WSJ: “Mr. [Steve] Case reckons that we are entering a new phase of tech innovation. Success now requires not only software ingenuity but also industry expertise. If true, we could be due for a wave of local entrepreneurs because these are the people who are aware of the problems their communities face. Now that tech workers can work anywhere, local knowledge and expertise will be at a premium.”
The Generalist on Goldman Sachs’ tech efforts. “Goldman’s investment in technology has come under increasing pressure. The firm’s price-to-book value lags competitors like Morgan Stanley. Some have argued that Goldman’s heavy investments in technology have dragged down its stock price. The roots of Goldman’s consumer tech efforts can be traced back to the 2008 financial crisis. To survive, the firm turned itself from an investment bank into a bank holding company. Though this shift came with new responsibilities, it also opened the door to different products.”
NYTimes: “Bo Seo, a 28-year-old two-time world debating champion, says the problem of polarization isn’t so much that we disagree but rather that “we disagree badly: Our arguments are painful and useless.” We spend more time vilifying, undermining and nullifying those we disagree with than opening or changing their minds. If more people took their cues from the world of competitive debate, he argues in a recent book, it would be easier to get people to reconsider their views or at least consider those of others. Let’s consider his argument. In his book, “Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and Be Heard,” Seo, now a second-year student at Harvard Law School, says what we need is to disagree more but to do so constructively. In debate, he writes, rebuttal — arguing back — is “a vote of confidence not only in ourselves but in our opponents, one that contained the judgment that the other person was deserving of our candor and that they would receive it with grace.” Approaching arguments with reason, logic, respect and empathy can help people handle opposing views.”
