Napkin Math

Profit and power in technology, every Tuesday and Thursday.

Aug 13, 2020

Sometimes You’re The Datadog, Sometimes You’re The Hydrant

The history of cloud computing, how DevOps and Observability became so big, and the fate of Datadog

Mar 23, 2022

BIG announcement incoming

I'm going full time on Napkin Math

Aug 25, 2022

Finance is Narrative Not Numbers

The Subtle Art of Manipulating CFOs

Sep 24, 2024

The One-person Billion-dollar Company

Can AI agents make you a billionaire?

Sep 5, 2024

Vibes-based Search

The next big disruption in software is here, and it understands what you’re looking for better than you do

Jul 23, 2024

Vibes Are a Legitimate Economic Indicator

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

Oct 7, 2021

The End of Software, Again

The impending doom of horizontal SaaS

Apr 18, 2024

Don’t Dismiss the Apple Vision Pro

Apple has a hit on its hands. Will it seize the opportunity?

Apr 3, 2024

The One-person Billion-dollar Company

Can AI agents make you a billionaire?

Aug 28, 2020

Uber and Lyft Live Once Again

What drivers think of AB 5, why it was written, and the pricing differences between services

Jul 28, 2021

Twilio’s Second Act

Twilio rode its API to a $66B valuation. Now it’s trying to become the Universal Switchboard for the internet.

Feb 10, 2022

Is YC the Monopoly It Thinks It Is?

The Pricing Power Flex

Jun 18, 2020

Explaining the Hertz Situation

A layman’s guide to bankruptcy

Sep 23, 2024

What Are AI Agents—And Who Profits From Them?

The newest wave of AI research is changing everything

Apr 29, 2021

Gross Margin: An Indicator of Market Power

What America's Oldest Jeweler Can Teach Us About the Value of Bling

Aug 20, 2021

How a Climate Tech Startup Closed 5+ Enterprise Deals Before Even Launching

Remora, The Bureaucracy Buster

Feb 17, 2022

The Future of Netflix

When everyone’s a streamer, nobody is.

Apr 11, 2024

Can the Truly Moral Billionaire Please Stand Up?

My quest to find Jesus Christ with a Gulfstream

Nov 4, 2020

Can Political Betting Markets Predict Election Outcomes?

Polls and pundits don't do a good job of predicting election results. But what about prediction markets? In this post, we discuss what makes a good market and what could cause it to be wrong.

Jul 9, 2021

Pricing Strategy is Product Strategy

How Technology Enables Companies to Charge More

Apr 30, 2024

The AI Wars Have Begun

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

Sep 2, 2021

Content Moderation Double-Bind Theory

The market failures damning content to ever increasing sensationalism

Oct 28, 2021

The Creator Power Scale: A Formula to Determine if Platforms are Ripping You Off

An examination of the Twitch Hack data

Aug 16, 2024

Feasting at the Trough of AI Slop

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