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Hey Pickle Gang, it’s Rob.
Here's what's in today's issue:
Zuckerberg’s Latest Bet on the Future: Meta’s Orion AR Glasses
The Inside Scoop: How Business Insider Became a Go-To for Business News
OpenAI's Valuation Skyrockets: What's Behind the $150 Billion Price Tag?
And more…
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This Weeks Favourites
Investment Memo: Sequoia's Original Youtube Investment Memo (link)
Article: How Olly Richards earned $175,461 from a Google Doc (link)
Video: Matt Diggity - They found Google’s Hidden Ranking Factor! Is it Real (link)
Podcast: 20VC - Growth Loops, CAC + LTV Benchmarks, Pricing, Discounts, Paywalls... (link)
Fun Stuff: You've discovered Commander Rob's Meme Generator, a top-secret device sent from the year 2095 to prevent the dreaded 2089 Meme-pocalypse. Will you answer the call?! (link)
Today’s Sugar Daddy
Offshore talent that come with impressive resumes
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News
Zuckerberg’s Latest Bet on the Future: Meta’s Orion AR Glasses
Meta’s Orion AR glasses might just look like regular glasses, but don’t let that fool you. These sleek frames represent Mark Zuckerberg's multibillion-dollar vision for a future beyond smartphones. Yet, despite the hype, you won’t be seeing these on store shelves anytime soon.
Orion offers impressive tech with its Micro LED projectors and silicon carbide lenses, projecting holograms and AI-enhanced visuals. You can play games, make video calls, or even get smoothie recipes by scanning ingredients. However, at $10,000 a pair to produce, they remain more sci-fi fantasy than consumer-ready. Zuckerberg’s next step? Make them cheaper, smaller, and ready for your face in a few years.
So while Orion is real, it’s not yet a product you can buy. For now, it's Meta’s ambitious sneak peek into a holographic, AI-driven future — if they can figure out how to make it affordable.
The Inside Scoop: How Business Insider Became a Go-To for Business News
Launched in 2007 by Henry Blodget and Kevin Ryan, Business Insider set out to provide a fresh take on business journalism. While traditional outlets stuck to long, technical reports, BI embraced a digital-first, fast-paced model. The platform grew quickly, combining business news with the conversational tone of blogs, making it accessible to a broader audience.
They grew really damn quickly, primarily from SEO - their articles getting ranked on search engines like Google, raking in the traffic for them.
Today, Business Insider boasts millions of monthly readers and is known for breaking down complex financial news into bite-sized, engaging stories. From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, it’s the go-to for anyone wanting both speed and insight in their daily news fix.
Read their full story here
Funding
OpenAI's Valuation Skyrockets: What's Behind the $150 Billion Price Tag?
News: OpenAI is shaking up the startup world again, poised to hit a jaw-dropping $150 billion valuation. The AI powerhouse is in the middle of a new fundraising round, aiming to raise $6.5 billion. While that number is eye-catching, it’s only a fraction of the company’s total worth, signaling just how high the stakes are in the AI race.
Growth
Why Lean Startups Win the Race
Most startups fail, because they fail to sell something that people want.
But, it's a lot easier said than done.
Now, there is actually a method where you can test & validate what you're gonna sell, before you dive headfirst, rinsing on all your cash on stuff people don't want.
It’s called the Lean Startup Method, something Eric Ries wrote a book about, called The Lean Startup. Here’s the just of it:
Build: Develop an MVP—just enough to test the waters.
Measure: Gather feedback from your audience. Data is king.
Learn: Adjust, pivot, and fine-tune until your product resonates (translating to: actually sells).
I can’t overstate how important it is to validate a product or service before you do it….speaking from experience here guys….
Here’s more on how you do it in practice
Recommendation
Accomplish More. Juggle Less.
When you love what you do, it can be easy to take on more — more tasks, more deadlines, more hours – but before you know it, you don’t have time to do what you loved in the beginning. Don’t just do more – do more of what you do best.
BELAY’s flexible staffing solutions leverage industry experience with AI systems to increase productivity without sacrificing quality. You can accomplish more and juggle less with our exceptional U.S.-based Virtual Assistants, Accounting Professionals, and Marketing Assistants. Learn how with our free ebook, Delegate to Elevate, and leave the more to BELAY.
Meme of the Day
Hope you enjoyed today’s issue!
I won’t lie, it takes me a while to write, so I’d love it if you could give it a share! (just forward it to a friend if you’re lazy like me!)
Cheers,
Rob 🥒
Robert Benson-May, ACA
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