Think Week #18
Doomscrolling, TikTok for Smart People, Google's ChatGPT Moment
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It’s the week of October 20th, 2024.
Take a moment to think.
Reading awaits.
TL;DR
S: The return of the late night doomscroll →
M: The TikTok for Smart People →
T: Is NotebookLM the ChatGPT Moment for Google? →
W: The Oatly competitor you’ve never heard of →
F: Life's Value and Memory's Imperfections →
Sunday
The return of the late night doomscroll
Becky Isjwara shares her relapse into late-night phone usage, detailing how allowing her phone in the bedroom during an illness led to a renewed pattern of excessive scrolling and diminished focus. She reflects on the distractive frenzy this created in her mornings and workdays, realizing the need to re-establish boundaries for healthier phone habits. By evening, Becky now charges her phone in the living room and starts a new novel, committed to reclaiming her restorative nighttime routine.
Monday
The TikTok for Smart People
Shannon and Priyanka founded Volv, a news app delivering 9-second bites for busy Gen Z and Millennials seeking smart, digestible updates without endless scrolling. Despite initial struggles, feedback from Mark Cuban and Snap's accelerator guided them to their current model of personalized, quick content catered to their audience's preferences. Their marketing focuses on targeted email campaigns, newsletter collaborations, and the Creator Platform, fueling sustainable growth while overcoming influencer marketing challenges.
Tuesday
Is NotebookLM the ChatGPT Moment for Google?
Michael Spencer explores Google's experimental product NotebookLM, an AI-powered note-taking and research assistant that can summarize content, create audio overviews from videos and documents, and potentially aid in tasks like homework synthesis and study guide creation. While garnering consumer attention on social media for its novel audio summarization capabilities, NotebookLM faces criticism for its unfinished state, inaccuracies, and lack of substantive insights. Michael questions whether this represents a 'ChatGPT moment' for Google or merely hype around an unpolished preview, highlighting Google's ongoing struggle to innovate consumer-facing AI products beyond search and ads.
Wednesday
Oatside: From Kitchen Experiments to Multi-Million Dollar Oat Milk Brand in 3 Years
Benedict Lim quit his CFO job to pursue a passion project - creating the perfect oat milk for Asia. After over 50 recipe tests and a year building their own production line, Oatside launched in 2022, taking a 'full-stack' approach by controlling every aspect from farm to table. Their clever branding and commitment to quality helped them secure $65M in Series A funding within a year. Reaching $41.4M in revenue by 2023, Oatside's journey proves a small idea can blossom into a multi-million dollar business.
Thursday
The Great Wall of Debt
Michael Howell examines the looming challenge of refinancing the world's massive debt burden as maturity dates approach, particularly in 2025-2026. He argues that financial markets increasingly function as debt refinancing mechanisms rather than providers of new capital, requiring ever-growing liquidity to avoid refinancing crises. The ratio of global debt to liquidity is approaching dangerous levels, threatening market stability. Central banks may need to significantly boost liquidity, risking asset bubbles, while long-term debt reduction remains the safest solution.
Friday
Life's Value and Memory's Imperfections
Tommy Blanchard explores the complexities of judging life's value through the lens of the peak-end rule - a phenomenon where our memories of experiences are shaped disproportionately by the most intense moments and the ending. This bias raises profound questions: Do we value the in-the-moment experience, our anticipated desires, or how we later reconstruct memories? Blanchard argues there is no privileged perspective from which to judge a life's worth. Our faulty memories, shifting preferences, and inability to truly sum up an existence reveal the contradictions inherent in utilitarian ethics. Ultimately, he posits that every viewpoint holds value as we navigate life's peaks and ends.
Saturday
Introducing Every Studio
The media powerhouse, Every, is launching its product incubation arm, Every Studio, with a mission to develop AI apps and creative tools bundled in the Every subscription. Brandon Gell joins as head of Studio, leading the first class of five entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs) incubating new businesses. Danny Aziz becomes the general manager of Spiral, a recent incubation. Sahil Lavingia invests $150,000 in a 'speed' round. The low cost of prototyping with AI enables rapid experimentation, targeting an audience already reading Every. The EIRs build what they want to use themselves, marking a shift from traditional customer research. Optionality is core, letting ideas become their best expression without predetermining 'venture scale.'
Thanks for including me!
What a cool list. Thanks for including my post!