Links from Ned and Mike: No. 116
Throughout the week we discover interesting links about self-improvement and building and operating startups.
Hello -
This is Mike and Ned. We’re partners at Enjoy the Work.
What we read this week:
Nedism of the Week: Remember, if you don't schedule breaks, your body will give one to you… and it likely won't be at a good time.
Good X’s/Tweets
Arjun Dev Arora@ArjunDArora
One of the more interesting trends in venture right now is what's happening in M&A. The number of acquisitions hasn't recovered, but deal value has.
That points to a market where the biggest buyers are becoming increasingly selective about what they're willing to pay for.
3:58 PM · Jul 21, 2026 · 441 Views
3 Likes
Jackie DiMonte@jaydimonte
🦄 AI unicorns are in a league of their own. Bad news for the class of 2021.
Roughly 30% of unicorns minted before 2022 still haven't raised another round.
After a few years of pullback, unicorn creation is accelerating again. This year is on pace to surpass 2022.
Will we see
3:29 PM · Jul 21, 2026 · 484 Views
2 Likes
Blake Scholl 🛫@bscholl
BREAKING: The bipartisan act to legalize supersonic flight just passed Senate Commerce Committee *unanimously*. It was previously passed by the House, also *unanimously*.
Supersonic flight isn't red or blue—it's red, white, and blue! 🇺🇸
4:07 PM · Jul 22, 2026 · 302K Views
101 Replies · 314 Reposts · 5.92K Likes
Alfred Lin@Alfred_Lin
Some great interview/reference questions in response to this post - consolidating them below. What else would you add?
- Show me your Uber/Lyft passenger rating
- What’s the nicest thing someone has done for you
- If you were not doing this, what would you be doing and why (the
4:18 PM · Jul 17, 2026 · 106K Views
26 Replies · 20 Reposts · 414 Likes
David Senra@davidsenra
.@tobi says the best founders don’t hire people for well-roundedness. They hire for spikes:
“We never look at credentials. I'm a high school dropout.”
He says the most important question in Shopify’s hiring process is simply: “Give us your story.”
“ What we're looking for is
David Senra @davidsenra
The two things Ramp Cofounder @eglyman looks for when hiring:
1. Evidence of a spike
2. Exceptional drive
“ There’s a whole community of people at Ramp we found because when they were 15 years old, they were playing like 80-100 hours a week on Minecraft.”
“I'm less interested
6:00 PM · Jul 17, 2026 · 50.1K Views
7 Replies · 17 Reposts · 273 Likes
Dudes Posting Their W’s@DudespostingWs
I don’t think people realize how absurd this is. Scottish runner Josh Kerr just broke the mile world record in 3:42.66, an average speed of 16.2 mph. Most people couldn’t even briefly reach that speed, let alone sustain it for an entire mile.
1:32 PM · Jul 19, 2026 · 7.91M Views
1.86K Replies · 7.86K Reposts · 100K Likes
Adam Grant@AdamMGrant
The internet doesn't bring out the worst in people. It makes the worst people more visible.
Across all 30 countries studied, those who are nasty in online political discussions are nasty in real life, too. They seek status through hostility.
Don't feed the hand that bites you.
6:13 PM · Jul 13, 2026 · 176K Views
80 Replies · 462 Reposts · 1.51K Likes