Napkin Math

Profit and power in technology.

Apr 13, 2021

Announcing Napkin Math Fiscal Year 2021

After a short break, Napkin Math returns with a new writer

Feb 29, 2024

Reddit: The Internet’s Bellwether

Is AI training a sustainable business model for the future?

Jan 27, 2022

Will Tokens Replace Equity?

The Weird Future Ahead

Apr 21, 2022

Microsoft should buy Netflix

Netflix and Bill

Sep 24, 2024

The One-person Billion-dollar Company

Can AI agents make you a billionaire?

Oct 28, 2021

The Creator Power Scale: A Formula to Determine if Platforms are Ripping You Off

An examination of the Twitch Hack data

Jun 11, 2024

Apple’s AI Evolution: Built-in AI, Supercharged Siri, and Ecosystem Lock-in

Maybe the new world is the same as the old

Jun 4, 2024

AI Is Transforming the Nature of the Firm

By reducing transaction costs, AI will reshape how companies operate and interact

Jan 16, 2025

God Is in the Bubbles

The politics of progress has a new manual

Aug 27, 2024

Benevolent Billionaire or Despot—Or Both?

A new book on Bill Gates asks: How do you measure a billionaire’s net impact on the world?

Oct 7, 2021

The End of Software, Again

The impending doom of horizontal SaaS

Aug 18, 2022

What is an Asset?

Plus a new course from Napkin Math!

Oct 24, 2024

How to Win Arguments and Manipulate Managers

Make your spreadsheets shape strategy

Dec 8, 2020

How Live-streaming Ecommerce Works in China

In China, livestreaming has changed eCommerce. Learn about how it works, what the hosts do during the steam, and how it could impact American eCommerce.

Aug 22, 2024

Copy Rights and Wrongs

Who owns the output of AI—the machines or the creators?

Jun 23, 2022

Facebook’s Capitulation

Abandoning a Trillion Dollar Advantage

May 9, 2024

Patreon Should Buy Substack to Save Creators

The solution to the problem of social media is to build something better

Sep 5, 2024

Vibes-based Search

The next big disruption in software is here, and it understands what you’re looking for better than you do

Aug 12, 2022

A Tale Of Two Acquisitions

The Unity Conundrum

Jul 28, 2021

Twilio’s Second Act

Twilio rode its API to a $66B valuation. Now it’s trying to become the Universal Switchboard for the internet.

Jul 8, 2020

The Future of Fitness: lululemon Buys Mirror

Why subscription hardware is better than hardware, the cross-selling opportunity, how Mirror could lead to a connected home, and why Mirror is a call option for Lululemon.

Jan 24, 2025

Why Is Jensen Huang $120 Billion Richer Than You?

Hint: Nvidia’s success is based on much more than chips

Oct 8, 2020

Nike: Direct Relationships & Digital Penetration

Nike just released their latest earnings report. We dive into their "Consumer Direct Offense" strategy, how they combined their brand marketing with technology.

May 13, 2021

In Defense of WeWork’s Community-Adjusted EBITDA

Clarifying the murky middle ground between Gross Profits and Net Income