Incremental Insights #87
The best of what I read, listened to, and watched during the week
LLMs vs Marketplaces
Marketplace defensibility depends on three factors: how hard supply is to aggregate, how managed the marketplace is, and the nature of customer engagement (frequency and consideration).
Response to Centrini and Stablecoin Impact
Payments are a trust network, not just a rail.
Stablecoins may speed settlement, but Visa/Mastercard still win on global acceptance, rules, fraud + dispute handling, and issuer/merchant incentives.
It’s February, and I am writing about… heat waves
An interesting way to look at the economic costs of climate change with the rise of sick leave for those with pre-existing conditions during heatwaves.
“a three-day heatwave costs the German economy an estimated €32.2m in ‘lost wages’ and increases health care costs by 0.22% for each day in the heatwave.”
Interview with David Kim a.k.a Scuttleblurb (2026)
I always enjoy these annual interviews with Scuttleblurb on the state of the research driven newsletter business.