Sarah Drinkwater
@sarahdrinkwater
Knowledge beachcomber interested in the ownership economy, flourishing communities, ecosystem building, magic, and knowledge as an end to itself.
Sarah Drinkwater
This work is less about what was happening in the 2000s and more about what those early signals suggested about seemingly endless possibilities in the future. What was to come — even if we weren’t quite sure what that was — was a bigger deal than what had already happened.
Tim Hwang • Here Went Everybody
choose chance.
222.place
The way managers are taught to run companies seems to be like modular design in the sense that you treat subtrees of the org chart as black boxes. You tell your direct reports what to do, and it's up to them to figure out how. But you don't get involved in the details of what they do. That would be micromanaging them, which is bad.
Hire good people and give them room to do their jobs. Sounds great when it's described that way, doesn't it? Except in practice, judging from the report of founder after founder, what this often turns out to mean is: hire professional fakers and let them drive the company into the ground.
We’re seeing the rise of more authentic social media—apps that focus more on the present, and less on curating a flawless online persona for future benefit. I first wrote about BeReal on June 2, 2021 after my Paris-based internet friend Marie Dolle sent me a Twitter DM about how BeReal was spreading like wildfire across Paris. Twelve months later, ... See more
Rex Woodbury • Welcome to the Internet: Millennial & Gen Z Ennui
As with other forms of Cheems, there is obviously an important distinction here between ‘friends giving you helpful advice about obstacles you’ll need to overcome, or trade-offs to be aware of’, and ‘reflexive cynicism’.
#1: In-group Cheems
Collective genius and Self-fashioning
ON EMOTION, FAITH AND DIRECTION - It is the haunted intersection of technology and the liberal arts. And it’s finally a hill I am willing to die on… I think there’s a hidden power in reaching something you’re willing to fail with. I’ve never seen that written about. But I’ve reached it, and that feels like a new type of signal to me.
ON NY SCENIUS -
NYC has produced really great technology wins, yes. But it has failed to create a win that truly structures the surrounding NYC technology scene.
By this I mean a consumer facing win, where technology is at the center, instead of the related industry pulls around it. NYC tech is often defined by our relationship to other industries, as we have such a diverse business ecosystem that holds the promise of our melting pot. Finance, retail, real estate, music, consulting, the list goes on.
But the harsh reality is this — Tumblr didn’t do what it needed to do, FourSquare didn’t do what it needed to do, Giphy didn’t do what it needed to do, WeWork is a failure, BlueApron is a failure…
And now the scene has grown as a function of Google owning half of Chelsea and several Facebook buildings. But WHO ARE WEEEEEEEEEEEE
The first consumer technology win, born and raised in NYC will get to actually determine that. The same way Google and Facebook have in the broader valley. I’ve believed this since 2016 when I started working at Rough Draft Ventures, and continually forced the issue in 2017 when I moved to NYC after school despite being told it would ruin my career to not go to SF.
Recently Verci launched a campaign about powerful innovations in cultural hubs, and the vision of their Soho co-working space for NYC Tech. While I like Verci, I do think it misses some pretty core things. They point to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Google at Stanford…
I would argue that Kennedy is a sort of anti-environment. Similar to Los Almos… it’s the isolation of incredible people towards a superhuman mission. Google at Stanford is an interesting reference as well. While I wouldn’t call Stanford an anti-environment, universities do hold a clear inner-outer dynamic through campus culture that I think is really unique. And calls to mind Campus Complex.
What is clear is the shared vision for NYC Tech to be something more. Something new. Something equally ambitious. And there are projects ranging from Verci to Terminal to WeBuildOurIdeas, that are all stoking the communal fire. I think these will actually all come together in unique ways to both collaborate and challenge each other in 2024.