, that’s an awful lot.
There’s too much emphasis on a person’s being able to answer questions quickly."
By contrast, consumer software tools that enhance human agency, that serve us when we are most creative and intentional, are often built by hobbyists and used by a handful of nerds. If such a tool ever gets too successful one of the Marl-serving companies, flush with cash from advertising or growth-hungry venture capital, will acquire it and kill i... See more
Ivan Vendrov • The Tyranny of the Marginal User
Working in technology means one thing above all else: chasing scale. There is a reason why much of the tech world is obsessed with growth. Free from physical constraints, digital systems can scale to an incomprehensible size. The appeal of conquering the engineering, design and business challenges of mega-scale is strong, the rewards immense. But u
... See moreAs a marketing executive, I view business as one of the greatest adventures of the human enterprise—if not the greatest. But I am not just a businessman: I am also an unapologetic romantic.
Tim Leberecht • The Business Romantic
Work matters if we do fewer things and stick to what’s needed, wanted, or useful. It’s also more likely to be exceptional. The mere act of creating something valuable can create joint satisfaction and meaning – for everyone. In this environment, work can both matter and be profitable.
Slow productivity is good business.
There will always be too much to do – and this realisation is liberating. Today more than ever, there’s just no reason to assume any fit between the demands on your time – all the things you would like to do, or feel you ought to do – and the amount of time available. Thanks to capitalism, technology and human ambition, these demands keep increasin
... See moreoliverburkeman.com • Oliver Burkeman's Last Column: The Eight Secrets to a (Fairly) Fulfilled Life
Being intentionally tiny enables us to develop products and services specifically tailored to audiences with diverse needs, providing a level of attention and care (and fun) that larger companies cannot offer or compete with.
André Chaperon • Part II: “Open World” Marketing
If you're small, you're in a position where it's to your advantage to be weird—you can have a point of view that the big tech companies never could. In the world of chairs—you're not going to build a cheaper chair than Ikea. Why not build something they couldn't—like a more interesting one?