Good Artists Copy,

Great AIs Steal.

You are invited to:

Exploring the

forces of

disruption

in entertainment,

media and tech

August 9th, 6pm-10pm
Water Mill, Hamptons, NY

Set in a modern-styled barn nestled within the farm fields of Bridgehampton, ON_Entertainment invites you to participate in Good Artists Copy, Great AI Steals, an evening driven by deep provocations that serve to unlock new perspectives in the business of entertainment.

Entertainment executives, technology founders, artists, entrepreneurs, and investors will come together for a captivating evening of off-the-record conversations, enhanced by the smooth allure of Komos Tequila and the perfect accompaniment of caviar.

To top it all off, an exquisite dinner awaits, artfully paired with the delightful and organically farmed Avaline wines, courtesy of founders Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power. It promises to be an unforgettable gathering of visionaries, indulging in both fine company and delectable flavors.


RSVP to dharika@ondiscourse.com 

Please reach out for travel and accommodation recommendations if you need them.

WHAT IS

ON_Discourse is a new membership media company
focused on the business of technology, prioritizing
expert-driven discourse to drive perspectives.

WHO?

Designed for executives, brands, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and business leaders at the intersection of technology and entertainment

YOUR
HOSTS

Dan Gardner
Co-Founder & Exec Chair,
Code and Theory
Co-Founder, ON_Discourse
Toby Daniels
Co-Founder, ON_Discourse
Brandon Ralph
Founder, The Unquantifiable

With thanks

to our partners

Should

Bored Apes

be in charge

of AI?

Larry Muller
ON_Discourse Co-Founder, COO of Code & Theory
Dan Gardner
Co-Founder & Exec Chair, Code and Theory
Co-Founder, ON_Discourse
This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

Boomers vs Juniors:
Easy choice for emerging tech

Larry Muller
ON_Discourse Co-Founder, COO of Code & Theory

It’s a clear answer. Juniors (new workplace entrants) have been using technology their whole lives. It’s second nature to them. Of course, they have a clear advantage. You build a team of young energetic workers, you get great creativity, teamwork, and the natural depth of skill that has been honed since birth. A company filled with these go-getters should certainly have a leg up.

On the flip side, you can piece together a team of rethreads who are hanging on in the workplace. They have never seen this particular technology before and all tech seems to be a struggle for them. They are stuck in old ways of thinking and fall back on their old ways of solving problems. A company filled with these people must be destined to fail.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

It’s Game Over

for Volunteer-Driven

Social Media

Reddit’s blackout issue points to a chasm between its ownership and its volunteer moderators. It also points to the fact that those moderators, like other prominent social media users, should be paid.

Ernie Smith
Ernie Smith is the editor of Tedium, a twice-weekly internet history newsletter, and a frequent contributor to Vice’s Motherboard.

There’s probably no stronger sign that social networks’ tendency to lean on the free work of its users was a losing strategy than the drama happening at Reddit.

You’ve probably heard about the saga that emerged after Reddit decided to begin charging for its API—for one, claims that popular app creators would be on the hook for bills in the tens of millions of dollars. But in many ways, the real story is how quickly the site’s own volunteer moderators turned on the network, leading to a blackout with extended impacts and a CEO who has responded defiantly to his users.

These moderators largely aren’t talking about the blackout in financial terms. But perhaps they should be. In a recent interview with NBC News, CEO Steve Huffman implied that the problem was that the leaders of these communities had too much power over how they were run, even though they are doing so on a volunteer basis.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

This post is for members only.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

Media Companies

Shouldn’t Reject

Generative AI

They Should

Build Their Own

Matthieu Mingasson
Head of Design Transformation at Code and Theory
or
Disclosing AI Use
in Reporting: It’s Futile
Michael Nunez
Michael Nunez is the editorial director of VentureBeat, where he leads the coverage of artificial intelligence and enterprise data.

The responses from the media industry to the explosion of generative AI have been sharply divided. We’ve seen fear over potential job loss, dire warnings over the potential for AI-generated misinformation, and some tepid statements about its positive potential for the industry.

Smart publishers will realize that there’s enormous potential. By acting quickly and boldly, these companies can find new ways to drive value and monetize this disruptive technology.

Globally, the AI in the media market is anticipated to hit $99.48 billion by 2030. There’s potential across the newsroom, from improving and scaling workflows to content management and personalization.

It’s easy to view disruptive technologies, like LLMs, with distrust. Many organizations are uncertain about where to begin.

Rather than fear generative AI, media companies should approach it as a springboard for business innovation. Rather than reject generative AIs, media companies should build their own.

By building their own LLMs, media companies can chart their own course in a rapidly changing landscape and help create the future of brand experiences.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

Tony Iliakostas
Adjunct professor of Entertainment Law and IP at New York Law School
Did Tom Brady Really Say That?

During a stand-up comedy routine in late March 2023, former NFL MVP and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady addressed the question that was probably on a lot of people’s minds since he finalized his divorce from his ex-wife Gisele Bundchen in October 2022,   

The answer is yes, I’m still having sex with supermodels. That’s never going to change.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

An NBA Player

Spencer Dinwiddie
NBA Athlete and Entrepreneur

The first line of my bio reads “NBA player,” but I always tell people I’m a tech guy with a jumper. My fascination with emerging technology was the prime motivating factor for co-founding Calaxy, a new platform empowering Creators to connect with their fans and monetize their brands easier than ever before.

That fascination with new tech is also why I jumped at the opportunity to invest in Genies and explore the worlds of AI, blockchain, and virtual and augmented realities.

Recently I fell down a rabbit hole thinking about the advent potential of AI-generated avatars and conversational bots and how they might be able to help revolutionize fan interaction.

Before this technological era, a person couldn’t be in two places at once or appear to come back from the dead. But this technology — which seemed so novel and impossible to fathom — is now right at our fingertips.

The application of AI-generated avatars seems obvious, now. It could allow me — or anyone else that has so many demands on their time that they have to say no to things they’d like to be doing — to work in new ways. I could take video footage, photos of myself, words I’ve authored, and other content I’ve generated and use these materials to help train AI models in the hopes that they can extrapolate my personality and then appear and interact on my behalf, sort of like digital clones who works for me.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

Startups

Built on the

ChatGPT API

Are Taking a

Huge Risk

Rachel Curry
Rachel Curry is a journalist based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on finance and technology on a global scale, as well as local issues impacting her community. You can connect with her on Twitter at @writingsofrach

Generative AI has emerged as a groundbreaking and captivating technology, capable of feats that have dominated press headlines and engaged a growing user base. Startups have raced to capitalize upon the fever-pitch surrounding ChatGPT and other generative AI models – and the recent release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT API has opened up the potential for countless niche products built on the back of the company’s super-powerful technology. But history shows longevity is uncertain – and risks plentiful – for companies too dependent on a closed-source API.

The ChatGPT API-based startup arena includes companies like Baselit (a so-called copilot for data analytics), Landbot (a no-code customer service chatbot builder), and BarriAI (APIs that allow you to build ChatGPT apps on the fly).

Many API-dependent companies of the past have suffered after having access revoked or usage costs suddenly increased. Thread Creator, a startup that offered users the ability to manage Twitter threads, which was unable to function when the company lost access to the Twitter API in 2021. Then there’s CanvasPop, which no longer connects with Meta-owned Instagram to print pictures straight from the app. Elon Musk recently announced a price hike for many users of Twitter’s API.

Users of the startups’ services also face risk, which could lead to regulatory or legal requirements to a degree that founders are not able to pivot to meet. The valuations of many companies rest on the value of data collected from users rather than simply the quality or demand of the product itself.

The problems with ChatGPT startups are multifold. For founders, building a product on top of another company’s proprietary model leaves developers vulnerable. “You’re dependent on somebody else’s platform and infrastructure, and then you have to pass that cost onto your own customers,” says Theo Priestley, author of “The Future Starts Now,” and long-time futurist, 

If you use ChatGPT’s API, you pay based on a token system that reflects how “costly” it is to generate the text you need. This is important, considering that startups and developers using the API are held hostage if pricing shifts—which could trouble the overall competitiveness of industry pricing.

That issue melds with another, which is the replicability of ideas. “The ideas are ten a penny,” Priestley says.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.

The future is experiential rather than transactional; immersive storytelling using innovative, sensory-based showrooms that connect with consumers through emotional narratives

David Todd McCarty
David Todd McCarty has spent a career as a branding consultant, telling stories that attempt to explain human behavior in relation to commerce, from Dallas to Dubai, Moscow to Miami.

The Future

Of Retail

Imagine walking into the flagship showroom of your favorite brand, where your senses are immediately enveloped in a captivating manifestation of the brand’s identity—an immersive encounter that lingers in your memory long after you’ve departed. Here, you’re not focused on the product, but the experience itself. It’s a magical, elusive, and surprising journey.

You explore the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes without worrying about size, color, availability, or fit. You’re on a journey to connect with yourself, and the eventual sale is merely the culmination of the brand experience. It becomes a cherished memento—a receipt capturing an unforgettable encounter.

In the meantime, you allow yourself to be guided by a mix of artificial intelligence-driven virtual reality and high-tech production, innovative technology, and authentic sensory explorations, a narrative that promises a more fulfilling life. All that is required is a deeper relationship with the brand so that you can become part of the story.

This is member only content.

To keep reading this post, apply to join our Member Waitlist. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ON_Discourse member here.

Already a member? Login

Different

Perspectives,

Together.

ON_Discourse is a private membership community for business leaders to participate in the Discipline of Discourse to cultivate perspectives, decision-making, and meaningful relationships.

Why Does Business
Need Discourse?

Business Culture and the Media Landscape ultimately drive Groupthink.

Discourse overcomes Fake Ideas, Fake News, and Fake Experts.

Discourse fights against Conventional Thinking and Decision-Making Paralysis.

Discourse Exposes Business' Isolated Beliefs.

At the heart of ON_Discourse is our dedication to the idea that the best decisions in business are made when you bring smart people with different perspectives together.

Actions backed
by Values.

…with trust and empathy by asking questions and challenging each other.

…with curiosity and intellectual honesty by being receptive to other points of view.

…with an openness and a commitment to diverse perspectives.

Our members are made up of a community of experts that have…

Published best-selling books on business, technology, culture, politics, etc.

Run digital at the highest level for one of the world’s largest fashion brands

Lead innovation for the world’s largest SaaS company

Run the technology group for the largest US multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate

Built and exited one of the world’s biggest e-commerce sites in the mobile consumer technology space

Launched a billion-dollar digital business for Europe's most important governing bodies in football

Built the developer ecosystems for two of the most influential technology companies

Launched a $100 million venture fund in the climate tech industry with over 100 investments and multiple exits to date

What is a
Living Issue?

Living Issues are deep dives into specific business verticals, focused on the most urgent and important topics in business and technology.

We create Living Issues that are important, current, and relevant.

We look for different perspectives and insist on opposing points of view.

We uncover perspectives that evolve into provocations.

We provide these provocations through content that provides education, context, and framing.

We then introduce these new ideas back to the community experts to keep the discourse flowing.

Join the discourse.

and more.

Join our growing community of business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to access new perspectives, better decision-making, and more meaningful relationships.

Applications for 2023 close on December 22.

FAQ

Only members can access Living Issues, events, and the community. You can apply for membership here.

No, we operate a hybrid approach to events, which we host online and in person.