On my mind; very early March 2025

I’m spending this Sunday researching [weird industry] for Common Magic’s latest commitment; it’s a nuts + exciting time to be thinking about and investing in early stage technology. Several times I’ve started working on a considered piece and, before it’s done, the world changes again and/or my thinking evolves. To avoid that happening again, here’s a brain dump of everything I’m thinking about in very early March 2025.

Turns out you can just publish.

• The internet has more feelings than we think. At Localglobe’s new meetup Open Court, my big takeaway wasn’t from the good demos by Anthropic, Meta’s Reality Labs, Eleven Labs, Early or Gradient Labs (I think we can all agree we’re done with the Labs suffix, especially for teams where the majority of workers aren’t scientists). I got chatting to Margaret in product at Mistral about how Claude has an obvious bent towards EQ alongside IQ and she said that in general we [people who use technology but perhaps especially people who make technology] understand the internet is full of facts and data, but we overlook that the internet is made by people, people are full of emotions, and therefore so is all training data. It reminded me of this piece by the Browser Company about designing software with feelings; rather than intentional design, what if the feelings were there all along?
• The necessity of density. Maybe a consequence of spending the 00’s as a meetup maxi and the 10’s partly running a large startup space where we identified five factors that built scenes (talent; capital; good regulation; customers but, most critically, density) but after a few quiet years the pendulum is swinging in London back towards the energy of small aligned groups in rooms. I love it. Saw Andi Klinger this week and we discussed “Europe”; both his work at EU Inc to build a pan-European entity but what we need next. It feels clear it’s more connective tissue between hubs. More work coming on this — hit me up if you care about it too.
• “You’ve got to live in their world” Working sessions with two different companies who are scaling their sales to different audiences with some of the same challenges. A takeaway we had from a conversation with a GTM advisor was about “living in their world” (ie. deeply understanding customer problems, working context, etc) versus purely trying to get a deal across the line.
• Boomerang bumper SPVs + “venture products”. Three different SPVs floated past my desk (always liked that phrase) all stuffing money into companies that recently announced rounds splashily. In two cases, these are pre-product, pre-revenue companies with genuinely eye-popping valuations (hi, 2021). At least one of these companies feels like a “venture product” as Juliet would say; ie its marketing is not focused on finding customers and building revenue but on charming follow-on investors right from the start.
• Can agency be taught? I liked Antoine’s piece on what time it is in the context of intelligence and taste. Obviously I’m talking my book here — part of the piece theorises that unique distribution is the next frontier as the value of some software plummets — but what deeply struck me was what this all means for agency. My small son is growing up a world where so much is built and held lightly; democracy and statecraft, even, if we think about the last few days. Things are rising and falling in even faster increments all the time. His ability to create, resist, to focus, to think for himself will be critical in good future personhood. But can this be taught or is it innate?
• Specifying spring ‘25— title is a play on a favourite Robin Sloan blog post. Model Context Protocol (MCP) is everywhere, and Matt Webb typically has a blog about why it matters. New protocols = new paradigms. So much is up for grabs and I buy Sunil’s take in favour of mad science;

Fell down an MIT press early 00’s rabbithole and ordered this from the last time so many standards were up for being redesigned. Related; any long-term gig goer knows mosh pits have their own clear politics and protocols.

• As a not-very-technical black sheep from a technical family, it’s gently blowing my mind to be vibe coding personal software with Lovable. Great product, jealous not to be an investor, maybe I can forgive the SPV this time.
• Re-read Carmen Maria Machado’s brilliant, inventive In the Dream House
• Juicy piece on the succession (and Succession) drama happening inside the Murdoch family; anyone who cares about media, power and politics should be considering what happens in a post Rupert Murdoch world.
• Thinking about this meme

• as I lock into the Acquired podcast on the history and heritage of Rolex. It’s five hours long. FIVE. HOURS. Give a girl a break. I’m beta testing Sari Azout’s new product, a podcast that promises magic; you screenshot a podcast and it summarises, especially the unique stories and moments that make conversation so rich. An early product but one I want to thrive.
• Several years living next to the same neighbour and the only thing I’ve ever heard through our thick walls is the Severance theme tune. Can’t remember the last time so many people in my life were gripped by the same thing. Stunning work.
• I also liked this collage-y launch video. What IS inference & does it matter if it feels this good?