Ben’s List 25

TL;DR: almost no one meets their future partner at Church or School anymore. It’s all happening online and in bars these days.

Ben Costantini

June 30, 2021 · 2 min read

Two claims stand out in this week’s reading list:

being present – whether in person or online – is overvalued and doesn’t support innovation or collaboration as much as we think;
our world needs some serious shit done if we want to avoid a total collapse of our civilization.

In between the lines, we’re also covering some of the latest news in startup funding, hybrid events and the state of dating in the US.

Politics

The Beginning of the End of Western Civilization

“The problem is that nature is not just competitive. It is profoundly cooperative. It is mutualistic just as much as it is antagonistic, probably even more so.”

eand.co/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-western-civilization-dee7c1598f45 :: Umair Haque

Productivity

Why I’m unreachable and maybe you should be too

“My situation seems different because I already have successful companies but maybe it’s not that different from yours, because regardless of that, this applies to you too:

Most things are a distraction, especially in the startup and tech world.

If you get to the core of building companies it’s about creating a great product that gets customers that pay for it.”

levels.io/contact-me/ :: @levelsio

Remote Work

Do Chance Meetings at the Office Boost Innovation? There’s No Evidence of It.

“There are risks in allowing some remote work — if some people are in the office, those who aren’t may be penalized. There are also benefits for creativity to seeing colleagues in person; brainstorming ideas and collaborating on projects requires trust, rooted in personal relationships.”