Hype Houses, Unethical Lawyers, Negotiating and Fake Productivity
I hope you had a great week. Still lacking consistency in the day this newsletter gets published, but maybe now it's a fun surprise?
Either way, here's this week's version!
Book Notes I Reread:Skin in the Game - Nassim Taleb
I actually listened to this on audiobook, and then re-read the notes. This year I'm making a conscious effort to re-read more of the book that have affected me most, and this (and all his other works) is one of them. Examples of where asymmetry exists throughout life.
Articles I'm Reading:
- Hype House and the Los Angeles TikTok Mansion Gold Rush - NY Times - Story about a group of teenagers renting an LA mansion to create online content for TikTok (another social platform). We can argue about the health of such endeavors, but it's an interesting glimpse inside how marketing is changing, and I admire their focus and hustle.
- The economics of unused gift cards - The Hustle - Ever wonder about how unused gift cards affect businesses? Here's a look inside how often, and when, they get used. Walmart had $1.9B in unused gift cards on their books in 2019.
- The Mysterious Lawyer X - The California Sunday Magazine - An absolutely staggering story about a lawyer who was also a police informant–one of the most blatant ethical violations for a lawyer I've ever read about.
- How to Read: Lots of Inputs and a Strong Filter - Morgan Housel - I struggle constantly with this problem as my backlog of unread articles and books piles up, no matter how much time I spend reading.
- The Procrustean Bed of Productivity - Nat Eliason - Another thing I struggle with - spending too much time thinking about organization and goals instead of just accomplishing them.
Book I'm Reading:Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss
I came to the recent realization that I suck at negotiating, because like most people, I avoid conflict. I'm aiming to change that, and this book was a great start. Filled with very helpful lessons, and interesting stories (the author was a top FBI hostage negotiator). Related to active listening, which I wrote about here.
Photos from this week: Skiing at Mont La Reserve in Quebec–a group of ~25 colleagues and friends rented a chalet for a couple of nights, and we were treated with some absolutely beautiful (but chilly) skiing
Have a great week!
Graham
