Bugs are coming soon to your dinner table
A piece examining the growing insect farming industry, with around 1,900 species worldwide already part of human diets.
Tesla, software and disruption
Benedict Evans is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a leading venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley. This piece is a deep dive into the automotive industry, comparing the incumbents (Ford, GM, et al) with the disruptor (Tesla), and searching for insights in other industries that have already seen disruption (mobile phones, desktop and laptop computers).
A Kingdom from Dust
A profile of the biggest farmers in the US “a married couple working in partnership” and the story of their extraordinary rise via floor cleaning, security, plastic figurines, advertising, and philanthropy. Their story is also now the story of water in California as the yields from their crops continue to increase just as the water supply has declined through nearly a half-decade of drought.
Not the end of The World: the return of DubaiÕs ultimate folly
Dubai’s iconic / infamous reclaimed offshore property development went bust during the financial crisis and was left empty for years (apart from a solitary beach club in Lebanon). A few developers stayed the course and are now imagining ever more ambitious architectural smorgasbords to entice the global elite.
Libor scandal: the bankers who fixed the world’s most important number
A look deep inside the Libor scandal that reads like a Hollywood clich of corporate malfeasance.
Why Hollywood As We Know It Is Already Over
Technology giants and startups disrupting traditional media businesses is nothing new. In the film industry the signs are there, but it appears not everyone is willing to see them.
At Uber, a New C.E.O. Shifts Gears
This profile of Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi asks if he can detoxify the brand without removing the companyÕs competitive advantage.
Meet the Companies Literally Dropping ‘Irish’ Pubs in Cities Across the World
How to manufacture and export a prefab “McPub”.
Inside the Wild Race to Overthrow Every Consumer Category
Hundreds of startups are hoping to emulate the success of a model popularised by eyewear brand Warby Parker – cut out the middle man and offer a designer aesthetic direct to the customer at highly competitive prices. It’s easier said than done.
Why Amazon is eating the world
A look at the radical way in which Amazon is systematically turning each component of its business into an productised commercial venture with external clients – starting with their technology infrastructure, then their fulfillment service and so on. The objective goes beyond revenues and profit (though they come – Amazon Web Services has a $14bn annual run rate) to building a “moat” around their market position and ensuring that the pressure of servicing external clients keeps all units in Amazon lean and competitive.