sari

The truth, which the great novelists reveal, according to Girard, is that our desires are generally inspired by the desires of others. We want things, not because they are inherently desirable, but because someone else’s desire for them has made them attractive to us.

If prospective customers do not search for your brand name but instead search for a generic term like “laundry detergent” then you need to be at the top of the search results. And, the best way to be at the top is to be the best-seller. In other words, having lots of products in the same space can work against you because you are diluting your own... See more

Rather than owning the exclusive, it was the very self that became the target for exclusification. Health, education and productivity got aspirational treatment, and brands battled with each other for the title of “best-self enabler.”

9. You have no strategic value without EBITDA.

It seems to me that if this conservatism is so foul that many of my peers are embarrassed to be working at the same magazine, then I have no idea what version of conservatism could ever be tolerated.

Slack made the opposite trade. They gave up some speed, but they’ve built in network effects and switching costs.