Every year around this time, as the Oscar winners are announced and everyone suddenly becomes a film critic for 48 hours, I’m reminded of something we don’t talk about enough (or talk about all the time, depending on what your job is): campaigns.
For a few days there, Moltbook was the story everyone wanted to have an opinion about. The "social network for AI agents" hit that perfect cultural frequency where tech X couldn't stop talking about it, investors were intrigued, and journalists were drafting their AI-dystopia think pieces. Was it the future? A sign of the singularity? Just deeply weird? The platform had energy, mystery, and that addictive quality.
Super Bowl week pulls everyone in. Even people who do not watch football tune in for the spectacle of sports, branding, and entertainment. You would expect the teams that make the Super Bowl to be the NFL’s strongest brands. Yet one team has not appeared in a Super Bowl in 29 years and still holds the league’s highest valuation: the Dallas Cowboys.
Last month, I grabbed coffee with the founder of a security company that just closed a big funding round. He'd reached out through a mutual connection to tell me about what they're building and see if I had any thoughts on their positioning.