Brunch Briefing | Stoic Revival
Stoicism, Super-Pigs, and New Features
In this week’s BB, you’ll learn about…
🗿 The rise of performative stoicism in Silicon Valley and beyond
🛢️ The concentration of carbon emissions among 20 firms
🐷 The depressing emergence of super-pigs
💼 Jobs at some of the funds and companies of the future (new)
🍄 An emerging trend in the food space (new)
🇨🇳 A long tail touching on China, sleep, billionaires, and long phones
🐰 Overheard
(Quotes from clever people)
The top-earning writer on the paid newsletter platform Substack earns more than $500,000 a year from reader subscriptions. The top content creator on Podia, a platform for video courses and digital memberships, makes more than $100,000 a month.
A16z partner, Li Jin, provides an interesting dissection of the emerging “Passion Economy” and the platforms that enable individual creators to monetize their skills.
🗿Monitoring: A stoic revival
(One space worth keeping an eye on)
The problem: What does it all mean? That question has vexed humankind ever since the grey matter in our skulls became complex enough to conceive of it. Service to others? Education of the self? Pure hedonistic debauchery? Each school of thought has enjoyed its moment in the sun.
The solution: performative abnegation. While status in the last decade has been won by flaunting conspicuous consumption over social media (what one eats, where one goes, what one buys), there seem to be signs the pendulum is swinging in the other direction. Increasingly, individuals appear to be attaining status through what they are willing to deprive themselves of rather than what they indulge in. Where status can be won, movements and companies follow. Those below illustrate the willingness to deny oneself of food, physical comfort, and the grip of technology.
Meditation. Already a mature trend (2K meditation apps have come to market over the past 3 years), opportunity seems to be shifting to physical goods. HappyNotPerfect blends e-commerce and a Gen-Z-focused app, while Aduri raised venture money for its “multi-sensory” pillow.
Fasting. Intermittent fasting has reached the point of Silicon Valley trope. Tracking app Zero, founded by VC Kevin Rose, has raised $4MM, earning 117.5K App Store reviews along the way.
Keto. The ketogenic diet dominated both ‘paleo’ and ‘Whole30’ in Google searches in 2018. Keyto raised $3.6MM for its ketone measurement device, while CPG businesses like Perfect Keto, and Fat Snax are serving the same set. The former reported 20% MoM growth in 2018.
Cold-therapy. The latest trend of the bunch, I am yet to see venture-backed startups emerge in the space. Not to say that other businesses aren’t being built. Wim Hof, known as the ‘Ice Man’, has grown a sprawling empire of cold-therapy related classes, goods, and certification courses.
What’s next? Though I am fairly bearish about the meditation space given its saturation, I do think there is plenty to come in the remaining categories. As a cold-shower convert, the latter movement is particularly interesting. Will there be a Calm for cold-therapy? A Casper for shower-heads?
Beyond these specific trends, I expect other companies to emerge that capitalize on the same desire for deprivation, of one kind or another. Perhaps we will see another Not-Facebook company like Ello mindfully deliver the benefits of social media, or stripped-down hardware devices like The Light Phone supplement our smartphones. Maybe there will be an Expedia, purely for Dark Tourism, or a virtual reality experience that takes its notes from Barzakh. Whatever the precise iteration, I believe we will see status accrue to those most willing to suffer, publicly.
🖼️ 1000 words
(Something to look at)
A third of emissions come from 20 companies. This includes state-owned firms like Aramco and Gazprom, along with investor-owned firms like Chevron, Exxon, BP, and Shell. As discussed in a briefing a few weeks ago, these firms knew about global warming in the late 1950s. I hope that as we become more aware of the concerted deception of these companies (which is still ongoing), we are better able to see through their token clean energy efforts, and act appropriately. Fund managers should divest, Big Tech must stop donating to climate change deniers in order to maintain political influence, and individuals should try to avoid buying from these companies whenever possible.
😱 Signs of the apocalypse
(Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!)
Mosquitoes may be getting stronger. At least, in the city of Jacobina in Brazil. An attempt to shrink the population by releasing male mosquitoes genetically-modified for sterility has backfired. Successful reproduction continued, only now the local mosquitoes have a more robust genetic profile thanks to the introduction of the lab-devised insects. Disappointing to see the failure of a promising solution given the bug’s role in carrying malaria, zika, dengue fever and other diseases.
Pigs the size of polar bears. A pork shortage in China has led to inflation (70% price increases), and unnatural solutions. Increasingly, farms are attempting to breed giant pigs, with one specimen reaching 1.1K lbs. Sadly, many excessively large pigs end up dying from health complications, or even immobility. Very reminiscent of the film Okja.
Vaping is a tough habit to shake. The ease of use, unobtrusive emission, and palatable flavors may make it harder to quit. Expect researchers to turn to the space, as well as the private-sector. It may be a good time to keep an eye out for nicotine-cessation products, especially those that mimic the form-factor of vapes. Maybe a series of vaping pods with incrementally less nicotine?
🐒 Long tail
(Best of the rest)
Hacking sleep. Years of insomnia plagued this writer. After trying a range of devices and wearables, she found succor in an app.
WeGrow is closing down. The We Company’s private school, which charged as much as $42K a year, will cease to operate in 2020.
China sets a pick. And the NBA runs into it. They’re not alone. A number of software platforms and publishers have faced criticism this week for cowtowing to the Chinese.
Living in the Year 3000. Aleph Farms, an Israeli startup, successfully produced lab-grown meat in space. But…why?
1-click purchase Scud missiles. Over the last decade, Amazon has become one of the US’s largest defense contractors. While cloud computing forms the basis of this business line, commentators note the use of the company’s facial recognition services by police departments.
Google ponders an acquisition. TikTok has everybody scared. Buying Firework, worth a reported $100MM, would give Google a foothold in the space.
Equity may make up for the decline in labor share. Last week we discussed the effect automation is having on wages as a percentage of national income. The rise of equity-based compensation may make up some of the shortfall.
Some geo-engineering moonshots. Ideas include the resurrection of wooly mammoths, zero-emission gasoline, and regenerating the NYC oyster population.
Scandal insurance to fight “disgrace events.” Celebrities are under the microscope more than ever. Boston company, SpottedRisk, provides Hollywood’s stars protection from reputational catastrophe.
Booze, by the hour. Open Concept, a bar in South City, Missouri charges patrons by the hour, rather than by the drink. For their sake, let’s hope there’s not a college nearby.
Failure minimization for billionaires. Hedge fund tycoon, David Shaw, runs his family’s life like his fund, finding ways to build optionality. One example? Donating to seven elite colleges to ensure an elite education for his children.
Robinhood Cash Management. A mere 6 days after E*Trade, Schwab and Ameritrade decided to waive their own trading fees, Robinhood resurrected their previously aborted cash management account. An interesting battle being waged in this space.
How rich are you? Bloomberg has proposed a new numerical system to quantify wealth, more in line with the seismic scale.
A weird, long phone. Andy Rubin has too much time on his hands. He’s used it to create a very strange device.
What spaces remain unregulated? An interesting thread on HN. My favorite answer: “digging holes.”
Generosity makes you feel good. Here are 50 ways to be generous. Now go do something kind and I will too.
📈 Jobs for interesting people
(Openings at companies and funds building something cool)
Schematic Ventures - Principal (SF). Interested in helping shape the way the world moves? Schematic Ventures is an insurgent early-stage fund focused on manufacturing, supply chain, mobility, robotics and beyond. Impressive early portfolio, and cannot recommend the GP highly enough.
Noken - Expansion Associate (NY). Noken is building a modern-travel agent. The product is amazing and they’re growing 5x annually, with backing from NYC’s finest. This role sounds especially fun — you get to curate trips that thousands will take.
Confetti - Creative Director (NY). Confetti is a platform to book in-office events and already counts Facebook and Google among its client base. Exciting opportunity to join a growing team with an awesome CEO.
Tusk Ventures - Analyst (NY). Tusk goes where others dare not tread: regulated industries. Founded by ‘fixer’, Bradley Tusk, the firm has invested in companies like Lemonade, Coinbase, Ro, and Sunday.
📡 Signal
(One exploding Google Trend)
A hot cup of cordyceps. “Mushroom coffee” is on the rise, part of a broader explosion of interest in superfoods. Remarkably, Four Sigmatic, a purveyor of lion’s mane and chaga brews, holds the #1 spot for “instant coffee” on Amazon beating out Starbucks and Nescafe. So far I have only seen this in powder form. Perhaps a canned cold-brew next?
🧩 Puzzler
(A question, conundrum, or riddle to mull over)
In 1990, a person is 15 years old. In 1995, that same person is 10 years old. How can this be?
The answer to last week’s riddle was ‘ice.’ Congratulations to Stephen C and Jon H for answering correctly. Nick T also answered correctly but was disqualified for whinging excessively about the quality of the riddle. May this most recent iteration please all.
Wishing you all a pleasant, sleepy Sunday. Take care. 💙