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Michael's Newsletter - July 2018

Since the last newsletter, Lebron decided to go the Lakers, Kanye and Drake dropped new albums, and t
Michael's Newsletter - July 2018
By Michael Karnjanaprakorn • Issue #51 • View online
Since the last newsletter, Lebron decided to go the Lakers, Kanye and Drake dropped new albums, and the World Cup is halfway done.
For me, I’ve been taking it easy this summer. I spent a week in Asheville during my Think Week. I emerged with a lot of clarity on my goals and what I will be doing next in my career. 
Also, Asheville is an amazing town! I mean… the Obamas have vacationed there. It has a great combination of nature, food, drinks, and culture. Don’t believe me? Check out this article: Why Is Asheville North Carolina So Cool?
I’m currently in Milan, Italy with Leah as she’s here for work and I decided to tag along and explore the country. (Please send any recommendations for Northern Italy.)
With the extra time during my sabbatical, I’ve been devouring books. I just finished Bad Blood (about Theranos), The Force, and Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson, among a couple of others which I’ve recommended below. I’m currently reading the Lessons of History, Thirteen Days, and Prediction Machines. (Also, please send any great book recommendations.)
Until the next one…
- Michael 

✍️ Commentary
Michael Karnjanaprakorn
Google wasn't the first search engine. Facebook wasn't the first social network. Ethereum wasn't the first blockchain. It's not about being first to market. It's about being first to scale to critical mass.
2:49 PM - 23 Jun 2018
Michael Karnjanaprakorn
Chinese startups optimize for experimentation (add lots of features instead of a few) and
chabuduo, or close enough, 70% done, to get things done faster. Speed coupled w/ rate of innovation is an underestimated comp advantage. Startups that can handle this complexity will win.
10:40 AM - 15 Jun 2018
Michael Karnjanaprakorn
New @turingcapital article on blockchain moats: 1) network effects, 2) ecosystem, 3) governance, 4) compliance, and 5) brand: https://t.co/ayKgBtJOTL

(Thanks to @ljxie @veradittakit @felix2feng for feedback on early drafts)
11:44 AM - 19 Jun 2018
đź”– Articles
The secret to a good mood… Do nothing. Visualize good things. And then, move on.
dariusforoux.com  •  Share
In 2011, we started Skillshare in the same building as the first WeWork in Nolita, on the corner of Broome & Lafayette. It’s been fascinating to see the meteoric rise of WeWork over the past 7 years. If you would have told me that WeWork would be worth $20B in 2018, I wouldn’t have believed you! This article dives into whether this rise is just hype or a real business - you can decide.
www.wired.co.uk  •  Share
A bird emerges from the ashes. I have been using Twitter more and more lately. It shows how relentless focus with a willingness to shake things up can really reinvigorate a company. Jack Dorsey is definitely having the best year ever with both Square and Twitter performing very well in the markets.
www.buzzfeed.com  •  Share
Within crypto, I am very bullish on a couple themes: governance, scalable blockchains, oracles, and security tokens. Security tokens allows for liquidity in illiquid assets (real estate, art, etc). This article dives into this next wave and what it means for the blockchain.
medium.com  •  Share
Wow, wow, wow. Tezos raised $232M last summer. I originally invested a small amount into Tezos because I was very excited for a blockchain that was both scalable and incorporated governance. But that excitement quickly died with the internal turmoil at the company. This is a fairly long article but the journalist does a great job of breaking down what happened, why, and what’s next for Tezoz.
www.wired.com  •  Share
Mike Maples does a great job of describing how crypto can transform the tragedy of the commons into the wealth of the commons.
blog.usejournal.com  •  Share
Rand Fishken (Moz) is starting a new company and has structured it in a new way: 1) raised $1.25 from angel investors (no funds); 2) setup his company as an LLC (instead of a c-corp); and 3) preserved optionality (shunning the grow fast mentality of startups). 
sparktoro.com  •  Share
Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi, has said that “No amount of doing can compensate for the lack of thinking.”
This was by far my favorite quote from the article, which shows that companies need to do both execute and strategize at the same time.
hans.vc  •  Share
“Let me tell you why my tv series in the 90s was so good, besides just an inordinate amount of just pure good fortune. In most tv series, 50 percent of the time is spent working on the show, 50 percent of the time is spent dealing with personality, political, and hierarchical issues of making something. We spent 99 percent of our time writing. Me and Larry [David]. The two of us. The door was closed. It’s closed. Somebody calls. We’re not taking the call. We were gonna make this thing funny. That’s why the show was good.”
calnewport.com  •  Share
🕵️ Recommendations
This eBook has been sent to me from a couple of founders and is spreading like wildfire. Lots of great insights for any existing or aspiring entrepreneurs.
docs.google.com  •  Share
I finished this book in one day on a train ride from Switzerland to Milan. It was that good! Rand has a great writing style and it completely transparent with both his successes and failures. A must-read for any entrepreneur on what it’s really like to start a company, along with “cheat codes” on how to not make the same mistakes.
www.amazon.com  •  Share
This show is a combination of Games of Thrones meets Billions. If you like either show, or both, this is a must-watch.
www.vanityfair.com  •  Share
This month, I sent out some tweets 
Did you enjoy this issue?
Michael Karnjanaprakorn

I write about startups, productivity, and culture.

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