👉 What Happened on Tech Twitter in September
The most interesting, polarizing, funny, etc. tweets plus Tweeter of the Month: Zak Kukoff,
Yo! Here are the best tweets, tweetstorms & discussions from September.
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Most Useful - Amazon’s tips (via @JoshConstine)
Tattoo these to your arm so you never waste an hour of my time for a “quick sync” ever again.
Amazon’s tips for meetings and writing:
1. Know your objective
2. Good grammar
3. Be concise
4. Include experts
5. Debate & change
6. Show decision-prep work
7. Advocate for customer
8. Don’t go rogue
9. Reschedule if unprepared
10. Think big
11. Regather if stuck
12. Be specific
Anand C @anandc
Most Polarizing - Leadership Shakeups
September bloody September. It’s as if we were watching the Red Wedding happen right here in the real world with CEOs of several major companies getting ousted.
This week alone:
eBay CEO - stepping down
JUUL CEO - stepping down
WeWork CEO - stepping down
Volkswagen CEO - indicted
Nissan CEO - charged, fraud
Comscore CEO - charged, fraud
Are the elite reading the tea leaves yet?
Their rule has ended.
There’s nowhere to hide.
CEO turnover hit an all-time high in August.
In the last 24 hours, the CEOs of WeWork, eBay and Juul stepped down.
“CEOs are now being held on a shorter leash,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale School of Management.
cnb.cx/2lJiZUl
This week the CEOs of WeWork and Juul stepped down, while the US President faces an impeachment inquiry.
These events reiterate why Bitcoin’s lack of leadership and the unknown creator story remain one of the currency’s greatest advantages.
In the past few weeks it became clear that I was not on the same page as my new Board. Whenever that happens, its best for everyone to turn that page over. It has been an incredible privilege to lead one of the worlds great businesses for the past 8 years.
Look. I totally agree that vape products are bad for you. But the fact that the juul CEO was just replaced by someone from Marlboro just points to the idea that the tobacco industry is running that whole game. Wouldn't be surprised if they're behind the health concerns/reports.
Can anyone recall the last time (if ever) that a hot IPO candidate resulted in the end removal if its founder/CEO and it bonds getting smashed.
Is this the worst IPO screw-up in history?
WEWORK BONDS DROP TO RECORD LOW, YIELD CLIMBS ABOVE 11%
Unpopular opinion: Without Adam Neumann as CEO, WeWork's upside is now capped at just being a traditional real estate company.
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
Most Woke - woke institutions (via @balajis)
As every major institution melts down, we build the alternative.
Woke capital → cryptocurrency
Woke K-12 → homeschooling
Woke undergrad → MOOCs, ISAs
Woke medicine → quantified self, medical tourism
Give people the power to technologically exit a broken, woken society.
Reform in the short term is unlikely. The Red Guards have the zeal and they have the numbers. But they can’t easily block the exits.
To capture an institution is one thing; to stop someone from leaving — or from coming in the first place — is a different thing entirely.
@balajis Do you see a downside for homeschooling? First thought is lack of social interaction with peers your age, as well as the lack of exposure to diversity of thought and people. I’m just thinking we lose out on a whole generation of kids who can’t function in a social setting
@Izquieterzzz Homeschooling doesn’t mean kids are shut-ins. There are different models, many of which involve playing or studying with other homeschooled kids.
Re: socialization, the track record of homeschooling is quite good if you look at outcome stats. I feel I should write more on this.
Funniest - world leaders group chat (via @ZelenskyyUa)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has been in the news a lot this month for a sketchy phone call between him and Trump. He also started a presentation in Yalta earlier this month with this hilarious faux WhatsApp chat between world leaders.
Tweeter of the Month - Zak Kukoff (@zck)
Zak has been on fire in September. While his industry insights and philosophical musings are fascinating, what sets Zak apart from the pack is his effortless stream of constant trolls. He definitely has every element of a great twitter account in spades:
Three components to a good Twitter account:
1/ Insight:
I learn something new from reading
2/ Timeliness:
Hot takes on issues I care about
3/ Humor:
Personality is a competitive advantage
Here are a few of his best tweets from the month.
Serious Tweets:
Email is: permanent and asynchronous
Slack is: ephemeral and synchronous.
What work communication platform is effectively permanent and synchronous?
Impeached:
Adam Neumann, POTUS (potentially), Softbank
Not impeached:
Poor corporate governance, the imperial presidency, "free money" mega-rounds
It's always easier to treat the symptoms than the disease.
Guide for folks entering VC:
1/ Do you want to be in VC long-term?
-> if so, sourcing is #1 priority
-> if not (/unsure), source and own a product internally
2/ What does success look like?
-> Junior roles are poorly defined. Set OKRs to force consensus on success 2-3 years out
One workplace challenge: different work cultures (generally) have different conceptions of time
Some cultures (including the US), value time > relationships. Deadlines are fixed
Others (South America, parts of Mideast/Europe), value relationships > time. Deadlines are flexible
Realizing there’s a generational shift from passive to participatory media.
😴Passive media: movies, books, TV, etc. Dominant for Boomers, Gen X
🏃♂️Participatory media: e-sports, social media. Dominant for Gen Z and millennials
Wonder how participatory media will be in 10 years?
Today in unintended consequences:
NYC tries to increase driver pay by capping supply and mandating wage floors. Uber/Lyft comply, limiting drivers in low-demand areas.
Net result? New Yorkers in predominantly low income areas lose access to transport.
Funny Tweets
YOU, an innovator: My body is a temple. I don't watch television. Social media is toxic—all I do is meditate on how hungry I am while I intermittently fast
ME, a luddite: I can eat a burrito in one hand while I play Mario Kart Tour in the other—all while watching The Bachelor
I’m a 💪🏻💪🏻 VC, so I use
🥴 emojis
‼️ to make my
🤔 thought leadership interesting to
🤑 gen-Z
It’s called 💥content marketing💥
I 🌸 took ✨
just a
💕
🌸 DNA
✨
🌸 test ✨
💕
turns out
✨ 🌸
I'm
100% 💕
✨
💕
underwater on my WeWork investment
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