SatPost by Trung Phan

SatPost by Trung Phan covers the intersections of technology, business, creativity, and culture with a focus on insights from tech giants, entrepreneurial strategies, reading's impact, and creativity's role in innovation. It explores themes of decision-making, value capture, addiction management, and industry-specific strategies for success.

Technology and Business Insights Entrepreneurship and Innovation Creativity and Design Digital Advertising Productivity and Focus Strategies Corporate Culture and Practices Reading and Continuous Learning Historical Impacts on Modern Industry Mental Health in the Digital Age Branding and Marketing Strategies AI and Digital Transformation

The hottest Substack posts of SatPost by Trung Phan

And their main takeaways

The psychology of Disneyland

106 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture History Psychology Entertainment Travel Business
  1. Walt Disney created Disneyland to be a place of ordered and harmonious experiences, focusing on storytelling and immersive worlds.
  2. Disney's Imagineering process involves attention to detail and strategic design choices to enhance the guest experience and create a cohesive environment.
  3. Disneyland's success as a profitable venture showcases the importance of theme parks in driving revenue for the Disney empire, despite challenges like high admission prices and up-selling strategies.

The $650m+ Spirit Halloween business

84 implied HN points • 29 Sep 23
💼 Business Retail Real Estate
  1. Spirit Halloween is a massive seasonal business making over $650m a year in only 2 months.
  2. The success of Spirit Halloween is due to its pioneering pop-up store model and the US Halloween Industrial Complex.
  3. The business's real estate operation includes over 1,450 locations set up in strategic areas to capture foot traffic.

Nike, Tiffany and The 3% Rule

154 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
  1. Slightly editing an idea can be powerful as humans desire both familiarity and novelty.
  2. The 3% Rule suggests altering a product or idea by only 3% to create something new, balancing between familiarity and novelty.
  3. Combining familiarity and novelty is key in design as seen in examples like iconic logos and successful research proposals.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Disney Loves (and Hates) Public Domain

53 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
💼 Business Copyright Entertainment Laws Digital Creativity
  1. Disney lost copyright on the 1928 'Steamboat Willie' version of Mickey Mouse, showing their contradictory relationship with public domain.
  2. Disney is a major user of public domain content but also supports copyright extension laws to protect their own works.
  3. The tension between copyright and creativity lies in finding the right balance for how long protections for works should last.

Hello Kitty's $80B+ Secret Sauce

122 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
💼 Business Brands Marketing Revenue Licensing Expansion
  1. Hello Kitty's success is attributed to its simple design, cultural relevance, and successful licensing strategies.
  2. Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, utilized strategic business decisions to expand globally and maintain the character's appeal over time.
  3. Hello Kitty's design, rooted in Japanese gifting culture and the kawaii aesthetic, contributed to its global success and longevity.

"This is pointless"

132 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Economics Marketing Retail Innovation
  1. Persistence and time are crucial in achieving success, like the story of James Dyson's long journey to create the bagless vacuum.
  2. Compounding effort and time can lead to significant achievements, as seen in the success of Jack Butcher's NFT project.
  3. Investing time in a worthwhile endeavor is valuable, as time is a powerful multiplier in achieving success, illustrated by Warren Buffett's success later in life.

Getting Out on a High Note

100 implied HN points • 27 May 23
🎭️ Culture TV shows Movies Art Comedy Entertainment
  1. Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin, and Quentin Tarantino exemplify the power of walking away at their peak in creative careers.
  2. Knowing when to leave a creative endeavor can lead to a more impactful and successful body of work.
  3. The concept of 'getting out on a high note' aligns with the peak-end rule in psychology, emphasizing the importance of peaks and endings in influencing memories.

From Beatlemania to Taylor-mania

74 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Music Entertainment Social media Pop culture Celebrity
  1. Taylor Swift's 'Eras' tour is set to be the first ever to gross over $1B, with massive demand and $200+ ticket prices.
  2. The hype around Taylor Swift's tour draws comparisons to the rise of Beatlemania in 1963, with similarities in audience psychology and social context.
  3. Swift's tour success highlights the significant role of luck and timing in creative endeavors, emphasizing the importance of effort and strategy while acknowledging external factors.

Blumhouse: The Hollywood Horror Hit Machine

84 implied HN points • 13 May 23
🎭️ Culture Film Entertainment Business Memes Writing
  1. Constraints can lead to creativity in business models, as seen in Blumhouse Productions.
  2. Blumhouse's low-budget, high-return approach focuses on making multiple horror films with unique storytelling.
  3. Financial constraints in film production, like fewer speaking parts and limited locations, can result in creative and successful outcomes.

SpaceX's 5-Step Design Process

79 implied HN points • 22 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Space Exploration Innovation Engineering Memes AI
  1. SpaceX is working on a 5-step design process for their Starship rocket, focusing on rapid failure and iteration.
  2. SpaceX has achieved significant cost reductions in space travel through reusable rockets and plans to further reduce launch costs with their new Starship rocket.
  3. SpaceX's approach to rapid iteration and innovation differs from NASA's more conservative approach, allowing for quicker progress in space exploration.

Beating the Auction Duopoly

31 implied HN points • 13 Jan 24
💼 Business Auctions Market Trends
  1. Heritage Auctions is challenging the age-old auction duopoly of Sotheby's and Christie's with a focus on niche markets like rare coins.
  2. Auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's make money by taking commissions from both buyers and sellers and face challenges like collusion and price-fixing allegations.
  3. Heritage Auctions' success lies in focusing on growing auction categories, being internet-native, and prioritizing transparency compared to the established duopoly.

A miracle drug to end obesity?

69 implied HN points • 11 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity
  1. A new drug developed for one purpose, treating diabetes, is proving to be very effective for treating obesity.
  2. The drug class GLP-1 agonists, with active ingredient semaglutide, shows promise for weight loss with potential market growth.
  3. Despite the promising results, there are drawbacks to consider, such as side effects, cost, and the need for continuous treatment.

Mailbag Request

21 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Media Sports Economics Education Technology
  1. A new sports app by ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery is aiming to attract a younger audience through streaming without cannibalizing traditional cable bundles.
  2. A consulting firm charging exorbitant fees for Ivy League admission consulting highlights the extreme lengths wealthy parents go to secure college acceptance for their children.
  3. Vail Resorts' success with the Epic Pass showcases how offering a membership with access to ski mountains can generate significant revenue, similar to gyms with unused memberships.

I want Apple's Vision Pro

47 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Software User Experience Virtual reality Productivity
  1. Apple's Vision Pro headset is priced at $3,500 and focuses on creating the ideal workspace experience.
  2. Vision Pro offers a unique spatial computing experience, differentiating it from VR and AR technologies.
  3. The headset's potential lies in transforming work productivity, offering advanced hardware, and enhancing creativity through virtual spaces.

The most profitable films ever

53 implied HN points • 31 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Film AI Social media Technology Memes
  1. The most profitable Hollywood films are not always the big-budget blockbusters; sometimes low-budget horror films make the highest return on investment.
  2. AI-generated images, like the viral Pope Coat, can be incredibly realistic, leading to potential misinformation and the need for increased online skepticism.
  3. Apple's Mixed Reality headset aims for a niche market, with parallels drawn to the slow but eventually successful trajectory of the Apple Watch.

Year in review: 2021

127 implied HN points • 31 Dec 21
  1. Best interview with Stanley Druckenmiller, discussing tech stocks, crypto, and more
  2. Twitter growth strategy: focus on smart threads and dumb memes
  3. Context collapse on social media can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts

Tech and path dependence, explained

63 implied HN points • 03 Dec 22
  1. Path dependence in technology is when past decisions limit future options.
  2. Examples like tweet lengths and rail gauges show how past choices impact current technology.
  3. Understanding the history behind current products helps to question if it still makes sense.

5 Good Evergreen Podcasts

31 implied HN points • 25 Aug 23
🎙 Podcasts Food Vietnam War
  1. There are 5 evergreen podcasts recommended, covering topics like food history, famous explorers, record labels, Vietnam War films, and interesting sounds.
  2. Gastropod podcast delves into food history, while The Explorers Podcast focuses on famous explorers' stories.
  3. Trapital podcast offers insightful business breakdowns of record labels, providing an in-depth analysis of the hip-hop industry.

The $36B Nutella empire

84 implied HN points • 17 Apr 22
  1. The Ferrero Group built a $36B confectionary empire on products like Nutella and Ferrero Rocher.
  2. Giovanni Ferrero took over the business and invested $6B in acquiring chocolate and snack brands to expand globally.
  3. Ferrero faces challenges like managing hazelnut supply, addressing concerns over sugar content, and balancing acquisitions with traditional innovation.

Does Michelin Guide still matter?

26 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23
🍲 Food & Drink Restaurants Social media
  1. There is a generational split on the importance of the Michelin Guide.
  2. TikTok's rise could challenge the traditional influence of Michelin Guide in restaurant recommendations.
  3. To stay relevant, Michelin might need to adapt its content and tell its stories across new platforms.

How Facebook fixed its newsfeed

31 implied HN points • 26 Nov 22
  1. Facebook successfully cleaned up its newsfeed by removing low-quality and manipulative content.
  2. Illustration of Taleb's Turkey Problem highlights the issue of making false generalizations based on past observations.
  3. Amazon's Alexa may face discontinuation due to heavy financial losses, raising questions about the customer value of voice assistants.

Bezos and Leo

53 implied HN points • 13 Nov 21
  1. A new meme format emerged from Jeff Bezos and Leonardo DiCaprio's encounter at an event
  2. Twitter users quickly embraced the meme, creating funny posts about the situation
  3. Jeff Bezos' increased social media activity is a coordinated effort to change his public image from tech executive to a more engaging figure

How much is the Mona Lisa worth?

31 implied HN points • 19 Aug 22
  1. The Mona Lisa is considered priceless, but a hypothetical estimate suggests it could be worth $5B to $10B in the open market.
  2. Various valuation models suggest the Mona Lisa's worth could range from $554M to $1.4B based on comparisons with other da Vinci works, $1B to $9.2B based on what an uber-rich person might pay, and $6B to $17B using a cash flow model.
  3. There's a mix of serious discussion and humorous speculation on the value of the Mona Lisa, including suggestions of potential buyers like Jeff Bezos and memes about Mark Zuckerberg's VR world.

CNN+ vs. Quibi

37 implied HN points • 23 Apr 22
  1. CNN+ shut down after only 32 days, which is ludicrous
  2. Quibi had a more impressive content library than CNN+
  3. CNN+ spent more money per day and had worse numbers than Quibi

ConstitutionDAO: A meme history

37 implied HN points • 20 Nov 21
  1. ConstitutionDAO raised over $47 million to buy a copy of the US Constitution at an auction, showcasing the power of decentralized autonomous organizations.
  2. Nicholas Cage and memes played a significant role in the hype surrounding ConstitutionDAO, adding a humorous element to the initiative.
  3. ConstitutionDAO's auction ultimately lost to Ken Griffin, sparking humor and controversy on social media.

Jack Dorsey exits Twitter

31 implied HN points • 04 Dec 21
  1. Jack Dorsey stepped down as Twitter CEO and named Parag Agrawal as his successor.
  2. Jack Dorsey shifted his focus to Square, which was renamed to Block, to pursue his blockchain and crypto ambitions.
  3. The memes and tweets surrounding Jack Dorsey's departure were humorous and centered around his eccentricities, like his daily routine and unique interests.

Come for the memes, stay for the Thinkboi stuff

31 implied HN points • 16 Nov 21
  1. SatPost shares funny memes and Twitter threads on trending topics
  2. The Thinkboi stuff includes insights on companies & innovative business tactics
  3. Trung Phan's Twitter threads cover a variety of interesting topics like psychology tricks in retail