Iterate Weekly - Issue 180
This week we're talking about my new Pixel Watch 3, shrinking startups, US made bullet trains, ZipRecruiter's new tricks, and "Fly Me to the Moon"!
Welcome to issue 180 of Iterate Weekly.
Hope you’re all doing well. This is just a friendly reminder that you can always reply directly to these messages or leave a comment on the Substack post. Feedback is highly encouraged and I’m happy to answer any and all questions that come up.
Thank you as always for reading!
My Pixel Watch 3 has arrived!
My Pixel Watch 3 has finally been delivered. I’ve been putting it through the paces for the last couple of day but here are my initial thoughts.
The 45mm size is the way to go.
That is actually my wrist in the photo above. I’ve never thought that I had large wrists so I didn’t mind the smaller 41mm size of the previous Pixel Watches. But the larger screen is actually really nice. It’s just big enough to make the screen a bit more useful without a ton of extra scrolling.
My biggest complaint with the Pixel Watch 2 was the lackluster battery life. The larger screen size on the new watch allows for a larger battery. The extra juice is super helpful. It’s still not a battery life superstar, but at least you can easily get through a full day of notifications, workouts, and sleep tracking without worrying about the watch dying.
It’s still the best looking smart watch
Google really didn’t change anything about the style aside from the larger size and I still think it’s the best looking smart watch you can buy. The domed glass and round shape just look so much better than any of the watches from Samsung or Apple. No, it’s not as functional as those other watches. Google essentially made a nice looking bracelet with the original Pixel Watch and they’re still trying to make it a functional smart watch that can do everything you ask of it.
AI on a watch is the future
Google is trying to promote their Gemini AI everywhere these days. I’ll have more to say about my experiences using Gemini Live soon. But the form factor of the watch is perfect for AI voice functions. It’s not available yet, but once they’re able to have a super functional version of Gemini running on this watch it will be excellent. We’ll all be talking to our wrists Dick Tracy style and never need to look at our phones again. I can’t wait.
The folks over at Droid-Life did a really nice review of the Pixel Watch 3 that reflects a lot of my feelings too. It’s a really nice watch. It isn’t perfect. It can’t do everything, but it’s really pretty and feels comfortable on your wrist 24 hours a day.
Anyone else excited to get a Pixel Watch 3 on their wrist?
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Startups are shrinking in the US
Here’s a work related topic that I’ve personally witnessed myself.
Startups are just hiring fewer employees than they used to.
The good news here is that it’s really easier than ever to startup a company. You don’t need a ton of capital or overhead. Technology has eliminated a lot of the tedious work needed to get companies off the ground. And yet, companies aren’t hiring more humans with all that freed up time and money.
It may not sound like much, but the average size of a startup workforce has dropped from about 6 employees to 4.5. Companies are looking to do more with fewer people and fill in the gaps with automation and AI. And gone are the days (if they ever existed) where employees had just one responsibility within a company. Employees wear many hats, and that’s especially true for CEOs.
Small-ish startups (30 people or less) have been my preference throughout my career. It’s nice to be somewhat past the hectic survival mode of fewer than ten people but also not at that point where not everyone knows each other. This trend seems to be squeezing that type of “mid-size” company in favor of more tiny companies or solopreneurs.
It all makes sense with an uncertain economy in an election year. I’m curious to see if this trend continues into 2025.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Brightline West’s high speed trains will be built in NY
Brightline West is doing everything it can to have high-speed trains running between Southern California and Las Vegas before the 2028 Olympics.
It’s great to see this manufacturing happening within our country and in a region that is near and dear to my heart. While I grew up in the Hudson Valley and these trains will be built near the Pennsylvania border in Horseheads, NY, Upstate New York is Upstate New York. It will certainly be a boon for the economy.
And hopefully things will stay on track (pun somewhat intended) with a domestic production partner. 2028 is just around the corner and a lot of work needs to be done to get these trains humming along. The hope is that these trains will hit 186 mph along over 200 miles of track between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas. That’s nothing to sneeze at and will be faster than any other trains running in the US. It’s also in the same league as some of the other bullet trains around the world.
Perhaps once this project plays out, we could see a host of other high speed rail projects take shape in the US? Once can only hope.
🛍 Grab Bag
ZipRecruiter is seamlessly connecting candidates
ZipRecruiter is introducing a new feature called ZipIntro that should make the initial hiring phase much smoother for both employer and job candidate.
The hope is to have introductory calls scheduled within 20 minutes of posting an open role. That’s far more efficient than the current process and would saves countless hours of resume reviews and scheduling back-and-forth.
Of course there is some AI being used here. The service can quickly match potential candidates with roles and then reach out to gauge interest. The job seeker can just sit back and wait for roles that are a good fit. Once selected, they can choose a time for an intro call and it’s added to a recruiters calendar.
It’s a great way for recruiters to hire quickly and schedule back to back short intro calls to weed out candidates. And hopefully it makes the process much more transparent and timely for candidates as well. Like all AI things, it should get better with time but this feels like a the future of the hiring process.
💬 Quote of the Week
"One fails forward toward success."
-Charles Kettering
🎥Content Review
Fly Me to the Moon
Ok, so evidently this movie was a total flop for Apple and it may be the reason why they aren’t going to be pushing so many big budget releases to AppleTV+ in the future…
BUT, I actually really enjoyed “Fly Me to the Moon” and think you should go check it out for yourself.
Who knows how much of the story is actually true versus embellished? Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson’s love story felt contrived at best. And yet, I was thoroughly entertained. I love the idea of the ad campaign behind getting people excited about space exploration. Woody Harrelson is also fantastic as always.
It’s not an amazing movie but it falls into that late summer “just good enough to watch” category for me.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
Hey! Could you use some help establishing healthy habits? Do you have a big project or new business that you want to get off the ground but could use some advice? Maybe you could benefit from hiring me as your coach. If you’re interested, read more about my coaching services here, or go ahead and book some time on my calendar to discuss further.
Iterate is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you should let me know that this writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless I enable payments at some point in the future. Think of it like an IOU in a tip jar.