OP #284: Not Much Here Today

To the Operating Partner community,

I’m absolutely jammed up this week hosting 40+ Chief Marketing, Digital, Innovation, and E-Com leaders to our annual Bain Capital Growth Leaders Summit. More on what, who, and why this is… in next week’s OP.

Because of this event and a few other things, the OP is super light today. I apologize but it is what it is.

If you were to read/research anything this week, check out DeepSeek AI, currently rattling the US financial markets as I type this.

• NY Times

• CBS News

• Exponential View (good one!)

• AI Colony (kinda click bait-y but good)

• MorningBrew poking fun at OpenAI

• Litquidity fun

Oh, for the first time in half a century, the New York Knicks finally have two All-Star Game starters in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Yup, you read that right. 40% of the Eastern starting five are Knicks. Here’s a nice writeup on Posting & Toasting. Oh, and the Knicks had a fantastic game last night against the Grizzlies.

This morning, I received an email from friend Jeff Bussgang on why 2025 will be the year of killer apps. I like his comment, “early versions of tomorrow’s apps are among us today and are being battle tested in the market.” Very true.

Thanks for bearing with me this week.

Be good, do well.

Darren