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The Economist, imho, has never been a great place to read about Internet trends (they do a great job with cutting-edge tech, esp. from a science or R&D point of

by r0h1n 13y ago

The Economist, imho, has never been a great place to read about Internet trends (they do a great job with cutting-edge tech, esp. from a science or R&D point of view). But their current special report is a rare exception. Ludwig Siegele, the anchor (Economist writers are allowed bylines for special reports) has covered quite a bit of ground. Some of the stuff may be familiar to HN readers, but I can almost guarantee it will be very useful and revealing to most other (non-tech) readers. Which is why I'll take the risk of posting links to all the stories in the report: The 'Cambrian Explosion' in web entrepreneurship - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593580-cheap-and-ubiquitous-building-blocks-digital-products-and-services-have-caused http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593580-cheap-... Lean methodology - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593580-cheap-and-ubiquitous-building-blocks-digital-products-and-services-have-caused http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593580-cheap-... How venture capital is adapting - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593585-venture-capital-adapting-itself-new-startup-landscape-leafy-lofty http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593585-ventur... The role of accelerators, including YC - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593592-biggest-professional-training-system-you-have-never-heard-getting-up-speed http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593592-bigges... Rocket Internet's approach towards farming startups - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593586-how-build-companies-kit-rocket-machine http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593586-how-bu... Global startup ecosystems - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593582-what-entrepreneurial-ecosystems-need-flourish-all-together-now http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593582-what-e... The 'dark side' of starting up - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593591-are-startups-just-workaholic-white-male-lumpen-preneurs-founders-blues http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593591-are-st... Hardware startups and Shenzhen - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593590-why-southern-china-best-place-world-hardware-innovator-be-hacking http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593590-why-so... The growth of platforms - http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593583-proliferating-digital-platforms-will-be-heart-tomorrows-economy-and-even http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593583-prolif...

drcode 13y ago
I still give the Economist huge credit for releasing this cover image in 2005: http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/after%20the%20fall%20house%20prices%20economist%20magazine%202005.png http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/a... That was arguably the most unambiguous and accurate prediction on the cover of a magazine, ever. I remember the lady next to me on an airplane telling me she was just getting heavily into a house flipping business. I happened to have that issue of the Economist with me to read on the plane. I showed her the cover and said "But what about this?" (I wonder what happened to her business...)
- r0h1n 13y ago
  I don't doubt their 'smarts' (I've been a reader/subscriber for nearly a decade). But when it comes to Internet/e-commerce/cloud, I've rarely ever found them as cutting edge. Of course their tech special reports are always a great read, but the focus there is mostly deeper, cutting-edge science/R&D etc.
- frandroid 13y ago
  Everyone with some financial literacy knew that the housing market was a bubble, the Economist wasn't exactly an oracle.
  - drcode 13y ago
    Yes, many smart people saw the writing on the wall, but pretty much all other magazines had covers like this at that time: http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/home%20sweet%20home%20time%20magazine%20cover.png http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/h...
- nkoren 13y ago
  That cover story is what caused me to pivot my career away from architecture, as it was clear that architects would be absolutely hammered by the inevitable crash. (And they were; architecture as a whole suffered more job losses than any other industry). By the time the crash was bottoming out, I had a brand-new degree and job in the driverless vehicle industry. So, yes, it pays to read The Economist closely.

by r0h1n 13y ago

drcode 13y ago

I still give the Economist huge credit for releasing this cover image in 2005: http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/after%20the%20fall%20house%20prices%20economist%20magazine%202005.png http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/a... That was arguably the most unambiguous and accurate prediction on the cover of a magazine, ever. I remember the lady next to me on an airplane telling me she was just getting heavily into a house flipping business. I happened to have that issue of the Economist with me to read on the plane. I showed her the cover and said "But what about this?" (I wonder what happened to her business...)

r0h1n 13y ago
I don't doubt their 'smarts' (I've been a reader/subscriber for nearly a decade). But when it comes to Internet/e-commerce/cloud, I've rarely ever found them as cutting edge. Of course their tech special reports are always a great read, but the focus there is mostly deeper, cutting-edge science/R&D etc.
frandroid 13y ago
Everyone with some financial literacy knew that the housing market was a bubble, the Economist wasn't exactly an oracle.
- drcode 13y ago
  Yes, many smart people saw the writing on the wall, but pretty much all other magazines had covers like this at that time: http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/home%20sweet%20home%20time%20magazine%20cover.png http://www.tradersnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/h...
nkoren 13y ago
That cover story is what caused me to pivot my career away from architecture, as it was clear that architects would be absolutely hammered by the inevitable crash. (And they were; architecture as a whole suffered more job losses than any other industry). By the time the crash was bottoming out, I had a brand-new degree and job in the driverless vehicle industry. So, yes, it pays to read The Economist closely.