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npkarnik

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www.nikhilkarnik.com

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No one knows how high interest rates will go. Interest rates are approximately the floor of what a very low risk return on capital looks like, especially for an average citizen. If they approach 7% and stay there as some think is possible, I would expect stocks to keep selling off, especially if public co revenues don't continue to grow rapidly as the economic "slowdown" continues (not worth arguing exactly what constitutes a recession).

I disagree that any specific advice will help an individual marketer...I think the biggest issue is that the economics of acquisition on social (factoring in internet marketing budgets and customer LTV) doesn't work well for brands that aren't already operating at significant scale. Otherwise, Teespring would be a billion dollar company by now ;)

My guess is that social marketing works ok for brands that have a strong competitive position AND healthy margins.

I don't work at Dropbox, but I believe it's ignored by design. Fewer users would upgrade their storage to the paid plans.

Not really, artistic talent has historically relinquished all IP rights. Incubators are more like a tax to get involved in the VC ecosystem, if anything.

Very cool - I actually have a friend who works on that Target team. There are smart, talented, "modern" people everywhere. I wonder what the dinosaurs will look like in 10-20 years.

I was lucky to meet these guys recently. They hire staffers as W2 workers, not 1099 contractors. They're building something that is impacting the lives of people who typically work minimum wage jobs. The talented, reliable workers on their platform make more than minimum wage, which is a testament to how Bluecrew's marketplace creates better outcomes for workers and businesses.

Your claim doesn't make sense to me. The author does not prove there isn't privilege and inequality in SV. He only shares his story of how he overcame a decidedly unprivileged background. If the expected value of my bet in a game of craps is negative and I still win, that doesn't mean the odds weren't against me.

I used to think this exactly...but now, given how heavily the NFL, NFLPA, and individual teams have been promoting Draftkings/FanDuel, it's obvious that the business model involves paying kickbacks to all the important stakeholders in the sport.

And regarding how relatively chummy the NFL is with elected officials, don't forget that commissioner Roger Goddell's father was both a senator and representative from NY state. That's just one data point, but there are probably a lot of backroom conversations that we don't know about. I think there's too much legitimate money at stake for there to be a online poker-like, "Black Friday" type event for the daily fantasy scam.

Same thing with nightlife (except it's closer to 2-3 years), since the target demographics are the same, but the people going to (or used to go to) clubs/bars get older.

About time...I have probably had more bad cab experiences in Vegas than all other cities combined.

One tip: the various Airport Shuttles from McCarran to hotels on the strip/downtown (and back) are a great deal...around $15 total for both ways.

I'm blown away by how much of modern American (urban and suburban) culture can be attributed to the rise of gangsta rap. I work as a software engineer at a large tech company, and I can regularly hear (and am certainly guilty of) people greeting in the hallways: "what's going on homeboy!"

I have been listening to "Straight Outta Compton" for about 9 years, and what surprises me is how simultaneously dated the album sounds along with how ahead of its time it is. As Dr. Dre says in the linked article...the choruses are mostly him scratching the record. At the same time, the lyrics are so unapologetically violent and degrading towards women, that it influenced literally every major rap record that came after. Even the conscious rap movement was a concerted effort to distinguish itself from some of the more ignorant, hardcore stuff.

"Fuck the Police" is somehow MORE relevant 27 years after it was released, and I'm not convinced a popular rap artist would release a song today with a warning about a "bloodbath of cops dying in LA." Even Eminem had lyrics about Columbine censored on the explicit version of his album.

I had a similar experience with the CrunchBase API. I kind of gave up once I had to start negotiating with their Business Development rep for licensing fees. I respect that they have to have a sustainable business given the resources required to aggregate and validate all that data, but I still wish there was a way for individuals/small teams to access that dataset.

YC Stats 11 years ago

You're not factoring dilution in at all, for one. Also, the 120k is more recent.

I don't buy the hypocrisy. Net neutrality requires ISP infrastructure companies to not artificially restrict end-users choice for legal content. Especially as ISP companies become coupled with content companies (Comcast/NBC Universal) and generate anti-trust concerns regarding throttling their competitors in the content vertical.

An end-user running an ad-blocker has literally nothing to do with the appropriate role of the infrastructure provider (which many argue should be an unbiased plumbing system).

I do think there are some ethical concerns for running an ad-blocker, but I don't think this is one of them.

There are probably more efficient ways to build useful skills and learn material than paying for an elite education. Prestige is much harder to manufacture. YC is 10 years old (i think?) and has managed to do this, impressively.