The Daily Index — Friday, July 21, 2023 · TLDR Index

HEADLINES & TRENDS

TLDR Founders

TLDR Founders

CHATGPT'S PERFORMANCE IS SLIPPING, APPARENTLY

UC Berkeley researchers found that ChatGPT has not improved over time, and in fact, may have gotten worse. The researchers suggest that one of the reasons for this decline could be the result of new safety protocols being implemented by OpenAI.

decrypt.co · 4 min

TLDR Founders

OTHER PARTNERS DEPART THE FIRM

Five partners are leaving the firm, but the headline is that Mike Moritz is officially moving on after 38 years service. As the venture capital scene gets more competitive, it’ll be interesting to see what 2024 and beyond has in store for Sequoia.

techcrunch.com · 7 min

TLDR Founders

YOUR GUIDE TO SAAS PRODUCT METRICS

This article explores the metrics you should be aware of as you build out your product-led growth muscle at your SaaS company. It double-clicks on the funnel conversions you can expect from when a visitor lands on your website and eventually becomes a paying customer.

kylepoyar.substack.com · 8 min

TLDR Founders

BUILDING AN AN EARLY STAGE STARTUP: LESSONS FROM AKITA SOFTWARE

Gergely, writer at The Pragmatic Engineer, interviews Jean Yang, the founder of Akita, which was very recently acquired by Postman. They dive into finding your co-founder, fundraising, hiring, pivoting, and all the challenges faced along the way.

blog.pragmaticengineer.com · 11 min

TLDR Founders

EFFECTIVE > PRODUCTIVE

Optimizing for productivity and being busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re working on the right things.

world.hey.com · 1 min

TLDR Founders

GAMES

AI has long played a role in games, from procedurally generated environments, to machine learning and NPC behavior. Generative AI is the next frontier in game development, enabling hyper personalization and adaptive environments. How about a game that designs itself and never ends?

a16z.com · 20 min

TLDR Founders

RICH AND ANONYMOUS

An insightful read that digs into the positive correlation between wealth and social liability. In today’s society, the wealthier you get, the more you feel a responsibility to give back to family, friends, and the global community.

collabfund.com · 5 min

TLDR Founders

FIND YOUR WINNING IDEA BY SELLING PRODUCTS THAT DON’T EXIST YET

The story of Material Security’s path to product-market fit, in which they took a circuitous route where they tested multiple different ideas.

review.firstround.com · 7 min

TLDR Founders

SETH GODIN ON GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

As a founder, you want to get things done fast and see results now. Sometimes this isn’t always possible. Godin provides a nice reminder that we have to be persistently patient.

seths.blog · 1 min

TLDR Founders

THERE’S NO REBOUND IN SIGHT FOR UNPROFITABLE SAAS

The SaaS industry is facing a profitability crisis, with many companies spending more money on sales and marketing than they earn in revenue.

world.hey.com · 2 min

TLDR Founders

5 INTERESTING LEARNINGS FROM DATADOG AT ~$2 BILLION IN ARR

File this under “problems we’d like to have” - thinking through being worth 18x ARR with continuing massive growth across every KPI. Fascinating read and something to aspire to.

saastr.com · 3 min