OP #296: Hiring, SAS, And GEO Content Playbooks

Another week, another Operating Partner letter. Hopefully we’re back on schedule.  Thank you again for subscribing and giving me a bit of attention each week. 

I’m not sure if you saw my note on LinkedIn but last week was a blast hosting our Silicon Alley Sports Golf & Pickleball Invitational. It was our 18th year hosting and it’s great that we’re still innovating and adding to the event. If you are in the New York tech ecosystem and want to join us at future events, fill out the form here. Many OP subscribers were in attendance and it was great to see y’all in person.

I have a much more talented and better looking brother, named Kenny.  We’re a few years apart and grew up pretty close to one another. He’s had a very successful career thus far and I’m a proud big brother. He’s hiring a “right-hand” on his Business Development Team at a healthcare AI company and wanted to put this out to the Operating Partner community.  If you want to learn from one of the best in business development and work with a Herman, run, do not walk.  More details are here.

Some random watch content that I read (and watched - pun intended) over the past week or so.  I’ve been getting back into the analog game over the past year and have really enjoyed myself. I wrote about this in OP #292 - the health benefits for me have been tremendous and I’ll share more in a future OP. Even if you are not a watch or horology fan, some of the content below is a fun read:

• The Rolex Perpetual 1908 On the Fantastic Settimo Bracelet (Monochrome)

• 12 Of the Most Underrated Watches From Popular Watch Brands (Teddy Baldassarre)

• Swiss Watch Exports To US Surge Almost 150% in April After Tariff Shock (Hodinkee)

• Hands-On: The Rolex Daytona Ref. 126508 “John Mayer 2.0” (Hodinkee)

• Video: 6 Perfect 3 Watch Collections (Theo and Harris)

Thank you for subscribing to The Operating Partner letter. As always, please reach out with any questions or feedback.

Darren

Scenes from the 18th Annual Silicon Alley Sports Golf & Pickleball event last Monday.

I think this is the first time I’m putting pictures in the Operating Partner letter, ever. Hopefully this works. If the below looks like a good time, you work in New York area tech/digital, and want to participate with us in future events, please get in contact with us.

OP Links

Below are a few articles I came across this past week that I found interesting. While I may not agree with everything in each one, I think they're worth a read. If you stumble upon an article you think I or the Operating Partner community would enjoy, feel free to share it with me. Of course, I reserve the right to decide what gets featured in the OP.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai On The Future of Search, AI Agents, and Selling Chrome (The Verge)

The Browser Company Says It’s Pivoting Away From It’s Arc Browser (The Browser Co)

Trump Media To Raise $2.5B in Capital To Buy Bitcoin (Bloomberg)

AI Won't Replace Ad Creatives Who Bring Big Ideas (AdAge)

What Klarna’s Recent Report Says About U.S. Consumers’ Finances (Fast Company)

The Jay Friedman ‘Exit’ Interview (AdExchanger)

As Agencies Move Behind the Scenes in Cannes, Sport Beach Continues to Flex (AdWeek)

The Future of Online Shopping Is Human Creators and AI Music (Fast Company)

Inside the Burgeoning World of Luxury Fitness Equipment (Glossy)

Content Strategy for Generative Engine Optimization (Terakeet)

State of Digital 2025 (Luma Partners)

Thank you for subscribing and reading the Operating Partner letter. Until next time, take care.