Issue 132

What a week!

Summer might be an off season for news, but it's been a crazy news week in the startup industry. The must read covers the topic that occupied our discussions and thoughts this week: Google, its memo, and its diversity policy, but also the response by the community. My question coming out of this mess is: Is the bipartisanship of USA's politics having such a large effect on how people engage with one another? And is meritocracy simply not working?

News also came out about Soundcloud's CEO stepping down after gaining a new (saving?) round of funding, and the former CEO of Uber being sued.

Feel free to hit reply to let us know your thoughts, or what got you thinking this week.

Must read

A brief history of women in computing

By now you must have heard about the diversity problem at Google. No matter what you think about that situation here is a history lesson that is not often taught in Computer Science classes: women were the first software engineers, until men actively pushed them out.

Culture

The personality traits of good negotiators

On how EQ and IQ affect your negotiation skills.

They’re copying me! And other BS excuses that hold entrepreneurs back

"When you learn that someone else is working on the exact same startup idea, don’t freak out or hit the brakes."

Modern Entrepreneurship

How startups can compete with tech giants

Startups can still win: On how “tech Davids” can survive an environment dominated by “tech Goliaths”.

Why we should master the art of storytelling

Founders can often elaborate on the details of their product or service, but it might be even more important to convey the bigger story.

Trends

Tesla shows how traditional business metrics are outdated

Tesla is the perfect example of why traditional metrics have no place in today's disruptive market.

Ethereum is coding's new wild west

"Ethereum is still waiting for its killer DApp, its equivalent to email. The network simply may not be ready yet—and there is no guarantee it ever will be."