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Wednesday, June 04, 2025

LaunchPad SF




Here's a startup idea based on the text above — think Gary’s Guide meets On Deck meets Product Hunt, but ultra-local and tailored to the AI/startup newcomer scene in SF (and eventually every major startup hub).

Startup Name: LaunchPad Local (or just: "LaunchPad SF")

Tagline:

Your first friend in the city of startups.

What It Is:

A digital companion platform + newsletter for newcomers to startup hubs, starting with San Francisco in 2025. Think “the ultimate onboarding experience” to a new city for startup founders, AI builders, and technologists.

Problem:

Landing in SF (or NYC, LA, Austin, London, Bangalore, etc.) as a startup founder or AI builder is overwhelming:

  • You don’t know who to follow.

  • You miss key meetups and pitch nights.

  • You get burned by shady sublets.

  • You don’t know which VC intros are actually founder-friendly.

  • You’re isolated until you randomly stumble upon community.

Solution:

A hyperlocal, always-updated “Starter Guide + Insider Network” delivered as:

  • Curated newsletter (weekly)

  • Interactive city map & database

  • Founder-first recs (not pay-to-play)

  • Mobile app (event radar, people radar)

  • Slack/Discord/WhatsApp-based community

Core Features (SF Starter Kit v1):

  • 🌐 Directory of Superconnectors (curated Twitter/X list + personal intro opportunities)

  • 📅 Live AI + Startup Event Tracker (conferences, meetups, hackathons)

  • 🧠 Accelerator & Program Map (On Deck, YC, Latitud, PearX, etc.)

  • 💰 Founder-Recommended VC List (sortable by thesis, check size, responsiveness)

  • 🏠 Housing Radar (coliving houses, founder-friendly landlords, sublet alerts)

  • 💼 Workspaces Map (coworking spaces, cafes, “third places”)

  • 🌍 Immigration Help (visas, lawyer lists, startup visa programs, global talent initiatives)

Business Model:

  • Freemium:
    Free for basic guide/newsletter. Paid Pro version includes:

    • Premium intros to VCs/superconnectors

    • Real-time event alerts

    • Private Slack groups by domain (AI, climate, bio, etc.)

    • Job board & housing board access

  • Event Sponsorships

  • Partnered "Starter Packs" with local orgs (YC, a16z, Airbnb, Deel, etc.)

Future Vision:

Expand to other cities:

  • LaunchPad NYC

  • LaunchPad Bangalore

  • LaunchPad Berlin
    ...each with local curators and tailored resources.

Build an AI assistant that guides you in real time based on your interests, visa status, runway, and social goals.

Taglines to Try:

  • Land in SF like a local.

  • The startup welcome mat you never had.

  • Your GPS for the founder journey.

  • Start smarter, connect faster.

Launch Marketing Hook:

“Everything I wish I knew when I first moved to SF.”
Make it founder-authored, founder-backed, and community-owned from day one.


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Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Why Can't Tesla Match BYD Inside China On Prices?


 

Tesla can’t match BYD prices in China for several strategic, structural, and economic reasons:

1. BYD Has a Cost Advantage from Vertical Integration

  • BYD makes its own batteries, which are one of the most expensive components of EVs. Tesla relies heavily on suppliers (CATL, Panasonic).

  • BYD even produces its own chips and semiconductors, motors, and much of its supply chain.

  • This allows BYD to control costs and reduce production expenses far more than Tesla can.

2. Different Market Segments and Brand Positioning

  • Tesla positions itself as a premium, tech-forward EV brand, even in China.

  • BYD caters to both mid-range and budget segments, especially with models like the Seagull that can be priced as low as $10,000.

  • Tesla won’t deliberately destroy its brand equity by entering ultra-budget segments where profit margins are razor thin.

3. Made-in-China for China vs. Global Supply Chains

  • Tesla still builds some parts outside China and ships them in, especially for tech components, which increases costs.

  • BYD is deeply localized and has massive economies of scale within China.

4. Government Relationships and Incentives

  • While Tesla has been granted many favorable policies in China (such as full foreign ownership of its factory), BYD benefits more consistently from state support, local subsidies, fleet deals, and government procurement.

  • The political tailwind favors domestic champions like BYD in the current geopolitical climate.

5. Battery Chemistry Differences

  • BYD uses LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries widely, which are cheaper than the NCA/NCM batteries Tesla uses for performance.

  • While Tesla also uses LFP for some models in China, BYD optimizes around cost first, not performance.

6. Tesla’s Global Strategy

  • Tesla builds cars in China for both domestic consumption and export, which means it’s balancing different cost and regulatory structures.

  • Tesla also maintains a global price consistency to avoid arbitrage or brand confusion—BYD is China-first.

Summary:

Tesla can't match BYD prices because BYD is structurally built to dominate on cost, with a domestic-first, vertically integrated model. Tesla is still more of a tech brand with higher margins, global integration, and a premium image to maintain.

If Tesla tried to match BYD’s ultra-low prices, it would hurt both its profitability and brand value, and possibly still lose in a market where BYD plays home-field advantage.




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3: Ron Conway

Ron Conway

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

AI Agents and the Future of Ad‑Revenue Businesses
Trump’s Tariffs Are Slowing Down US And Global Economy, OECD Says
Major NATO nation reveals huge plan to prepare for war in Europe with Putin
Opinion: Trump’s tariff tantrum risks a global depression
Poll Signals Major Shift for Democrats

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

Remote Work Productivity Hacks
How to Make Money with AI Tools
AI for Beginners

View on Threads

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

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Prompts Are Thoughts

 


Prompts Are Thoughts: An Essay

In the age of artificial intelligence, the simple word “prompt” has taken on profound philosophical and practical significance. Once relegated to the realm of cues and triggers—“prompt someone to act” or “a writing prompt”—the prompt has evolved into something much more: a distilled expression of human thought, intent, curiosity, and imagination. In fact, prompts are thoughts—compressed, purposeful, and often crystallized in ways that reveal as much about the thinker as they do about the content.

The Prompt as a Mirror of Mind

A prompt is the meeting point of language and cognition. It encodes a thought into a form that can be transmitted, interpreted, and acted upon—by a person, or now, increasingly, by a machine. When we prompt an AI, we are, in essence, revealing the inner workings of our mind in condensed form. The choice of words, the structure of the sentence, even the tone—each of these communicates our mindset, perspective, and underlying assumptions.

Much like a journal entry or a prayer, a prompt is a reflection of mental state. A question like “How do I become more confident?” reveals both a desire and a perceived lack. A prompt like “Write a poem about a clock that stops time” shows imagination, curiosity, and an artistic sensibility. Prompts, then, are windows into the soul.

Thought, Compressed into Action

In a world increasingly mediated by AI tools, the prompt becomes not just an expression of thought but a lever of power. A well-phrased prompt can unlock insight, generate art, solve equations, or simulate a conversation with a historical figure. The prompt is the new syntax of action—the new interface between thought and result.

It compresses abstract ideas into executable commands. It forces clarity. In fact, crafting a prompt is often the act of refining a vague mental swirl into a precise intent. And in doing so, we train our minds to think more clearly. Prompts are not just thoughts; they are thoughts sharpened into tools.

Prompts and the Future of Communication

As generative AI continues to grow in capability, the importance of prompting will only increase. We will teach children not just to write essays, but to write prompts. Prompt engineering may become a form of digital rhetoric—a way of persuading or instructing machines with elegance and precision. And with this will come new literacies: how to structure thoughts, how to translate intentions, how to converse with the non-human.

In this way, prompts might one day become the most basic unit of communication in the AI-human symbiosis. Like chemical reactions in a lab, they are small inputs that produce extraordinary outcomes. And those who can think in prompts—succinct, structured, strategic—will be the thinkers of the next era.

Conclusion: The Thoughtful Prompt

To say that prompts are thoughts is not merely a poetic idea—it is a recognition of a shift in how humans relate to knowledge, technology, and creativity. Just as the written word preserved human memory, and the printed book spread human culture, the prompt channels human cognition into dynamic, interactive forms. Every prompt carries within it a piece of the thinker’s mind.

In the age of AI, our thoughts are no longer bound by internal monologue or idle rumination. They are cast into the world, encoded as prompts, and met with response—dialogue, code, poem, plan. Prompts are thoughts not just in essence, but in action.

And perhaps the future belongs not to those with all the answers, but to those who know how to ask.



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