Napkin Math

Profit and power in technology, every Tuesday and Thursday.

Apr 8, 2022

The Futility of Utility

A personal essay

Mar 23, 2023

How AI Changes the Media Business

Why community and social network effects will be key to winning the future

Feb 15, 2024

Autonomous Vehicles Have a Problem of Narrative

The tech industry needs to be honest about the trade-offs of risk

Feb 1, 2024

Crypto’s Prophet Speaks

A16z’s Chris Dixon hasn’t abandoned the faith with his new book, 'Read Write Own'

Aug 25, 2020

The Quest for Monopoly

A history of stock market exchanges: from fragmentation to monopoly, monopoly to fragmentation and back again.

Jan 5, 2023

It Is Always Time to Build

Interest rates do not equal innovation rates

Jun 16, 2022

Selective Optimism

People who promise high returns forever are liars

Mar 7, 2024

Ads in the Age of AI

Weirder, different, and new

Sep 8, 2022

What I Learned From Being Cancer Free

Seven Years of Freedom

May 19, 2022

How Startups Can Survive the Creator Economy Winter

The Race for Revenue Share

Apr 28, 2022

Cash—Kingmaker or Killer?

A examination of when cash can anoint a market winner

Mar 9, 2023

Recommendation Algorithms Are a Necessary Evil (Sort Of)

AI is about to remake our information ecosystem and it is past time for us to prepare

Nov 9, 2023

We Should All Want to Be Mitt Romney

What is the point of F U money if you never say F U?

Apr 4, 2024

How I Use ChatGPT (As A Reasonable Person)

My AI awakening

Nov 10, 2022

Pinterest Has a Chance

The first full-stack shopping platform

Sep 30, 2021

NFT Projects are just MLMs for Tech Elites

A somewhat impartial review of current NFT business models

Mar 21, 2024

Why Polarity Pays

The complicated social and financial incentives at the heart of online publishing

May 4, 2023

7 Reasons Media Is a No-Good, Horrible, Rotten Business That I Love Anyways

Plus a few things that bring me hope

Oct 1, 2024

Dad Mode

The secret to personal growth isn't in self-help books or ayahuasca trips. It's in a $1.99 pregnancy test from Target.

Feb 25, 2022

Joe Rogan: The Platform-Proof Creator

Spotify’s No-Win Predicament

Nov 12, 2020

Cash Conversion Cycle: Bridging the Gap Between Profitability & Cash Flow

What is the Cash Conversion Cycle and why is it useful? In this post, we discuss the Cash Conversion Cycle formula, an example calculation, and a comparison of public retailer IPOs.

Jul 21, 2022

Crypto Has A Use Case

How Braintrust Used Tokens to Kickstart a Market

Jul 27, 2023

Snap’s Probably Screwed (Again)

Maybe Elon should buy it

Dec 7, 2023

The Impossibility of Being Charlie

RIP to nerd Jesus