Thursdays are now all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at how Scott Galloway became a multi-media star.
Quote of the Day
"If we accept that complexity is a constant, we need to always be mindful of who is bearing the burden of that complexity."
(Shane Parrish)
Book excerpts
- An excerpt from "The Expendables: How the Middle Class Got Screwed By Globalization" by Jeff Rubin. (quillette.com)
- An excerpt from Adrian Daub's "What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley." (theguardian.com)
- An excerpt from "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" by Ashley Whillans. (behavioralscientist.org)
- An excerpt from Jerry Seinfeld's new book "Is This Anything?" (vulture.com)
Trump
- Inside Project Lincoln's war on Trump. (newyorker.com)
- Why President Trump has been immune to the barbs of comedians. (nytimes.com)
Conspiracies
- QAnon doesn't exist were it not for the lax policies of the major social platforms. (washingtonpost.com)
- Conspiracy theories aren't new, but they have been weaponized in the era of social media. (ritholtz.com)
Business
- How Arise Virtual Solutions has pushed the independent contractor model as far as it (legally) could. (propublica.org)
- On the economics of vending machines. (thehustle.co)
Technology
- Yesterday's anti-trust laws were not built to rein in today's technology platforms. (stratechery.com)
- Despite its many costs, does targeted online advertising even work? (wired.com)
Profiles
- A big profile of McKenzie Scott, one of the richest women in the world, as she embarks on a life of philanthropy. (marker.medium.com)
- A profile of Nascar driver Bubba Wallace who is ready to start a new chapter in his career. (esquire.com)
- A profile of Vanilla Ice, 30 years post his "Ice Ice Baby" fame. (theringer.com)
Longreads
- Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family are nearing a deal the Justice Department to wipe the slate clean. (newyorker.com)
- Companies are shifting their supply chains are shifting away from China but it's going to take time. (ft.com)
- If prizes are such a great spur to innovation, why don't we as a society use them more? (theconversation.com)
- The pandemic is putting the business model of the College Board into question. (forbes.com)
