Weekend Reading
Writing worth reading - 8th/9th April 2023
The Age of AI has begun by Bill Gates
“In short, I'm excited about the impact that AI will have on issues that the Gates Foundation works on, and the foundation will have much more to say about AI in the coming months. The world needs to make sure that everyone—and not just people who are well-off—benefits from artificial intelligence. Governments and philanthropy will need to play a major role in ensuring that it reduces inequity and doesn’t contribute to it. This is the priority for my own work related to AI ...”
The End of “Succession” Is Near by Rebecca Mead
“When Armstrong got on the phone, precisely fifteen minutes after the appointed time, he sounded much calmer than the harried would-be usurper, played by Jeremy Strong, whom he had created. There had merely been busier thoroughfares anticipated on his route from Williamsburg, where he stays when he is in New York—Armstrong’s home is London—to the editing suites in Greenwich Village, where he was working on the show’s upcoming season, which airs on HBO starting next month. But the occasion of the call nonetheless felt consequential: Armstrong was ready to reveal that this season, the fourth, would be the last. In our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, Armstrong talks about his collaborative creative process, the cliffhanger end of Season 3, his decision to bring his creation to its dramatic conclusion, and whether there will be a successor to ‘Succession’”
Chaos Monkey: We look at Shopify’s new ‘culture of focus’ by Blathnaid O’Dea
“Evans believes having a full day to focus ‘has been transformational for the company.’ According to an internal review of the new policy, employees are spending around a third less time in meetings. This rises to 44pc less time on Wednesdays …”
UK tech looks embarrassingly accident prone after SVB collapse by Ophelia Brown
“The UK government and tech ecosystem has the opportunity to step up here. In return for greater protection, founders and venture capitalists can commit to far better treasury management and corporate governance. The community has shown its strength in how it rallied this weekend to prevent catastrophe, we must come together once more to make significant changes to our practices. This is essential if we are to restore the UK and London’s reputation as a city from which to start a company …”
‘Find Your 9others’
‘Find your 9others’, the book about the first 10 years of 9others is available for pre-order here.
From the blurb:
If you could sit down to dinner with some of the world's most ambitious startup entrepreneurs, what would you ask them?
Since 2011, 9others has hosted over 5,000 entrepreneurs at 500 events in over 45 cities around the world and asked one simple question: what's keeping you up at night? We’ve heard the challenges that entrepreneurs all around the world have faced; their thinking and the behavioural traits that helped them overcome those challenges.
In this book, 9others founders Katie Lewis and Matthew Stafford will help you discover the questions you should be asking yourself as you start and scale your own start up, and why you should go on your own journey to find your 9others.
Upcoming meals with 9others
Tuesday 18th April — Manchester — details and signup here.
Wednesday 26th April — London — details and signup here.
Please book in & share with good people you know in the above cities.