Napkin Math

Profit and power in technology.

Nov 21, 2023

The Case Against Sam Altman

The board is bad at their job, but they may not be crazy

Nov 16, 2023

COGS: How I Bankrupted MoviePass

An intuitive explainer for how to lose money and win anyway

Nov 9, 2023

We Should All Want to Be Mitt Romney

What is the point of F U money if you never say F U?

Nov 2, 2023

How to Win Arguments and Manipulate Managers

Make your spreadsheets shape strategy

Oct 26, 2023

Live Fuller, Not Bigger

You must escape the shallow joy of more

Oct 19, 2023

Every Software Business Has the Same Playbook

The strange contradiction at the heart of B2B SaaS

Oct 11, 2023

Falling Out of Love With Michael Lewis

The complicated demands of business writing

Oct 5, 2023

Automate the Simple Stuff With Stupid Tools

This is the dumbest AI will ever be—and it’s still magic

Sep 28, 2023

The Double Bind Theory—Or Why Sensationalism (Unfortunately) Works

If you want to win, you gotta spike

Sep 21, 2023

Oh No, I Kinda Want to Work for Elon

An examination of the man-child who would be king

Sep 14, 2023

Defense Tech Shouldn’t Be Sexy

Weapons are a necessary evil, not a hype-y consumer product

Sep 7, 2023

You Need to Know What You Are Betting On

How to think about investing in a startup versus a public company

Aug 31, 2023

The Internet Demands Greatness

No one cares, so take more risks

Aug 24, 2023

A TikTok Competitor Is About to IPO—And It’s Deeply Suspicious

Triller's S1 raises questions about its numbers

Aug 17, 2023

The Internet Is Still Early

Neither hellscape nor utopia—the internet makes society anew

Aug 10, 2023

The Futility of Utility

Why do I choose to do things that aren't in my best interest?

Aug 3, 2023

Devote Yourself to the Cause of Your Life

Your to-do list can wait

Jul 27, 2023

Snap’s Probably Screwed (Again)

Maybe Elon should buy it

Jul 20, 2023

Of Course You Can Beat the Market

Free your mind from the Efficient Market Hypothesis

Jul 13, 2023

OpenAI’s Code Interpreter Is About to Remake Finance

Get in, loser—we’re disrupting Oracle

Jun 29, 2023

What Happened to the Creator Economy?

The burden of missed expectations

Jun 27, 2023

Shopping for AI Shovels: The MosaicML Acquisition

Why would Databricks spend $1.3B?

Jun 22, 2023

AI Can Construct a Trading Strategy Now

And it means there are big changes ahead for what software can do

Jun 15, 2023

OpenAI’s Code Interpreter Is About to Remake Finance

Get in loser, we’re disrupting Oracle