The Sunday Digest: Napkin Math turns to pricing

Happy Sunday!

Having finished Napkin Math's run on the income statement, Evan Armstrong is turning an eye to strategy. This week, that means unpacking the finer points of pricing. It's not just a good piece of writing—it's a lesson that's useful for anyone on either side of a transaction. And like most Napkin Math pieces, it'll have you laughing and nodding in something close to equal measure. So if you haven't read those other Armstrong classics yet, this one's a perfect start—or make sure you're subscribed to check out the archive!

What We Published

4 Articles & a Live Conversation

Pricing Strategy is Product Strategy

by Evan Armstrong in Napkin Math (14-minute read)

Pricing has to do with a whole lot more than numbers. In fact, as Evan writes here, deciding what something of yours costs has plenty in common with the questions tech companies have to ask about product. As a result, technology businesses tend to have a leg up as far as pricing—but Evan's here to help anyone understand what to charge and why to charge it.

The Inner Ring of the Internet

by Ali Montag in Divinations (10-minute read)

"How could you ever write anything interesting with 209,000 people watching?" Ali Montag asks in this Divinations guest post, a sharp-eyed blend of personal narrative and critique of the creative and business landscapes. It's one of a few important questions she poses in writing about how pursuit of the "inner ring" of successful online writers often papers over another, possibly more important ask: "When it comes to creative work, what is good?"

Is Internet Receipt Culture Our Undoing?

by Fadeke Adegbuyi in Cybernaut (6-minute read)

This week's Cyberbits opens, in classic fashion, with a bit of history about an omnipresent Internet term: "receipts." It's the kind of online archaeology that makes Cybernaut a must-subscribe—but for Fadeke, it's just a jumping-off point for a larger, thornier question of receipts' place in modern-day web culture. When does proof stop being a defense and start being a weapon? Fadeke isn't necessarily out to answer the question head-on—but she's sure to engage it from an impressive number of angles in just a few paragraphs.

Jarrod Dicker is Thinking a Lot About "Web 2.5"

Means of Creation with Li Jin & Nathan Baschez (56-minute listen)

When it comes to Crypto's entrance onto the world stage, Jarrod Dicker didn't just become the person to talk to—he has been for some time now. So it's only appropriate that Li and Nathan talked to him for an episode of MOC that covers cryptocurrencies, creator communities, and how platforms and individuals should be thinking about their intersection.

Proof of Green: How Ethereum 2.0 Solves Crypto’s Energy Concerns

by Nat Eliason in Almanack (5-minute read)

This week's DeFriday dispatch tackles an issue that warrants space in any discussion about cryptocurrencies: their effects on the environment. Here, Nat offers a primer on why Bitcoin and Ethereum require so much energy—before giving us the lowdown on what the latter is planning as a possible offset tactic.

Community Calendar

What's going down in our Discord this week.

Monday July 12th, 8am ET/5am PT: Focused Work Pomodoros with Dan Shipper

Thursday July 15th, 11am-1pm ET/8am – 10am PT: Community Working Session with Rachel Jepsen

In this weekly two-hour event, our cameras are on, our tunes are flowing, and we're getting things done together! Executive editor Rachel will open each session with a ten-minute writing exercise to get us all in a creative flow. Then, participants can share in the #fireside-chat channel what they're hoping to accomplish during the session. Finishing an essay? Getting started on a new project? Tell us what you're working on!

Want to be looped in on upcoming community events? Check out our Discord server!

What’s Going On

News you might have caught or missed.

• Pietra raises $15M from Founders Fund to help creators launch their own product lines
• Biden executive order will target right to repair, ISPs, net neutrality, and more
• TikTok introducing more automation to video removals
• Climate change made North America’s deadly heatwave 150 times more likely

What We’re Reading

Our favorite writing from beyond Every.

• Digital Footprint (Real Life)
• The Medici as Artists Saw Them (The New Yorker)
• "Cat Person" and Me (Slate)
• From Kubrick to Spielberg: The Story of "A.I." (The Ringer)

Every on the Internet

When our writers make a splash outside the Every pool.

• Li Jin joined Variant's Jesse Walden and crypto strategist Cooper Turley on the Bankless Podcast last week to chat about the Creator Economy—and its possible effects on crypto.