The Startup Student #1: Welcome to the New Normal
This week's list on the new normal, surviving in a crisis, and operating in the time of COVID19
Hey there! My work mainly revolves around writing about technology companies, but I was never a writer by training (at least formally anyway), nor do I have as much entrepreneurial or investment experience as the people I write with and about.
To keep up as much as I can, I read essays and listen to podcasts. Personally, it’s not the best way I learn (experience is still the way for me), but it has helped in providing an array of perspectives on any single topic and familiarizing myself with industry vernacular.
In the process of educating myself, I have ended up sharing these resources to friends and colleagues. Now I’d like to share these with you, in case you need a weekly dose of things to read and listen to, whether casually or for some serious learning. Here’s a weekly list of reads and listens, mainly on digital technology and tech startups (but anything tangentially interesting falls into my gravity well of resources).
Over this past week I’ve come across different interpretations of the “new normal,” as well as the experiences of tech companies adapting to challenging times like these.
The “New Normal”
We’re not going back to normal | MIT Technology Review
The essay tackles the effects of social distancing’s long-term implementation measures on the way we work, the way we live, and the kind of technology we use.
The future is not what it used to be | McKinsey
Distanced. Contact-free. Resilient. Insights from senior partners in the firm on ways business will change in the wake of the pandemic.
COVID and forced experiments | Benedict Evans
Evans explores what the forced adoption of online services means for industries ranging from ecommerce to healthcare and education.
🎧 The case of Zoom and scaling cloud security (20 mins) | a16z’s 16 minutes
a16z partners discuss where Zoom’s recent issues play into the bigger picture of cloud security, the tradeoff between usability and security, and how this discussion will evolve as more business operations rapidly move to cloud.
Data in the post-COVID world: highways of the digital economy | Insignia Business Review
The millennium began with data as the new oil. In the wake of COVID19, data is poised to take a more institutional and infrastructural role in the digital economy — ensuring connectivity and visibility during these challenging times.
The pandemic could be an opportunity to remake cities | Wired
The effort to making cities more walkable (and bike-able) is not new. The pandemic presents an opportunity to fast-track these changes.
The quiet revolution of Animal Crossing | The Atlantic
Gaming has been seeing growth with more people spending time indoors, but one game in particular has been going viral. The essay explains why the game offers an addictive way to escape to the helplessness and anxiety exacerbated by the pandemic.
📱This 3-D Simulation Shows Why Social Distancing Is So Important | The New Yorker
A simulation from the Kyoto University of Technology visualizes the spread of the virus from person to person. Also has an AR app to measure social distancing as you go around outside.
Surviving in a crisis
🎧 Airbnb’s Brian Chesky (35 mins) | Masters of Scale
The Airbnb co-founder and CEO shares how they are adapting to changing consumer behavior — supporting their hosts and leveraging more on experiences — and what the pandemic means for their future.
🎧 How Alibaba survived SARS and thrived afterwards – featuring its then-President and COO Savio Kwan (63 mins) | Evolving for the Next Billion by GGV Capital
From GE to the internet economy where he was met with the impact of SARS and lessons from leading Alibaba’s response to the ‘03-‘04 epidemic — especially asking the right questions.
🎧 Jeffrey Katzenberg's $1.75 billion bet on Quibi (68 mins) | Recode Media
The Quibi founder talks about launching a streaming platform in the time of a pandemic, and what separates Quibi from the crowd.
🎧 Data, discipline, and decision making with Indonesian fintech AwanTunai CEO & co-founder Dino Setiawan (29 mins) | On Call with Insignia
AwanTunai co-founder and CEO on the value of data-driven and disciplined decision-making especially during this time.
Operating in COVID19
Overcoming remote work challenges (4 mins) | MIT Sloan Management Review
Hugo co-founder and CEO Josh Lowy outlines ways to overcome three key challenges facing organizations transitioning to remote work.
How to make supply chains more resilient | World Economic Forum
The essay tackles things businesses can do to work with their suppliers that increases visibility and security as more aspects of supply chain operations go online.
How retailers can reach consumers who aren’t spending | Harvard Business Review
The piece outlines specific actions for marketers of (generally offline) B2C brands to retain consumers as many households undergo cash crunch or are less likely to spend on non-essentials during this period.
How Korea responded to a pandemic using ICT | The Government of the Republic of Korea
The South Korean government publishes a report on how they leveraged on digital technology to flatten the curve.