Ahri's unqualified thoughts #54

Easy to consume content: 1 quote, 1 tweet/storm and 1 article/video.

In today's edition, we feature an insightful Twitter thread from Jordi “gametheorizing” Alexander on crypto's recent resurgence, as well as an article from TechCrunch discussing monetization for content creators on Twitch.

1 quote

"Ambition means tying your well-being to what other people say or do. Self-indulgence means tying it to the things that happen to you. Sanity means tying it to your own actions" Marcus Aurelius.

1 tweet/storm

Jordi Alexander, an ex-poker pro turned renowned trader, investor, and game theorist, recently dived deep into crypto's (small) resurgence on Twitter, particularly focusing on Solana.

While he acknowledges the technology behind it, his main emphasis is on Solana's existence as a VC coin that could potentially be dumped to oblivion over the next few years due to a bad distribution (and the fact that liquidation lawyers hold a solid chunk of it as well). He attributes this to the common belief that tokens=money, a view which I’m not against.

Personally, I kinda like the SOL ecosystem. It introduced me to NFTs, and I've profited from it while laughing on Discord with virtual friends. The UI/UX on most dApps is pretty cool. While I don’t share Jordi's expertise, I do have a vested interest in Solana's success. Of course, I've hedged my bets, but SOL still comprises a good portion.

Jordi's perspective is thought-provoking, with a majority of the comments being criticisms from Solana maxis. Interesting to note: Galois Capital, which notably took a huge short position on LUNA, seems to align with his view.

It'll be interesting to see how this unfolds.

1 article/video

It is no secret that Twitch had a rough year last year due to tensions surrounding their unpopular decisions on monetization. This includes the controversy around brand deal embedding limitations, ending the 70/30 subscription revenue split deal, and launching the Partner Plus program with strict eligibility requirements.

With the arrival of the new CEO, Dan Clancy, they tried to engage more frequently with their larger community and not just focus on the top of the funnel. Consequently, they recently announced new features that grant streamers more control over ads and allow for simultaneous streaming on other platforms.

TechCrunch had the opportunity to sit down with Twitch’s Chief Monetization Officer, Mike Minton, and ask him about past mistakes, potential solutions, and the future of Twitch. Minton employed what we call "PR Talk" to smooth things over and sidestep some issues.

However, he also detailed how Twitch responded to collected feedback, such as the introduction of the points-based system for Partner Plus. Furthermore, he highlighted Twitch's unique community-driven monetization model featuring subscriptions, gifting, and cheering. Last but not least, he discussed Twitch's emphasis on expanding sponsorship opportunities for streamers, leveraging its affiliation with Amazon, and diversifying its branded partnership content to meet various streamer needs.

In any case, the interview is worth a read, especially now that platforms like Kick/YouTube are slightly encroaching on Twitch's territory - although the shift remains marginal, to be honest.