Wasting cognition, Multi-sided networks, Lessons from big families
Issue 361
by David Wells – Nashville TN
Original content this week:
- You Don’t Have to Sell Just Because the Party Might Be Ending – Exiting is More Complicated Than That. There is a piece making the rounds on Bloomberg (Family-Owned Businesses Urged to Sell Before the Party Ends) this week saying that if you have ever contemplated selling your business now is the time to head for the exit. Our caution would be simply that of the zen master – ‘we’ll see.’
All the best,
David
Food for Thought
Boston Consulting Group – For Companies, Cognition Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Organizations must not only pay attention to this newest form of brain drain but also devise ways to protect, restore, and build the cognitive powers of their employees, partners, and customers.
Estimated Read Time: 7 min
Estimated Read Time: 5 min
New York Times – The Academic Apocalypse
“The academic study of literature is no longer on the verge of field collapse. It’s in the midst of it.” Jobs are disappearing, subfields are evaporating, enrollment has tanked, and amid the wreckage the custodians of humanism are “befuddled and without purpose.”
Estimated Read Time: 4 min
WSJ – ‘Why Didn’t You Believe in Me?’ The Family Reckoning After the College Admissions Scandal
Note – Paywall
A lot in this piece – “Tom Hudnut, the former head of Harvard-Westlake School, another elite prep school in Los Angeles, said parents often “had no faith in their children’s resilience.” The kids generally survived rejection from their dream schools better than their parents, he said.”
Estimated Read Time: 5 min
Business
- World Economic Forum – The Global Risks Report 2020. Think about this as the knowable list of things to worry about in 2020. Importantly, 2020 is the first year where all top 5 risks are tied to the environment.
- II – Institutions Know They’re Being Hoodwinked by Private Equity – Aka you can’t eat IRR
- NYT – Dying Malls? This One Has Found a Way to Thrive Aventura Mall, near Miami, isn’t shy about investing in its infrastructure and is widely considered one of the most successful malls in the country.
- Stratechery – Visa, Plaid, Networks, and Jobs Behold the power of the multi-sided network.
Culture/Tech/Science:
- Big Think – Why highly intelligent people suffer from more mental and physical disorders Your brain’s heightened sensitivity can make you perceptive and creative. But it’s a double-edged sword, researchers find.
- NYT – What Everyone Can Learn From Parents of Big Families When you’re parenting at scale, keeping things simple is key.
- Medium – The Man Who’s Spending $1 Billion to Own Every Pop Song Music mogul Merck Mercuriadis raised hundreds of millions of dollars to buy the rights to hits by Taylor Swift, Timbaland, and Bruno Mars. Is he insane?
- NYT – This Bond Wears Corduroy The super spy is getting a new look, courtesy of the Italian designer Massimo Alba.
