Napkin Math

Profit and power in technology.

Aug 22, 2024

Copy Rights and Wrongs

Who owns the output of AI—the machines or the creators?

Aug 16, 2024

Feasting at the Trough of AI Slop

AI imagery is more popular, more powerful, and less harmful than you think

Aug 13, 2024

The Addiction Economy

Addicted, overwhelmed, oversubscribed: How technology hooked the world

Aug 8, 2024

The Horny Truth About AI Chatbots

What our digital companions reveal about human loneliness

Aug 6, 2024

Here’s a Million-dollar Software Idea

Welcoming the dawn of a new era in computing

Jul 30, 2024

Tinder Is Way More Important Than You Think

The success of a dating app has huge implications for the U.S. economy

Jul 25, 2024

Can Anyone Compete With Meta’s New AI Model?

Zuckerberg’s open-source gambit could burst the AI hype—or save it

Jul 23, 2024

Vibes Are a Legitimate Economic Indicator

In her debut book, Kyla Scanlon makes the case for feeling the numbers

Jul 18, 2024

A New Book of the Startup Bible

It’s the rare business book that you should actually read

Jul 16, 2024

What I Got Wrong About VR

Whoopsie, I may have gotten a little excited

Jul 11, 2024

Searching for Signal

When building a startup gets hard, where should we turn?

Jul 9, 2024

Paramount’s Dilemma: Content Isn’t King—Distribution Is

Half a century removed from its glory days, the Hollywood giant has a new rescue plan

Jun 21, 2024

You Can’t Math Your Way to Success

Whether in art, startups, or parenting, you can only control so much

Jun 13, 2024

The AGI-in-2027 Thesis

Some researchers are convinced that we are on the cusp of superintelligence. Are they right?

Jun 11, 2024

Apple’s AI Evolution: Built-in AI, Supercharged Siri, and Ecosystem Lock-in

Maybe the new world is the same as the old

Jun 4, 2024

AI Is Transforming the Nature of the Firm

By reducing transaction costs, AI will reshape how companies operate and interact

May 30, 2024

The Art of Scaling Taste

How MSCHF turns irreverent ideas into a real business

May 23, 2024

Microsoft’s Boring but Profitable Future

The PC giant is making Windows exciting again

May 15, 2024

Google Goes All In on AI

The company has every possible advantage, but can they use it?

May 9, 2024

Patreon Should Buy Substack to Save Creators

The solution to the problem of social media is to build something better

May 7, 2024

The Right Kind of Asshole

A founder’s personality can differentiate them—or destroy them

May 2, 2024

The AI Hardware Dilemma

Why new devices are flopping—and how they might succeed

Apr 30, 2024

The AI Wars Have Begun

OpenAI, Meta, and the $120 billion battle for the future of intelligence

Apr 23, 2024

Some Things I Know (And Some Things I Don’t)

What have I learned from two years of writing?