Articles
- Some More Reflections On Silicon Valley – Sar Haribhakti
Excellent insight into the SV mindset courtesy Sar. Talks about the SV mono-culture, competitive nature, network effects, social-proof and what it means to have a prepared mindset.
- Try an Internal Press Release before starting new Products – Andre Faria
There is an approach called “working backwards” that is widely used at Amazon, according to Ian McAllister (@ianmcall), General Manager at Amazon.
“We work backwards from the customer, rather than starting with an idea for a product and trying to bolt customers onto it.”
- I’m joining Weekend Fund – Vedika Jain
This is an excellent example of the briefcase technique and its subsequent result. Vedika worked as a fantasy angel investor on weekends and nights to practice for her future role at the Weekend fund.
- “I, too, am Contrarian”: my last Snippets, April 14, 2019 – Alex Danco
The last article is probably not the best place to start reading someone’s work but this snippet blew my mind. Worth reading for the recommendations section alone.
- The Turpentine Effect – Venkatesh Rao
An excerpt:
When you practice a craft you become skilled and knowledgeable in two areas: the stuff the craft produces, and the processes used to create it. And the second kind of expertise accumulates much faster. I call this the turpentine effect. Under normal circumstances, the turpentine effect only has minor consequences. At best, you become a more thoughtful practitioner of your craft, and at worst, you procrastinate a little, shopping for turpentine rather than painting. But there are trades where tool-making and tool-use involve exactly the same skills, which has interesting consequences. Programming, teaching, writing and mechanical engineering are all such trades.
- The Secret to Ant Efficiency Is Idleness – NYT
How idleness as a response is programmed into ants and makes for an efficient digging operation.
- Lyft vs Uber: A Tale of Two S-1’s – Benjamin Tseng
Great breakdown on the unit economics of Lyft and Uber.
- 13 Big Ideas from Spotify Engineering Culture – Andre Faria
Quick read on what makes for a good engineering culture at Spotify.
- Motivation: How and Why to Startup – Marco Trombetti
Lessons from Paul Graham.
rahulramchandani.com 