Podcast appearances and mentions of jeff becker

Steel is the backbone of modern civilization, but it comes at a cost—accounting for nearly 9% of global CO2 emissions. In Part 1, host David Kirkpatrick sits down with Jeff Becker, sustainability engineer at U. S. Steel, to break down how steel is made, why traditional steelmaking is such a major contributor to emissions, and the current innovations reshaping the industry. From electric arc furnaces to increased recycling, this episode explores the first steps toward a greener future.

Is zero-emission steel possible? In Part 2, host David Kirkpatrick and Jeff Becker dive into the cutting-edge technologies that could transform the industry. Hydrogen-based steelmaking, large-scale carbon capture, and direct reduced iron (DRI) are just a few of the innovations leading the charge toward a more sustainable future. They also discuss the role of policy, infrastructure, and investment in making net-zero steel a reality. If you're curious about the future of steel and its impact on the world, this episode is a must-listen.

This is the FINAL episode of 2020 and what a show do we have planned! Dr. Burkes is a retired internal medicine physician having completed 30 years of service for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. He has been a volunteer UFO investigator since 1992 working with, the Center for the Study of ET Intelligence (CSETI), the Peruvian network of contact workers known as Rahma, MUFON and FREE, The Foundation for Research into ET and Extraordinary Experiences(FREE). With researcher Preston Dennett, he is co-author of a chapter on UAP associated medical healings published in the FREE compendium “Beyond UFOs”. He has also co-authored “Paths to Contact” edited by Jeff Becker. In the 1990s he volunteered as a Working Group Coordinator for Dr. Steven Greer's Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind Initiative. In that capacity he had numerous Human Initiated Contact Experiences (HICE) popularly known as CE-5s. Although Dr. Burkes left CSETI more than 20 years ago, he has continued to promote the worldwide efforts of the network of activists that he calls “The Contact Underground.” Dr. Burkes' blogs that appear on Facebook focus on the mechanisms of contact. These include the Virtual Experience Model that describes the role of illusion during close encounters and the intelligence-counterintelligence model for UFO investigations. This model for engaging UFO intelligences is based on the assessment that flying saucers threaten all terrestrial elites, but not necessarily the Earth's peoples. Dr. Burkes is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine. He resides in California with his wife Yael, four small dogs and a 110-year-old desert tortoise named Moishe.

Brian and Jeff Becker are a father and son duo who are also co-authors of the book, "Tender Lions: Building the Vital Relationship Between Father and Son."     Brian Becker has had a varied career as an educator, business owner, and a nonprofit executive for nearly 20 years. Today Brian consults with companies and nonprofits to improve their overall culture, quality, and performance. He also provides leadership coaching to executives and aspiring leaders.  He's frequent workshop leader and conference speaker, having delivered more than a thousand presentations in the last 25 years throughout the United States, as well as Canada, England, Singapore, South America, and Puerto Rico.  Brian lives in Maywood, IL and has been married for 35 years.  Together, he and his wife, Kim, have two adult children, including Jeff, and one grandchild. And Brian's son, Jeff Becker is a man on a mission to serve and develop the best in others. He does this primarily through the sport of basketball. Jeff organized and led his first basketball camp when he was only in the 7th grade. Today, Jeff is the co-founder and director of Powerhouse Hoops, a nationally-known basketball academy in Phoenix, AZ, which strives to develop character in young men through basketball. In his free time, Jeff stresses the importance of giving back to the local community through servant leadership. He frequently volunteers at local youth facilities and group homes around the greater Phoenix area, and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.   To find out more about Brian and Jeff and their book, just visit their website: http://www.TenderLions.org    ------------------------------------------     If you want to help us transform the lives of even MORE MEN for God's glory, please take a minute to leave us a helpful REVIEW on iTunes: http://www.rmcpodcast.com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts; and make sure you SHARE this podcast with any man (or men) you're mentoring or discipling.   And make sure you don't miss an interview episode by signing up for our Man-to-Man eNewsletter at http://www.RealMenConnect.com, and grab your FREE copy of the Real Men Victory Tracker.    Talk with Dr. Joe 1-on-1: Are you stuck? Want to go to get your faith, marriage, family, career and finances back on track?  Then maybe it's time you got a coach. Every CHAMPION has one. Schedule an appointment to chat with Dr. Joe on how we can help you spiritually love and lead your family better and become the hero of your home.   Dr. Joe takes on only a few Breakthrough Calls each week to help you with your faith, marriage, work, and financial challenges.  The call is FREE, but slots are limited to ONE call only.  NO RESCHEDULES.  Just click on the link below and select the BREAKTHROUGH CALL option to set up an appointment: http://TalkwithDrJoe.com  If no slots are available, please check back in a week.   Also join us on: Join the Real Men 300: http://www.RealMen300.com Facebook Group: http://www.realmenuniversity.com/ YouTube: http://www.RealMenTraining.com Facebook: @realdrjoemartin Instagram: @realdrjoemartin Twitter: @professormartin

House music DJ, dance music producer, and trustee for the Chicago Chapter Board for the Recording Academy Dani Deahl and Jeff Becker, partner at Swanson Martin & Bell LLP, guest on Dynasty Podcasts to discuss their work in helping get HB 4875 passed into Illinois law.The law makes the act of producing unauthorized content utilizing a person's likeness in the state of Illinois, a protective measure in the largely unregulated age of AI.Deahl and Becker speak on their work in advocating for artists' rights in Springfield in front of the Illinois General Assembly, dig into the parallels between the digital chaos around generative AI and the Napster moment at the turn of the century, and speak on how AI is impacting the creative process for artists.

You may remember that last year we shared a video interview with FinThrive talking about a new RCM technology adoption model that they had put together and were sharing with the industry at HFMA.  At this year's HFMA, I wanted to follow up with the FinThrive team to learn about what's happened with the adoption model since they first launched it and what's changed. In order to really understand the evolution and use of the adoption model, we were excited to sit down for an interview with Jeff Becker, Vice President of Portfolio Marketing at FinThrive, Mike Vigo, Chief Revenue Officer at UC San Diego Health, and Kim Waters, Principal, Advisory Services at CereCore.  This was a great opportunity to hear from a healthcare organization that had used the Revenue Cycle Management Technology Adoption Model (RCMTAM as it's now often called) and also the recent announcement of CereCore working with FinThrive to leverage the RCMTAM with the CereCore clients. Learn more about CereCore: https://cerecore.net/ Learn more about UC San Diego Health: https://health.ucsd.edu/ Learn more about FinThrive: https://finthrive.com/ Health IT Community: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/

Managers of other people tend to fall into one of four basic styles. That's according to research by the American Management Association. How you manage has a big effect on the ultimate performance of the organization. Yet managers often see themselves quite differently than their direct reports see them. Here with more, the association's director of corporate learning solutions, Jeff Becker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Managers of other people tend to fall into one of four basic styles. That's according to research by the American Management Association. How you manage has a big effect on the ultimate performance of the organization. Yet managers often see themselves quite differently than their direct reports see them. Here with more, the association's director of corporate learning solutions, Jeff Becker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The February cyberattack on Change Healthcare has healthcare organizations looking not only at their own cybersecurity practices of but those of their business partners. On today's episode, Greg Surla and Jeff Becker from FinThrive discuss how healthcare organizations can prepare for the inevitable next attack and how to ensure business continuity in the aftermath.

Today I welcome Jeff to the show where we talk about self confidence, mindset and improving high performance. You can find more from Jeff here: CoachJeffBecker.com

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

A reminder for new readers. That Was The Week collects the best writing on critical issues in tech, startups, and venture capital. I selected the articles because they are of interest. The selections often include things I entirely disagree with. But they express common opinions, or they provoke me to think. The articles are only snippets. Click on the headline to go to the original. I express my point of view in the editorial and the weekly video below.This Week's Audio:Thanks To This Week's Contributors: @jeffbeckervc, @eshap, @stevesi, @gruber, @daringfireball, @SamuelStolton, @leah_nylen, @mattmday, @chrisheuer, @JoannaStern, @Om, @sarahpereztc, @GeorgeNHammond, @Tabby_Kinder, @NicholasMegaw, @PeterJ_Walker, @SteveAbbott415, @adamlashinskyContents* Editorial: * Essays of the Week* Changing the Customer of Venture Capital (Jeff Becker)* What A Drag It Is (Evan Shapiro)* Building Under Regulation (Steven Sinovsky)* Apple's Plans for the DMA in the European Union (John Gruber)* Amazon Drops iRobot Deal; Roomba Maker Cuts 31% of Staff (By Samuel Stolton, Leah Nylen, and Matt Day)* Envisioning the Future of Human Work in the Age of AI: The 2024 Forecast (Chris Heuer)* Video of the Week* Joanna Stern Wears a Vision Pro for 24 Hours* Product of the Week* The Vision Pro (Daring Fireball)* Apple's Vision Pro -The Meta-Review. (Om Malik)* My 4 magic moments with Vision Pro (Om Malik)* Apple Vision Pro Review: The Best Headset Yet Is Just a Glimpse of the Future (Joanna Stern)* News Of the Week* Spotify calls Apple's DMA compliance plan ‘extortion' and a ‘complete and total farce' (Sarah Perez)* Investors raise billions to buy discounted stakes in start-ups (George Hammond, Tabby Kinder, Nicholas Megaw)* Founders: getting to the next venture stage may take longer than you expect (Peter Walker)* The State of the SaaS Capital Markets: A Look Back at 2023 and Look Forward to 2024 (STEVE ABBOTT Partner, Capital Markets, KEVIN BURKE Partner, Strategy)* PayPal is laying off 2,500 employees (Pranav Dixit)* Startup of the Week* Zum Raises $140M At $1.3B Valuation To Help Kids Get to School Faster With AI (Chris Metinko)* X of the Week* For a moment, I almost felt sorry for Mark Zuckerberg. (Adam Lashinsky)EditorialYou didn't hear it here first but Apple's Vision Pro is a hit.Some wonderful essays in this week's newsletter. I lead with Jeff Becker's look at venture capital, focusing on who the customer is. The question “Who is the customer?” is crucial for any product. The answer is easy when the product is an asset class - the customer is the person investing money. Yet most of the venture world pretends that the customer is the entrepreneur. In reality, the entrepreneur is a supplier. She or He supplies opportunity, commitment, and execution; the goal is to grow value by investing customer cash into that supply.Now it is easy to understand why venture investors sometimes describe the recipient of funding as the customer. It is important that the company feels served by the VC. But serving an investee company is clearly a mission carried out for the VC fund investors, the real customer.Jeff is addressing a real problem - how to best invest in the supply. I will leave you to read his essay and ponder it, but he proposes a radical re-think of how to do early-stage investing, and for the most part, it argues for a more liberal spread of cash, in larger numbers, to far more founders. It's interesting, to say the least.Evan Shapiro focuses on the rapid aging of the US population. He makes a strong case:Since 2019, America's population has grown by 7.8 million. Yet, the US now has 2.7 million fewer kids under 15 than it did in 2019. Meanwhile, there are now 7.1 million more Americans 65-80 than five years ago. America now has half a million fewer people under 40 than it did in 2019 and almost 8.4 million more people over 40.At a time when politicians from both sides are falling over themselves to point a finger at immigration as a major problem, it is refreshing to see analysis demonstrating that the US needs more immigrants. And in a context where there is virtual full employment this needs to be across all skill levels and needs to trend young. The essay is great.Part of the anti-immigrant narrative has focused on DACA - Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Ron Conway is part of a group of over 50 businesses signing an amicus brief to support DACA. Bravo to him.Hostility to immigrants is never OK. It is even less OK when the economy is desperate for skilled and unskilled willing hands.Politically inspired propaganda dominated elsewhere this week. Amazon was prevented from closing the acquisition of iRobot due to EU objections based on competitive concerns. Well done, EU. Amazon dropped the deal, and iRobot may well be in trouble as a result. Thirty percent of staff were laid off. And more EU interference when Apple was ordered to allow alternative app stores on the iPhone. Steven Sinofsky's wonderful essay, “Building Under Regulation,” leverages his vast experience at Microsoft. It seems every day it becomes more obvious that the EU is against innovation, especially when it produces successful big companies.The Congress got in on the act too (see X of the Week), calling social media leaders to DC to be accused, show-trial-like, of being responsible for teen suicides. Sadly, the Meta CEO apologized as if admitting culpability.Teen suicide and causality is a non-trivial issue, but it is fair to say that Social Media does not cause it. Teens (I have one and another two recently in their post-teen phase). All have had growing up challenges. As I recall, I did also. The world can be harsh in the face of those challenges. But to see social media as the only factor, or even a major one, seems superficial and plain wrong. I wish one of the executives had the nerve to push back against the accusations. Adam Lashinsky's piece is interesting.Finally, Chris Heuer has a research piece on AI and the Future of Work. Well done, Chris, this is such an important issue. My PoV is that work, defined as paid labor, will inevitably decline and the average working day will decline. I believe this is a fundamental good for humanity. I also believe it poses enormous global questions about how the abundance made possible will be distributed to improve life for everybody. I do. not think this is the end of human effort. Just the beginning of the end of the need to do paid labor in order to live.Essays of the WeekChanging the Customer of Venture CapitalThe gift of technologyJEFF BECKERJAN 29, 2024TLDR: We need to change the customer of early-stage venture capital so that we can fund the future of technology and build global prosperity for decades to come.Recently, I hosted a group of students from Wharton at Antler's offices and we talked about the future of early-stage VC.I alluded to this a couple weeks ago when I said:…for $5B per year, you could seed the vast majority of meaningful tech companies for 8 years with the amount of money Elon Musk spent on Twitter. (Link here)The reality is, $5B per year just isn't that much money in the grand scheme of private equities—roughly .5-1% depending how you slice it.As a former salesperson, that fact often leaves me wondering, “what if you changed the customer of venture capital?”Could you attract more money, create more impact, and actually produce more returns?Classically, putting your name on building was a way to not only have a fairly durable legacy, but let's be honest, that gift is outdated.And it hardly does any good in the world.Instead, legacies and the world's most important problems alike would be better served by a consolidation of brilliant minds and capital, combined with the speed and leverage of startups.I think there are two interesting solutions, and both should be built.The first is something I'd call the 501-VC, and the second would be to fund all of venture capital for a decade or more through a new kind of Giving Pledge.I'm going to talk about the second one today.Famously,The Giving Pledge is a promise by the world's wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.The problem is, charitable foundations and organizations aren't historically the most efficient way to solve the world's problems. They exist for good reason, but most operate like old corporates rather than savvy startups.However, what if we thought of economic opportunity and global prosperity as a more ubiquitous problem to solve, and instead of funding mission-driven work, we fund the entirety of the tech sector?What if instead of the average high net worth individual trying to get a 3-5X return over 10 years, you focused on the ultra high net worth population, the economic development groups, and the sovereign funds who are both trying to achieve these returns and trying to improve the world?What if you focused on their shared goals and values as customers, like creating economic opportunity and building a durable legacy?What if you could do it in every corner of the planet through access to entrepreneurship?What if instead of one PayPal Mafia, you had thousands?What if you had an investor who could actually deploy $5B per year at the formation stage?That has simply never existed before, and yet it is a defining opportunity for the human race and our evolution as a society.Currently, high potential employees are stuck in their corporate jobs.Our brightest minds handcuffed to benefits and addicted to a salary, never realizing their true potential or having a real impact on the world.Many go get their MBA where they spend money to learn new skills and acquire a network, rather than receive money for becoming a more productive citizen of the world.Many job hop looking for a low-risk way to get on a rocket ship.Some try to build their own, but quickly run out of runway and mental fortitude.It's a broken system, and we need to rebuild it.First it requires a product.The product needs to be for two groups—the founders and the investors.It starts with the infrastructure required to reduce the risk of being a founder which in turn attracts more of the brightest minds to the job itself. At the same time, the product also has to be an investment vehicle that attracts a new type of customer to early-stage VC.… Lots MoreWhat A Drag It IsAmerica Feels OldEVAN SHAPIROJAN 29, 2024Since 2019, America's population has grown by 7.8 million. Yet, the US now has 2.7 million fewer kids under 15 than it did in 2019. Meanwhile, there are now 7.1 million more Americans 65-80 than five years ago. America now has half a million fewer people under 40 than it did in 2019 and almost 8.4 million more people over 40.Because of the sheer size of the Baby Boomer Generation and the fact that younger Americans have pulled out on having kids, in the last five years, America has gotten old - not just compared to itself, but also compared to the rest of the world.In 2019, 63% of the world's population was under 40. Now, 64% of the people of the planet are 39 or younger. In short:Over the last half-decade the world has gotten one percent younger and America has gotten one percent older.One percent may seem small. However, the consequences of this demographic shift are consequential. For countries like the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan, with aging populations where the number of people over 60 is growing faster than the number of people under 15, the coming years will be filled with challenges brought on by their age: Workforce shortages, inverted dependency ratios where a diminishing tax-base struggles to fund a widening social safety net, health care infrastructures ill-equipped to deal with increased demand. As the world's wealthiest and most powerful nations continue to age faster than they reproduce, expect these issues to get increased and more urgent attention.After decades of aging down, the US population is now aging up quickly. In 2000, 58% of the US population was under 40 years old. Now just a slim majority of 51% is under 40. The impacts of this rapid maturation can be felt throughout our culture, but perhaps nowhere as dramatically as in America's Media and Tech industries.Over the last half century (but for some intermittent challenges from Japan and China), the US has led the world in entertainment and technology, setting the standard for the world's consumption of Media. While many TVs and phones are manufactured in other countries, most of the systems, software, and vision for these products has come from America - and the entertainment consumed on these devices has been, for many decades, the United States' most notable export.Now, America's Media Industrial Complex finds itself amidst a widely-reported bloodbath of its own making. Recently, this meltdown has been joined by America's leading Tech firms. Some of this is cyclical, driven by innovation cycles, advertising recessions, and even the aftermath of the worldwide pandemic. But muchof the current Media Apocalypse was as predictable as the upside-down aging ratio of our population.The first decade of the 21st Century was marked by an almost inconceivable level of innovation in American Media and Tech. The internet invaded all aspects of our lives. Broadband grew across the country like a high-speed weed, bringing the universe to our desktops, making all our worlds, at once, much bigger and infinitely smaller. By 2012, tiny supercomputers known as smartphones had reached a critical mass in the US and TV was streaming into our homes.Then, right around that time, America's Media C-Suite inhabitants seemingly started a shared mid-life crisis, through which we are all still living.Bob Iger took over Disney in 2005, when he was 53 years old. Through some of the most masterful deal-making in Media history, and (seemingly) a true vision of the future, Iger took a troubled company and turned it into the greatest proprietor of intellectual property the world has ever known. He bought Pixar in 2006, revitalizing Disney Animation. He bought Marvel in 2009, jump stating the most successful film and TV franchise in history. He bought Lucasfilm in 2012, completing what many see as bar-setting hat-trick of entertainment, bringing the most valuable collection of titles in entertainment all under one roof.… Lots MoreBuilding Under RegulationAn essay on the EU Digital Markets Act and Apple's "Update on apps distributed in the European Union" (and some personal history)STEVEN SINOFSKYJAN 27, 2024Readers note: This is a long post. There are enough hot takes on this super important issue. I welcome corrections as always.This week Apple detailed the software changes that will appear in an upcoming release of iOS to comply with the European Union Digital Markets Act (DMA).  As I read the over 60 pages of the DMA when it was passed (and in drafts before that, little of which changed in the process) my heart sank over the complexity of a regulation so poorly constructed yet so clearly aimed at specific (American) companies and products. As I read through many of the hundreds of pages of Apple documents detailing their compliance implementation my heart sank again. This time was because I so thoroughly could feel the pain and struggle product teams felt in clinging to at best or unwinding at worst the most substantial improvement in computing ever introduced—the promise behind the iPhone since its introduction. The reason the iPhone became so successful was not a fluke. Consumers and customers voted that the value proposition of the product was something they preferred, and they acted by purchasing iPhone and developers responded by building applications for iOS. The regulators have a different view of that promise, so here we are.To be clear, DMA covers a wide range of products and services all deemed to be critical infrastructure in the digital world. It is both an incredibly broad and sometimes oddly specific regulation. As written the regulation covers at least online intermediation services [commercial internet sites/markets], online search engines, web browsers, advertising services, social network services, video sharing platforms, number-independent interpersonal communications services [messaging], operating systems, virtual assistants, and cloud computing.If you're well-versed in online you can map each one of those to precisely who the target might be, or sometimes targets. It is all big tech, almost exclusively US-based companies. There are no EU companies that meet the criteria to be covered—hardcoded revenue of EUR 7.5 billion for three years, EUR 7.5 billion market cap, or 45 million MAU—with Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft, and Samsung acknowledging the criteria apply to various units in addition to the following other “very large online platforms”: Alibaba AliExpress, Booking.com, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, Wikipedia, Zalando [German fashion retailer]. Those thresholds seem strangely not round.I am going to focus on the Apple and primarily their App Store response because I think it is the most important and time critical and because iPhone is the most unique, innovative, and singular product in market. I can easily replace search, a browser, an ad network, a social network, a video site. Even cloud computing is not so sticky, and we all use multiple messaging services. What iPhone delivers is irreplaceable. At least for many of the subset of smartphone users that chose Apple.The thing is, as impressive as Apple has been it is not *that* successful by the measures that count for dominance. Worldwide Apple is clearly the number two smartphone to Google Android which has over 70% share. In the Europe (excluding Russia) Apple iPhone has about a 33% share (I won't debate exact numbers, units sold v in use, revenue v. profit v. units, etc. as all those do is attempt to tell a story that isn't obvious, which is Android is more popular). That's hardly a monopoly share by any standard. In some European countries Apple has a higher share, some data providers would say as high as 50% or nearly 60%, which by most legal standards is still not quite at a monopoly level especially in a dynamic market. Apple has not been fined, sued, or otherwise convicted of having a dominant share let alone abusing the market position it has. No consumer harm has been demonstrated. In Epic v. Applespecifically on the store, Apple prevailed in 9 of 10 claims of damages to Epic due to the store's costs. Of note, the same claims in Epic v. Google resulted in liability from Google and is being appealed. Many of most vocal competitors didn't even exist before the iPhone. They have become huge companies and don't appear to be struggling, and in fact benefit from being part of the iPhone ecosystem. Counter to the text of the DMA, innovation seems to be thriving as measured by the number of new companies and distinct new services.Yet, the EU DMA has declared that Apple is a “gatekeeper”—an ominous term applied to Apple among the others.… Lots MoreApple's Plans for the DMA in the European UnionFriday, 26 January 2024Apple yesterday announced a broad, wide-ranging, and complex set of new policies establishing their intended compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which comes into effect March 7. There is a lot to remark upon and numerous remaining questions, but my favorite take was from Sebastiaan de With on Twitter/X, the day before any of this was announced.After quipping “Oh god please no” to a screenshot of the phrase “Spotify also wants to roll out alternate app stores”, de With had this conversation:de With:The EU is once again solving absolutely no problems and making everything worse in tech. I gotta say, they are if anything highly consistent.“Anton”:Overly powerful, rent-seeking gatekeepers seem like a problem.de With:I love that I can't tell if you are talking about the EU or Apple in this case.My second-favorite take, from that same thread, was this from Max Rovensky:DMA is not pro-consumer.It's anti-big-business.Those tend to coincide sometimes, which makes it an easy sell for the general public, but do actually read the DMA, it's quite interesting.I'd go slightly further and describe the DMA as anti-U.S.-big-business, because as far as I can tell, nothing in the DMA adversely affects or even annoys any European tech companies. There are aspects of it that seem written specifically for Spotify, in fact.But Rovensky's framing captures the dichotomy. Anti-big-business regulation and pro-consumer results often do go hand-in-hand, but the DMA exposes the fissures. I do not think the DMA is going to change much, if anything at all, for the better for iOS users in the E.U. (Or for non-iOS users in the EU, for that matter.) And much like the GDPR's website cookie regulations, I think if it has any practical effect, it'll be to make things worse for users. Whether these options are better for developers seems less clear.I've often said that Apple's priorities are consistent: Apple's own needs first, users second, developers third. The European Commission's priorities put developers first, users second, and “gatekeepers” a distant third. The DMA prescribes not a win-win-win framework, but a win-win-lose one.Apple is proud, stubborn, arrogant, controlling, and convinced it has the best interests of its customers in mind.The European Commission is proud, stubborn, arrogant, controlling, and convinced it has the best interests of its citizens in mind.Ever since this collision over the DMA seemed inevitable, starting about two years ago, I've been trying to imagine how it would turn out. And each time, I start by asking: Which side is smarter? My money has been on Apple. Yesterday's announcements, I think, show why.APPLE'S PROPOSED CHANGESIt's really hard to summarize everything Apple announced yesterday, but I'll try. Start with the main Apple Newsroom press release, “Apple Announces Changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union”:“The changes we're announcing today comply with the Digital Markets Act's requirements in the European Union, while helping to protect EU users from the unavoidable increased privacy and security threats this regulation brings. Our priority remains creating the best, most secure possible experience for our users in the EU and around the world,” said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Developers can now learn about the new tools and terms available for alternative app distribution and alternative payment processing, new capabilities for alternative browser engines and contactless payments, and more. Importantly, developers can choose to remain on the same business terms in place today if they prefer.”Schiller is the only Apple executive quoted in the press release, and to my ear, his writing hand is all over the entire announcement. Apple was quite clear before the DMA was put into law that they considered mandatory sideloading on iOS a bad idea for users, and their announcement yesterday doesn't back down an inch from still declaring it a bad idea.Apple has also argued, consistently, that they seek to monetize third-party development for the iOS platform, and that being forced to change from their current system — (a) all apps must come from the App Store; (b) developers never pay anything for the distribution of free apps; (c) paid apps and in-app-purchases for digital content consumed in-app must go through Apple's In-App Payments system that automates Apple's 30/15 percent commissions — would greatly complicate how they monetize the platform. And now Apple has revealed a greatly complicated set of rules and policies for iPhone apps in the EU.MG Siegler has a great — and fun — post dissecting Apple's press release line-by-line. Siegler concludes:I'm honestly not sure I can recall a press release dripping with such disdain. Apple may even have a point in many of the points above, but the framing of it would just seem to ensure that Apple is going to continue to be at war with the EU over all of this and now undoubtedly more. Typically, if you're going to make some changes and consider the matter closed, you don't do so while emphatically shoving your middle fingers in the air.Some of these changes do seem good and useful, but most simply seem like convoluted changes to ensure the status quo actually doesn't change much, if at all. Just remember that, “importantly, developers can choose to remain on the same business terms in place today if they prefer.” What do you think Apple prefers?The puzzle Apple attempted to solve was creating a framework of new policies — and over 600 new developer APIs to enable those policies — to comply with the DMA, while keeping the path of least resistance and risk for developers the status quo: Apple's own App Store as it is.….Lots MoreAmazon Drops iRobot Deal; Roomba Maker Cuts 31% of Staff* IRobot CEO steps down and company cuts workforce by 31%* Tech giant to pay $94 million to iRobot over deal terminationBy Samuel Stolton, Leah Nylen, and Matt DayJanuary 29, 2024 at 5:33 AM PSTAmazon.com Inc. has abandoned its planned $1.4 billion acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot Corp. after clashing with European Union regulators who had threatened to block the deal.The fallout came quickly. IRobot, which has been struggling recently, said Chief Executive Officer Colin Angle has stepped downas the company embarks on a restructuring plan that will result in about 350 job cuts, or 31% of the workforce. The vacuum maker's shares tumbled 19% in New York to $13.80, their lowest level since 2009. Amazon's shares were up less than 1% at $160.07.The decision is a sign of the intense pressure Amazon is facing to prove its actions don't harm competition as its influence grows in retail, cloud-computing and entertainment. Antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have been keen to ensure that the biggest US tech companies don't snap up innovative startups before they have a chance to become formidable competitors on their own.Amazon met with the FTC's senior antitrust staff last week, who informed the company they were recommending a suit over the deal, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Executives and lawyers from the tech giant were scheduled to meet with the FTC's three commissioners this week to make a final push for the acquisition, said the person, who asked not to be named discussing the confidential probe.… Lots MoreEnvisioning the Future of Human Work in the Age of AI: The 2024 ForecastResearch Fellowship ProgramIntroductionAs technological change and the adoption of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) accelerate, the future of human work will be characterized by disruption, uncertainty, and opportunity. As 2024 approached, the Team Flow Institute Research Fellows gathered for a roundtable to discuss their visions for the future of human-focused work in the age of AI. As described by the institute's co-founder and Managing Director, Chris Heuer, “The Team Flow Institute is an organization dedicated to shaping a human-centric future of work as we face the choice of augmentation or automation in every industry and every function. This transformational decision will reshape what we call work and society itself, requiring us to abandon business as usual and finally design business as possible.” The Team Flow Institute Research Fellows' roundtable discussion delved into the potential opportunities and challenges of this technology revolution driven by the institute's “mission to gather like-minded individuals and organizations to steer our collective destiny toward a more sustainable future, where the essence of humanity and human work is valued and preserved as we increasingly adopt AI tools and technologies, explained Jennifer McClure, Senior Research Fellow, and Advisory Board member. This article analyzes key insights from the discussion, offering a glimpse into the work landscape of 2024 and beyond. As the Team Flow Institute embarks on its inaugural fellowship program, this analysis holds particular significance as it seeks to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the evolving landscape of AI-enabled work. Through this program, the Team Flow Institute aims to foster a community of leaders who can guide organizations and individuals toward a future where humans and technology collaborate to create a more sustainable and fulfilling work environment.Part I: AI Progress and PromiseNo longer relegated to science fiction, AI has infiltrated our lives, transforming industries with its vast potential. From automating tedious tasks to streamlining complex decision-making processes, its applications are far-reaching. In the realm of design, AI-powered software is revolutionizing industries like architecture and fashion, enabling rapid prototyping and personalized creations. Team Flow Institute co-founder Jaime Schwarz says, “Imagine being able to prototype a new building or clothing line in minutes instead of weeks. This remarkable advancement accelerates design cycles and fosters increased customization, ultimately leading to more innovative and personalized consumer products.”The creative landscape is also poised for disruption with the emergence of generative AI. Team Flow Institute Research Fellow Shel Holtz describes its transformative potential: “Generative AI is blurring the lines between human and machine creativity. We're seeing machines create realistic text, images, and even music that is nearly indistinguishable from human-generated work.” This democratization of creativity opens doors for individuals with diverse backgrounds and abilities to express themselves in new and exciting ways. But it also opens up philosophical questions and debates about the nature of art and creativity, adds Jen McClure. Amidst these exciting advancements, Chris Heuer reminds us that “AI is not just a science fiction concept anymore; it's here, and it's changing the way we do everything.” This necessitates a thoughtful approach to the future of work, a need to ensure the value of human skills and their role in work, proactive workforce development initiatives to ensure that individuals are equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in the evolving job market, and an elevation of the need for constant communications within organizations, reminds Team Flow Institute Research Fellow Sharon McIntosh.As AI continues to permeate our lives, it is crucial to acknowledge its remarkable potential and challenges. By navigating this dynamic landscape with careful consideration and proactive planning, we can ensure that AI serves as a force for progress, innovation, and a brighter future for all. As Team Flow Institute Research Fellow Gina Debogovich reminds us, it will undoubtedly unlock economic growth. “The 20th century began with a global GDP of $3 trillion and, largely due to technological advancement, ended with a GDP of $33.8 trillion. AI is poised to boost the economy to unseen heights.”AI will be a catalyst for creating new jobs, just as the web did in the mid-1990s. Businesses must integrate these jobs and activities into existing workflows and business models and develop new ones. Indeed, innovative organizations are already experimenting with, if not embracing, the role of prompt engineers. The Team Flow Institute advocates for a Team Flow Facilitator to serve as a coach, a collaboration facilitator, and an AI pilot to support high-performing teams.Part II: The Risks and DownsidesWhile AI offers many benefits, possibilities, and opportunities, its advancements are not without potential pitfalls. AI and automation technologies bring both promise and peril to the workforce. While they offer the potential to augment human capabilities and business efficiencies significantly, understandable concerns persist surrounding job losses and the general impact on workers. Organizations must chart a thoughtful course that fully harnesses technical capabilities without losing sight of the humans at the heart of work.… Lots MoreVideo of the WeekProduct of the WeekThe Vision ProTuesday, 30 January 2024For the last six days, I've been simultaneously testing three entirely new products from Apple. The first is a VR/AR headset with eye-tracking controls. The second is a revolutionary spatial computing productivity platform. The third is a breakthrough personal entertainment device.A headset, a spatial productivity platform, and a personal entertainment device.I'm sure you're already getting it. These are not three separate devices. They're one: Apple Vision Pro. But if you'll pardon the shameless homage to Steve Jobs's famous iPhone introduction, I think these three perspectives are the best way to consider it.THE HARDWAREVision Pro comes in a surprisingly big box. I was expecting a package roughly the dimensions of a HomePod box; instead, a Vision Pro retail box is quite a bit larger than two HomePod boxes stacked atop each other. (I own more HomePods than most people.)There's a lot inside. The top half of the package contains the Vision Pro headset itself, with the light seal, a light seal cushion, and the default Solo Knit Band already attached. The lower half contains the battery, the charger (30W), the cables, the Dual Loop Band, the Getting Started book (which is beautifully printed in full color, on excellent paper — it feels like a keepsake), the polishing cloth1, and an extra light seal cushion.To turn Vision Pro on, you connect the external battery pack's power cable to the Vision Pro's power connector, and rotate it a quarter turn to lock it into place. There are small dots on the headset's dime-sized power socket showing how to align the cable connector's small LED. The LED pulses when Vision Pro turns on. (I miss Apple's glowing power indicator LEDs — this is a really delightful touch.) When Vision Pro has finished booting and is ready to use, it makes a pleasant welcoming sound.Then you put Vision Pro on. If you're using the Solo Knit Band, you tighten and loosen it using a dial on the band behind your right ear. VisionOS directs you to raise or lower the headset appropriately to position it at just the right height on your face relative to your eyes. If Vision Pro thinks your eyes are too close to the displays, it will suggest you switch to the “+” size light seal cushion. You get two light seal cushions, but they're not the same: mine are labeled “W” and “W+”. The “+” is the same width, to match your light seal, but adds a wee bit more space between your eyes and the displays inside Vision Pro. For me the default (non-“+”) one fits fine.The software then guides you through a series of screens to calibrate the eye tracking. It's all very obvious, and kind of fun. It's almost like a simple game: you stare at a series of dots in a circle, and pinch your index finger and thumb as you stare at each one. You go through this three times, in three different artificial lighting conditions: dark, medium, and bright. Near the end of the first-run experience, you're prompted to bring your iPhone or iPad nearby, just like when setting up a new iPhone or iPad. This allows your Vision Pro to get your Apple ID credentials and Wi-Fi password without entering any of that manually. It's a very smooth onboarding process. And then that's it, you're in and using Vision Pro.There's no getting around some fundamental problems with the Vision Pro hardware.First is the fact that it uses an external battery pack connected via a power cable. The battery itself is about the width and height of an iPhone 15/15 Pro, but thicker. And the battery is heavy: about 325g, compared to 187g for an iPhone 15 Pro, and 221g for a 15 Pro Max. It's closer in thickness and weight to two iPhone 15's than it is to one. And the tethered power cable can be an annoyance. Vision Pro has no built-in reserve battery — disconnect the power cable from the headset and it immediately shuts off. It clicks firmly into place, so there's no risk of accidentally disconnecting it. But if you buy an extra Vision Pro Battery for $200, you can't hot-swap them — you need to shut down first.… Lots MoreApple's Vision Pro -The Meta-Review.Apple Vision Pro reviews have started to roll in — and depending on who you read, the consensus vacillates between amazing and work in progress. In most cases, they reflect some version of reality. If one is looking for faults with Apple's face computer, then one will find them. And if you are looking at what it represents, you are going to be excited. I am in the ‘camp' of the amazed, though I am not blinded by the challenges that await Vision Pro in the real world.The Verge's Nilay Patel sums up the challenge of Vision Pro, writing:The technology to build a true optical AR display that works well enough to replace an everyday computer just isn't there yet. The Magic Leap 2 is an optical AR headset that's cheaper and smaller than the Vision Pro, but it's plagued by compromises in field of view and image quality that most people would never accept. So Apple's settled for building a headset with real-time video passthrough — it is the defining tradeoff of the Vision Pro. It is a VR headset masquerading as an AR headset. And let me tell you: the video passthrough on the Vision Pro is really good. It works! It's convincing. You put the headset on, the display comes on, and you're right back where you were, only with a bunch of visionOS windows floating around.Let's get on with the cons: The Verge points out problems like ‘motion blur,' ‘blurriness,' ‘color fringing,' ‘limited field of view,' and ‘vignetting.' I have not personally experienced any of these because, well, I don't have the device.The device is sometimes laggy. It's heavy, and the wired battery is limited to just over 2 hours. You can plug it into a ‘wall charger' with a USB-C cable, or daisy-chain it to another USB-C battery pack. And it does get a tad warm. You need to use the ‘dorky' headband to use the device without feeling the weight (or in some cases, a headache).None of this surprises me! Vision Pro is, after all, a full-blown computer. It's made from magnesium, carbon fiber, and aluminum. It has two high-resolution front-facing cameras (video pass-through), two cameras that face down to track your hands and gestures, a LiDAR, TrueDepth cameras, and some kind of infrared lights. The device has two tiny MicroOLED displays packed with a total of 23 million pixels. (As I noted in an earlier piece, these displays are the magic and the primary reason why Vision Pro is so expensive.)All these sensors, cameras, and displays are powered by an M2 chip and an R1 spatial coprocessor, and fans. Apple has packed this in an enclosure that is about three times the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and is still lighter than the iPad 12.9. Paint me impressed purely from a technological standpoint.…. Lots MoreMy 4 magic moments with Vision ProNo, not again! Not another Vision Pro Review! I feel you — after all the reviews yesterday, I am pretty sure you don't want to read another review. Here's the good news — it's not a review. Instead, I will share my quick impressions from a deep dive at Apple Park, and my four magic moments with the Vision Pro.Unlike the reviewers who published their reviews, my access to the device has come in dribs and drabs. It has been a carefully managed experience — an early demo, exposure to the photos app, and the spatial video capabilities. A few days ago, I got to use the device for less than two hours.This was a highly curated experience — so this doesn't and won't qualify as a review. I am skipping all the stuff that has been covered by the deep dive that professional reviewers have already published. WSJ's Joanna Stern's review is amazing — especially the video version. It is best to consider these as my considered impressions.First, can I wax eloquent about the technological achievement of Vision Pro? As a chip and hardware nerd, I think Vision Pro is a witches' brew of the latest of all types of technologies. Let me quote my post from yesterday:Vision Pro is, after all, a full-blown computer. It's made from magnesium, carbon fiber, and aluminum. It has two high-resolution front-facing cameras (video pass-through), two cameras that face down to track your hands and gestures, a LiDAR, TrueDepth cameras, and some kind of infrared lights. The device has two tiny MicroOLED displays packed with a total of 23 million pixels. (As I noted in an earlier piece, these displays are the magic and the primary reason why Vision Pro is so expensive.)All these sensors, cameras, and displays are powered by an M2 chip and an R1 spatial coprocessor, and fans. Apple has packed this in an enclosure that is about three times the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and is still lighter than the iPad 12.9. Paint me impressed purely from a technological standpoint.What's even more impressive is the sound — Apple is using beamforming to direct the sound into your ears. And unless you are really blasting it out loud — you could get away with wearing it in a public place — though people in Business Class will notice the slight din from the seat next to them. Apple is hoping you will splurge on AirPods Pro.No matter how you see the device — love it or hate it, you can't deny that it is yet another amazing computer built by a company that knows how to build great consumer computers.… Lots MoreApple Vision Pro Review: The Best Headset Yet Is Just a Glimpse of the FutureWorking, cooking, skiing, kicking back—our columnist wore Apple's new mixed-reality headset for a week to see what it's forBy Joanna Stern at the WSJJan. 30, 2024 at 9:00 am ETA few things surprised me after wearing the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset for nearly 24 hours straight:* I didn't puke. * I got a lot of work done.  * I cooked a delicious meal.Also, my Persona—the headset's animated video-call avatar—will haunt your dreams.For the last week, I have been testing Apple's boldest bet yet on the post-smartphone future. Strap on the 1.4-pound goggles and you see apps floating right in your living room. Living room a stress-inducing mess? Go full virtual reality and watch a 3-D movie on a giant screen perched on the mouth of a Hawaiian volcano.Let's get this out of the way: You're probably not going to buy the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro. Unless you're an app developer or an Apple die-hard, you're more likely to spend that kind of money on an actual trip to a Hawaiian volcano.And that's OK. Reviewing the Vision Pro, I wanted to understand the potential of the device, and the technical constraints that keep it from being a must-have, at least for now. Most importantly, I wanted to answer one question: In a world full of screens, what's the benefit of strapping one to your eyes?… Lots MoreNews Of the WeekSpotify calls Apple's DMA compliance plan ‘extortion' and a ‘complete and total farce'Sarah Perez @sarahpereztc / 2:41 PM PST•January 26, 2024Image Credits: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto (opens in a new window)/ Getty ImagesCount Spotify among those not thrilled with how Apple has chosen to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which sets the stage for sideloading apps, alternative app stores, browser choice, and more. On Friday, the streaming music company issued its response to Apple's new DMA rules, calling the new fees imposed on developers “extortion” and Apple's compliance plan “a complete and total farce,” that demonstrated the tech giant believes that the rules don't apply to them.Apple earlier this week announced a host of changes that comply with the letter of the EU law, if not the spirit. The company said that app developers in the EU will receive reduced commissions, but it also introduced a new “core technology fee” that requires developers to pay €0.50 for each first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold, regardless of their distribution channel. It will also charge a 3% payment processing fee when developers use Apple's in-app payments instead of their own.Epic Games' CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company sued Apple over antitrust concerns, already condemned Apple's plan, saying it was a case of “malicious compliance” and full of “junk fees,” and now Spotify is essentially saying the same.…. Lots MoreInvestors raise billions to buy discounted stakes in start-upsBuyers return after secondary market for private shares was hit by higher interest ratesGeorge Hammond and Tabby Kinder in San Francisco and Nicholas Megaw in New YorkJANUARY 16 2024Investment firms are raising billions of dollars to buy stakes in venture capital-backed technology start-ups, as a long drought in acquisitions and initial public offerings forces early investors to offload their stock at discounts. The start-up secondary market, where investors and employees buy and sell tens of billions of dollars' worth of shares in privately held companies, is becoming an increasingly important trading venue, in the absence of traditional ways of cashing out and given a slowdown in start-up funding. Venture secondaries buyers are primed for a busy year as start-up employees look for a way to sell their stock and investors look to return capital to their own backers or reallocate it elsewhere. Secondary market specialist Lexington Partners last week announced a new $23bn fund to buy up stakes from “large-scale investors”. Lexington had originally aimed to raise $15bn, but upped its target on the back of high demand, and said it was “in the early stages of a generational secondary buying opportunity” that could last years.The fund will predominantly buy shares from private equity funds but also expects to invest as much as $5bn into venture capital secondaries, said a spokesperson.“We are seeing crazy amounts of [limited partner investors] that are distressed and need to lighten their venture load,” said the head of a $2bn venture capital firm. The latest Lexington fund “speaks to the sheer demand” from LPs that feel “over-allocated” to private capital including to start-ups, they said. Other specialist firms such as Pinegrove Capital Partners, a joint vehicle created by Brookfield Asset Management and Sequoia Heritage, and StepStone have also been raising multibillion-dollar funds to target venture secondaries.…. Lots MoreFounders: getting to the next venture stage may take longer than you expectPeter WalkerHead of Insights @ Carta | Data StorytellerThe median number of days between a priced seed and Series A round hit 679 in 2023, a new peak.Median for Series A to B was 744 days (over 2 years). Very similar for Series B to C (739 days, also over 2 years).Fascinating to watch the 25th percentile (green) and the 75th percentile (blue) trends as well. It looks as though the 25th pct has pulled closer to the median for the middle venture rounds - suggesting there are very few companies speed-running through venture fundraising right now. Some of that could be company choice, as founders have cut spend and become more capital-efficient over the prior 12 months. However, I'm certain a lot of the increase in time is due to VCs being far more choosy about where to invest.So what are founders doing if primary rounds are not on the menu? Getting creative.Founders are raising bridge rounds at record rates, usually from insiders already on the cap table. They are turning to SAFEs and Convertible Notes, even between named venture stages. Some are turning to non-dilutive financing and loans.And many are trying to make customer revenue their primary fundraising channel. But switching from growth at all costs to profitability in a short period of time is no easy track change. My bet is that the time between rounds plateaus in 2024 (or maybe even declines just a touch). Maybe that's wishful thinking

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

A reminder for new readers. That Was The Week collects the best writing on critical issues in tech, startups, and venture capital. I selected the articles because they are of interest. The selections often include things I entirely disagree with. But they express common opinions, or they provoke me to think. The articles are only snippets. Click on the headline to go to the original. I express my point of view in the editorial and the weekly video below.Thanks To This Week's Contributors: @TEDchris, @LilyWhitsitt, @RocketToLulu, @saeedtaji, @geneteare, @EricNewcomer, @jeffbeckervc, @jasonlk, @elonmusk, @benshapiro, @StevenLevy, @apple, @bheater, @bmw, @Growcoot, @illscience, @venturetwins, @omooretweets, @conniechanContents* Editorial: Civility and Civilization* Essays of the Week* US Seed Investment Actually Held Up Pretty Well For The Past 2 Years. Here's What That Means For 2024* Lower Valuations, Higher Bar: What It's Like To Raise A Seed Round In 2024 * Unicorns & Inevitabilities* Sequoia, Founders Fund, USV, Elad Gil & Benchmark Top Venture Manager Survey* Why 2024 May Be Tougher on Venture Capital Than 2023* Video of the Week* The Mac at 40* AI of the Week* BMW will deploy Figure's humanoid robot at South Carolina plant* Google's New AI Video Generator Looks Incredible* OpenAI's Sam Altman seeks funds for AI chip factories as demands surge* The Future of Prosumer: The Rise of “AI Native” Workflows* Andreessen Horowitz's Connie Chan to Leave as Consumer Focus Shifts to AI* OpenAI Is a (Relative) Steal* News Of the Week* Ted fellows resign from organisation after Bill Ackman named as speaker* Tesla's Slowdown Disqualifies It From ‘Magnificent Seven' Group* TikTok's Testing 30 Minute Uploads as It Looks To Expand Its Content Options* Instagram to scan under-18s' messages to protect against ‘inappropriate images'* Tiger Global Investor Relations Staff Depart After Fundraising Challenges* Worldcoin hints at new Orb for a friendlier iris-scanning experience* Startup of the Week* Loyalty Startup Bilt Rewards Hits $3.1B Valuation After $200M Round* X of the Week* Elon Musk visits Auschwitz with Ben ShapiroEditorialThere is a lot to digest in this week's newsletter. Gené Teare's two essays on Seed investing head up the Essays of the Week, along with Jeff Becker talking about unicorns and inevitabilities, Eric Newcomer on who are the top investors and Jason Lemkin on the reasons 2024 might be harder for Venture Capital than 2023.But my attention was distracted from venture capital by a Guardian article announcing (triumphantly, I might add) that several TED fellows had resigned from the organization due to an invite to Bill Ackman to speak at this year's TED event in Vancouver.“Lucianne Walkowicz and Saeed Taji Farouky accuse Ted of taking anti-Palestinian stand over controversial billionaire's inclusion”It seems Ackman is not alone. They also object to Bari Weiss being invited. The leavers are also not alone; up to 30 others have signed a “solidarity” letter.The accusations echo much of the discussion around the medieval assassination of Jews on 7 October and Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas in the aftermath. Because these speakers are against anti-Semitism and so supportive of Israel's war against Hamas, they are accused of the ridiculous claim of supporting “Genocide” against Palestinians.“We refuse for our work and identities to be exploited to promote the Ted brand while the organisation and its speakers generate income and advance their careers through dehumanising Palestinians and justifying their genocide,” the pair said.It probably will not surprise readers of this newsletter that I applaud TED curators Chris Anderson and Lily James Olds for not backing down on the invitations. Whatever one believes about the current conflict in Israel, it is clear that banning opponents of anti-Semitism because of their stance is not a solution to anything. I believe the cause of fighting anti-Semitism should be close to the heart of any progressive person. It is not anti-Palestinian to support Jews against being slaughtered in the street, to oppose anti-Semitism, or to condemn Hamas as anti-Jewish murderers. Supporting Jews against slaughter by Hamas is not incompatible with supporting Palestinians. The Guardian reported that Ackman responded to the resignations with a statement:“I stand unapologetically with Israel and against antisemitism and terrorism, while strongly supporting the Palestinian people. Attempts to cancel speech and eliminate the free and respectful exchange of ideas among people with differing views are driving much of the divisiveness that plagues our nation. Truth, wisdom and ultimately peace are the result of the free exchange of ideas and debate, precisely what Ted is all about. It is sad that this is not more widely understood,”Unsurprisingly, one of the resigners, Farouky, told the Guardian he did not regard the issue as freedom of speech. It clearly IS about freedom of speech. Speech only needs protecting when opinions are wide apart and strongly held.For example, here are my views on the actual issues:These are trying times. Over 25,000 deaths in Gaza are hard to comprehend. And I certainly cannot. But I can understand that Jews have to defend themselves. And I can understand that progressive thinkers MUST stand up to anti-Semitism, whatever form it takes.In case there is doubt about my support for Muslim victims of racism, my book Under Seige is about the attacks on Muslims in the UK between 1961 and 1981. It starts with recognizing that racism targets differences and that Jews and Muslims are both targets. Indeed, the very ghettoes that Pakistani and Bengali immigrants were being attacked in had earlier, in the 1930s, been inhabited by Jewish settlers fleeing pogroms. I am not Jewish, and I am not Muslim. But I will always be on both of their sides when they are attacked for their ethnic and racial origin.In Israel, Jews were killed for being Jews. Palestinians are being killed because Hamas is hiding in their cities and buildings. I do not consider Israel's response to be racist against Palestinians. I consider it reasonable in the context of 7 October. I consider that Hamas has done this to Palestinians and probably wanted that outcome. I am sad that Hamas has done this for the Palestinian victims. But I do not doubt that Hamas is to blame.My views may anger you. But do you want me banned or silenced?My title this week is Civility and Civilization. The TED events bring both to the fore. Like those I write here, opinions are there to be disagreed with, debated, and interrogated. Civilized behavior requires dialogue and civility within the dialogue. I certainly understand opinions I disagree with, and far from banning them or walking away so that I do not have to hear them, I want to hear them. We all should.This is a different editorial than usual. I hope the humanity of refusing to forget 7 October and the determination to preserve the view that fighting anti-Semitism is a non-negotiable minimum requirement of civilization are grasped. By the same token, Islamaphobia must be fought. But in Israel, there is no Islamophobia at work. Jews are simply reacting to an atrocity. They are right to blame Hamas.Essays of the WeekUS Seed Investment Actually Held Up Pretty Well For The Past 2 Years. Here's What That Means For 2024Gené Teare, January 24, 2024, @geneteareEditor's note: This is the first in a two-part series on the state of seed startup investing at the start of 2024. Check back tomorrow for Part 2.Despite a broad pullback in global startup investment over the past two years, investors say the U.S. seed funding environment was the most vibrant compared to other funding stages during the downturn.In fact, U.S. seed funding in 2022 grew by close to 10% in terms of dollars invested, in contrast to a downturn at all other funding stages. In 2023, U.S. seed funding fell 31% — a significant proportion — but still less than other funding stages year over year, an analysis of Crunchbase data shows. (It's also worth noting that those other stages had already experienced year-over-year declines in 2022.)In the current startup funding market, “we're seeing a lot more great talent excited about starting things,” said Renata Quintini, co-founder of Renegade Partners, a Bay Area-based investment firm that focuses on Series A companies and is therefore close to the seed ecosystem.Other investors share that enthusiasm. “Valuations are coming down, more talent is available in the market,” said Michael Cardamone of New York-based seed investor Forum Ventures. “A lot of these companies at seed and Series A are going to scale into what will likely be the next bull market.”Seed trends over the decadeSeed as an asset class, not surprisingly, has grown in the U.S. over the past decade. In 2014 less than $5 billion was invested at seed. At the market peak in 2022, seed investment was more than $16 billion, although it fell to $11.5 billion in 2023.Despite the downturn, seed funding in 2023 was still $2 billion to $3 billion higher in the U.S. than in the pre-pandemic years of 2019 and 2020.Higher bar, pricier rounds, better valuedBut in a tougher market, seed investors are being more selective about which companies they fund.“We're being far more disciplined and patient knowing how hard it is for these companies to get to Series A and beyond,” said Jenny Lefcourt, a general partner at Bay Area-based seed investor Freestyle Capital. “Our bar for conviction is higher than it had been in the heyday where everything was getting funded.”In the slower funding environment, the firm has been investing later at the seed stage, “gravitating toward ‘seed plus' or ‘A minus' — pick your favorite term for it — because I feel like I get to see more risk mitigated. I get to see more data,” she said.Freestyle seeks to have ownership of around 12% to 15% in the companies it backs. “The reason is because of our model,” Lefcourt said. “We are low-volume, high-conviction investors.”And because the firm invests in companies that are pre-Series A, “our reality has been that our valuations have actually been higher in this market, which is not what we would have predicted.“But the data we've seen is, we're not alone in that,” she said.…MoreLower Valuations, Higher Bar: What It's Like To Raise A Seed Round In 2024 Gené Teare, January 25, 2024, @geneteareEditor's note: This is the second in a two-part series on the state of seed startup investing at the start of 2024. Read Part 1, which looked at seed funding trends over the past decade and the median time period between seed and Series A funding, here.Seed funding to startups has grown into its own asset class over the past decade, with round sizes trending larger, and a bigger pool of investors backing these nascent startups. But in the aftermath of 2021's venture funding heyday and subsequent pullback, investors say that while seed funding has held up better than other startup investment stages, these very young startups will see lower valuations and must now clear a much higher bar to get backing.More companies raised seed funding above $1 million in 2021. Those companies — which raised during a record-smashing year for venture funding — are saddled with valuations that could be too high for this current market — even at seed. Many of those startups have been forced to cut costs to extend their runways, and face a tougher sales environment.“You could then be sacrificing growth, which is one of the main levers that Series A investors are looking for,” said Michael Cardamone of New York-based seed investor Forum Ventures.2021 after effectsIn 2021 it was “grow, grow, grow, grow,” said Jenny Lefcourt, a general partner at Bay Area-based seed investor Freestyle Capital. “It's embarrassing to look back on, but that was the game being played.”Investors got sloppy during the boom times, she said. “I think a lot of VCs were thrilled to back you, and then say, ‘we'll figure it out.' ”“The reality is that almost anything that was done then — call it 2021 — was the wrong price,” she said.This led to down rounds, even at seed, though those are generally not viewed negatively like they were in the past, she said.In fact, “when our companies get their down rounds done, it's a sign of it's a good business. It just had the wrong price on it,” she said.While the bar is higher to raise funding these days, “I think it's so much better for a company who gets to start in this environment,” Lefcourt said.Down rounds can actually be a sign of conviction, she said. “None of us would do all the heavy lifting to not only give the company more capital, but recap it, which takes a lot. It's a heavy lift — none of us would do that if we weren't super jazzed about the company. The lazier approach, the easier approach, is to just put it on the note, keep it flat, and be done,” she said.Renata Quintini, co-founder of Renegade Partners, a Bay Area-based investment firm that focuses on Series A companies, is hearing of “more ‘pay-to-play' these days and it's starting to get ugly.” This happens when new investors wipe out the prior investors, and anyone seeking equity needs to pony up into the new funding round.Median and averages climbNonetheless, “seed round valuations haven't dropped a ton from even the peak,” according to Forum Ventures' Cardamone. But, “the bar to raise a seed [round] is a lot higher.”“Most first-time founders especially, and the vast majority of founders generally — they have to get significant traction to be able to raise that same round they used to be able to raise. And a lot fewer of those rounds are happening,” he said.“A priced seed round of $3 million at $15 million [pre-money] is still happening, but you might have to be at $500,000 ARR, to raise that round now. Whereas in 2021, it was the norm to raise that round pre-revenue,” he said.Series A fundings have gotten harder as “companies are going out and raising three seed rounds,” said Cardamone.Based on an analysis of Crunchbase data, median and average seed round sizes in the U.S. have climbed through the past decade.In 2023, median and average raises are not far from the peak of 2022, Crunchbase data shows, and were well above pre-pandemic levels. (However, this will shift downward somewhat as the long tail of seed fundings are retroactively added to the Crunchbase database.)Seed rounds got larger“If I have conviction, we may need them to have more money, cause we know it's going to take them longer to reach the milestones that are now higher,” said Lefcourt.Per an analysis of Crunchbase data, larger seed rounds — those $1 million and above — have increased through the decade.The amount of funding to seed-stage companies below $1 million hasn't budged much, and is a fraction of what it was earlier in the decade.Seed below $1 million in 2014 represented around 25% of all seed funding.That has come down as a proportion every year since then.And as of 2021 that proportion has dipped below 10% for the first time, ranging from 5% to 7% of all seed dollars invested in the U.S. since then.Earlier in the past decade, the number of seed deals in rounds below $1 million outpaced those rounds at $1 million and above significantly.But 2021 was once again a pivotal year. That's when $1 million and above seed rounds outpaced smaller seed for the first time.In 2023, they are neck and neck in count. (That might shift as the long tail of seed rounds are added to the Crunchbase database long after they close.)What this all shows is that seed has become an increasingly significant and elongated phase in a company's early life cycle, where companies are raising multiple million-dollar seed rounds. And as of late, more companies than ever before are wading in the seed pool.What does this mean for the seed funding market in 2024?…MoreUnicorns & InevitabilitiesUp and to the right, or not so much?JEFF BECKER, JAN 22, 2024TLDR: Go read Aileen Lee's update to the Unicorn Club… and a few inevitabilities.Did anyone catch Aileen Lee & Allegra Simon's Welcome Back to the Unicorn Club, 10 Years Later?If not, go read it. That's your MMM.If you did read it, you can't help but wonder if the tech sector isn't going to resemble the public markets over time. Ups and downs, but consistently up and to the right over a long enough period.After all, we are creating leverage in ways we've never seen before.And for unicorns, that meant 14X growth over a 10-year period.Could you imagine another 14 or even 10X from here? That would be stratospheric, from ~500 to ~5,000 unicorns? What if the exit sizes did too? $5B, $10B, $50B?Crazy to think, but hardly impossible. After all, we've already seen near-centicorns like Uber's IPO at $75B in 2019.The interesting part about that thought exercise though is not the crazy zero interest rate IPO's, but the fact that entry valuations didn't and don't move nearly as fast as top end outcomes because of the time horizon to realizing them.For example, Airbnb raised $20K from Y Combinator for 6%, then they took another $600K for 20% in their seed.That was 2009. The idea of an IPO for $47B just 11 years later in 2020 probably wasn't even a consideration. Paul Graham and the YC team would've had to believe Airbnb's IPO could compete with AT&T, General Motors, and Visa.Insane.Fast forward, that $333,333 valuation at YC has moved to $1.78m (125K for 7%), and they'll stack another 2.6% ownership on average from their $375K MFN with the average YC company raising seed at a $14.4m cap instead of Airbnb's $3m.That's a ~5X increase in valuation at pre-seed & seed for a 47X increase in IPO size if you were modeling $1B outcomes into your VC fund model in 2009.I'm not saying that will continue. There are counterforces of course.* Margins are way too high. The fact that software margins have persisted at 80% or more is just craziness. Companies will start to use price more aggressively to compete for market share as cheap AI tools enter the market and try to unseat them. This compression will change the value of discounted cash flow models.* Pricing models need to change. One way to reduce sticker price and maintain some semblance of healthy long-term margins is to pay a smaller implementation fee, but incur ongoing services & upgrade costs. This is a more traditional pricing model, and creative economics that leverage this kind of thinking run rampant in the titans of tech. It's a game of deeper roots, higher switching costs, and long-term contracts. With API calls and data usage more prevalent, we'll also see more pay-per-use models, the same way we buy copiers. We'll also see more pay-for-performance models with attributable ROI, akin to Amazon's ACoS model or Rakuten's affiliate marketing model. Customers will prefer it too, placing a higher emphasis customer value. This will also drive margins to condense.* AI, AI, AI. AI will cut OpEx costs dramatically. SDR teams, gone. Copywriters at agencies, you don't need as many. Data scientists? Just run a query against your data lakes. The list goes on. Costs of running these companies is going to get shellacked. Good for margins for sure, but also a compelling opportunity for newcomers to undercut and unseat incumbents too.* More hardware. With software margins condensing, hardware margins will start to feel more attractive too, the maintenance and upgrade fees will resemble what we see in SaaS, and the software that powers these machines will be incredible. Skynet for autonomous off-road vehicles, absolutely.* Less dilution, earlier exits, and stratification. We already see it in the S&P 500 with the top end accounting for an outsized share of total value. With that kind of cash on balance sheets, bigger companies will just buy the smaller ones. Think about how Broadcom rolls up companies. If you've built the business more efficiently, you've also raised less, incurred less dilution, and that $100m exit when you still own 50% is looking pretty prett-ty good compared to the same outcome 5-10 grueling years later to own 5% of $1B.* Massive founder salaries, less emphasis on growth. If you've built a company that's profitable from day one, and you have complete control of your board, what's your incentive to keep the pedal down on growth, or stay on the VC treadmill? World domination? Why not pay yourself 10X, stop fundraising, and continue to tighten the core business until someone acquires you? It's better for the founding team and employees for sure, and it's probably better for customers in most instances too.These are just some of things I think we'll see over the next five years until we approach ZIRPy-dirpy times again and massive growth becomes irresistible.But there are also a whole slew of things I think are inevitabilities that will benefit from these dynamics because we will not only have new technologies, with more attractive pricing, but we will be tackling new opportunities that were created by the prior evolutions across adjacent industries.For example…* Cost of energy is going to zero with nuclear fusion* Longevity is starting to work; check out Loyal for Dogs* Batteries & cameras continue to improve; medical devices, for one, will be more personal & affordable* Disintermediation of big ad networks with new global distribution channels; check out Benjamin* Massive cost reductions driven by AI* Software will be built by software* An aging population is retiring (10,000 per day); wealth transfer & SMB's with no exit paths* Climate change* …and so on and so on and so onThe list is long. Much longer than this. If you want the rest, just reply or comment so that I know, and I'll go deeper next week.Net of all of it, I think we're going to see a tale of two cities. Stronger, more profitable businesses, with smaller, but better founder founder exits in the near term, and a continued growth both in number of total unicorns, and what that top-end outcomes look like in the longer-term.And like I said, go read Aileen's post.Sequoia, Founders Fund, USV, Elad Gil & Benchmark Top Venture Manager SurveyI got my hands on a VC scorecard circulating among top founders & VCsERIC NEWCOMERJAN 25, 2024Before we get started, I want to be clear — this isn't the end-all, be-all list of the top venture capital firms or the most promising startups.But I got my hands on a survey of 91 people at 69 different venture capital firms conducted by a well-respected investor in venture capital firms.The survey results are spreading hand-to-hand in Silicon Valley. The results of the survey rank the most desirable venture capital firms and companies, according to VCs themselves. When I was out in San Francisco last week for The Information's 10th anniversary gala, sources kept bringing it up.My sources tell me that the survey was conducted by Ed Hutchinson, managing partner at Golden Bell Partners. Hutchinson is ignoring my emails.Which firms and companies would top VCs themselves put their money into? It's a question everyone wants to know the answer to.I've got my hands on their list of favorites:Firms* (1) Sequoia* (2) Founders Fund* (3) Union Square* (4) Elad Gil* (5) Benchmark…Much More (but only for subscribers)Why 2024 May Be Tougher on Venture Capital Than 2023by Jason Lemkin | Blog Posts, Fundraising, ScaleSo I thought the toughest times for venture would be behind us now.  In 2022, we were in free fall, with public market caps falling like a knife, and the IPO markets frozen.  And 2023 was the year of the Work Out in venture.  Bridge rounds slowed down, and VCs acknowledged a lot of portfolio companies just weren't going to make it.  It got real in 2023, and that realness got normalized.  The drama mostly was behind us.  And public SaaS stocks in many cases did really, really well in 2023.  So shouldn't 2024 at least be better for venture?So I thought.But the reality is I'm a bit more worried the venture drama in 2024 will be bigger than 2023.  Why?  Four core reasons:#1:  Now We Have to Deal With the Reality of the Stumbling Unicorns.The ones that are doing $100m+ ARR, still growing, but there just isn't going to be any more money coming.  This is going to burn up a ton of energy in VC funds.  Even tougher, the reality is while many VC funds marked down their unicorns to lower valuations in 2023, they often didn't mark them down enough.#2.  The Chase for AI Unicorns and Decacorns is All-consuming.  It's Still 2021 There.The one place where paper money seems easy to come by is Hot AI Startups.   And that's probably not you.  It's just consuming all the oxygen in venture, trying to get into the next Imaging AI startup worth $1B in 10 months.  In AI, 2021 never went away.  In AI, it's still 2021.#3.  A Lot of Seasoned VCs are Discouraged. This Doesn't Help Founders.A lot of VCs who have been around for a while are quietly discouraged.  They just don't see a great path to making a ton of money in venture these days.  We're in Year 3 of a venture downturn, and that weighs of most of us.  At a practical level, for founders, it makes it harder to lean it.#4.  More Valuation Markdowns Are Still to ComeRelated to the first point, but more markdowns are like mutliple rounds of layoffs.  They're just tough.  LPs lose confidence.  Coworkers lose confidence.  We should have gotten through a lot of this in 2023, but we didn't.  Personally, I've got several investments for example that I marked down. 70%-80% or more — that my co-investors didn't mark down at all.#5.  VCs Have Run out of ReservesVCs used what extra “reserve” capital they had for bridge rounds in 2022 and 2023.  Now it's gone.  That's adds to the stress as companies struggle.  You don't have a play anymore.The bottom line is there likely is at least another full year of working through the excesses of 2021.  That will weigh across venture.  No matter what some AI headlines suggest.Video of the WeekThe Mac at 40Apple Shares the Secret of Why the 40-Year-Old Mac Still RulesThe pioneering PC revolutionized how people interact with computers. As the Mac enters its fifth decade, Apple says it will continue to evolve.STEVEN LEVY, Jan 19, 2024 10:00 AMON JANUARY 24, Apple's Macintosh computer turns 40. Normally that number is an inexorable milestone of middle age. Indeed, in the last reported sales year, Macintosh sales dipped below $30 billion, more than a 25 percent drop from the previous year's $40 billion. But unlike an aging person, Macs now are slimmer, faster, and last much longer before having to recharge.My own relationship with the computer dates back to its beginnings, when I got a prelaunch peek some weeks before its January 1984 launch. I even wrote a book about the Mac—Insanely Great—in which I described it as “the computer that changed everything.” Unlike every other nonfiction subtitle, the hyperbole was justified. The Mac introduced the way all computers would one day work, and the break from controlling a machine with typed commands ushered us into an era that extends to our mobile interactions. It also heralded a focus on design that transformed our devices.That legacy has been long-lasting. For the first half of its existence, the Mac occupied only a slice of the market, even as it inspired so many rivals; now it's a substantial chunk of PC sales. Even within the Apple juggernaut, $30 billion isn't chicken feed! What's more, when people think of PCs these days, many will envision a Macintosh. More often than not, the open laptops populating coffee shops and tech company workstations beam out glowing Apples from their covers. Apple claims that its Macbook Air is the world's best-selling computer model. One 2019 survey reported that more than two-thirds of all college students prefer a Mac. And Apple has relentlessly improved the product, whether with the increasingly slim profile of the iMac or the 22-hour battery life of the Macbook Pro. Moreover, the Mac is still a thing. Chromebooks and Surface PCs come and go, but Apple's creation remains the pinnacle of PC-dom. “It's not a story of nostalgia, or history passing us by,” says Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in a rare on-the-record interview with five Apple executives involved in its Macintosh operation. “The fact we did this for 40 years is unbelievable.”…Much MoreAI of the WeekBMW will deploy Figure's humanoid robot at South Carolina plantBrian Heater @bheater / 3:00 AM PST•January 18, 2024Image Credits: FigureFigure today announced a “commercial agreement” that will bring its first humanoid robot to a BMW manufacturing facility in South Carolina. The Spartanburg plant is BMW's only in the United States. As of 2019, the 8 million-square-foot campus boasted the highest yield among the German manufacturer's factories anywhere in the world.BMW has not disclosed how many Figure 01 models it will deploy initially. Nor do we know precisely what jobs the robot will be tasked with when it starts work. Figure did, however, confirm with TechCrunch that it is beginning with an initial five tasks, which will be rolled out one at a time.While folks in the space have been cavalierly tossing out the term “general purpose” to describe these sorts of systems, it's important to temper expectations and point out that they will all arrive as single- or multi-purpose systems, growing their skillset over time. Figure CEO Brett Adcock likens the approach to an app store — something that Boston Dynamics currently offers with its Spot robot via SDK.Likely initial applications include standard manufacturing tasks such as box moving, pick and place and pallet unloading and loading — basically the sort of repetitive tasks for which factory owners claim to have difficulty retaining human workers. Adcock says that Figure expects to ship its first commercial robot within a year, an ambitious timeline even for a company that prides itself on quick turnaround times.The initial batch of applications will be largely determined by Figure's early partners like BMW. The system will, for instance, likely be working with sheet metal to start. Adcock adds that the company has signed up additional clients, but declined to disclose their names. It seems likely Figure will instead opt to announce each individually to keep the news cycle spinning in the intervening 12 months.Unlike some other humanoid designers (including Agility), Figure is focused on creating a dexterous, human like hand for manipulation. The thinking behind such an end effector is the same that's driving many toward the humanoid form factor in the first place: Namely, we've designed our workspaces with us in mind. Adcock alludes to Figure 01 being tasked with an initial set of jobs that require high dexterity.As for the importance of legs, the executive suggests that their importance for maneuvering during certain tasks is as — or more — important than things like walking up stairs and over uneven terrain, which tend to get most of the love during these conversations.…MoreGoogle's New AI Video Generator Looks IncredibleJAN 25, 2024MATT GROWCOOTGoogle has announced Lumiere: an AI video generator that looks to be one of the most advanced text-to-video models yet.The name Lumiere is seemingly a nod to the Lumiere brothers who are credited with putting on the first ever cinema showing in 1895. Just as motion picture was cutting-edge technology at the end of the 19th century, the Lumiere name is once more being associated with something new and original.The demo of Lumiere that Google put out focuses firmly on animals. The model can generate a scene using just text; much the same way AI image generators work, the user can dream up any scenario they would like to see a short video clip of.However, the user can also use an image as a prompt. Google provided multiple examples: including some that are real photos such as Joe Rosenthal's iconic Raising the Flag photo; “Soldiers raising the united states flag on a windy day” saw one of the 20th-centuries most recognizable photos suddently come to life as the soliders struggle with the flag that's being affected by gusts.Also in Lumiere is a “Video Stylization” setting which allows users to upload a source video and then ask the generative AI model for various element changes. For example, a person running may be suddenly turned into a toy made of colorful bricks.Another feature Google showed off is “Cinemagraphs”, where just a section of an image is animated while the rest stays still. “Video Inpainting” is included too which involves masking part of the image so that section can be changed to the user's desire.Space-Time Diffusion ModelLumiere is powered by “Space-Time U-Net architecture that generates the entire temporal duration of the video at once, through a single pass in the model.”This difficult-to-understand concept is apparently in contrast to existing video models which “synthesize distant keyframes followed by temporal super-resolution — an approach that inherently makes global temporal consistency difficult to achieve.”…Much MoreOpenAI's Sam Altman seeks funds for AI chip factories as demands surgeOpenAI CEO Sam Altman has opened discussions with global investors over the possibility of funding a network of artificial intelligence (AI) chip factories to keep pace with soaring demand.Altman is seeking around $8 billion to $10 billion worth of funds to set up several AI chip fabrication plants around the globe, an endeavor that will require synergy between leading chip manufacturers backed by investment giants.Altman is reportedly in talks with Japanese-based financial giant SoftBank Group (NASDAQ: SFTBF) and Abu Dhabi's G42 over funding plans, but details remain sparse. The discussions with G42 have been underway since 2023, with Altman describing a potential chip partnership as laying the foundation “for equitable advancements in generative AI across the globe.”Aside from SoftBank and G42, insiders say that Altman is still pursuing collaborations with other industry players to set up a network of chip fabrication plants. Although exact entities were not namechecked, industry experts are noting Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), Samsung Electronics, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NASDAQ: TSM) as potential partners.Altman's approach to raising funds hinges on concerns that the chip supply will not be able to meet global demands for AI offerings by 2030. The OpenAI's CEO argues that the ideal solution will be a collaborative effort to set up chip manufacturing plants rather than build in silos.OpenAI has had its fair share of chip scarcity, rolling back a number of its offerings over a steady chip supply. To meet the rising demand, the company is reportedly mulling several options, including the prospect of building its chips from scratch and joining ranks with Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) to explore an in-house solution.Given the costs associated with an in-house approach, OpenAI may pursue the acquisition of a chip manufacturer as a short-term solution or expand its collaboration with existing partners. However, a potential acquisition opens its own can of worms, including an inquiry by antitrust regulators.Governments are also involvedIn 2023, Altman urged the South Korean government to double their investments in AI chip manufacturing as a veritable strategy to play a leading role in the nascent ecosystem. Currently, South Korea ranks behind the U.S., China, and Japan in chip manufacturing, but a concerted government involvement could see the country climb up the charts.The OpenAI boss disclosed during his visit to South Korea that his firm will back local entities building chips for AI and other emerging technologies, with Samsung rumored to be in top position.“We are exploring how to increase our investment in Korean startups,” said Altman. “We are excited to meet as many as we can here today. I think this type of collaboration is essential to our work.”..MoreThe Future of Prosumer: The Rise of “AI Native” WorkflowsAnish Acharya, Justine Moore, and Olivia MoorePosted January 25, 2024Few people love the software they use to get things done. And it's no surprise why. Whether it's a slide deck builder, a video editor, or a photo enhancer, today's work tools were conceived decades ago — and it shows! Even best-in-class products often feel either too inflexible and unsophisticated to do real work, or have steep, inaccessible learning curves (we're looking at you, Adobe InDesign). Generative AI offers founders an opportunity to completely reinvent workflows — and will spawn a new cohort of companies that are not just AI-augmented, but fully AI-native. These companies will start from scratch with the technology we have now, and build new products around the generation, editing, and composition capabilities that are uniquely possible due to AI. On the most surface level, we believe AI will help users do their existing work more efficiently. AI-native platforms will “up level” user interactions with software, allowing them to delegate lower skill tasks to an AI assistant and spend their time on higher-level thinking. This applies not only to traditional office workers, but to small business owners, freelancers, creators, and artists — who arguably have even more complex demands on their time. But AI will also help users unlock completely new skill sets, on both a technical and an aesthetic level. We've already seen this with products like Midjourney and ChatGPT's Code Interpreter. Everyone can now be a programmer, a producer, a designer, or a musician, shrinking the gap between creativity and craft. With access to professional-grade yet consumer-friendly products with AI-powered workflows, everyone can be a part of a new generation of “prosumers.”In this piece, we aim to highlight the features of today's — and tomorrow's — most successful Gen AI-native workflows, as well as hypothesize about how we see these products evolving.What Will GenAI Native Prosumer Products Look Like?All products with Gen AI-native workflows will share one crucial trait: translating cutting-edge models into an accessible, effective UI.Users of workflow tools typically don't care what infrastructure is behind a product; they care about how it helps them! While the technological leaps we've made with Generative AI are amazing, successful products will importantly still start from a deep understanding of the user and their pain points. What can be abstracted away with AI? Where are the key “decision points” that need approval, if any? And where are the highest points of leverage? There are a few key features we believe products in this category will have: * Generation tools that kill the “blank page” problem. The earliest and most obvious consumer AI use cases have come from translating a natural language prompt into a media output — e.g., image, video, and text generators. The same will be true in prosumer. These tools might help transform true “blank pages” (e.g., a text prompt to slide deck), or take incremental assets (e.g., a sketch or an outline) and turn them into a more fleshed-out product.Some companies will do this via a proprietary model, while others may mix or stitch together multiple models (open source, proprietary, or via API) behind the scenes. One example here is Vizcom's rendering tool. Users can input a text prompt, sketch, or 3D model, and instantly get a photorealistic rendering to further iterate on.Another example is Durable's website builder product, which the company says has been used to generate more than 6 million sites so far. Users input their company name, segment, and location, and Durable will spit out a site for them to customize. As LLMs get more powerful, we expect to see products like Durable pull real information about your business from elsewhere on the internet and social media — the history, team, reviews, logos, etc. — and generate an even more sophisticated output from just one generation. * Multimodal (and multimedia!) combinations. Many creative projects require more than one type of content. For example, you may want to combine an image with text, music with video, or an animation with a voiceover. As of now, there isn't one model that can generate all of these asset types. This creates an opportunity for workflow products which allow users to generate, refine, and stitch different content types in one place.…MoreAndreessen Horowitz's Connie Chan to Leave as Consumer Focus Shifts to AIBy Kate Clark, Erin Woo and Cory WeinbergJan 23, 2024, 7:22am PSTFor years, partners at Andreessen Horowitz proclaimed they would scour the startup world for the next big consumer marketplace like Airbnb or the next hit consumer app out of China, areas in which the firm had unique expertise. Now, it's shifting toward an area more en vogue across venture capital: consumer apps powered by artificial intelligence.Those changes are happening amid an overhaul of its consumer team. Connie Chan, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz who formerly led a team of consumer investors and was known for spotting internet trends coming from China, said she is leaving the firm.  She may raise her own fund, a person familiar with the matter said. Anish Acharya, a general partner at the firm who invested in enterprise-focused and financial technology businesses, now leads the consumer team, said people familiar with the change.Chan's move also follows a distancing by U.S. VC firms from investments in China tech, once a hotbed for U.S.  investors. In recent months, Chan has privately said it's becoming more difficult for her to work at Andreessen Horowitz because the partners have been increasingly disinterested in anything China related, another person said.The Takeaway• Fintech-focused GP Anish Acharya leading consumer deals• Consumer GP Connie Chan is leaving the firm• Consumer partner Anne Lee Skates left to start own fundThe changes are part of a broader personnel shakeup, including the decision by senior consumer investor and Airbnb board member Jeff Jordan to step back from making new investments last year. Of the four general partners that led the firm through a consumer deal blitz, none remain on the consumer team.Meanwhile, Anne Lee Skates, a consumer partner who worked on the firm's investment in live shopping app WhatNot, left in the fall to raise her own fund, according to two people familiar with the matter. Axios first reported that Chan was leaving the firm.The Andreessen Horowitz changes are emblematic of a broader VC industry gravitation toward AI and away from once-hot sectors like consumer marketplaces and financial technology, as a spike in interest rates undercut the growth aspirations of startups trying to elbow out incumbent social platforms and banking institutions.“We've gotten into this cycle now where, generally speaking, investors are less interested in consumer,” said Ben Lerer, managing partner at Lerer Hippeau. Known for its consumer investments in Warby Parker and Allbirds, the firm has invested 70% of its latest fund in enterprise companies, he said. “And AI feels like this very hopeful, very exciting, fresh thing.”Founders of some consumer startups have noticed the shift at Andreessen Horowitz. One founder of a consumer startup in the firm's portfolio said they had heard little from investment partners over the last year, a contrast to a steady drumbeat of emails the founder got in prior years from Andreessen staff who support portfolio companies with marketing and operations advice.Andreessen Horowitz's consumer investing team has been perhaps most well known for its focus on backing digital marketplaces, from peer-to-peer self-storage to real estate investment marketplaces, that could turn into the next Airbnb. Every year, it releases a ranking of top marketplace startups. “We are obsessed with marketplaces and have been since our inception,” Chan, who led investments in  social fashion startup Cider for the firm in 2021.But some of those startups backed by the firm, such as self-storage startup Neighbor, have struggled to take off in recent years. And like other venture firms, Andreessen Horowitz has also stepped back from investing in Chinese startups, an area of focus for Chan. She had championed the idea that the next wave of breakout U.S. consumer startups will model themselves after China's internet success stories, like all-in-one app WeChat.With $53 billion in assets under management, Andreessen Horowitz is one of the largest of traditional Silicon Valley firms and closely watched among other VC firms as a trend setter. And its track record of sniffing out hitmakers primed its partners to find the next trendy consumer app.The number of consumer deals Andreessen Horowitz has led dropped to 13 last year from 30 in 2021, a record for the firm, according to PitchBook data. It's possible the firm completed more consumer deals and that those investments haven't been announced. Its investments in AI companies have jumped to 23 from nine over the same years, including leading a $415 million investment in Mistral, the French developer of an open-source large language model.The firm has beefed up this team of investors primarily focused on enterprise, software infrastructure and AI startups. Led by Martin Casado, a close confidante to the firm's founders Horowitz and Marc Andreessen, it is raising its first standalone fund and has brought on two new general partners, Anjney Midha and Zane Lackey, since 2022, as well as a number of junior partners.As the infrastructure team gained power, the consumer team's profile shrank. The firm in 2023 combined its consumer and fintech teams and created a new group, called apps, led by general partner Alex Rampell, who previously co-founded installment lender Affirm, The Information reported last year. Under Rampell's leadership, the newly formed apps team will also soon launch a dedicated apps fund, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The consolidated team has been encouraged to pursue AI deals.Within Rampell's apps group, Acharya now leads the consumer sub-group. His portfolio of companies includes payroll company Deel and Silo, a provider of supply chain automation software. He's also an investor in Titan, a consumer investment application.Fueling the firm's shift away from consumer apps are likely disappointing returns. The startups that captivated consumers during the pandemic shutdowns have failed to retain their attention. Growth at companies the consumer team bet on, like Clubhouse, which Andreessen Horowitz backed three times in one year, and photo-sharing app BeReal, which it backed in 2021, has stalled.…MoreOpenAI Is a (Relative) StealBy Stephanie PalazzoloJan 22, 2024, 7:35am PSTOver the past year, we've seen billions in funding thrown at AI startups at eye-popping valuations. More important than the absolute valuation figures, though, is how they stack up to those startups' revenue numbers.In the chart above, we've tracked the valuations of eight AI startups that have recently raised funding, calculated against their projected revenue. On average, these companies raised money at a price that is 83 times their projected sales for the next twelve months. That's a big multiple by any measure, reflecting the rocket ship nature of these startups. But what makes the comparison noteworthy is that OpenAI has one of the lowest multiples, even though its business has the most traction.Venture capitalists tend to value early-stage startups at a premium based on their growth rates. OpenAI's business is far bigger and more mature—if we can use that word for a company growing as fast as OpenAI—than other generative AI companies. So, as fast as its revenue pace is growing—more than 20% in just two months most recently—newer firms are growing even faster.For instance, AI-powered search engine Perplexity AI doubled its annual recurring revenue from $3 million to $6 million from October to January. VCs were likely taking that expected growth into account at the time of investment, as the company would have garnered a much lower 75-times forward revenue multiple if it had raised at the same price just a few months later. Similarly, even though OpenAI rival Anthropic was likely generating around $200 million in annualized revenue at the end of last year (according to its October estimates), its projection that it would reach $850 million in annualized revenue by the end of this year surely made its mind-boggling valuation more palatable to investors.When you see the details of these AI startup funding rounds, it can sometimes feel like investors are throwing darts at nine-figure numbers on a wall. The chart suggests there's a method to the madness. Typically, startups selling to companies are valued based on the sector in which they operate. The lowest valuation multiples are accorded to startups offering industry-specific applications, while those offering more generalized applications draw a premium. The most highly valued firms are often infrastructure startups, which create the tools that developers use to build these apps. This order stems from how big the target market of these startups are, ranging from a specific industry (like healthcare or education) to all developers. We can see that general order reflected in burgeoning AI startups. For instance, Harvey, which sells an AI application for lawyers, has one of the lower multiples, while broader-reaching companies like Glean and VAST Data land higher multiples.It seems like investors aren't quite sure yet where model developers like OpenAI and Anthropic fall on this spectrum. Their costs are very different from a typical software startup due to how much computing power they need, and many investors are still worried that closed-source model developers may be overtaken by their cheaper, open-source counterparts.…MoreNews Of the WeekTed fellows resign from organisation after Bill Ackman named as speakerLucianne Walkowicz and Saeed Taji Farouky accuse Ted of taking anti-Palestinian stand over controversial billionaire's inclusionChris McGrealThe Ted organisation has been hit with resignations and criticisms after naming the controversial activist billionaire Bill Ackman, who was instrumental in forcing out Harvard's president over antisemitism allegations, among its main speakers at this year's conference.Four Ted fellows, led by the astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz and the filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky, resigned from the group on Wednesday, accusing it of taking an anti-Palestinian stand and aligning itself “with enablers and supporters of genocide” in Gaza.“2024 main stage speaker Bill Ackman has defended Israel's genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and has cynically weaponised antisemitism in his programme to purge American universities of Pro-Palestinian freedom of speech,” the pair wrote to Chris Anderson, who leads Ted, and Lily James Olds, director of the fellows programme.“We've become increasingly concerned about the fundamental values and moral compass of the organisation over the years, but with this year's speaker selection, it is clear Ted has crossed a red line.”The conference will be held in Vancouver, Canada, in April, under the banner The Brave and the Brilliant”. The theme of Ackman's talk has not been revealed but his selection was announced last week after he was accused of using his money and influence to help force Claudine Gay's resignation as Harvard's president following her disastrous appearance before Congress in December when she was questioned about on-campus antisemitism during the Israel-Gaza war.Ackman has taken stridently pro-Israel positions, including justifying the scale of the attacks on Gaza in which more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, and the forced removal of about 2 million Palestinians from their homes. He has described criticism of Israel as antisemitism and called for the blacklisting from employment of American students who signed petitions denouncing the offensive in Gaza in the wake of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.Farouky and Walkowicz's resignation letter noted that other speakers announced by Ted include the journalist Bari Weiss, who they describe as having “a long, sordid, and well-documented history of anti-Palestinian speech”, but that there are no Palestinians in the line-up.“We refuse for our work and identities to be exploited to promote the Ted brand while the organisation and its speakers generate income and advance their careers through dehumanising Palestinians and justifying their genocide,” the pair said.After the resignation letter was published, two other fellows – the entrepreneur Ayah Bdeir and cosmologist Renée Hlozek – also quit. Nearly 30 others added their names “in solidarity” without leaving Ted.…MoreTesla's Slowdown Disqualifies It From ‘Magnificent Seven' GroupBy Martin Peers, Jan 24, 2024, 5:00pm PSTStock market pundits may want to come up with a new name for the big tech stocks driving the overall market. The “magnificent seven” descriptor—referring to Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Nvidia and Tesla—no longer seems to make much sense. I'd like to suggest that's because none of the company CEOs look like cowboy gunslingers from the 1960 movie that made the phrase famous. It's hard to imagine Steve McQueen playing Tim Cook or Andy Jassy, for instance (although Yul Brynner admittedly could have filled the role of horseback-riding Jeff Bezos).The real reason the moniker no longer works, however, is that at least one member of the group, Tesla, has had anything but a magnificent 2024 so far, and its fourth-quarter earnings report, released Wednesday, only made things worse. Before Tesla reported earnings tonight, its stock had fallen 16% so far this year, and it tumbled another 3% after hours to around $200 a share. This isn't a reaction to CEO Elon Musk's antics, which include asking for a bunch more stock, although that surely doesn't help. The stock decline reflects the slowdown in sales suffered by Tesla, which observers attribute to increased competition and a loss of government incentives. Automotive revenues, which make up the bulk of Tesla's top line, grew just 1% in the fourth quarter—down from 18% in the first quarter.In its outlook for this year issued today, the company said its growth in the volume of car sales would be lower than in 2023, and noted that its team is working on its “next-generation vehicle.” Meantime, expenses have been skyrocketing, eroding its profit margin. But our less-than-rigorous takedown of the magnificent seven branding isn't just about Tesla. If you look at the year-to-date performance of big tech stocks, or even their 2023 performance, you can see that just two tech stocks have roared this year. One is Nvidia, which is in a class of its own: up 27% since Jan. 1, thanks to its stranglehold on the specialized chips used in artificial intelligence. The other is Meta Platforms, which is up nearly 13%, reflecting confidence in its ad business.  In comparison, Microsoft and Alphabet are each up around 8%, likely thanks to expectations that AI will lift their businesses, while Apple and Amazon lag behind with year-to-date stock price rises of less than 5% each. Instead of the magnificent seven, it might be more appropriate to refer to the group as Nvidia, Meta and the humble five.… MoreTikTok's Testing 30 Minute Uploads as It Looks To Expand Its Content OptionsBy Andrew Hutchinson Content and Social Media ManagerThe next stage of TikTok is coming, with some users now seeing the option to upload 30 minute long videos in the app.As you can see in this example, shared by social media expert Matt Navarra, TikTok's currently testing the new 30 minute upload option in the beta version of the app.Which, if you've been paying attention, is not really any big surprise.TikTok has been steadily increasing its maximum post limit for years, with the platform originally starting at 15 seconds per clip, which was then extended to 60 seconds, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, before rising to 10 minutes in 2022.Last October, TikTok began experimenting with 15 minute uploads, so the trend towards longer clips isn't new.Though 30 minutes is likely the upper limit, based on the Chinese version of the app. Douyin, which is TikTok in China, expanded its upload limit to 30 minutes per clip in 2022, and it hasn't gone any further as yet.And presumably, Douyin has also seen good response to this longer time limit, which is why TikTok is now looking to implement the same, though it does seem like a long time to be watching a TikTok clip in-stream.Will users really warm to TV show length clips in the app?…MoreInstagram to scan under-18s' messages to protect against ‘inappropriate images'Feature will work even on encrypted messages, suggesting platform plans to implement client-side scanningAlex Hern and Dan MilmoInstagram will begin scanning messages sent to and from under-18s to protect them from “inappropriate images”, Meta has announced.The feature, being kept under wraps until later this year, would work even on encrypted messages, a spokesperson said, suggesting the company intends to implement a so-called client-side scanning service for the first time.But the update will not meet controversial demands for inappropriate messages to be reported back to Instagram servers.Instead, only a user's personal device will ever know whether or not a message has been filtered out, leading to criticism of the promise as another example of the company “grading its own homework”.“We're planning to launch a new feature designed to help protect teens from seeing unwanted and potentially inappropriate images in their messages from people they're already connected to,” the company said in a blogpost, “and to discourage them from sending these types of images themselves. We'll have more to share on this feature, which will also work in encrypted chats, later this year.”…Much MoreTiger Global Investor Relations Staff Depart After Fundraising ChallengesBy Francesca Friday and Maria HeeterJan 24, 2024, 4:46pm PSTSeveral Tiger Global Management employees focused on raising capital for the New York firm's venture funds have taken buyout offers, according to a person familiar with the matter. The departures of the staff, who worked with prospective investors, come as the firm has struggled to raise money for its latest venture capital fund after a collapse in startup valuations soured its paper returns for earlier funds.As of the second quarter of 2023, a $12.7 billion fund that Tiger started making investments from in October 2021 had a paper loss of 18%, calculated as an annualized return net of management fees, according to internal data distributed to investors in the fund. That's a slight improvement from six months earlier, when the 2021 fund showed a loss of 20%. The fund's performance is in the bottom quartile of funds started that year, the document said, and has also lagged the S&P 500's annualized net return in the same period.The Takeaway• Tiger employee buyouts are the latest example of VC cost-cutting• Tiger's $12.7 billion had lost 18% on paper as of June* Tiger could soon show a $350 million gain from OpenAI stakeAs of June 30, 2023, the $12.7 billion fund hadn't returned any cash to investors, which isn't unusual for such a young fund. But the paper losses are closely guarded secrets that reflect the kind of write-downs other venture firms have been making over the past two years as tech valuations have fallen.It isn't clear how big Tiger's investor relations team is, but the departures are the latest example of belt-tightening across the venture industry. Firms are raising smaller funds and striking fewer deals, reducing the need for sprawling support staff—including those who help firms raise money from pension funds and endowments...MoreWorldcoin hints at new Orb for a friendlier iris-scanning experienceby Vivian NguyenThe next-gen device will feature various colors and shapes to enhance its visual appeal.Worldcoin, an iris biometric crypto project, is set to launch a new Orb that aims to offer a more user-friendly iris-scanning experience, said Alex Blania, CEO and co-founder of Tools for Humanity, the developer behind the project, in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch today.“The next Orb will roll out in the first half of this year and will feature alternative colors and form factors in an effort to look ‘much more friendly,'” Blania explained. “Overall, it is going to look way more tuned down and similar to an Apple product.”Blania acknowledges that the initial design of the Orb predated his time at the company. “The new orb is coming and the next iterations will look quite different,” he remarked during a fireside chat at a recent StrictlyVC event, signaling a departure from the current, more controversial design.The goal of Worldcoin, as described by Blania, is to reach billions of users as fast as possible.“The thesis is very simple. We race toward billions of users as fast as we possibly can,” said Blania.Founded by Blania, Sam Altman, and Max Novendstern, Tools for Humanity has raised around $250 million from prominent investors like a16z and Bain Capital Crypto, among others. The project is famous for its unique Orb device designed to scan people's irises and assign them a “World ID,” granting access to Worldcoin's application and a digital passport. Worldcoin's vision is to authenticate individual identities and prevent the creation of multiple accounts.The current design of the Orb has been a topic of much debate due to its intimidating look, similar to a prop from a sci-fi movie, according to Blania. The company has also faced criticism for its beta testing approaches in developing economies and concerns over privacy and data security.Despite some skepticism, the Orb has seen practical use. At the StrictlyVC event in downtown San Francisco, a Tools for Humanity employee reported that a “couple dozen” attendees scanned their iris to receive a World ID. There has also been “field testing” of the new Orb design.…MoreStartup of the WeekLoyalty Startup Bilt Rewards Hits $3.1B Valuation After $200M RoundChris MetinkoJanuary 24, 2024Bilt Rewards, a loyalty rewards startup, raised a $200 million round led by General Catalyst at a $3.1 billion valuation — more than double the number after its last fundraising in 2022.The round also included participation from Eldridge Industries, Left Lane Capital, Camber Creek and Prosus Ventures.The New York-based startup allows consumers to earn rewards on the rent they pay. Bilt plans to use some of the proceeds to expand its network to include local dining, grocery stores, ridesharing and other retail purchases.“We're not just building a loyalty program; we're creating a community-centric ecosystem that benefits everyone from renters to local businesses,” said founder and CEO Ankur Jain.The company also appointed some big names to roles in the company. Bilt named Ken Chenault, former chairman and CEO of American Express, as its chairman, and Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, as an independent director.Big moneyThe company reported its annualized member spend is nearing $20 billion. It also became profitable on an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization basis last year.Those metrics must have impressed investors, as Bilt has seen its valuation shoot up after raising a $150 million Series B at a pre-money valuation of $1.4 billion in October 2022. Founded in 2021, the company has raised a total of $413 million, per Crunchbase.Last year was a slow go for loyalty startups. Such companies raised only $74 million, per Crunchbase data. However in 2022, loyalty startups raised more than a half-billion dollars thanks to big raises that included Bilt's Series B and Madison, Wisconsin-based Fetch's $240 million Series E.With this fundraise, things are looking up for loyalty startups again.X of the Week This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thatwastheweek.substack.com/subscribe

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

It has been two months since the war was forced upon Israel by Hamas, but it seems that Israel doesn't have any Exit Strategy. While soldiers are dying, the world sees the photos from Gaza and the Gaza people suffering. They don't know these people are used as Human shields by Hamas and that the war can end quickly if Hamas surrenders and sends free all the people abducted. On the other hand, Netanyahu and his coalition refuse to take responsibility and keep painting his alliance without paying attention to Israelis' suffering. On November 30th, Israeli hero - Yuval Kestelman fought against two terrorists who murdered three people, wounded six more, and killed them. Sadly, he was killed in cold blood by a settler who executed him (There is documentation of the horrible event). Netanyahu had no words of empathy to his family and summarized it "At times of wars, accidents happen. That's life"... When it comes to his allies and himself, he will always ensure they are secure, but when it comes to his opponents or someone he has no political gain from, he will either ignore or make excuses as to why things are the way they are. After spending three and a shelf weeks there, I spoke to my friend Jeff Becker about recent events and the political atmosphere in Israel.

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/3 Steps To Create A Life That MATTERS!

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

On today's episode, I discussed Accountability, Responsibility, and what is happening within Israeli politics amid the Was forced upon us on October 7th. A lot of aggression, distrust, and scarcity are taking place, and it is quite concerning. To discuss the options and what I think is the right thing to do for Israel, I hosted my dear friend Jeff Becker.   #Israel #IsraeliPolitics #Netanyahu #BennyGantz #YairLapid  

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

Want to know how to get testimonials for your upcoming business or online course BEFORE you've launched anything? In this episode of High Value Questions, I'm going to cover: How to use LinkedIn to curate awesome testimonials that you can use for your upcoming online business or online course. How to ask for testimonials to get a good response rate as well as where you can use them to create incredible social proof! How to make more money online by creating an affiliate split with someone who can help drive traffic to your offer; or if someone can create an offer to match with your audience. Industry standards when it comes to affiliate or JV splits depending on the type of offer. Special shoutout to Laurie Fries and Jeff Becker for sending me these questions for this episode. If you'd like to send me a High Value Question to answer around online business, making money online, entrepreneurship, sales or marketing please send me a text or voice note here: https://www.simonwparsons.com/questions If you'd like to see the testimonials and recommendations page I mentioned building (I use LinkedIn to curate most of them, then keep them all in one place and can link to this place from anywhere): https://www.simonwparsons.com/testimonials

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.  The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals. Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more! If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.    The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals.   Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brian Kight, and more!   If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.    The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals.   Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brain Kight, and more!   If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.    The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals.   Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brain Kight, and more!   If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.    The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals.   Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brain Kight, and more!   If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/

The Champions Life Podcast takes an in depth look to help you improve your mindset to become a CHAMPION! This podcast pulls back the curtain on helping you self-discover what is truly possible and how you can achieve your ‘next level' in sports, business, and life. We will focus on the mental skills that allow people, teams, and businesses to be great - things like: confidence, leadership, motivation, culture, focus, discipline, trust, accountability and more.    The Champions Life Podcast is hosted by Jeff Becker, a mental performance coach, who's clientele consists of CHAMPIONS from all aspects of life, from around the world: elementary school golfer, to high school athletes, college athletic teams and students, business leaders and executives, to NBA and PGA professionals.   Host Jeff Becker will share stories, tips, and strategies that he's used with his clientele all over the world. These mindset skills will be inspired from the worlds best in the: NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB and from coaches such as: Trevor Moawad, Brett Ledbetter, David Goggins, Brian Cain, Brendon Burchard, Jocko Willink, Brain Kight, and more!   If you're ready to take your life to the next level, are searching for more purpose or you just need extra inspiration or motivation, tune in to The Champions Life Podcast. Follow Jeff on Instagram @coachjeffbecker https://www.instagram.com/coachjeffbecker/