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AI SPENDING GREW 293% LAST YEAR

Ramp's Q1 analysis reveals a 293% year-over-year increase in AI-related spending among its customers, outpacing overall software spend growth, with a significant adoption in non-tech sectors like healthcare and financial services, indicating a broader integration of AI into various industries. Despite a general slowdown in new investments in AI, companies already using AI are doubling down, with average spending on AI tools growing by 138% year-over-year, while finance tools also see increased usage. Businesses are maintaining a cautious approach to travel expenditure.

SERVICENOW: SCALING TO $10B IN ARR

ServiceNow, a leading enterprise SaaS company, has successfully expanded its Total Addressable Market (TAM) from IT Service Management to include a variety of departments such as HR, CS, Security, and Finance, achieving over $10bn in ARR. The company leverages a robust partner ecosystem, continuous innovation, and strategic acquisitions to maintain strong growth and expand its platform capabilities across multiple industries.

5 STEPS TO SAVE YOUR AT-RISK CUSTOMERS

This article discusses a comprehensive approach to customer success management, emphasizing the importance of proactive engagement and tailored strategies to prevent customer churn. It outlines a five-step process that involves detecting issues, thorough analysis and planning, execution of tailored action plans, continuous monitoring and adjustment, and proactive measures to maintain customer satisfaction and retention.

FUNDRAISING ADVICE FROM MONZO'S FOUNDER

Tom Blomfield, a group partner at Y Combinator and former founder of Monzo Bank, shares insights on the realities of startup fundraising. Investors often pass on opportunities based on their impressions of the founders rather than explicit business metrics. Blomfield highlights the importance of understanding the venture capital focus on high-return investments, the strategic use of leverage in fundraising, and the necessity for founders to conduct thorough due diligence on potential investors to avoid misaligned goals and detrimental advice.

EXPANDING AFTER PMF

Expanding into adjacent markets or customer segments can drive growth for companies that have achieved product-market fit but are facing bottlenecks or saturation in their core business. Evaluating the level of change required across key functional areas like marketing, sales, product, and engineering can help determine how adjacent a potential expansion opportunity is and inform whether the investment and risk are justified by the potential upside.

PEOPLEGPT

AI-powered talent sourcing.

STATE OF AI

A new report by Stanford tracking worldwide AI trends.

RAINS

Fractional general counsel for startups.

ARE YOU HUNTING ANTELOPE OR FIELD MICE?

The concept of prioritizing significant goals over minor tasks is illustrated through Newt Gingrich's analogy of a lion choosing to hunt antelope, which provide substantial nourishment, rather than field mice, which do not offer enough energy return. This strategy emphasizes focusing on impactful activities that ensure long-term success and sustainability, rather than getting caught up in less consequential, albeit potentially satisfying, tasks.

12 THINGS YOU'LL LOOK BACK ON IN SAAS AND REGRET

SaaS founders often have regrets about decisions they made or actions they didn't take that could have significantly impacted their company's growth and success. Some common regrets include not hiring top talent early enough, not raising enough capital, not being physically close to key customers and partners, not investing enough in customer success, and not being agile enough to stay ahead of the competition.

ORGANIZING AND MAKING SENSE OF CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

0 TO 10 UNAFFILIATED CUSTOMERS

The first 10 unaffiliated, paying customers are vital not only as proof of market demand, but also as a foundation for credible testimonials and future fundraising efforts.

THE HUMAN DESIRE FOR ENEMIES

Humanity's innate drive to identify enemies, even manufactured ones, can lead to harmful tribalism, scapegoating, and bigotry that threatens the fabric of society.

12 THOUGHTS ON INCENTIVES

By aligning incentives with desired outcomes, it is possible to drive significant improvements in areas ranging from personal motivation to societal well-being.

ANDROID BUG CAN LEAK DNS TRAFFIC WITH VPN KILL SWITCH ENABLED

An Android bug leaks DNS queries even with the VPN kill switch enabled, potentially exposing user privacy. The issue, where DNS information leaks when switching VPN servers, impacts all Android VPN apps. The bug persists in the latest Android OS version and could reveal users' online activities.

A MILLION AUSTRALIAN PUB GOERS WAKE UP TO FIND PERSONAL INFO LISTED ON LEAK SITE

A massive data leak has exposed over a million records of Australians who visited local pubs and clubs, including names, partial addresses, dates of birth, and venue details. The leaked data allegedly came from Outabox, a tech services company, and was posted on an anonymous leak site.

DROPBOX SAYS HACKERS STOLE CUSTOMER DATA AND AUTH SECRETS FROM ESIGNATURE SERVICE

Dropbox reported a breach of its Dropbox Sign signature platform. Attackers gained access to authentication tokens, MFA keys, hashed passwords, and customer information. Dropbox says that the attackers gained access through a backend system configuration tool.

HOW TO ENFORCE USAGE OF PRIVILEGED ACCESS WORKSTATIONS FOR ADMINS

This community post explains how to enforce the use of Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs) for administrators at Microsoft by using Conditional Access policies to block logins from non-PAW devices. It details steps such as tagging PAW devices, setting permissions in Microsoft Graph Explorer, and creating a device-based Conditional Access policy in the Entra Admin Center.

USING FEATURE FLAGS FOR SECURITY

This post provides a few examples of why it can be effective for security teams to adopt the use of feature flags. The proposed uses are: to release unreviewed code that can be enabled once it has been reviewed, to enable features only for external security testers as a beta, and to be able to speed up security incident response.

SEMGREP FOR TERRAFORM SECURITY

This article provides some use cases and examples of using Semgrep to secure Terraform deployments. Some examples presented are to use Semgrep to evangelize secure-by-default, internal modules, enforce opinionated rules, and prevent unverified providers. The article also works through an example of writing a custom rule for a more niche scenario.

PCAP DID WHAT

This repository presents an example of how to use the Zeek network monitoring tool with Grafana to analyze PCAP dumps and enable easy visual analysis. It contains a custom Zeek Docker build that generates Zeek log files with GeoIP, ASN, and JA3/JA4 fingerprints, a Python script for converting Zeek logs to SQLite database, as well as a custom Grafana Docker build with a pre-configured dashboard for analyzing Zeek Data.

APEX SECURITY

Apex's security platform provides organizations with visibility of their AI activities. Organizations can define what AI usage should look like within their environments and enforce security policies accordingly. The platform can detect violations of company policies, as well as detect and respond to attacks.

PREL

prel(iminary) is an application that temporarily assigns Google Cloud IAM Roles and includes an approval process.

READ SATYA NADELLA'S MICROSOFT MEMO ON PUTTING SECURITY FIRST

Microsoft is overhauling its security processes, making security the "top priority" for all employees, after facing high-profile attacks. CEO Satya Nadella has instructed the company's over 200,000 employees to prioritize security above all else, even delaying new features or legacy support if needed.

COUNTERFEIT CISCO GEAR ENDED UP IN US MILITARY BASES, USED IN COMBAT OPERATIONS

A Florida resident, Onur Aksoy, was sentenced to 78 months in prison and ordered to pay $100 million in restitution to Cisco for running a counterfeit networking gear scam that generated $100 million in revenue and put U.S. military security at risk. Aksoy pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic counterfeit goods, mail fraud, wire fraud, and importing fake Cisco products from China and Hong Kong and selling them as genuine through various online storefronts.

A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW ON ADVANCED PERSISTENT THREAT BEHAVIORS AND ITS DETECTION STRATEGY

This research paper from Oxford University Press discusses advanced persistent threats (APTs) and proposes a detection strategy based on multi-stage attack behaviors and network vulnerabilities. It emphasizes the importance of understanding APT attack-related behaviors to improve detection accuracy and response. By integrating attributes of APT attacks into detection methods, security experts can enhance their ability to prevent these sophisticated threats.

FRENCH CYBERWARRIORS READY TO TEST THEIR DEFENSE AGAINST HACKERS AND MALWARE DURING THE OLYMPICS

French cyberdefense is deep into preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

THE STATE OF PENTESTING REPORT 2024

This report analyzes the impact of pentests, revealing a 21% increase in the number of findings per pentest engagement year-over-year.

FINLAND WARNS OF ANDROID MALWARE ATTACKS BREACHING BANK ACCOUNTS

Finland warns of an ongoing Android malware campaign targeting online bank accounts through deceitful SMS messages, impersonating banks, or payment service providers.

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GEN Z MOSTLY DOESN'T CARE IF INFLUENCERS ARE ACTUAL HUMANS, NEW STUDY SHOWS

Gen Z's perception of influencers is evolving, as shown by a recent study indicating their willingness to engage with AI-generated influencers. Despite concerns over authenticity, with 37% expressing distrust towards brands working with AI, 46% of Gen Z respondents are intrigued by such collaborations. They prioritize metrics like follower count over traditional authenticity markers.

GOOGLE EXPANDS PERFORMANCE MAX TO ONLINE MARKETPLACES

Google's new Performance Max for Marketplaces allows sellers to create Google ad campaigns that send traffic to their product listings on third-party e-commerce platforms without needing a website or Merchant Center account. After connecting their Google Ads account to a supported marketplace, like Amazon, brands can use existing marketplace product data (i.e. images and pricing) in ads and will get detailed reporting on campaign performance within Google Ads.

SCREENSHOT MARKETING = THE ULTIMATE CURIOSITY HOOK

Private chats (i.e. iMessage/Whatsapp screenshots) are a type of graphic that immediately makes people stop scrolling their feeds. People are naturally nosy, so this type of image will pique their interest. Brands can use genuine screenshots or even stage one for marketing purposes. Behind-the-scenes employee discussions about an upcoming product launch, happy customers talking to CSMs, or FAQs in chat form are all ways to employ this tactic.

HOW I ORGANICALLY SOURCED 60% OF CUSTOMERS FROM LINKEDIN

LinkedIn posts that contain images outperform those without by 50-60%. Don't just tell people you're hiring, having a sale, or just launching a new feature - show them through visuals and colors. LinkedIn users also love a good emoji list, and much like any other social media platform, a controversial thought or opinion always draws attention. If there's a status quo in your industry, a behavior that everyone exhibits, or a trend that the majority of your competition sheepishly follows — go against it.

GTM STRATEGY VS. LAUNCH STRATEGY

A launch strategy is short-term (1 week - 1 month), while a GTM strategy is long-term (6 - 12 months). Launching a product focuses on creating awareness and guiding people through the entire customer journey. It requires specific segmentation, personalized messaging, and a killer experience from start to finish. A GTM strategy is based on insights gained after the initial launch. It should be flexible and reflective of the product's success, particularly regarding achieving PMF. If the initial launch fails due to a lack of product stickiness, all marketing efforts should be paused until the product's issues are addressed.

BATTLECARD TEMPLATE FROM PRODUCT MARKETING ALLIANCE (TEMPLATE)

Battlecards equip teams with quick-fire responses to queries or objections a customer might have. This Google Doc details key components any killer battlecard should include.

CROWDSOURCED ESP RECOMMENDATIONS

A user on LinkedIn asked for email service provider alternatives to Klaviyo. The comment thread includes numerous recommendations and their benefits and features. Omnisend, Sendlane, Attentive, and Yotpo were amongst the top contenders.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL: A BLUNDER MANY COPYWRITERS AND MARKETERS MAKE

A common blunder made by copywriters and marketers is to speak to a group when one person is the audience. Teams do not read sales letters or website pages — individuals do. Sales are made (and lost) one by one. Copy should speak to one person whenever possible, avoiding language like “some of you” or “people just like you.” Speaking insider-to-insider strengthens the copy as it shows that you are one of them. No matter how educated your audience, make your message easy to consume.

SAYING IT RIGHT, AND SAYING IT BEST

When every brand is vying to be the one that says it loudest, be the one that says it best. Tone and messaging add a lot of nuance to creative, but too many brands generate content without considering the writing. To get messaging right, brands should start by researching their audience, their market, and what they (realistically) offer. Next, develop a persona for the brand that will anchor everything you write. Avoid writing copy to simply sound like your audience — it's better to sound like your brand.

IS PINTEREST THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER OF SOCIAL MEDIA?

Pinterest stands apart in today's social media landscape as a refuge from drama and opinion overload. It offers a serene haven focused on self-care and positivity. Studies have shown its positive impact on reducing stress and burnout. Users appreciate its inward-facing nature, devoid of vanity metrics and negative discourse. Pinterest's algorithm prioritizes saved content, providing a relaxed browsing experience. It doesn't reward a “more is more” mentality, and creators feel less pressure to constantly update their audiences in real time.

X ADDS AI-GENERATED NEWS SUMMARIES FOR PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS

X is now leveraging its Grok AI engine to condense trending conversations on the platform into real-time summaries.

THE GEN Z TRAVELER HAS LANDED

A recent report delves into the evolving landscape of post-pandemic travel, revealing preferences for spontaneity, cultural immersion, and loyalty programs and urging marketers to adapt strategies to meet shifting expectations.

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FIGMA'S JOURNEY TO TYPESCRIPT: COMPILING AWAY OUR CUSTOM PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Figma recently migrated its custom Skew programming language to TypeScript, a move made possible by improved browser support for WebAssembly and internal optimizations. This transition allows for seamless integration with Figma's existing codebase and external libraries, easier onboarding for new developers, and access to the TypeScript developer ecosystem. In this article, the Figma engineering team goes over their migration process, which was done gradually and automatically so as to not disrupt developer workflows internally.

TIME-BASED CSS ANIMATIONS

Time-based CSS animations offer a new approach to creating animations without using traditional keyframes. The technique uses a custom CSS variable that tracks time in milliseconds, providing a way to manipulate CSS properties in real time. This article goes over various examples of such animations with code examples, showing off how to control animation duration, frame rate, easing, and more with precision.