Facebook is shrinking
Two weeks ago we published our review of Dr Jonathan Knee’s excellent book, “The Platform Delusion” in which explains meticulously – using extensive research and detailed evidence – that the notion of “network effects” has been overhyped – see https://marcellus.in/story/review-of-dr-jonathan-knees-book-the-platform-delusion-who-wins-and-who-loses-in-the-age-of-tech-titans/As if on cue, news has now emerged that the number of customers using Facebook is now […]
From Curious to Competent
This is a superb piece written by three headhunters from the executive search firm, Egon Zehnder. The piece focuses on “curiosity”. Why? Because the headhunters at Egon have found that: “Although we have found that high potentials also need insight, engagement, and determination, curiosity—defined as a penchant for seeking new experiences, knowledge, and feedback and an […]
The building blocks of a good IPL auction strategy
In the high stakes world of franchise cricket, owners and head coaches tend to make the same mistakes the company owners make eg. making investments in the latest hot sector (i.e. suffering from recency bias), getting infatuated by trophy assets, focusing on the outcome rather than the process, second guessing the CEO/Captain, etc. In this […]
Reasons to Abandon Spotify That Have Nothing to Do with Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan is a former TV commentator in the USA who now does a podcast on Spotify. He recently said some controversial things about Covid vaccines and thereby stirred up the usual hornet’s nest. The good thing is that on the back of that controversy, Alex Ross has written a thought-provoking piece on why services like […]
Why self-congratulatory balle-balle culture, not Pakistani drones, is biggest threat to Punjab
If you are a Punjabi you might find this biting piece from Shekhar Gupta to be a painful read. If hail from any other part of India, you are likely to find this piece to be a cautionary tale because it describes how in the space of a generation a state can go from being […]
Rising Giants and Exponential Free Cash Flow Compounding
The road to free cash flow (FCF) compounding is filled with several challenges related to the strength of the business model as well as the capability of the management to grow the business profitably. Hence, only a handful of Indian small-midcap companies manage to generate healthy FCF compounding. Helped by an economic environment conducive for […]
Avesh Khan and the maza of bowling fast
Once upon a time, most of Indian cricket’s big stars used to come from the big cities. The remaking of India has changed that for good – think MS Dhoni, think Jasprit Bumrah, think Mohammad Shami. The rise of fast bowler Avesh Khan, a fast bowler from Indore newly selected to the Indian cricket team, […]
He’s not done yet — Why Kapil Sharma, the mass celebrity, deserved Netflix limelight
Stand-up comedy has benefited from the pandemic as several of us had more time on our hands to laugh at a good joke. In fact, courtesy the internet & smartphones and now OTT, Indian comedians have enjoyed a bull run over the past decade. However, most of these entertainers tend to be “people like us” […]
After Omicron, some scientists foresee ‘a period of quiet’
Given the physical and psychological toll of wave after wave of Covid-19, everybody is seeking deliverance from the pounding. However, given that even the WHO routinely gets its Covid-19 forecasts wrong, one doesn’t know who to believe on this subject. In this piece – taken from the authoritative journal ‘Science’- we look likely to get […]
How Philosophers Think
This essay is an exploration of not just how philosophers think but how laypeople like us think, talk and behave (which is without rigorously thinking through ideas). The essay begins by celebrating philosophers: “Philosophers are the most rigorous thinkers I know.Like intellectual boxers; they come to understand ideas by making them fight with each other. Their […]
The Worldly Turn
By the time you read this, you would have been through the bizarre ritual which constitutes the Union Budget – bizarre not just because in a free market economy like India, the Government’s presentation of its accounts and the modest policy announcements which accompany the accounts should not be an occasion for such hype but […]
Review of “The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future” by Sebastian Mallaby
If a better book on investing is published in 2022, we will open several bottles of something nice to drink. ‘The Power Law’ is rich with insight and helps the reader go to the heart of why venture capital (VC) investing transforms economies and disrupts conventional investing as much as it disrupts industries. Whilst Sebastian […]
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