OP #265: Another Surprise Summer OP

Author

Darren Herman
August 14, 2024

Hello OP Community!

We've had a surge of new signups to The Operating Partner community, thanks to some recent interviews and promotions from other newsletters and podcasts. To all the new subscribers, welcome!

I’m currently on my annual summer hiatus from writing The OP—a break I take each year from mid-June through late August to rest, recharge, and brainstorm new topics and angles for the second half of the year.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some links and reading material for you to enjoy until we're back in our regular rhythm and rotation.

A few quick reads:

And a few reading/podcasts and more that I’d like to highlight:

🏀 Congratulations to Team USA across the board. I was specifically glued to the basketball team which reminded me of the original Dream Team. Having the ability to watch Lebron, KD, and Curry playing together was special. With that said, what surprised me was how close Serbia and France kept their games.

📖 BluWave released their Q2 2024 Private Equity Insights Report. Mckinsey also released their 2024 Technology Trends Report. Speaking of reports, check out The CMO Survey slideshow prepared by Duke Fuqua, Deloitte, and American Marketing Association.

✨ Loupe launches Collector to Collector, allowing anyone to buy or sell a card directly in a live stream. This innovation has been talked about for a few years now and glad to see it finally taking shape. The innovation with Loupe has been fantastic. Note: I’m a seed investor in Loupe.

📝 I used to work with Faris Yakob, one of the smartest and happy people that I’ve ever gotten to work with. Faris has a knack for pushing the boundaries, thinking big, and making you rethink previously closed doors.  He and his partner, Rosie, have been writing a great newsletter called Strands of Genius and they interviewed me in two parts. Enjoy. And subscribe to his newsletter.

👟 This Nike teardown has been making the rounds: Massimo Giunco’s teardown of Nike: An Epic Saga of Value Destruction. I do not agree with it all but what he writes about highlights the tension between the legacy and modern business, to which the former may not have the same economics as previous.

💡 Fortune Magazine’s interview with Roelof Botha of Sequoia Capital, investors in Google, Nvidia, and Apple. Botha has had a fantastic VC career and sees a lot that we can all learn from.

🎥 Michael Miraflor points out that TikTok Edits are the new Vogue Fashion Magazine Editor-in-chiefs. I think he’s more right than wrong; though I need to understand the exponential reach component of TikTok vs. Vogue Magazine.

🎾 The Silicon Alley Sports Tennis Invitational was postponed to Sept. 16 due to inclement weather. We have 1-2 spots available due to some folks who cannot make the new date.  Please let me know by emailing me if you would like to play with a group of digital execs, entrepreneurs, and investors in Westchester County, NY. As for playing level: USTA 3.5 and above: be able to serve consistently and rally.  If interested, ping me directly.

🎨 I’ll be at the inaugural Creativity with a Conscience confab at the Orange County Museum of Art on September 9 and 10th. If any of you happen to be in Orange County and are interested in the space, please feel free to reach out. You can learn more about the event here.

Topics for future OPs

For those long time subscribers of the OP, you’ll note that the above format is what you are used to seeing.

If you recall, right before the Summer Siesta, I asked for you to respond back with topics you were interested in learning and hearing more about from me. Below is a sanitized and aggregated list. If something is not on here, please respond back and let me know.

Navigating the Cookieless Future
Exploring the implications of a world without cookies and how marketers can adapt.

The Impact of GenAI
Diving into how Generative AI is reshaping industries and what it means for the future.

Leadership Insights
Curated articles and thoughts on leadership that inspire and challenge conventional thinking.

Hype Cycles & Emerging Tech
Recognizing patterns and repeated hype cycles in emerging technologies.

Digital Twins & Marketing's Future
An exploration of the expanding opportunities for digital twins and their potential impact on marketing strategies.

Key Predictions: Tracking the Trends
A regular section to follow and update key predictions over time, allowing readers to track how trends evolve.

Standout Ad/Marketing Campaigns
Highlighting the ad and marketing campaigns that have caught your attention, and why they resonate.

Impressive Startups & Early-Stage Companies
Spotlighting startups that are making waves and why they’re worth watching.

Networking Spotlight
A brief highlight of someone in your network, sharing what they’re working on and why they’ve made an impression.

Lessons Learned
Sharing valuable advice, tips, or lessons from your experience—wisdom you'd pass on to your kids.

Weekly Reflection: Article or Topic of Interest
A reaction, summary, or thoughts on an article or topic that stood out that week.

Portfolio Challenges
Discussing the problems you’re encountering within your portfolio companies and how you’re addressing them.

Data, Analytics, & Measurement
Insights on the evolving landscape of data, analytics, and how to measure success in a rapidly changing world.

Corporate Shifts: Disclosures & Insights
Highlighting significant shifts in public companies and pointing to key disclosure documents for deeper understanding.

The Future of Chinese eCommerce in the US
Examining the potential trajectory of brands like Temu, Shein, and other Chinese eCommerce giants in the US market.

AI's Impact on Our Kids’ Future
Discussing the long-term effects of AI on the next generation and what it means for their future.

Valuable Skill Sets in the Age of AI
Identifying the skill sets that will be crucial as AI continues to advance.

Evaluating Early-Stage Angel Investments
A look into how you approach evaluating early-stage investments and what you consider critical.

Evolving Privacy Laws
Exploring the changing landscape of privacy laws and what it means for businesses.

Real-World AI Job Replacements
Examples of AI replacing jobs within portfolio companies and the broader implications.

Sports Gambling vs. Collecting
Analyzing how the rise of Fanatics, breakers, and repacks is shifting the industry from collecting to gambling, and its sustainability.

Cultural Changes in Big Tech
Observing the shifts in corporate culture within big tech companies like Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Meta.

The Future of Ads Privacy & Targeting
Discussing the future of ad privacy, targeting, bidding, and measurement in an evolving digital landscape.

Adtech Evolution: From Fun to Function
Reflecting on the transformation of adtech from the high-growth, experimental sector of the 2010s to a mature industry where profitability is key.

AI's Impact on Education
Short-term: How AI might influence curriculum and fields of study for undergraduates—will new fields emerge, will existing ones evolve, or will some become obsolete?

Long-Term Education Trends
Long-term: Speculating on the future of education costs and the potential rise of trade schools as viable alternatives.

Time Allocation & Prioritization
How you decide where to invest your time and how your priorities have evolved over time.

Balancing Life & Anticipating Change
Reflections on how your life balance and priorities have changed, and how you’re preparing for future shifts.

Bets on the Future
Things you would bet on and trends you believe will shape the future.

Innovations You Wish Existed
Ideas for innovations or solutions that don’t yet exist but would make a significant impact.

Again, ping me if you want to add other topics to the coverage.

US Open

Question to the community. Will anyone be at the US Open on Aug 27 - day or evening session? Thinking of doing a Silicon Alley Sports + Operating Partner community meetup during the evening portion of the event.

Let me know if you plan on being at the event and would love to say hi.

Have a great rest of summer and see you in later Aug/early September.

Play well, do good.

Darren