👉 What Happened on Tech Twitter Last Week - Apr 12th

🎶 I wrote a song called "Clubhouse FOMO", ⚔️BUILDDDDDDDDDDD, 🧠threads on career and starting a company, and more!

Yo! It’s Brett again. This was one of the best weeks on Tech Twitter in recent memory. It had all the elements - an inspirational declaration from a tech diety, the explosion of a new viral (yet annoyingly exclusive) app, GitHub announcing it’s free now, and so much more. Let’s dig in.

Here’s what happened on Twitter Last week starting April 12th.

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🎶 Clubhouse FOMO

A new app called Clubhouse blew up on VC Twitter this weekend. Unfortunately for us muggles, the app is in private beta and only a select chosen few are allowed in.

I had to write a song about it

In addition to my typical reporting, I decided to write a little song about the FOMO we’ve all been feeling. Check it out:

If you like this, feel free to share it and tag me 🙌

DELIAN Asparouhov @zebulgar

obv if u aren’t on the clubhouse app within the next 24 hrs you will be removed from the silicon valley illuminati sorry i dont make the rules ask the bouncer

Sarah Guo ⚡️ Greylock @saranormous

ok is clubhouse cool or am I just desperate for human contact at this point Silicon Valley tell me!!! I can’t even tell if I want to speak to others 6 weeks into quarantine

⚔️ #BUILD

Fearless (albeit recently quiet) leader, Marc Andreessen issued an inspirational declaration to entrepreneurs and public officials everyone. The message? BUILDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

Seriously, pmarca is right. America is basically a third-world country with a Gucci belt and is falling behind Asia technologically. While COVID is galvanizing much more action than there has been before, it seems as though only war and (more extreme) disaster (ideally coupled with a technocratic president) would push America to innovate as much as it did during and after WW2.

Tech twitter erupted with many more hot take. Many tweeted what can only be compared to that scene in Lord of the Rings where Gimli (the dwarf) says “AND MY AXE”… you know what I mean.

Marc Andreessen @pmarca

a16z.comIT’S TIME TO BUILD - Andreessen HorowitzEvery Western institution was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic, despite many prior warnings. This monumental failure of institutional effectiveness will reverberate for the rest of the decade, but it’s not too early to ask why, and what we need to do about it... Our nation and our civilizatio…

Fareed Mosavat @far33d

I wonder how many companies were founded tonight. #BUILD

Ben Stephenson @BenWEStephenson

VC Twitter: Marc Andreessen is so right sheeple, we need to BUILD IMPORTANT SHIT. Also VC Twitter: Hey anyone know how I can get some allocation in that dipshit voice twitter app?

🧠 Threads on threads on threads

Erik Torenberg shared his (annual?) thread of his favorite threads. Theses are really interesting, so click in here and explore:

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

Here's a meta thread of some of my favorite twitter threads, updated edition 👇

Career thread:

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

1/ Here's an on-going thread of threads on career stuff: At a high level, I think one wants to build a Personal Moat, or a unique accumulating advantage.

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

I'm increasingly interested in the idea of "personal moats" in the context of careers. Moats should be: - Hard to learn and hard to do (but perhaps easier for you) - Skills that are rare and valuable - Legible - Compounding over time - Unique to your own talents & interests https://t.co/bB3k1YcH5b

Company building thread:

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

Aggregated threads on company building, including: - How to pick startup ideas - Picking co-founders - How to raise a seed round - Recruiting - Hiring execs - Management - Growth - Network effects - Building communities - Remote

VC thread:

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

Aggregated my thoughts on VC in one place: - Structural advantages in VC - Why we need *more* founders & *more* VCs - The case for diversified portfolios & no pro-rata - Venture socialism - How to break into VC - How VC evolved - The future of VC - The role of pre-seed Thread👇

🐦 Other Tweets

Jeff Atwood @codinghorror

it's ... not a good day to be GitLab I guess? 🤔

GitHub @github

Today we’re announcing free private repositories with unlimited collaborators for teams with GitHub Free, and reducing the price of our paid Team plan to $4 per user/month. All of the core GitHub features are now free for everyone. Learn more: https://t.co/fQ3r2ABtTR https://t.co/HHOyG5ypgU

Balaji S. Srinivasan @balajis

China has been developing a new crypto-inspired national digital currency called DCEP. New information: - wallet apps now seen in the wild - being actively tested in major cities - said to provide for online and offline payments Great thread by @mattysino with more details.

Matthew Graham @mattysino

1) A DCEP wallet application from a test that included the Agricultural Bank of China was inadvertently published.  It’s important as it’s the first time we’ve seen pictures of the working DCEP wallet application, which is rumored to have a targeted late 2020 release date. https://t.co/fRyi6BEZSl

joshconstine @JoshConstine

Atoms, the startup that makes my favorite shoes, now sells high quality masks at cost & donates 1 for 1. This is our reality, so get equipped

atoms.comAtoms Everyday MaskAtoms face mask is reusable and hand washable up to 30 times. It is comfortable neoprene mask lined with anti-microbial copper yarn. Each mask comes with a lanyard and a pouch for safe storage. For every mask sold, we will donate one mask. The masks are made for men and women in colors black, pink, …

Eric Stromberg @ericstromberg

Basic framework: 95% of startups are hurt by the virus, 5% helped, 0% unchanged.

Greg Isenberg @gregisenberg

Some MAJOR opportunities in social right now: - Virtual gatherings - Livestreaming apps with built-in monetization - New internet communities that are designed to earn or learn - Games as social platforms (ie: Animal Crossing) Pick a vertical & build a minimum VIRTUAL product

Kevin Systrom @kevin

Today we're launching rt.live See how quickly #COVID19 is growing in each US state. Rt is the metric we need to watch.

Brian Armstrong @brian_armstrong

🤔

🅐🅩🅛 @aaronzlewis

Social skeuomorphism — tfw you try to copy/paste IRL social activities into a digital context without making any alterations. Digital dinner dates, movie nights, etc. Often makes you feel *more* distant by highlighting all the subtle differences b/w the virtual and the physical

Chris Yin 💫 @chriseyin

"I personally reviewed every list & every person. If you are affected it is because I decided it. For the majority of you your manager fought to keep you & I overrode them. They are blameless. There is only one person to blame and it is me."

medium.comCarta’s covid-19 layoffOver the last few weeks I’ve talked about the work we are doing around recession planning. I also said that layoffs were likely but I have…

Andreas Storm @st8rmi

Can't stop looking at the hand 🤩 dribbble.com/shots/11062236…

𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗶 @ani_pai

It's not just you, air quality has markedly improved since lockdowns started. And for the first time in years, I can see stars in the night sky – will be tough to give that up once this is over.

Turner Novak @TurnerNovak

The first few years of this video are fascinating: Facebook was the 5th fastest growing social network in its early days. Its now the largest social network in the world and one of the most valuable businesses of all-time.

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✌️ Thanks

Stay inside and wash your hands y’all. Here’s a hilarious Zoom soap opera to send you off.

jimmy fallon @jimmyfallon

The Longest Days of Our Lives: Chapter 2

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