Spero in Dialogue

4/21–4/26

Each week, we like to share links, books, movies, and content that the team found interesting. Hopefully it helps the world get to know us a little better, and maybe some interesting patterns will emerge.

Sara Eshelman

Jontay Porter’s lifetime NBA ban highlights the risks of sports gambling (Vox)

I’m not a professional sports fan at all, but have found the NBA’s recent enforcement of a lifetime ban fascinating. Thinking strictly in economic terms, the ban should dramatically reduce the payoff to gambling among early career players (where gambling gains are offset by reduced lifetime earnings), but wonder about later career players?

Andrew Parker

Startup Finance for Founders — Part II, Strategic Finance (Peter Reinhardt Blog)

I am cheating on my homework this week: this link was found by Christina Cacioppo, CEO of Vanta. This link is an excellent primer from one of the best entrepreneurs I’ve met (Peter Reinhardt) on “hard won” lessons in how to run a tech startup. The best tip is the “annual prepayment” one, but they are all gems

Marc Tarpenning

What will TED look like in 40 years? (TED)

For TED’s 40th anniversary, they opened the conference last week with an AI Sora generated vision of what TED will be like 40 years from now. Quite fun.

Stephen Wemple

Global Warming of 1.5 ºC (IPCC)

I was in SF for Climate this week and attended a live recording of the My Climate Journey podcast. Host Cody Simms said the two most common answers to question — “What started your climate journey” are Orange Skies Day in SF in 2020 and the IPCC Special Report from 2018. Revisited the report after the session and was reminded just how much that findings impacted me almost 6 years ago.

Lisa Zieger

Jonathan Haidt Wants You to Take Away Your Kid’s Phone (The New Yorker podcast)

My husband, teenage boys, and I happened to catch this interview on the New Yorker Radio Hour while doing some chores around the house last weekend. While our 15 year old wasn’t onboard with the prospect of giving up his cell phone for a year, he did immediately turn off a bunch of notifications. We’ve since been listening to and talkiing about the audiobook as a family.

Shripriya Mahesh

Obituary for a Quiet Life (The Bitter Southerner)

In a world full of obits for those we know of or should have known of, this is one for a quiet life. One that had an impact nonetheless.