Take a subway ride in China and expect to see a lot of commuters’ eyes glued to TikTok videos on their phones. Video clips like TikTok’s are now consuming nearly nine percent of Chinese people’s time online, a 5.2 percent jump from 2017, according to app analytics firm QuestMobile. Apps such as TikTok — which … Continue reading China’s obsession with short videos has its internet giants worried
Author: Eric
SoftBank’s debt obsession
The Wall Street Journal and others reported that Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of SoftBank, will take into account the killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi when considering whether to receive additional investment from Saudi Arabia in future Vision Funds. Saudi Arabia is the largest investor in the current Vision Fund, having pledged … Continue reading SoftBank’s debt obsession
Why is art so expensive?
A visitor takes a photo of the painting “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci at Christie’s New York auction house. The painting sold for more than $450 million in November 2017. Christie’s, the famed auction house, recently sold an AI-generated painting for $432,500. The piece, titled “Portrait of Edmond Belamy,” was made by Obvious, a … Continue reading Why is art so expensive?
Snapchat’s PR firm sues influencer for not promoting Spectacles on Instagram
Influencer marketing could get a lot more accountable if Snapchat’s PR firm wins this lawsuit. Snapchat hoped that social media stars promoting v2 of its Spectacles camera sunglasses on its biggest competitor could boost interest after it only sold 220,000 of v1 and had to take a $40 million write-off. Instead, Snap comes off looking … Continue reading Snapchat’s PR firm sues influencer for not promoting Spectacles on Instagram
Silicon Valley’s dirty secret: Using a shadow workforce of contract employees to drive profits
This year at Google, contract workers outnumbered direct employees for the first time in the company’s 20-year history. This trend is on the rise as public companies look for ways to trim HR costs or hire in-demand skills in a tight labor market. Some 57.3 million Americans, or 36% of the workforce, are now freelancing, … Continue reading Silicon Valley’s dirty secret: Using a shadow workforce of contract employees to drive profits
How to freelance
Learning how to freelance is the first step toward an unlimited earning potential. It’s a wonder why more people don’t do it — especially when there are so many good reasons to: Flexibility. Choose when and where you want to work, and who you want to work with. Scalability. Earn as much or as little … Continue reading How to freelance
Building a great startup requires more than genius and a great invention
Many entrepreneurs assume that an invention carries intrinsic value, but that assumption is a fallacy. Here, the examples of the 19th and 20th century inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are instructive. Even as aspiring entrepreneurs and inventors lionize Edison for his myriad inventions and business acumen, they conveniently fail to recognize Tesla, despite having … Continue reading Building a great startup requires more than genius and a great invention
Making async http requests with python-aiohttp
In this post I’d like to test limits of python aiohttp and check its performance in terms of requests per minute. Everyone knows that asynchronous code performs better when applied to network operations, but it’s still interesting to check this assumption and understand how exactly it is better and why it’s is better. I’m going … Continue reading Making async http requests with python-aiohttp
As some pricey coding camps fade away, Codecademy barrels ahead with affordable paid offerings and a new mobile app
Between 2013 and last year, the number of boot camp schools tripled to more than 90 in the U.S. alone, according to Course Report, an outfit that tracks the industry. Some — including The Iron Yard and Dev Bootcamp — have since folded, unable to find enough eager recruits willing to pay top dollar to … Continue reading As some pricey coding camps fade away, Codecademy barrels ahead with affordable paid offerings and a new mobile app
9 highlights from Snapchat CEO’s 6000-word leaked memo on survival
Adults, not teens. Messaging, not Stories. Developing markets, not the US. These are how Snapchat will make a comeback, according to CEO Evan Spiegel . In a 6,000-word internal memo from late September leaked to Cheddar’s Alex Heath, Spiegel attempts to revive employee morale with philosophy, tactics, and contrition as Snap’s share price sinks to … Continue reading 9 highlights from Snapchat CEO’s 6000-word leaked memo on survival
