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
Entrepreneurship
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
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
Facebook tests Snap Map-style redesign of Nearby Friends
Note: this article might seem irrelevant. Why do people want to tap into other people's life anyway or why a "social media" enables someone to tap into other people's privacy whenever he or she wants? It has gone too far. Helping friends meet up offline has been a massive missed opportunity for Facebook . Whether … Continue reading Facebook tests Snap Map-style redesign of Nearby Friends
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, and the $100 Billion Blitz on Sand Hill Road
The Japanese dealmaker says he’ll raise a new $100 billion fund every few years. Silicon Valley’s disruptors are struggling to keep up. Two years ago, Masayoshi Son, chief executive officer of SoftBank, sat in a Gulfstream jet high above the Arabian Gulf, en route to meet with potential investors in a new fund that would … Continue reading Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, and the $100 Billion Blitz on Sand Hill Road
The meeting that showed me the truth about VCs
I recently had a meeting with a well-known Israeli startup investor. The talk somehow pivoted from my seed-seeking startup into talking about the macro view of venture capital and how it doesn’t actually make sense. “Ninety-five percent of VCs aren’t profitable,” he said. It took me a while to understand what this really means. I’ll … Continue reading The meeting that showed me the truth about VCs
This is how much VCs are paid
Venture capital is known for being an opaque industry, so it’s no surprise most of us have no idea what the average VC earns in a year. I got a closer look at the survey results of J. Thelander Consulting‘s annual venture firm compensation survey and, unsurprisingly, VCs make a lot of money. Just how … Continue reading This is how much VCs are paid
The Bitcoin Oracle Who Exited Bitcoin
I have known Vinny Lingham for about 10 minutes when he tells me people want him dead. “I’ve had four death threats in my life,” he says. “And three of them have been in the last nine months.” It’s a few minutes past 7 a.m. on a recent weekday. We’re standing in the lobby of … Continue reading The Bitcoin Oracle Who Exited Bitcoin
Eric's playground 