Themes

Tesla’s second annual AI Day is coming up on September 30th. While the event is primarily geared toward recruiting talent for AI, software and chip development (confirmed by Elon on Twitter), it serves a second purpose of outlining the company’s…

For any given topic — financial markets, individual stocks, entrepreneurship, politics — people fit into four categories: apathetic, interested, extremist and transcendent. These mindsets fill the pyramid in inverse order: The apathetic always make up the majority. Most people don’t…

The US-China dynamic has worked in Apple’s favor on both the production and the demand front, and I expect this trend to continue for the next couple of years. That said, since February, I’ve been bugged with the question —…

As a tech investor, I’m particularly cued into the evolving relationship between China and the US. Tech’s growth trajectory has benefitted considerably over the past fifteen years from the close relationship, with lowered costs, increased quality, reduced time to market,…

From Doug’s blog, The Deload: There are 1,170 unicorns and more than half of them probably won’t make it. It’s no secret that 2021 was a boom time for all forms of capital, but late-stage venture was particularly strong. In…

From Steve’s blog, Aim Assist: Lately, I’ve been thinking of a framework to use to better understand in-game monetization strategies and how they may ultimately apply to the Metaverse. Today, whether games are free-to-play or require a full game purchase,…

From Doug’s blog, The Deload: Sanity is finally coming to private market valuations. Klarna, a star private fintech company, announced new financing at a 85% discount to its last round in March 2021. Affirm is a close public comp. AFRM stock is…

We continue to survey the cost of food delivery services and found that since May, the costs of using them peaked drastically. However, they’re now showing signs of stabilizing and a slight decline. The average premium (including a 20% tip)…

At last month’s WWDC keynote, Apple announced that 98% of cars sold in the US are now compatible with CarPlay. This data point did not surprise me. What did surprise me are the updates coming to CarPlay next year and…

Redwood Materials just announced a partnership with Toyota to recycle hybrid batteries and materials, and the deal only scratches the surface of the company’s true potential to disrupt the auto industry. The Toyota partnership The first Toyota Prius was sold…

Perhaps the most overlooked investment segment is the Health Savings Account (HSA). Launched in 2003, the health savings tool is now used by just over 30 million U.S. homes to pay for health and medical expenses in pre-tax dollars. While…

Apple made good on its Fall 2021 promise to allow reader apps to steer. Eventually, most apps (including gaming) will allow steering in the future. This begs the question: How will steering impact app developers’ conversion and profitability? Both Tesla and…