Posts
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Open Source x AI
Much has been said in the past year about the impact of LLMs on software development and developer productivity. But to quickly recap using one of the more well-known tools, GitHub has published several helpful studies on how their AI coding assistant (Copilot) has helped developers: 88% reported being more productive, 96% were faster with repetitive tasks, 77%...
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Elections & Technology Implications
Welcome to Week 1 of 2024. In today’s world, every headline you come across is echoing a year characterized by volatility, and this is not without reason. A staggering $44 trillion in GDP is undergoing elections this year, representing approximately half of the global economy. This situation underscores the significant impact of our increasingly precarious...
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2023 Year in Review
As we close the chapter on 2023 we wanted to reflect on the massive shifts that have shaped the venture landscape this year, how Conversion Capital has navigated these turbulent times, and what themes and technologies we are most focused on in the new year. The pandemic of 2020, and the subsequent three years of...
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“Empty Bins” and the US Defense Industrial Base
On a recent trip to London, I once again toured the Churchill War Rooms. Hidden beneath the streets of Westminster, the historic underground complex that housed the British government command center throughout the Second World War is a must see. The 1940s were truly a chaotic time in history, yet there was no denying the...
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The New Gold Rush in Mortgage Technology?
Economists anticipate that higher rates might prevail for a longer duration than we expect, with their impact only mitigated by a deterioration in consumer credit, leading to an economic slowdown and a reaction by the Fed – arguably the best of worst-case scenarios. Market dislocations, such as the ones we’re currently witnessing, often give rise...
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Labor Unions and Automation
Technology innovation has found its unlikely ally In periods of increased inflation and economic uncertainty, profit margins contract, the value of purchasing power declines, and there’s an amplified demand for cost-of-living adjustments. Such conditions lead to a delicate balance between maintaining business viability and safeguarding employees’ purchasing power. Consequently, the escalation in labor union activities...
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America’s Decoupling
Throughout history, large macro corrections often spur transformative changes in policy, technology, and society. These changes act as a disruptive reset and are typically followed by a rapid acceleration to a new normal. Economic recoveries following a crisis however do not follow a linear path, as demonstrated in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis...
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National Security: The Evolving Security Threat and Opportunity
National Security Observations National Security was initially conceived as a protection against military attack. It has evolved in significance over the years to include economic independence, border security, crime, energy, manufacturing, cyber, logistics, capital markets, and our industrial supply chain to name a few. Events like 9/11 kicked off an era of cloud innovation and investment unlike...
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The Republic of Big Tech Pt. 2
Conversion Insights In our last installment, we addressed the monumental rise of the new economy, Big Technology firms that are gradually swallowing the cities they inhabit and now, the nation-states they occupy – Amazon to Amazonia. But what is left unclear is how regulators will address this change. After all, the US government et al....
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The Republic of Big Tech
Conversion Insights In the last 500 years, there are few choices for the most important legal treatise beyond the Declaration of Independence – the only arguable contender might be the Peace of Westphalia born in 1648, which created the foundation of the modern nation-state. After a period of significant political volatility, the eighty years war,...