Our new $25M fund

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Ryan Hoover, founder of Product Hunt and early-stage investor at Weekend Fund. I also helped write Hooked and occasionally publish essays. This newsletter highlights my latest experiments, essays, and curiosities. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe along with 30k+ others here. :)

1. We just announced Weekend Fund IV. This time we partnered with AngelList’s USVC to open access to non-accredited investors here. We’ve hit our fund target but if you’re accredited and want to join as an LP directly, email me at [email protected] (we can share this publicly because we’re structured as a 506c). We’re primarily looking for operators and founders that want to help the portfolio.

2. There’s a lot of anxiety in the air. Many are afraid AI will take their jobs and lead to an even greater income divide. I get it and question the future of venture capital. For a more optimistic take, read DG piece on The "AI Job Apocalypse" Is a Complete Fantasy.

3. Another essay on the topic: Jevons Employment Effect. “The bottom line is that cheaper inputs don't shrink industries. Instead, AI is going to increase both productivity and employment.”

4. I like Chris Williamson’s podcast. Here’s more tech optimism from a recent episode with David Friedberg.

5. Garry Tan recently joined Rick Rubin’s pod. I went through YC S14 and have a lot of admiration for what they’ve built. YC’s influence is still compounding 20+ years after its founding.

6. I wrote a short piece: Vibecoding is self-expression. Software, like all other mediums, is its own art form, and now it’s accessible to everyone.

7. My buddy Julian Shapiro and team are hosting an online summit for deeptech investors. They have a stacked list of speakers from a16z, Sequoia, Lowercarbon Capital, Khosla, Humba, and others. Check it out.

8. “What if Anthropic builds it?” is the new “what if Google builds it?” But there’s some truth in this question. Moats are changing.

9. Speaking of timelessness: I helped Nir Eyal write Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products over 12 years ago. Founders still bring it up. Sooo much has changed in tech since it was written, but the principles remain the same. Turns out, human psychology doesn’t change very fast.

10. Max Cooper dropped a new album called Feeling is Structure. The track, Ebb & Flow, is special. 

11. This b2b with Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter and Fred Again will melt your face. This guy’s expression captures my enthusiasm.

12. My bachelor party is in Vegas. I know it’s cliche, but we’re skipping the strip clubs and bottle service. You’d have to pay me to sit in a club trying to look cool downing Grey Goose. Send me your favorite Vegas recommendations.

13. Somehow my SF condo has a niche tech meme. Well, I finally sold it and have the TBPN player card to prove it (I need to find a way to wipe this photo from Google images 🤦🏼‍♂️).

14. This new interview with James Sexton made me tear. At the 1:29:00 mark he talks about how manipulative divorced parents can lead to alienation and immense harm for children. It’s sad and apparently increasingly common.

15. Love on the Spectrum is the most wholesome show on air today. Logan is my favorite addition to the latest season.