, July 31, 2015
Daily Bafflements
Venture capitalists are off hunting for unicorns in the startup world, with little attention to actual returns. / Yosuke Muroya
• In the mystical valleys of startup kingdom, V.C. firms are on the hunt for unicorns (startups with a valuation of a $1 billion or higher, even if those valuations are based on wild speculation). But as many have suspected, the unicorn whisperers are not necessarily the firms with the highest returns.
• Slate offers a “Gentrification Calculator” to help readers avoid the pesky moral and political questions of modern urban life. Just enter your income, your zip code, and whether or not you have a family. No need to worry about the nuances of race, education, or class background—your neighborhood is just a seesaw balanced on the city’s median income.
• In yesterday’s Forbes interview, you can lap up oil-pipeline billionaire Richard Kinder’s recommended reading list. We feel completely confident taking our cues on Lincoln biographies and leadership styles from a man whose company was wise enough to suggest last year that the oil spills they cause could have positive effects on the affected regions.