innovation Archives

A graphic titled "The Night Crawler" features grayscale and red-tinted images of two men, one writing and one smiling—possibly Brad Feld—overlaid on a grid background with abstract shapes.

The art of mentorship and long-term thinking

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Halftone close-ups of a person's smiling mouth and eyes, with a small silhouette of people climbing a hill—evoking the adventurous spirit of Brad Feld—set against abstract backgrounds.

The Long Game

The Brad Feld interview: Meaning, mentorship, and giving first

A conversation with the legendary VC on his latest book, his work at Techstars, and why “give first” is more than a motto — it’s a mindset.

A collage featuring an open book, a light source, and images of the moon captures post-AI wisdom, with the title "The Night Crawler" at the top.

Business

Creating wisdom infrastructure for the next 100 years

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Book cover for "The Generalist Advantage" by Mansoor Soomro, PhD, next to text reading "an excerpt from," all set against a light green background—highlighting the value of generalist superpowers.

Business

The 6 superpowers of generalists: Leadership gold dust

From Apple to Airbnb to OpenAI the generalist mindset has been an invaluable source of advantage — and we can all learn from these successes.

Collage featuring a snail, two hands gripping a baton symbolizing succession, and a boat, overlaid on a pink and black grid pattern with the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top.

Business

Inside the subtle art of succession

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Book cover for "Shoveling $H!T: A Love Story About The Entrepreneur's Messy Path To Success" by Kass and Mike Lazerow, featuring a shovel and dirt pile—highlighting every pivot masterstroke. Text reads “an excerpt from.”.

Business

How the startup “pivot” can become a billion-dollar masterstroke

If your world-beating idea is not working you might need to change direction — and Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom provides the perfect case study.

Abstract illustration of tall, grid-patterned skyscrapers interspersed with textured blue marble-like panels evokes a sense of innovation, reminiscent of a blue ocean strategy, set against a light background.

Business

“Blue ocean strategy”: The red thread connecting Apple with Yellow Tail

When organizations focus on finding new markets, the returns can be spectacular — as a case study from Australia perfectly illustrates.

A grayscale collage features a smiling woman, a silhouetted figure with outstretched arms, and the title "The Nightcrawler" at the top. Geometric shapes and architectural sketches, inspired by Shannon Vallor's work, are layered in the background.

Business

AI vs. humans: A question of humanity

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Two glowing spheres connected by a thin line suggest a quantum link above a red, knotted rope, with abstract wave patterns in the background.

The Long Game

The “quantum long game”

A meditation on quantum physics, creative endurance, and the unseen forces that shape what lasts.

A grayscale portrait of a man in a suit is centered between a grid background and a photo of someone skiing on snow, symbolizing the future of collaboration. Abstract wavy patterns fill the upper center.

Business

The Snorre Kjesbu interview: “Collaboration will become truly immersive”

Snorre Kjesbu — SVP & GM of Cisco’s Employee Experience group — has a bold vision for the future of human interaction.

A collage featuring a subway train, a person in elaborate costume, stylized crows, and the text "The Nightcrawler" on a dark grid background explores the myth of leadership in an urban landscape.

Business

The myth of leadership

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Two men in suits stand in front of a graphic collage featuring technical drawings and a building with solar panels, overlaid with the text "The Nightcrawler," evoking innovation that stands the test of stellar age.

Business

The end of extraction and the rise of abundance

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A worker in protective gear operates machinery in an industrial facility, with a partial overlay of solar panels and geometric patterns above—hinting at the innovative spirit found in stellar societies.

The Long Game

The Tony Seba and James Arbib interview: Why the future belongs to “stellar societies”

The cofounders of think tank RethinkX are convinced that humanity is undergoing civilizational phase change.

Collage with clocks, footprints in sand, a hand drawing a world map, binary code, and the text "The Nightcrawler" at the top—an evocative piece rethinking civilization and our journey through time.

Business

Rethinking civilization: A new architecture for humanity

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Black-and-white portrait of Andrew Mayne centered on a collage background featuring sharks on the left and a hand holding a magician’s hat and wand on the right.

Business

The Andrew Mayne interview: How to succeed as a polymath

The outrageously accomplished magician-inventor-author chats to Big Think about fear, multitasking, and successful work-life reinvention.

A collage with "The Nightcrawler" text, historic photos of Indigenous people, a blue-toned statue reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's art, and blue ocean waves overlapping the images.

Business

How to “outlast”: What Leonardo da Vinci can teach us

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A split image features a sketched portrait of a bearded man above, with rippling water merging into Leonardo Da Vinci-style sketches below.

The Long Game

What Leonardo’s obsession with water teaches us about longevity

What made Leonardo da Vinci last wasn’t magic — it was process — and his study of fluids can help us win the long game.

The word "change" appears three times; the top two are crossed out in purple, while the bottom one—creativity highlighted—is circled in purple, all on a black background.

Business

Why “high tolerance of ambiguity” should anchor your creative toolkit

Creative thinkers are unafraid of the ambiguous spaces where innovation often resides — and this trait is vital when navigating change.

A geometric collage with partial photos of two people, a delivery robot labeled "prime" inspired by Amazon robotics, and vintage map textures, overlaid by the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER.

Business

A deep dive into Amazon robotics and AI

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Black and white portrait of David Aaker, an older man in a suit and glasses, centered between artistic backgrounds of a handshake, grid, and abstract curved lines.

Business

The David Aaker interview: “Trust is vital and fragile”

The marketing guru outlines the current state of brand-building — and highlights four outstanding opportunities for the immediate future.

Collage with a steam locomotive, a globe with a syringe, and train tracks sparks curiosity, overlaid by the text "The Nightcrawler" on a dark grid background.

Business

Curiosity as a survival skill to navigate change

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A graphic featuring the text "The Nightcrawler," a black-and-white photo of a lighthouse amid waves that outlast the storm, and a green-tinted portrait of a man.

Business

Why I’m writing OUTLAST: a book about resilience (and hope)

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Business

Romance at White Castle: How to do business the “evergreen” way

From “crave” packs to Valentine bookings, the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain values innovation from every level of the organization.

A collage features a masked life-saver in surgical attire, a palm tree scene, and bold text reading "The Night Crawler" against a geometric background.

Business

The one concept that saved my life

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Illustration of a thumbs up and thumbs down, resembling a like button and dislike button, on a black background, both partially covered with red scribble marks.

Business

The future of the “like” button: Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Will platforms continue to offer the like button as an all-purpose tool — or will each of the button’s various functions exist in new forms?

A collage with “The Nightcrawler” text, a grayscale photo of a tractor in a field, and a blue-tinted portrait of a man in a suit, layered on blue backgrounds with chart graphics that hint at long-term investing trends.

Business

The inner game of long-term investing

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Book cover titled "More Everything Forever" by Adam Becker. Subtitle reads "AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity," weaving a narrative that echoes the epic adventures reminiscent of Star Trek's explorations.

Business

Leadership conundrum: What do Star Wars and Star Trek really mean?

As we shape our future we should ask: Which interpretations of classic sci-fi fables hold sway with today’s powerful tech leaders?

The book cover of "Unstoppable Entrepreneurs" by Lori Rosenkopf features a cracked wall, unveiling insights on entrepreneurship, bootstrapping, and innovation.

Business

“Bootstrapping”: How entrepreneurs can control their own destiny

Warren Buffett famously noted that Berkshire Hathaway would “never depend on the kindness of strangers to stay in business.” Startups take note.

A collage with graphs, a flower, a container ship, and a hand giving a thumbs-up—hinting at lucky investors—overlaid with the title “THE NIGHTCRAWLER” in bold letters at the top.

Business

Barry Ritholtz on luck, humility, and how (not) to invest

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Barry Ritholtz, a man in a suit and tie, stands confidently before a blue zigzag line on a light backdrop.

The Long Game

The Barry Ritholtz interview: “Smart is good. Smart and lucky is better”

Barry Ritholtz — market commentator, founder of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and podcast host — shares what really trips investors up.