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Occasional notes on technology, startups, media, and culture, plus curated interesting links in my Five Finds newsletter.
Featured
The State of Media 2026
In 2026, first-time founders don't want to get on TechCrunch. They want TBPN.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recent Articles
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.
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.
My Holiday Gift Guide
Here are some gadgets that I really enjoy. Buy for yourself or your friends!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Why Arc is The Best Browser
Arc reinvented web browsing for the modern Internet. And I’m very thankful.
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.
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.
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.
The Unstoppable EU and The Immovable Apple
Apple is hell-bent on standing its ground against any attempts to limit their control over the AppStore. As a result, they might see governments worldwide legislating their product experience, and the result will likely be far worse both for them and their users.
Why AI Doomerism is Flawed and Misguided
The Internet favors simple opinions, meaning we're stuck between AI dommers and e/acc people. And yet the most urgent and interesting questions relate not to its potential capacity to kill us all, but rather mundane things.
Communicating with Numbers
If you can find a figure that makes your business more appealing than competitors, you should run with it.
Does Blogging Even Work?
Blogging is still the most reliable way of broadcasting your thoughts without being at the whims of someone’s algorithm.
Why Superhuman Is Worth $30
I pay $30 a month for my email client. And I think it’s worth it because it’s excellent and there aren’t many alternatives, unfortunately.
Uber is Good, Actually
A conventional taxi is similar to a tourist-trap restaurant that you will never visit again. Uber leverages technology to become an arbiter between you and the collective of drivers so they can provide a better service.
Basecamp is a Contrarian Marketing Operation
Basecamp is well-known not because of its product but because its founders heavily leverage marketing and communications, eventually turning into contrarian marketing machines producing edgy posts and starting crusades just to get everyone’s attention.
Web Apps Are Better Than No Apps
There’s a certain community in tech that’s very vocal about their preference toward native apps. I share that sentiment, yet sometimes people take this idea too religiously. Unfortunately, the actual choice is about having an app or not, and I'd rather take something over nothing.
Follow Yury
Occasional notes on technology, startups, media, and culture, plus curated interesting links in my Five Finds newsletter.
Recent Posts
On Moral Panics
Moral panics are a recurring feature that signals fear of novelty and shifts in power.
How to Solve AI's Messaging Problem
Generative AI has a messaging problem. Can it be solved?
Strata is a Minimal Native Outliner for MacOS
Outliners are the superior tool for thought and I wanted a native option for MacOS.
Marble Reader, Safari-like Reading Mode for Chrome
Added Twitter and YouTube support to my reading extension.