Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
One of the puzzling aspects of Donald Trump’s presidency is his inability to follow a coherent long-term strategy. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, strong economic conditions would have made any conventional president a shoo-in for re-election. All Donald Trump would need to do is to stay quiet and avoid saying anything other than, “Are you … Continue reading The Martingale Presidency
If you’re like me, endless Zoom calls and the inability to work out at your regular gym may have produced a “Quarantine 15” effect on your weight and fitness. For those who are fortunate enough to afford both a treadmill and the space to set it up, I offer a solution: The Zoom Treadmill, or … Continue reading The Zoom Treadmill (Treadzoomer? Zoommill?)
One year ago today, my ruptured Achilles tendon was surgically repaired. When people ask me about it, I tell them that there is a real good news/bad news element. An Achilles tendon rupture is pretty much the worst sports injury that you can completely recover from. It’s generally considered to have a 1-year minimum recovery … Continue reading Achilles Tendon Surgery Recovery: 1 Year Update
“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.” (Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises) Donald Trump’s presidency appears to have been a long series of attempts to prove the truth of his 2016 statement, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I … Continue reading If Donald Trump Loses, His Racism Will Be The Cause
Many companies like to say that they invest in diversity. But the truth is, they treat investing in diversity far differently than their other investments, and that’s a problem. Problem #1: They don’t have an investment thesis with a target return. When companies make investments, they generally have an investment thesis that spells out the … Continue reading Investing In Diversity
There are many more Americans today (June 29, 2020) that are vocally supporting the fight against racial discrimination than there were on May 24. While this development is welcomed by most long-time activists, it’s only human that some of them might think silently to themselves, “It’s about damn time.” It’s natural and intuitive to resent … Continue reading Why You Should Welcome Bandwagon Jumpers And Fair-weather Friends
“An atom-blaster is a good weapon, but it can point both ways.” Salvor Hardin, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Blitzscaling is a powerful tool, but even a successful blitzscaler cannot necessarily use it to overcome the power of winner-take-most market dynamics. This week, Microsoft announced that it was shutting down its Twitch rival, Mixer. Microsoft had acquired … Continue reading Even Successful Blitzscalers Can’t Overcome Winner-take-most Market Dynamics
America is the most polarized it has been in my lifetime. Even the Covid-19 pandemic, an exogenous threat, has simply reinforced this polarization, and the protests and riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death have pushed opposing sides even further apart. Instead of discussions, nearly every conversation between those disagree has become a debate. … Continue reading Responsible Rhetoric In The Age of Polarization
Famous journalist Matt “Vampire Squid” Taibbi recently wrote an editorial excoriating what he perceives as a trend towards journalists and their institutions adopting extreme progressive ideologies rather than focusing on reporting the truth, and attacking journalists for any deviation, however small, from the opinions they consider acceptable. While the editorial itself is interesting and worth … Continue reading Does Editorial Independence Exist?
Ron Green has lived many lives–Army officer, Secret Service agent, and now corporate executive. I encountered Ron’s words through a friend, a classmate of Ron’s at West Point, and I wanted to share them with you because Ron’s experiences as a black man who has faced and continues to face discrimination (including by the police) … Continue reading Guest Opinion: Ron Green, Chief Information Security Officer, MasterCard