The hottest Business Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Links 548 A productivity surge in the US oil industry. Taiwan's AI exports. The price of data and Joan Didion putting the boot in.

Chartbook • 371 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
💼 Business Economics Industry Technology Productivity Trade
  1. The US oil industry is experiencing a big boost in productivity, which is likely affecting the overall economy.
  2. Taiwan is making significant strides in AI exports, indicating growth in tech and innovation in the region.
  3. There are rising concerns about the value of data in today's world, reflecting how important and expensive information has become.

How I Built This In Public: Marko Saric

Build In Public Newsletter • 210 HN points • 10 Mar 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Startups Open Source Content creation
  1. Plausible Analytics was built in public from the first line of code, attracting early users and customers.
  2. Building in public brings transparency, feedback, and support from the community, but requires more than just sharing on social media for startup success.
  3. In building in public, create valuable content, be different, focus on creating a product people want, and learn effective communication strategies.

the biggest business myth is that PE-backed companies are well run

Five Links (and three graphs) by Auren Hoffman • 121 implied HN points • 22 Jun 25
💼 Business Private Equity Company performance Corporate strategy Investment Analysis
  1. Private equity (PE) companies used to be seen as well-run, but many are now poorly managed and bloated. Unlike the past, there's no guarantee that a PE-backed company is better run than others.
  2. PE firms today often focus more on financial engineering and increasing their fees rather than actually improving the companies they buy. This has led to companies becoming more complicated without much actual performance improvement.
  3. If a top PE firm acquires a company from another top PE firm, the acquired company may not be able to provide significant improvements. The trend shows that the initial efficiency that PE firms once promised is largely missing now.

Managing Careers.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 87 implied HN points • 03 Aug 25
💼 Business Personal Growth Work Culture Leadership Future work
  1. Plan your career for the long term, thinking ahead 50 years. This way, you can focus on growth and avoid making hasty decisions based on short-term situations.
  2. Having a job is not the same as having meaningful work. The future will likely offer more ways to find fulfilling work beyond just traditional jobs.
  3. The people you work with are crucial to your career satisfaction. Choose roles that allow you to learn and grow from those around you, not just for higher pay.

This Substack Writer Accidentally Enabled The Paid Button - Here's What Happened!

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 459 implied HN points • 11 Jan 23
💼 Business Media Entrepreneurship Marketing Publishing Technology
  1. Substack allows anyone to create a newsletter quickly and easily, which can lead to significant earning potential. It's a great way for writers to share their work and connect with readers.
  2. Alicia Kennedy's story shows that even a simple mistake, like accidentally enabling the paid subscription option, can turn a hobby into a source of income. She built a successful newsletter with thousands of subscribers and made over $2,000 a month.
  3. Starting a newsletter can open up many opportunities, like connecting with publishers or getting recognized by major media outlets. Even a small following can lead to financial gain and personal growth in the writing field.
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NVIDIA 2025 Q4 Financials

More Than Moore • 233 implied HN points • 27 Feb 25
💼 Business Finance Earnings Technology Market Trends Growth Strategy
  1. NVIDIA is seeing huge success, with its revenue and profits growing significantly. Their Q4 revenue reached $39.3 billion, which is a 78% increase from last year.
  2. Most of NVIDIA's growth comes from their data center business, which accounts for over 90% of their revenue. They are becoming primarily a data center company with strong sales of AI training hardware.
  3. While the gaming sector is struggling a bit, NVIDIA's automotive division is booming, having achieved 103% growth in Q4. Their self-driving technology is driving this success.

The Carpenter’s Guide To Online Branding: Sell Your SawDust.

Day One • 2456 implied HN points • 05 May 20
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Creativity Success Content creation
  1. Share your work process, not just the final product. People love stories and want to be informed, educated, and entertained.
  2. Don't hoard your 'sawdust' - share the byproducts of your work. Opportunities come from letting people in on your journey, not just the end result.
  3. Reveal your progress and growth journey. By showcasing your development, you can attract more clients and showcase your expertise.

What’s up with…? - Part 1: Temu

Tech Buzz China Insider • 139 implied HN points • 22 Dec 23
💼 Business E-commerce Market Expansion Promotion Logistics Profitability
  1. Pinduoduo's cross-border platform Temu experienced rapid growth, reaching impressive sales numbers and expanding to new markets with strong user retention rates.
  2. Temu heavily invested in marketing and promotion, with a significant budget allocation for advertising and user acquisition, showcasing a focus on market expansion and customer reach.
  3. Logistics played a vital role in Temu's operations, with a well-defined shipping strategy to ensure timely deliveries and a wide product range provided by a large network of suppliers.

Tencent CEO Pony Ma's speech at the firm's annual staff meeting

Ginger River Review • 98 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
💼 Business Technology Finance Media Management AI
  1. Tencent CEO discussed the future of key business segments like WeChat, AI, Platform and Content Group, Cloud and Smart Industries Group, and games.
  2. Internal management and leadership were emphasized, advocating for a return to product experience and detailing strategic approaches for growth.
  3. Focus was placed on global expansion in the gaming industry, the importance of employee morale, signifying revolutionary changes in Tencent's business approach.

Passing the Hat

The Commonplace • 809 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
💼 Business Monetization Content creation Subscription Model Digital marketing
  1. The author aims to have a different approach to monetization by avoiding aggressive sales tactics and simply reminding readers about paid subscription options once a year.
  2. The author values creating a space free from excessive ads and calls to action, focusing more on providing quality content for readers.
  3. The author emphasizes that while money is appreciated, what truly matters to them is the readers enjoying and benefiting from their writing.

POV > AI

The Intersection • 118 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
💼 Business Creativity Marketing Advertising Cost Analysis
  1. A unique point of view can be more valuable than relying solely on AI for creative work, showcasing the importance of human creativity and perspective.
  2. The creative process, involving brainstorming, team collaboration, idea refinement, and client communication, can be greatly expedited by leveraging AI tools.
  3. Creatives with experience have a wealth of ideas and insights stored in their 'drawers' of knowledge, allowing them to quickly adapt and innovate, providing a distinct value compared to AI.

The invisible hand screws up your regression

Economic Forces • 19 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
💼 Business Economics Econometrics Trade Labor Macroeconomics Public Policy
  1. Because prices link firms, workers, and markets, difference-in-differences estimates pick up relative changes across units (the slope) but miss common, economy-wide level shifts that get absorbed by fixed effects — the “missing intercept.”
  2. Treatment spillovers mean control groups are almost never untouched, so naively scaling a micro DiD coefficient up to an aggregate shock can be very misleading; the true aggregate effect could be much smaller or much larger than the naive calculation.
  3. To learn the aggregate or policy-relevant effect you need economic structure or extra identifying assumptions; techniques like synthetic DiD fix pre-trends but cannot recover common, market-wide shocks without a structural model.

Arm 2026 Q1 Financials

More Than Moore • 93 implied HN points • 30 Jul 25
💼 Business Finance Tech industry Revenue streams Market Analysis
  1. Arm's Q1 2026 revenue reached $1.05 billion, up 12% from last year, marking another record for the company. This growth mainly came from increased royalty revenue.
  2. The company's licensing revenue decreased slightly, but Arm showed strong growth in royalty revenue, especially from its new Compute Subsystems and AI-related chips.
  3. Despite a slight decline in net income, Arm is investing heavily in research and development, indicating a focus on future growth and innovation.

Lessons learned from Ford's assembly line

Jon’s Newsletter • 119 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
💼 Business Innovation Manufacturing Economics Labor History
  1. Ford's assembly line made car production much faster, cutting down assembly time from 12 hours to just 90 minutes. This allowed Ford to produce cars more efficiently.
  2. By dropping the price of the Model T from $850 to under $300, Ford made cars affordable for many more people. This helped him sell over 15 million Model Ts by 1927.
  3. Henry Ford also raised workers' wages to $5 a day, which was double the average wage. This not only reduced turnover but also allowed workers to buy the cars they made.

How to Talk About Valuation Numbers When Investor Ask? | VC Remote Jobs & More

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Investor Relations Job Opportunities
  1. When discussing valuation with investors, avoid naming a specific price but instead give a general range to 'anchor' them and test their reaction.
  2. Be prepared to discuss your past fundraising, including the post-money valuation and amount raised, as VCs use this information to assess fit and potential issues.
  3. When asked if existing investors are participating in the round, balance showing their support with the need to meet new investor expectations while maintaining good relationships.

Deep Tech Spin-Offs: Selecting the One That Could Make You a 50x Return

Space Ambition • 99 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Investment Startups Market Trends
  1. Deep Tech startups often come from universities and focus on serious scientific advancements. These companies can tackle big problems like climate change and health issues.
  2. Investing in Deep Tech can take longer but might lead to much higher returns. While these ventures are riskier, they often attract government support, which can boost their chances of success.
  3. Successful Deep Tech spin-offs usually have solid partnerships with skilled entrepreneurs. Scientists need business co-founders to help them navigate the commercial side of their innovations.

Embarking on the Product Management Journey: Product Research and Discovery

Product Power by Samet Ozkale • 196 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
💼 Business Product Management Research Innovation Development Framework
  1. Product managers can find ideas through user interviews, trend analysis, personal experiences, and input from internal stakeholders.
  2. Criteria for pursuing an idea include satisfying a need, having a unique selling point, being profitable and in demand, and creating value.
  3. Utilizing the Double Diamond framework can guide product discovery and development by focusing on understanding problems before jumping into solutions.

Letter #154: Josh Kushner and Kareem Zaki (2023)

A Letter a Day • 98 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Investing Startups Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. When starting a venture capital firm, consider going against conventional wisdom and focus on a unique approach. Josh Kushner and Kareem Zaki emphasize the importance of building a firm that is hands-on and sector-agnostic, going beyond traditional boundaries in investment strategies.
  2. In consumer investments, look at trends like the rise of creators and the power of brands. Thrive Capital highlights the significance of coupling an extraordinary product with strong brand presence across different industries, not just limited to direct-to-consumer businesses.
  3. Consider major life decisions beyond a specific industry. The intersection of software and hardware, growth in healthcare technology, and trends like brain-machine interfaces offer promising investment opportunities. Keeping a flexible mindset and being able to adapt to fast-paced changes is crucial in today's evolving landscape.

Why newsletter signups should always be your north star

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 723 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
💼 Business Media Entrepreneurship Finance Marketing Content creation
  1. Focus on growing newsletter signups as a key metric for success, as platforms can impact content creators' reach and livelihood unpredictably.
  2. Media entrepreneurs should be cautious of relying solely on tech platforms for distribution, as policies and algorithms can mistakenly impact their work.
  3. Entrepreneurs in media should consider covering niche news sites, video channels, podcasts, newsletters, and affiliate/ecommerce to succeed independently.

Conviction-Led Contrarianism

Investing 101 • 138 implied HN points • 24 May 25
💼 Business Investing Entrepreneurship Innovation Management Strategy
  1. It's important to think differently and go against the crowd sometimes. Instead of just trying to fit in, being a contrarian can lead to amazing innovations.
  2. Don't let what other people think stop you from pursuing your ideas. Often, we worry too much about others' opinions, but we can be more free and creative when we focus on what we truly believe.
  3. Always aim to have strong reasons for your beliefs. It's great to be a contrarian, but make sure you're right and not just being difficult for the sake of it.

Accepting it's over might be your best survival plan

Make Work Better • 136 implied HN points • 28 May 25
💼 Business Workplace AI Job Market Corporate culture Future of work
  1. AI is rapidly evolving and may soon be able to replace many jobs. This change is happening faster than we can adapt, making it important to stay aware of new developments.
  2. Many companies are not yet embracing AI, leading to a divide between those who are prepared for changes and those who are not. This could create job insecurity for many workers in the future.
  3. It’s crucial for individuals and organizations to invest in learning new skills related to AI. Accepting the reality of potential job loss can help us prepare for what's ahead.

($) Oracle Cloud: the Largest "Chinese Cloud" in America?

Interconnected • 123 implied HN points • 16 Jun 25
💼 Business Cloud Computing E-commerce Corporate strategy Investment Trends Technology Adoption
  1. Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle, recently became one of the richest people in the world after Oracle's stock price surged due to strong earnings. This happened because of a positive outlook for Oracle's cloud computing growth, fueled by increased demand for AI infrastructure.
  2. Oracle is securing a lot of contracts from companies with ties to China, like Temu and TikTok, even as other American businesses shy away from China. This strategy is helping Oracle grow in a challenging market.
  3. The recent growth in Oracle's sales isn't just from AI; they are getting significant deals from various clients moving to their cloud services, which reflects a strong demand for their technology.

Problems at Viasat (VSAT)

The Bear Cave • 349 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
💼 Business Tech Companies Market Competition Aviation Government Influence
  1. Viasat is facing tough competition from SpaceX's Starlink, which offers better internet services with lower costs and faster speeds. This competition is stealing customers from Viasat's main markets.
  2. Starlink's quick response during disasters, like Hurricane Helene, shows its effectiveness and has gained recognition from notable figures like President Trump. This has raised its profile and user demand.
  3. Viasat's challenges are significant enough that many believe it could struggle to survive, as Starlink continues to grow and dominate the satellite internet industry.

Be an idea expander

polymathematics • 139 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Innovation Creativity Startups Self-Improvement
  1. Open your mind to new ideas and let them grow instead of shutting them down right away. Protecting fragile ideas helps them develop.
  2. Focus on creating alternatives rather than competing. Unique ideas that are different can lead to success.
  3. Think about how something makes you feel when deciding to pursue it. Following what excites you can lead to better choices.

Platform Papers 2023 Year in Review

Platform Papers • 139 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
💼 Business Research Marketing Economics Management
  1. 2023 had a record number of articles on platform competition research, with a 16% increase from the previous year.
  2. Marketing articles in platform competition research saw significant growth, accounting for 27% of published articles in 2023.
  3. The main themes in platform competition research covered network effects, platform pricing, winner-takes-all dynamics, and ecosystem governance, highlighting the impact of platforms on their ecosystems.

Vitamins and painkillers — or remedy?

The Jolly Contrarian • 119 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
💼 Business Management Strategy Consulting Technology Legal
  1. Business offerings can be classified as painkillers (address immediate problems) or vitamins (guard against problems over time).
  2. Painkillers may provide quick revenues, but vitamins are stickier, build better relationships, and offer stable income over the long term.
  3. In the legal operations world, the focus should be on diagnosing and providing practical advice, rather than just masking problems or offering generic solutions.

When Orgs Become Siloed

Suzan's Fieldnotes • 98 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership Organizational Culture Teamwork Management
  1. Leadership is a shared experience, not an individual effort. A siloed leadership team can lead to a siloed organization. To shift organizational behavior, start at the leadership layer.
  2. Signs of a siloed culture include individualism, rise of 'poop umbrellas', influence behind closed doors, and apathy turning into fear. These signs can lead to missed business goals and a slipping company culture.
  3. Siloed cultures often form unintentionally due to tough market conditions, organizational changes, focus on individual parts instead of the system, and lack of intentional culture. Realignment starts by rallying the team around shared objectives, identifying desired team culture, and rewarding desired values.

How writers and creators are using Notes to reach more subscribers

Substack • 516 implied HN points • 11 Jul 24
💼 Business Publishing Marketing Content creation Social media Entrepreneurship
  1. Posting three or more thoughtful notes can lead to 50% more subscribers when launching your Substack. It's a powerful way to connect ideas and people.
  2. Notes can be used to experiment with content and get quick feedback from your audience. This helps you develop ideas that your subscribers will like.
  3. Sharing personal stories and engaging with your community through Notes helps build trust and a stronger relationship with your readers.

Unbundling the Job

State of the Future • 91 implied HN points • 22 Jul 25
💼 Business Employment Economics Workforce Automation Productivity
  1. Jobs used to provide more than just income; they offered stability and social security. Now, this connection is breaking down, and we need to rethink how people can find support.
  2. With AI changing how work is done, many entry-level jobs are becoming less structured. Tasks that used to teach skills are being automated, making it harder for new workers to learn and grow.
  3. As traditional job structures weaken, we need new systems to support people. This means finding ways to provide benefits like health care and security without needing a full-time job.

Aura of Success: The First Years of Japan's Privatized National Railways

S(ubstack)-Bahn • 341 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
💼 Business Privatization Transportation Railways Economics
  1. Japan's privatized national railways, known as JR, started with a big public celebration but hid serious financial issues. The debt from the old national rail system was moved to a new agency, allowing JR to look profitable right from the start.
  2. To make the railways seem successful, the government cut jobs and weakened labor unions, which helped JR reduce costs and shift focus to customer service, making it appear more efficient.
  3. While JR showed initial profitability and ridership growth, the reality is that public funding and clever accounting masked ongoing financial struggles, leading to a significant government bailout years later.