Napkin Math

Profit and power in technology.

Dec 8, 2020

How Live-streaming Ecommerce Works in China

In China, livestreaming has changed eCommerce. Learn about how it works, what the hosts do during the steam, and how it could impact American eCommerce.

Sep 24, 2024

The One-person Billion-dollar Company

Can AI agents make you a billionaire?

Oct 8, 2020

Nike: Direct Relationships & Digital Penetration

Nike just released their latest earnings report. We dive into their "Consumer Direct Offense" strategy, how they combined their brand marketing with technology.

Aug 22, 2024

Copy Rights and Wrongs

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

May 13, 2021

In Defense of WeWork’s Community-Adjusted EBITDA

Clarifying the murky middle ground between Gross Profits and Net Income

Aug 18, 2022

What is an Asset?

Plus a new course from Napkin Math!

Jul 23, 2024

Vibes Are a Legitimate Economic Indicator

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

Sep 23, 2024

What Are AI Agents—And Who Profits From Them?

The newest wave of AI research is changing everything

Apr 3, 2024

The One-person Billion-dollar Company

Can AI agents make you a billionaire?

Apr 29, 2021

Gross Margin: An Indicator of Market Power

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

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

Apr 11, 2024

Can the Truly Moral Billionaire Please Stand Up?

My quest to find Jesus Christ with a Gulfstream

Jul 23, 2020

Want to Become a Unicorn? Buy it, Don’t Build it

How Amazon Marketplace works, how Thrasio built a unicorn, the platform risk associated with the strategy, and regulation concerns.

Oct 28, 2021

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

An examination of the Twitch Hack data

Mar 23, 2022

BIG announcement incoming

I'm going full time on Napkin Math

Aug 12, 2022

A Tale Of Two Acquisitions

The Unity Conundrum

Aug 16, 2024

Feasting at the Trough of AI Slop

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

Jul 8, 2020

The Future of Fitness: lululemon Buys Mirror

Why subscription hardware is better than hardware, the cross-selling opportunity, how Mirror could lead to a connected home, and why Mirror is a call option for Lululemon.

Apr 10, 2025

How to Write Online

It’s less about capturing attention, and more about deserving it

Aug 20, 2021

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

Remora, The Bureaucracy Buster

Feb 28, 2025

Playing ‘Civilization 7’ Is Like Being a Ruthless Corporate Consultant

Let’s talk about the tech world’s relationship with video games

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 30, 2020

GPT-3 Will Accelerate The Privatization of Internet Communities

What GPT-3 is, GPT-3's capabilities, if GPT-3 will replace jobs, and how it affects social media.

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