Weekend Briefing No. 122
Welcome To The Weekend
This week Obama endorsed Hillary. A bomb attack on a police bus in Istanbul killed 11. The bomb was remotely detonated as the bus drove through the busy neighborhood of Vezneciler, near the touristy Beyazit Square. Thailand celebrated the world’s longest-serving monarch. Festivities have begun for the 70th anniversary of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reign. This Summer and Fall we’ll intermittently exploring sponsors for the Weekend Briefing. These companies love the Weekend Briefing and want to ensure we’re able to continue to deliver high quality content. We always strive to ensure their featured content is relevant to you. You’ll see the sponsor’s logo in the header, their featured content will be the 3rd story, and marked as a featured briefing. As always, we’d love your feedback on how we can do this better. If your company is interested in being a part of this pilot program just reply to this email. Now on to the good stuff.
The Oracle Of The Valley
Mary Meeker’s annual slide deck is one of the most eagerly anticipated collections of facts in Silicon Valley. This year she noted: 1) The internet itself is seeing slowing growth. 2) Typing text into a search bar is so last year. In five years, at least 50 percent of all searches are going to be either images or speech. 3) The home screen has acted as the de facto portal on mobile devices since the arrival of the iPhone and even before. Messaging apps, with context and time, have a chance to rival the home screen as the go-to place for interaction. See all 213 slides at Kleiner Perkins (a long time).
Switzerland Votes No
The eyes of the world were on Switzerland today (June 5) as the country voted on whether to give each of its citizens a guaranteed basic income (UBI) of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,554) a month. 78% of the country has voted against the idea. Supporters of UBI argue that giving citizens an allotted sum every month can help fight poverty, stoke economic demand and help small businesses. Opponents counter that UBI costs far too much and could also keep people from seeking employment. Learn more in Quartz (3 minutes).
Impact Accelerator
SOCAP, the premier impact investing conference in the US, runs the Impact Accelerator every year to equip and connect social entrepreneurs. Selected social entrepreneurs get a scholarship to the event as well as customized programming. The Impact Accelerator attracts some of the most talented innovators working in social enterprise today, in fact, five alumni made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list this year. Learn more about their stories and apply - deadline is June 20th - at SOCAP (featured briefing).
Coop Dreams
If you were living on $2 a day, what would you do to improve your life? Bill Gates would invest in chickens. Here’s why: 1) Their care is easy and inexpensive. 2) They’re a good investment. Suppose a new farmer starts with five hens, she can earn more than $1,000 a year, versus the extreme-poverty line of about $700 a year. 3) They empower women. Because chickens are small and typically stay close to home, many cultures regard them as a woman’s animal, in contrast to larger livestock like goats or cows. Women tend to invest money back into the well-being of their family more than men do. Learn more at Gates Notes (6 minutes).
Hiring Originals
Best selling author Adam Grant says it’s essential to hire original thinkers “Originals” early in the life of a startup because it avoids building a company culture in the image of the founder, which breeds group think. Originals are constructive contrarians. They're not just pointing out that the emperor has no clothes; they're also tailors. Learn how to select for and interview Originals in First Round Review (18 minutes).
Letter From A Rape Victim
A former Stanford swimmer sexually assaulted an unconscious woman. At his sentencing Thursday, his victim read him a letter describing the “severe impact” the assault had on her. “If you think I was spared, came out unscathed, that today I ride off into sunset, while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken. Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.” Read the full letter at Buzzfeed (21 minutes).
How To Apologize
A good apology accepts responsibility. It has no conditional if phrase attached. It shows people that the buck stops with you. And then it provides real details about what happened and what you’re doing to prevent it from happening again. And it seeks a way to make things right. Never say “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.” Learn why at Signal V. Noise (5 minutes).
About The Weekend Briefing
The Weekend Briefing is a selection of this week’s top stories on innovation and society, curated by Kyle Westaway – author of Profit & Purpose and Managing Partner of Westaway. Thanks for making the Weekend Briefing a part of your Saturday morning routine. Have a restful and thoughtful weekend.