Yury Molodtsov Yury Molodtsov
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Startups comms, essays on tech and great curated links.

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Occasional notes on technology, startups, media, and culture, plus curated interesting links in my Five Finds newsletter.

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The State of Media 2026

The State of Media 2026

In 2026, first-time founders don't want to get on TechCrunch. They want TBPN.

Mar 26, 2026
Founders Need Better PR

Founders Need Better PR

Most startups ask for coverage before they have a story. Here is how to build a hook journalists and customers can understand.

Jan 13, 2026
The Broken Promises of Substack

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.

Aug 21, 2025
IMAX is a Superbrand

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.

Jul 14, 2025
Ads and the Privacy Panic

Ads and the Privacy Panic

There's an ongoing moral panic about targeted ads expressed in the "surveillance capitalism" term that has little to do with reality.

Jul 7, 2023

Recent Articles

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On Moral Panics

On Moral Panics

Moral panics are a recurring feature that signals fear of novelty and shifts in power.

Jul 6, 2026
How to Solve AI's Messaging Problem

How to Solve AI's Messaging Problem

Generative AI has a messaging problem. Can it be solved?

Jun 9, 2026
Strata is a Minimal Native Outliner for MacOS

Strata is a Minimal Native Outliner for MacOS

Outliners are the superior tool for thought and I wanted a native option for MacOS.

May 30, 2026
The Age of the Polymath

The Age of the Polymath

You don’t need to write code. You need to know what code can do.

May 14, 2026
Marble Reader, Safari-like Reading Mode for Chrome

Marble Reader, Safari-like Reading Mode for Chrome

Added Twitter and YouTube support to my reading extension.

Apr 29, 2026
Product Hunt Is No Longer for Indie Makers

Product Hunt Is No Longer for Indie Makers

Product Hunt used to surface strange new products. Now it rewards launch machinery, big-company updates, and manufactured attention.

Apr 18, 2026
Why I've Built Syndicator

Why I've Built Syndicator

My own Google Reader alternative.

Apr 8, 2026
The State of Media 2026

The State of Media 2026

In 2026, first-time founders don't want to get on TechCrunch. They want TBPN.

Mar 26, 2026
Shiori, A Novel Bookmarking App

Shiori, A Novel Bookmarking App

A minimalist bookmarking app with useful AI, summaries, emails, and X bookmarks.

Mar 17, 2026
AI Won’t Kill SaaS But It Might Kill The Messy Middle

AI Won’t Kill SaaS But It Might Kill The Messy Middle

Nobody is replacing Slack with vibe coding but not all apps are that essential.

Mar 16, 2026
Building Personal Software

Building Personal Software

What you should (and shouldn't) build with AI.

Feb 4, 2026
Founders Need Better PR

Founders Need Better PR

Most startups ask for coverage before they have a story. Here is how to build a hook journalists and customers can understand.

Jan 13, 2026
Why Growth Matters

Why Growth Matters

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

Dec 17, 2025
The AI Price Hike

The AI Price Hike

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

Dec 7, 2025
How Startups Get Viral

How Startups Get Viral

Viral startups win by being utterly unreasonable about something.

Nov 19, 2025
Retro Tech Became the New Luxury

Retro Tech Became the New Luxury

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

Nov 13, 2025
How Big is TBPN?

How Big is TBPN?

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

Oct 30, 2025
Apple Watch is Better than Whoop and Oura

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.

Sep 17, 2025
The Best Brands for Enthusiasts

The Best Brands for Enthusiasts

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

Sep 10, 2025
The Broken Promises of Substack

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.

Aug 21, 2025
How Much Spotify Pays Artists

How Much Spotify Pays Artists

Spotify pays artists more than any other platform. Don't believe me?

Aug 16, 2025
The Limits of the Network State

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.

Aug 10, 2025
I Can't Stop Using Dia Browser

I Can't Stop Using Dia Browser

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

Aug 3, 2025
Highlights from Apple in China

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.

Jul 31, 2025
IMAX is a Superbrand

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.

Jul 14, 2025
The Myths of Venture Capital

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 27, 2025
Why I Don’t Like CarPlay

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).

May 6, 2025
The Sad State of Web Browsers

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?

Mar 8, 2025
Why People Leak to the Media

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.

Mar 2, 2025
iPads Are Now Both Expensive and Useless

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.

Feb 27, 2025
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Follow Yury

Occasional notes on technology, startups, media, and culture, plus curated interesting links in my Five Finds newsletter.

Recent Posts

On Moral Panics

On Moral Panics

Moral panics are a recurring feature that signals fear of novelty and shifts in power.

Jul 6, 2026
How to Solve AI's Messaging Problem

How to Solve AI's Messaging Problem

Generative AI has a messaging problem. Can it be solved?

Jun 9, 2026
Strata is a Minimal Native Outliner for MacOS

Strata is a Minimal Native Outliner for MacOS

Outliners are the superior tool for thought and I wanted a native option for MacOS.

May 30, 2026
The Age of the Polymath

The Age of the Polymath

You don’t need to write code. You need to know what code can do.

May 14, 2026
Marble Reader, Safari-like Reading Mode for Chrome

Marble Reader, Safari-like Reading Mode for Chrome

Added Twitter and YouTube support to my reading extension.

Apr 29, 2026