I’ve enjoyed joining the ranks of all the independents who are their own bosses. America has made this, not just possible, but glorious — at least until somebody screws it up. After working for companies continuously for 33 years — since I was 23 — I left my job two years ago. Since then I…
I apologize for my previous post, in which I praised Dave McClure’s apology for being a creep. At the time, McClure apologized, saying, “I made advances towards multiple women in work-related situations, where it was clearly inappropriate.” Since then, Cheryl (Yeoh) Sew Hoy, an entrepreneur working with Malaysian startups, has accused McClure of sexual assault….
After VC Justin Caldbeck admitted to harassing women entrepreneurs, The New York Times published a piece about the harassment culture of Silicon Valley. Dave McClure and Chris Sacca, venture capitalists mentioned in that piece, have now responded. Both were genuine, but they took widely different approaches. Their actions now will determine whether the culture of…
Donald Trump tweeted “If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!” Is it good politics to repeal Obamacare now and replace it later? Let’s analyze using game theory. Here are the facts: Bills in the Senate are subject to…
UK retailer Tesco laid off 1,200 people, one-quarter of its headquarters staff. Its layoff announcements have become perfunctory and heartless. Should we praise the company’s honesty? Here’s the public statement from Tesco, as reported in The Independent: This is a significant next step to continue the turnaround of the business. This new service model will…
The New York Times is trying to decrease the number of editors at the paper, including cutting the copy editing desk by about half. With the world awash in fake and dubious news, this is no time to cut back on the last line of defense on quality and factual accuracy. But more to the…
Whole Foods has loyal, upscale customers who might be nervous about its acquisition by Amazon, so the company sent people a reassuring letter by email. It’s one of the most vacuous communications I’ve ever read. Now that Amazon is buying Whole Foods, will the retailer focus on online buyers? Will it expand its selection, including…
Health care is complex. But Atul Gawande applies his intellect to make it clearer. His email about a research paper on the health effects of insurance is a tutorial on how to summarize effectively. In the New England Journal of Medicine, Atul Gawande and two colleagues published a 6-page survey paper with 54 footnotes on…
Several female startup founders accused Justin Caldbeck, cofounder and partner of the VC firm Binary Capital, of harassing them with text messages, suggesting inappropriate relationships, and groping. His self-centered apology seems sincere only if you’re a VC, not a victim. Caldbeck initially denied the allegations, published in The Information, saying “I strongly deny The Information’s attacks…