TikTok's internet; Silicon Valley's religion; Light between us
Issue #376
💡Think
Happy 2025 everyone!
This past week I’ve been in Las Vegas with the team planning for the next year. Firstly, yes I lost money in a casino. Secondly, it feels like a different planet and I’m glad to be home.
The week was personally one of reflection, where the company focus shifted away from what I’ve been personally driving towards. This is scary! But also an opportunity to widen the skill set, rather than deepen it.
A colleague explained to me that “this is just the industry we’re in”, and although that is challenging, it’s true. We can’t sit still for too long in tech, because the seasons change and the winds spin in different directions.
Perhaps it’s time, given the industry’s horizon, that we all reflected on what we look like this time come 2026.
Have a great week!
📷 Look
📖 Read
❶ The internet is TikTok now
Videos, videos, videos. Scroll, scroll, scroll. That’s basically every app now, isn’t it? Even LinkedIn has videos and recommendations, and an algorithm that you can’t escape. Do we want it? Does that even matter now that TikTok is at risk?
❷ Silicon Valley’s obsession with AI looks a lot like religion
The headline of this article pretty much explains everything about it, but I want to call out this excellent quote within the piece from a Rabbi: “I’ve always said there is no God. I never said there wouldn’t be one in the future.” Are we there yet?
❸ The light in the abyss between us
A more poetic article than I normally share, but this is a beautifully written one about the human condition. Specifically, how we each see and feel differently what on the surface is the same. For example, seeing colour differently, or how we all experience cold and heat.
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Bonus round
What the f*@k are we doing anymore? A writer’s perspective on social media
🎧 Listen
Jeff Bezos: Amazon and Blue Origin
Sharing something with Bezos (buy your books from bookshop.org) almost violates this entire newsletter’s premise, but I enjoyed listening to this even if just out of curiosity. It’s a very long episode, and starts after 8 nauseatingly boring minutes of adverts, but he speaks well and I would definitely recommend putting it on as background to cooking or working. His story is genuinely fascinating – he was a child farmer? – and I’m sure we can all learn something from his grit.
Have a great week,
@disco_lu
You got me all curious about Figma's vision and direction. 😅