| Sunday, 10 March 2024 |
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Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],
Hello again! Another Sunday’s here, and with it, so is First Principles!
Something funny has been happening with Bengaluru seasons. Remember I told you how climate change had caused our city’s pink Tabebuia trees (the ones that look like cherry blossoms) to flower almost a month early, in early February?
Well, I noticed this week that many of those trees were flowering a second time this week, albeit in a slightly muted capacity.
Déjà vu? And just like that, we have our very first Matrix reference!
“A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something.”—Trinity
| Screengrab from Cutting Edge Enhancements on Youtube |
Ha ha, sorry. I’m a sucker for Matrix movie references. But I didn’t realise until a few weeks ago that they work best with middle-aged folks, because the movie came out… 25 years ago! I remember watching it in a crowded Kolkata theatre in 1999 with my classmates and walking out, zonked. What on earth was this movie I had just watched?!
I would rewatch it nearly a dozen times over the next year, understanding and appreciating it better each time.
Which is why I recently used the reference of Keanu Reeves’ Neo learning how to “fly” while explaining a learning concept to my colleague, Pranav, who leads our subscriber engagement efforts. I got a complete blank from Pranav.
He hadn’t watched The Matrix!
Then, last week, when the four of us in the First Principles team were reviewing the last edition of the newsletter (“Emergence”), Hari told me that most of the readers who either get or appreciate the Star Wars-inspired Jedi-master references are likely to be “middle-aged”. Because the first Star Wars movie came out… 47 years ago.
Ouch, but true.
There are theories about how the music we develop the most connection with (or nostalgia for) is the one from the decade of our births (the ‘70s rocked!). Similarly, the movies we watch in college as we’re transitioning into adulthood also influence us deeply.
Of course my younger colleagues won’t have the same connection to ‘70s music or ‘90s movies.
I enjoy reading The Ken because it is informative, the articles are well researched, well written, without the spin and bias. I admire The Ken team for their dedication to getting closer to the true picture.
Hari Buggana
Chairman and MD, InvAscent
Transparent, Honest, Detailed. To me, The Ken has been this since the day I subscribed to them. The research that they put into each story and the way it is presented is thoroughly interesting. Personally, I’ve always had a great time interacting with the publication and reading the stories.
Harshil Mathur
CEO and Co-Founder, Razorpay
The Ken has proven naysayers wrong by successfully running a digital news publication on a pure-subscription business model in India. They have shown that discerning readers are willing to pay for well-researched, well-written, in-dept news articles.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited
As a designer, it’s easy to get lost in the craft of building products. As a business owner however, keeping up with a rapidly changing landscape is key to saying relevant. The Ken doesn’t just help me stay on top of what’s happening in India(and beyond), but makes it fun to do so.
Rahul Gonsalves
Co-founder and CEO, Obvious Ventures