VFD Member's Links #4

Yes, we've been here before.

Is this good?

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Well, he did it. And that’s all I’ll say. No one is as tired and laboured by Elon Musk’s quests to martyr himself than me. Left without anything to achieve in our world, the man is checking in on what he can conquer online. Next up: space. Yes, we’ve been here before.

The nice news is that, as I write this, it appears Mr Musk is already restructuring and rehiring some of the 3000+ he laid off over the weekend. All’s fair in love, war, and capitalism. Those of you smarter and richer and more business-minded than me will know this play well. Cut once, cut deep… figure out the rest later. And that could mean the Very Next Day.

Casey Newton @CaseyNewton

Multiple sources and Twitter Blind chats now saying that the company has begun to reach out to some people it laid off yesterday asking them to come back. Whoops! 🥴

What next? Well, the digital media ecosystem that hit the very tip of our possibility before crashing in a self-inflicted fire will have to figure out some new models of income. And soon.

Pageviews aren’t dead but they’re working on it. Youtube, Discord, small publishers only, please. A bunch of teenagers on YouTube and Instagram have built more sustainable media models than some of our world’s Most Respected Venture Capital Brains. You have to laugh. I guess we should just pour more coins into the machine.

Opportunity? It’s out there. Physical products, small space events, and –  I am bullish, here – a return to real publishing. Yes, the digital world is getting harder and smaller. Magazines, newspapers, small press. It’s a good time to be getting into that market.

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