Yury Molodtsov

Startups comms, essays on tech and five great links each week.

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August 21, 2025
The Broken Promises of Substack

Substack promised independence, but has evolved into another platform playing the same game as everyone else. The crab always becomes a crab.

July 14, 2025
IMAX is a Superbrand

Superbrands create and control key technology allowing them to break the common laws of branding and put themselves forward. Here's how IMAX put an intro in front of every movie.

June 6, 2024
Can Markets Regulate Themselves?

Sometimes, governments regulate markets. And sometimes, market participants regulate themselves. The outcome can be surprisingly different; thankfully, we have several examples that can serve as case studies.

July 7, 2023
Why Privacy Is Overrated

I’m not against privacy, and I understand why people might not want someone to track web pages or apps they use. But it’s important to remember that there’s a trade-off and be prepared for the outcome.

February 19, 2023
How to Start Your Blog

Running your own blog helps you keep an online journal of your life and thoughts that doesn't depend on unreliable tech platforms like Facebook or Twitter. But this process is still needlessly complicated and certainly not user-friendly for regular people.

Recent Articles

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comms
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life
productivity
remote
software
tech
January 13, 2026
Founders’ Guide to Comms

How to build founder-led comms that actually move the needle.

December 17, 2025
Why Growth Matters

Living in an economy that doesn't grow is a terrible fate.

December 7, 2025
The AI Price Hike

Companies are bundling AI and raising software prices because they don't have a choice.

November 19, 2025
How Startups Get Viral

Viral startups win by being utterly unreasonable about something.

November 13, 2025
Retro Tech Became the New Luxury

People buy retro devices to feel control and do it so much they became luxury products.

October 30, 2025
How Big is TBPN?

Where I try to figure out how big TBPN actually is and why Big Tech CEOs come as guests.

September 17, 2025
Apple Watch is Better than Whoop and Oura

Apple Watch is a great health tracker. And you can just use it, especially if you already have one, instead of buying Whoop or Oura.

September 10, 2025
The Best Brands for Enthusiasts

Finding truly exceptional products is hard, so this challenge falls on us.

August 21, 2025
The Broken Promises of Substack

Substack promised independence, but has evolved into another platform playing the same game as everyone else. The crab always becomes a crab.

August 16, 2025
How Much Spotify Pays Artists

Few things get people so worked up as Spotify's payouts to artists. Every time this topic comes up on Twitter or Threads, you can be sure there will be hundreds of angry replies from people you can't argue with.

August 10, 2025
The Limits of the Network State

I examine the practical limits of the Network State concept and its path to sovereignty as it clashes with the governments' monopolies.

August 3, 2025
I Can't Stop Using Dia Browser

Dia’s seamless AI integration and polished interface are redefining the browser for me.

July 31, 2025
Highlights from Apple in China

Patrick McGee’s book reveals how Apple’s unique manufacturing approach not only reshaped China’s tech industry but also left the company navigating a delicate geopolitical tightrope.

July 14, 2025
IMAX is a Superbrand

Superbrands create and control key technology allowing them to break the common laws of branding and put themselves forward. Here's how IMAX put an intro in front of every movie.

May 27, 2025
The Myths of Venture Capital

Venture capital didn’t kill Arc. It gave us the chance to see what Arc could be. That’s more than most products ever get.

May 6, 2025
Why I Don’t Like CarPlay

CarPlay is much better than what we had before, but I still prefer a great built-in multimedia. But only when they do this right (which is almost never).

March 8, 2025
The Sad State of Web Browsers

While web browsers have become essential operating systems for modern computing, most, like Chrome and Safari, are outdated or limited, and innovative alternatives like Arc have struggled to succeed. Where does this leave us?

March 2, 2025
Why People Leak to the Media

Why employees at top tech companies risk their jobs to leak secrets—and what it reveals about power, frustration, and strategy.

February 27, 2025
iPads Are Now Both Expensive and Useless

The iPad, despite its powerful hardware, is held back by iPadOS limitations, making it feel incomplete and overpriced at nearly $1,300 for a basic iPad Pro with a keyboard.

January 19, 2025
Why Greg Egan is the Greatest Living Sci-Fi Author

Greg Egan explores deeply original concepts like alternate physics and alien civilizations through stories grounded in cutting-edge science, rich characters, and thought-provoking ideas.

December 23, 2024
How I Stopped Hating Running

Running slower to build endurance and finding a scenic, convenient route helped me fall in love with running. By forming a habit, I've discovered running’s benefits: reduced anxiety, improved fitness, and a meditative escape.

November 28, 2024
My Holiday Gift Guide

Here are some gadgets that I really enjoy. Buy for yourself or your friends!

November 26, 2024
On Getting Older

Contemplating the changes, both good and bad.

October 30, 2024
Omnivore is Dead: Where to Go Next

Omnivore was the best read-later app for most people, and it became popular because it was free. Unfortunately, that is also the reason why it failed.

October 22, 2024
Apple Doesn't Make an iPad for Me

I'm frustrated with Apple's current iPad lineup because there isn’t a good replacement for my aging 2018 iPad Pro. While the newer models have expensive accessories and better chips, they neglect the features that matter most to me—like the display and audio.

October 14, 2024
WordPress Doesn't Matter for the Future of Web

WordPress won the market but the entire paradigm shifted to managed solutions like Webflow. Markets that aren't growing become a zero-sum game, which probably caused the conflict in the first place.

October 7, 2024
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Review: A Silent Hit

People always recommend Sony, Bose and AirPods Max. Sennheiser Momentum 4 should be on the same list.

October 5, 2024
Why I’m Excited About Meta Orion

People like Orion because Meta had the courage to showcase it. We should stop giving Apple the benefit of the doubt.

September 12, 2024
Social Media Platforms Have Killed Links

When Facebook and Twitter started supressing links they forever changed the internet and we're still yet to grasp the outcome of this.

September 6, 2024
The Ode to Apple Notes

Apple's ecosystem of apps is great, especially if you're willing to use them exclusively. And Apple Notes is one of the best examples.

August 28, 2024
Going Direct In Communications

People who tell you to go direct and ignore the media often have one thing in common: a large existing audience that makes their job much simpler.

August 25, 2024
How to Fight a Crisis with PR

Just listened to a podcast with Nikita Bier by Lenny Rachitsky that explained the power of communications very nicely.

August 6, 2024
What Makes Telegram Special

Telegram is a a social platform with 1Bn users but few people in the West understand how advanced and powerful it actually is.

July 28, 2024
How Twitter Changed Since Elon's Takeover

Twitter released old products and built some new ones yet became much more toxic and lost a lot of its appeal to me.

July 13, 2024
What The EU Should Have Done Instead of DMA

The Digital Markets Act is a far-reaching framework that can be used against any major company the EU holds a grudge against. It also effectively prohibits product improvements and vertical integration.

June 24, 2024
The United Internet is Collapsing

The internet is one of my favorite inventions of all time. When nobody was watching, it emerged as a global network without borders, but now the governments are bringing them back with force.

June 15, 2024
Why Arc is The Best Browser

Arc reinvented web browsing for the modern Internet. And I’m very thankful.

June 6, 2024
Can Markets Regulate Themselves?

Sometimes, governments regulate markets. And sometimes, market participants regulate themselves. The outcome can be surprisingly different; thankfully, we have several examples that can serve as case studies.

May 18, 2024
Why Execution Eats Ideas For Lunch

Most people tend to overvalue ideas and undervalue execution. In my experience, that holds even for many people in the tech industry. Yet it couldn’t have been further from the truth. Let me tell you about a product that allowed you to easily create and manage your own relational databases together with your team members. It’s not Airtable but their early competitor.

April 5, 2024
The Unsettling Battle Between Media and Technology

There’s a lot of antagonism between the media and tech. But most of it is produced by a small minority of people with outsized voices, so it doesn’t exactly reflect reality.

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Recent Posts

January 13, 2026
Founders’ Guide to Comms

How to build founder-led comms that actually move the needle.

December 17, 2025
Why Growth Matters

Living in an economy that doesn't grow is a terrible fate.

December 7, 2025
The AI Price Hike

Companies are bundling AI and raising software prices because they don't have a choice.

November 19, 2025
How Startups Get Viral

Viral startups win by being utterly unreasonable about something.

November 13, 2025
Retro Tech Became the New Luxury

People buy retro devices to feel control and do it so much they became luxury products.