Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at how the big tech companies are approaching AI.
Quote of the Day
"At bottom, ESG isn’t the “opposite” of Friedman’s shareholder primacy; it is an outgrowth of it."
(Julius Krein)
Books
- An excerpt from “The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness,” by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. (wsj.com)
- Insights from "Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution" by Richard Dawkins. (rationalwalk.com)
- An excerpt from "Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants" by James Vincent. (theverge.com)
Semiconductors
- The U.S. is trying to do something unprecedented by rebooting domestic semiconductor production. (wsj.com)
- Lessons learned from Ajinomoto’s strange journey from seasonings to semiconductors. (annieduke.substack.com)
Longreads
- How TikTok blew up the social media landscape. (generalist.com)
- A profile of Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group Inc. (wsj.com)
- Lessons learned from Discount Tire’s founder, Bruce Halle including 'exceed customer expectations.' (mastersinvest.com)
- There is a difference between private equity and permanent equity. (permanentequity.com)
- The hype around 3D printing has died down while it has gained ground in high volume, commercial applications. (wsj.com)
- 13 thoughts on the science of spending money. (collabfund.com)
- Bicycle helmets are no panacea in a world where cars dominate the road. (slate.com)
- A profile of attorney Josh Tepfer who has helped exonerate 288 people wrongly convicted. (buzzfeednews.com)
- What it's like to be a trucker today. (wired.com)