Apurva Shukla/writing

11-08-25: Internet goodies I read last week

  1. tobi lutke on X: “very important in companies. Keep the ones willing to “truth nuke” close. They are load bearing.” / X

    • On X, a widely viewed post (114.3K views) argues that organizations should keep blunt truth-tellers close—those willing to “truth nuke”—because they’re often load-bearing for culture and execution. The post quotes Hunter Ash, who diagnoses how teams drift into “kind lie” loops: the longer soft-pedaled realities persist, the harsher the course-correction required—and cultures that enabled the drift usually resist that discomfort. It’s a succinct case for candor as a core operational asset, not a personality quirk. Quote: “The reason it’s incredibly hard to break out of a ‘kind lie’ doom loop is because the longer it’s gone on, the more unkindness is needed to get back on track.” Elsewhere on X: GTCO Fashion Weekend 2025 is live; #TikTokAwardsTH2025xDMD, #SPY_FAMILY, #パパご飯, and #ThalapathyKacheri drove significant chatter.

  2. Metalabel - A New Space to Release Creative Work

    • This page is essentially an index of contributors and collaborators—a cross-disciplinary roster spanning contemporary art, design, internet culture, performance, critical theory, and sex-work activism. It repeatedly lists names and entities such as 2dcloud; Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana; Howard Rheingold; McKenzie Wark; VNS Matrix; Mindy Seu; Dragan Espenschied; Melissa Gira Grant; Kristina Wong; Samantha Cole; Sarah Friend; Soda Jerk; Allie Eve Knox; Mistress Harley; and more, including designers like Laura Coombs and Meg Miller, and artists/researchers such as Bogna Konior, Noura Tafeche, and Qiujiang Levi Lu. With no additional context beyond names separated by slashes, the page reads like credits for a publication, exhibition, or networked project—signaling a community at the intersection of digital culture, cyberfeminism, media preservation, and experimental practice.

  3. The Electric Slide

    • The Electric Stack—batteries, magnets/motors, power electronics, embedded compute—has fallen ~99% in cost since 1990 (“Electric Slide”), making ever more products economically electrifiable. China now dominates key layers: >80% of Li‑ion cells (especially LFP/Blade), ~90% of NdFeB magnets, and is surging in inverters and RISC‑V MCUs—commoditizing AI while owning energy and action. The West pioneered the breakthroughs; China scaled them via policy, tight integration (BYD, CATL), and “alpha products” (Sony Handycam, 3.5″ HDDs, VFDs) that pulled costs down learning curves. Power electronics are shifting to SiC and GaN (e.g., Tesla’s Model 3 SiC inverter), while ARM‑based MCUs/DSPs make AI actionable in the physical world. Takeaway: Design without manufacturing isn’t a strategy. The U.S. should rebuild capacity with demand creation, industrial clusters, and friend‑shored supply—then pair AI with electrified action. Quote: “In the Electric Era, maintaining design leadership without manufacturing leadership is not a coherent strategic position.”

  4. How to build and run a billboard campaign | Delve

    • Delve’s 3‑city, 3‑month OOH push became a playbook for when and how to go out of home. Best time: after real PMF and word‑of‑mouth traction, when you’re ready to make a “we’ve arrived” splash. Budget big for omnipresence (e.g., SF: 2–3 months, 40–50 panels, a highway anchor, bus wraps ≈ $750k). Plan 3–6 months ahead; for B2B, early Sept–early Nov is the golden window. Use major operators (Clear Channel, Outfront, Lamar) and mix formats—billboards, premiere panels/wallscapes, street furniture, transit, and DOOH—under one cohesive theme. Map your ICP’s real‑world routes (live/work/commute/events) to place media. Creative wins with 7 words or fewer, high contrast, one idea, and emotion (even a bit provocative). Attribution is fuzzy: watch branded search uplift, first‑party mentions, rough CPM—and value broader effects across recruiting, morale, investors, and customer confidence.

  5. Hustle as a Differentiator - Cup of Zhou

    • This essay argues that hustle—responsiveness and relentless follow-through—wins decisive moments. Sarah Guo’s weekend outreach helped Greylock beat Sequoia, a16z, and Benchmark for a hot deal; Mark Zuckerberg’s Easter-weekend blitz sealed Instagram when others paused. The author admires people who “make things happen,” from cross-country candidate closes to persistent cold emails that land career-defining shots. As an LP, they assess emerging GPs less by pedigrees, podcasts, or networks—now ubiquitous—and more by their ability to actually win deals. Hustle is hard to convey in a deck, but obvious in behavior: the late calls taken, flights booked, and proactive touchpoints that compound trust. The best operators don’t announce their grind; they act. Quotes: “The truth is most people don’t. Not because they physically can’t… But because they won’t.”

  6. Year One

    • One year into New York, Dia reflects on becoming a full-time artist: a season of sold-out collections, pop-ups, a first solo show—and persistent doubt. A DIY apartment exhibition proved a turning point, showing that audacity invites community. A collaborative showcase, earth body, crystallized why the work matters: creating living, shared experiences. Behind the wins sit long, uncertain studio stretches and a moving goalpost of “legitimacy,” revealing that external success is only a mirror. The path demands shedding old selves and choosing an unstructured life that feels truly theirs. They’re learning to release work, trust serendipity, and follow “glimmers”—small returns that sustain the practice. Grateful to those who showed up, they commit not just to starting, but to staying. Quotes - "The world can only show up for you if you give it something to show up for."

  7. The dark forest theory of the internet

    • Borrowing Liu Cixin’s “dark forest” metaphor, the essay argues the open web has turned predatory—ruled by ads, tracking, trolling, and power games—so people retreat into private, non-indexed spaces: newsletters, podcasts, group chats, invite-only communities. These dark forests offer psychological and reputational cover, capping both downside and upside while enabling more human conversation. Yet there’s a cost: abandoning mainstream platforms cedes influence to those who remain, much as the 1970s pivot to self-help ceded the public arena to different powers. We now live in a “Web-squared” world of many parallel internets; the question is how to balance personal wellness with civic presence. Quote: “The Bowling Alley Theory of the Internet: that people are online purely to meet each other, and in the long run the venues where we congregate are an unimportant background compared to the interactions themselves.” Leave the bowling alley entirely, and you forfeit shaping what it becomes.

  8. When Things Click

    • Hidden Brain’s “When Things Click” explores how a simple dog-training tool is reshaping human learning. Orthopedic surgeon and Frisbee coach Dr. Martin Levy uses a handheld clicker to teach surgical residents fine motor skills—knot-tying, drilling, screw placement—by breaking tasks into tiny steps and marking only the correct action with a click. No praise, no critique: just precise, immediate feedback that quiets cognitive noise. Originating with animal trainer Karen Pryor and rooted in behaviorism (Pavlov, B.F. Skinner), clicker methods now help dancers, golfers, and even surgeons. A 2016 study co-authored by Levy and Pryor found clicker-trained students outperform those taught by demonstration, suggesting that minimalist, reinforcement-based feedback can accelerate mastery while reducing stress. Quote: “The only reward for the student is the mastery of the skill.”

  9. Leadership | Paul Copplestone

    • A Daoist riff on leadership: true skill isn’t a technique but a way of being. Lead without taking sides; speak less, act sparingly, and leave space—emptiness is what makes the jug useful. Eschew ego, control, and applause; trust people so they become trustworthy. Do what’s needed, then step back so the team says, “We did it ourselves.” Avoid extremes, prevent problems early, and achieve great outcomes through small, patient acts. Practice unlearning, humility, and service: place yourself below to rise with others. Success and failure are both perilous; steadiness and letting go create enduring results. Ultimately, non-striving—rather than force—empowers people and allows order to emerge. Quotes - "When nothing is done, nothing is left undone." - "Because they have no goal in mind, they succeed in everything they do."