Five Links for August 2023

Every month I try to share the most mind-expanding links to read/watch/listen. If you find these interesting, please do share with your friends.

Here are five links worth reading…

New Glut City by Andrew Rice
The “slow-moving train wreck” of New York’s commercial real estate sector, which contributes more than 20 percent of the city’s property taxes.

Networking is overrated and probably not worth doing … for most people
In the 20th century, the value of who you knew had a huge impact on your career. Today, *what* you know is increasingly more important.

Rich and Anonymous by Morgan Housel
There’s an ideal net worth for everyone, after which money becomes a social liability. People get rich to buy status, but the truly wise stay anonymous.

Bonus (Listen): Immad Akhund - CEO of Mercury: SVB, Neobanks & UI on World of DaaS podcast
In depth with the CEO of Mercury, a banking service that received over $2 billion in deposits in the wake of the SVB collapse. We also talk dual-threat CEOs, immigration, and the dynamics of the Bay Area.
Watch the episode here (and subscribe to World of DaaS YouTube channel)

9 Reasons Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others by Melissa Breyer
Conclusive scientific evidence that mosquitoes do, in fact, bite you more than other people (and what it is that they’re drawn to).

The Story of Titanium by Brian Potter
Titanium is one of the most abundant metals on earth, yet it wasn’t produced commercially until 1948. How it came to be essential for aerospace, manufacturing, and medical devices.

Decoding Tech's Next Big Thing: VR Vs. AI by Jeff Lu & Mario Moscatiello
What is a better investable platform: VR or AI?

re-read Bonus: The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class by Alex Danco
The world is separated into “losers,” sociopaths, and the clueless. An explanation of what status means to all three of these groups, and how they talk to each other.

Bonus (Fascinating): The Underground Economy of Company Reviews by Shikhar Sachdev
Like product and location reviews, company reviews (on sites like Glassdoor) are both extremely important, and extremely easy to manipulate.

More reading links at https://twitter.com/AurenReads

Graph of the Month:
All-around athletes are more valuable in startups. Position players are more valuable in more established orgs.

Books:

Street Fighters by Kate Kelly
HT: Michael Beach

Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka
HT: Jen Pahlka, Chris Lynch, DJ Patil

Movies:

The Whale

Tetris
HT: Jason Richman

The Covenant


Tweet of the Month:

Auren Hoffman is CEO of SafeGraph (geospatial data on physical places) and GP at Flex Capital ($200M Series A and B VC firm). Engage on Twitter: @auren

and please share Five Links with your friends.