<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=UTF-8"><meta charset="UTF-8"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width"><meta name="x-apple-disable-message-reformatting"><title>TLDR Founders</title><meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark"><meta name="supported-color-schemes" content="light dark"><style type="text/css">
:root {
color-scheme: light dark; supported-color-schemes: light dark;
}
*,
*:after,
*:before {
-webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;
}
* {
-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;
}
html,
body,
.document {
width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; margin: 0; padding: 0;
}
body {
-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;
}
div[style*="margin: 16px 0"] {
margin: 0 !important;
}
table,
td {
mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt;
}
table {
border-spacing: 0; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; margin: 0 auto;
}
img {
-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; max-width: 100%; border: 0;
}
*[x-apple-data-detectors] {
color: inherit !important; text-decoration: none !important;
}
.x-gmail-data-detectors,
.x-gmail-data-detectors *,
.aBn {
border-bottom: 0 !important; cursor: default !important;
}
.btn {
-webkit-transition: all 200ms ease; transition: all 200ms ease;
}
.btn:hover {
background-color: #f67575; border-color: #f67575;
}
* {
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;
}
@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {
.container {
width: 100%; margin: auto;
}
.stack {
display: block!important; width: 100%!important; max-width: 100%!important;
}
.btn {
display: block; width: 100%; text-align: center;
}
}
body,
p,
td,
tr,
.body,
table,
h1,
h2,
h3,
h4,
h5,
h6,
div,
span {
background-color: #FEFEFE !important; color: #010101 !important;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
body,
p,
td,
tr,
.body,
table,
h1,
h2,
h3,
h4,
h5,
h6,
div,
span {
background-color: #27292D !important; color: #FEFEFE !important;
}
}
a {
color: inherit !important; text-decoration: underline !important;
}
</style><!--[if mso | ie]>
<style type="text/css">
a {
background-color: #FEFEFE !important; color: #010101 !important;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
a {
background-color: #27292D !important; color: #FEFEFE !important;
}
}
</style>
<![endif]--></head><body class="">
<div style="display: none; max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">Startups are now competing for dollars with every other tech asset in the world. Being the best company in a category is no longer enough </div>
<div style="display: none; max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">
<br>
</div>
<table align="center" class="document"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="container" width="600"><tbody><tr class="inner-body"><td>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="header"><td bgcolor="" class="container">
<table width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container">
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0px;">
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="margin-right: 0px;"><a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Ftldr.tech%2Ffounders%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/_-qARciUrj093xPOmxrHMVzFJhQUjQapgs3UapfhE4g=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span>Sign Up</span></a>
|<span style="margin-right: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fadvertise.tldr.tech%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=advertisetopnav/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/29G8zbO0nMhSJUIjY2Q0w_Sr87CGAaURgGHfjPFBnaw=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span>Advertise</span></a></span>|<span style="margin-left: 2px;"><a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fa.tldrnewsletter.com%2Fweb-version%3Fep=1%26lc=1572f2fc-84b7-11f0-9937-47c5c04ad337%26p=b1abbfa2-9a2b-11f1-a4bc-619a848830c3%26pt=campaign%26t=1786968533%26s=9c3d1c398840e31138b6ed4c3b04da72cff7a5eb23e382f3264f3458e46a0488/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/wc9_8OoCowSVwkClmFSKeVpqDbf0Fgq6r0LKAxgoEh8=452"><span>View Online</span></a></span>
<br>
</span></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="text-align: center;"><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color:#3db3ff; color: rgb(51, 175, 255) !important; font-size: 30px;">T</span><span style="font-size: 30px;"><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="color: rgb(232, 192, 96) !important; --darkreader-inline-color:#e8c163; font-size:30px;">L</span><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="color: rgb(101, 195, 173) !important; --darkreader-inline-color:#6ec7b2; font-size:30px;">D</span></span><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color:#dd6e6e; color: rgb(220, 107, 107) !important; font-size: 30px;">R</span>
<br>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr id="together-with"><td align="center" height="20" style="vertical-align:middle !important;" valign="middle" width="100%"><strong style="vertical-align:middle !important; height: 100%;">Together With </strong>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fconnextglobal.com%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=Primary08152026%26utm_content=headline_header_next_hire_costs/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/2lMDER7IJH2iTscA38SAKp4efSBKAGyd74EqTusRU94=452"><img src="https://images.tldr.tech/connext2.png" valign="middle" style="vertical-align: middle !important; height: 100%;" alt="Connext"></a></td></tr></tbody></table>
<table style="table-layout: fixed; width:100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;margin:0;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h1><strong> TLDR Founders <span id="date">2026-08-17</span></strong></h1>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table style="table-layout: fixed; width:100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr id="sponsy-copy"><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fconnextglobal.com%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=Primary08152026%26utm_content=headline_header_next_hire_costs/2/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/2XAdODByEkLy4j5dU1_CWrejyulQ4KJVHMHvQ4cux8U=452">
<span>
<strong>Your next hire costs $150K before benefits. The same skill costs 70% less abroad (Sponsor)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Runway doesn't care about your org chart. Every domestic hire is dollars that could've bought you six more months to hit product-market fit.<p></p><p><a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fconnextglobal.com%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=Primary08152026%26utm_content=body_connext_Body_connext/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/jBedWupsCmpNF_fqRRmzNo_Pr1b-8ej04I_AST9O6Po=452" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><span>Connext</span></a> builds vetted offshore teams for startups that need senior talent without the senior-market price tag:</p>
<ul>
<li>Zero upfront costs to get started</li>
<li>Positions filled in 21 days on average</li>
<li>Payroll and compliance handled through Employer of Record</li>
<li>98% client retention over 10 years</li>
</ul>
<p>Most founders save 70% per hire without losing quality. <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fconnextglobal.com%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=Primary08152026%26utm_content=closing_see_how_cta_how_it_works/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/_mVsXPcViJvIFhcMITIgUHY2EHf4TITNBWgZ7jMd0FY=452" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><span>See how it works</span></a> or <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fconnextglobal.com%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=Primary08152026%26utm_content=closing_talk_team_cta_talk_their_team/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/v4u7_COrk7QsjR00Sy0xE0lrYpV-LKAFdRo5DBQfxIY=452" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><span>talk to their team</span></a>.
</p>
</span></span></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr>
<tr bgcolor=""><td class="container">
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0px;">
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 36px;">📈</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h1><strong>Headlines & Trends</strong></h1>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;margin:0;" valign="top">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Ftomtunguz.com%2Fmodel-release-exhaustion%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/e44Nd2OXt0J5ks1NLN4tdIKFm6KErugABIcoU6TPYrk=452">
<span>
<strong>Honestly, Who Buys SOTA? (3 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Labs are shipping smarter models faster than ever, but 84% of tokens on OpenRouter are not state-of-the-art. The most popular models deliver about 77% of frontier models at 2.5% of Claude Fable 5's price. Frontier models are still winning on software architecture and security design, but application deployment is optimizing price over performance.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2F99d.substack.com%2Fp%2Fwhat-capital-wants%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/iGongy2NjohcaBlOvlBXvLF7UPaI5XohK7NnxBl2AOM=452">
<span>
<strong>What capital wants (3 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Startups are now competing for dollars with every other tech asset in the world. Being the best company in a category is no longer enough. Founders are never going to change an investor's mind if they've already considered an idea and rejected it. Only novel ideas stand a shot.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2F99tech.alexlazarow.com%2Fp%2Fcompetition-is-for-losers-in-the%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/CMAZIkUEvliSugIQzsZDy46R0K7vgn34dym6uQh8xLE=452">
<span>
<strong>Competition Is For Losers In The AI Era: A Geographic Perspective (6 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
The Bay Area dominates access to venture capital. AI is radically lowering the barrier to build and scale startups. The same strategies applied in Silicon Valley to other geographies could be interesting. The global market has much less competition and more opportunity.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fgtm.stage2.capital%2Fp%2Fdo-you-need-a-gtm-engineer%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/z4YDVAOV4ih6GHntaQG7r4RBcyGXmWjzoUWX13jou_Q=452">
<span>
<strong>Do You Need a GTM Engineer? (5 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
A GTM engineer focuses on optimizing and strategizing go-to-market systems, leveraging tools like Clay and Unify. Arda's founder, Kyle Henson, shares that hiring this role arose from a pipeline failure when one key employee was on leave, highlighting the need for a systematic approach. Candidates underwent practical challenges without clear instructions, allowing them to demonstrate problem-solving and initiative, ensuring they're more than just order-takers.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 36px;">🧠</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h1><strong>Strategies & Tactics</strong></h1>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;margin:0;" valign="top">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.saastr.com%2Fthe-0-quota-club-and-why-the-same-mediocre-rep-hits-70-at-one-company-and-0-at-yours%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/ZL8lZDjqccqiwTpE_5omzZ0_T5vKFO9T23p4CZjz5sY=452">
<span>
<strong>The 0% Quota Club (And Why the Same Mediocre Rep Hits 70% at One Company and 0% at Yours) (8 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
In surveys, only 18% of early-stage teams had 70%+ of their reps hitting quota, and a majority were sitting at 20% to 40% attainment or worse. Inside those averages was a group of reps who closed essentially nothing all year. Mediocre reps are an output of the system, not an input. Companies need extreme product-market fit, tight processes, and substantial support for reps to succeed.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fknowledge.gtmstrategist.com%2Fp%2Fhow-to-find-your-beachhead-segment%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/mvwWzeL1u5SenPT8Mtf_Kg3FfkpQENhoOU10CdVfxFQ=452">
<span>
<strong>The One GTM Decision You Cannot Afford to Get Wrong (15 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
By the time a product is ready to go to market, it is largely a given input. Launch broadly, then reverse-engineer, or do the digging first and use the data to find the segment most likely to convert in the next three to six months. This article looks at how to do market research. It covers market segmentation, segment scoring, research methods, the ECP prototype, and the GTM roadmap.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Flinks.tldrnewsletter.com%2Feq9DXo/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/JsSq4K0-dlrlYaRcbHzccgk6wu7tBupXP_Q99TAqMyk=452">
<span>
<strong>Notes on building products people love when software gets cheap (14 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Meta treats the rest of the consumer internet like a giant external product lab. It understands what gets people to create, share, connect, consume, come back, and generally spend more time with their products. When other companies spend years and a bunch of money and discover a new behavior that people clearly like, Meta takes notice. Every software company is going to need to get much better at doing some version of this as software is becoming too easy to build. A lot of software scarcity used to come from implementation, but that is changing fast.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 36px;">⚒️</span></div></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h1><strong>Tools & Resources</strong></h1>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;margin:0;" valign="top">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fadvertise.tldr.tech%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=secondary08172026%26sp=Mv0R1PxaYcuF7L6iU-Njp-3v/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/EswN_gffqdhkbodVWfY8XmYVRvZ1buucgxi_gCXrtiQ=452">
<span>
<strong>Reach 7 million engaged tech professionals (Sponsor)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Ads get ignored on social media but not in TLDR! Reach developers, PMs, marketers, founders and other tech leaders where they actually pay attention. <a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fadvertise.tldr.tech%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=secondary08172026%26sp=Mv0R1PxaYcuF7L6iU-Njp-3v/2/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/6HVx4VU-atMQBFjhnwmV_Cs6FhFK_f-XJhwrAF9c-HU=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span>Learn more about sponsorship opportunities.</span></a>
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fantigravity.google%2Fblog%2Fintroducing-custom-agents%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/iBQPhMrL9xCVQfEuq0l9l-KEmoDVFTQfHZdvUennlbw=452">
<span>
<strong>Introducing Custom Agents (8 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Google has introduced Custom Agents in Antigravity 2.0 and the Antigravity CLI, with the Antigravity IDE following shortly. Custom Agents are specialized, file-based configurations that define a particular role with its own scoped instructions, tools, and constraints. The system keeps users' active contexts clean, minimizes token overhead, and gives them a predictable partner for specific tasks. Custom agents don't replace skills and dynamic subagents - they just provide even more customizability for another level of optimization.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fz.ai%2Fblog%2Fglm-5.3%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/dQzQvI3VJD8IkiQJ4CU5NFZ3uYbR5nnh7bIjgq9jq8g=452">
<span>
<strong>GLM-5.3 (Tool)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Power complex coding agents with post-trained open-source model and cyber defense capabilities.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 36px;">🎁</span></div></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><h1>Miscellaneous</h1></strong></div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table bgcolor="" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;margin:0;" valign="top">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fjobs.ashbyhq.com%2Ftldr.tech%2F477ea713-56c3-49ee-8e0c-88cce2feb57e%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/wLssRlj45wGun2vLgL9S_ApK2rXk6771WZZgwZFU7JE=452">
<span>
<strong>GTM Engineer, Applied AI at TLDR ($175-205k base + $40-60k bonus, Fully Remote)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
TLDR is hiring a GTM Engineer to join our Applied AI team and own our AI-native GTM stack. We're looking for someone comfortable building AI agents and working with HubSpot. <a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fjobs.ashbyhq.com%2Ftldr.tech%2F477ea713-56c3-49ee-8e0c-88cce2feb57e/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/mly9Lnf1FVCwM9EpJdqy9OcmQw8ZEuQB7-ooxTB4KmQ=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span>Click here to learn more</span></a>!
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fvectoral.com%2Fblog%2Fwho-are-the-token-brokers%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/8tYDpTmQeOUGufozJn9FdNAQy0Q8a1DvlK5c6bxZ51Q=452">
<span>
<strong>Who Are the Token Brokers? (5 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
If you've been following along, you know model routers are everywhere right now. A grey market is running the same play without permission. Founders are getting offers for OpenAI and Anthropic usage at 40% to 50% below list price. One broker claimed access to $100,000 of daily spend and routed requests through its own endpoint instead of handing over provider keys. Public marketplaces list credits across cloud and model providers at discounts reaching 80%, while Telegram and founder forums supply smaller lots. The report estimates tens of millions of dollars in credits are for sale.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.modernretail.co%2Foperations%2Fthe-pros-and-cons-of-taking-on-private-equity%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/CPYFHZmEvrF4iDrdYkTIp_JHU4eei2obyOp2xOU8lyg=452">
<span>
<strong>The pros and cons of taking on private equity (28 minute podcast)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
The transition from bootstrapped startup to major retail player is the ultimate test of sustainable growth for many founder-led brands. This means taking on more debt or venture capital for some. For others, it may mean bringing on private equity investors to shoulder the costs. This podcast discusses the strategic decisions behind that evolution.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fthephysicsofstartups.substack.com%2Fp%2Fthe-demand-lens%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/z-limLvS2BCUFtxFPST_6FIvO5mhfYJN7kwwIIiZq8c=452">
<span>
<strong>The Demand Lens (4 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Demand exists independently of supply. It is the factor that determines whether a startup's product is relevant or not. Demand describes 'what wants to happen'. A founder's job is to find out what wants to happen but is currently blocked from happening, and then simply enable that thing to happen.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 36px;">⚡</span></div></div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="text-block">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h1><strong>Quick Links</strong></h1>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table bgcolor="" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;margin:0;" valign="top">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fdruriley.com%2Fhow-i-got-my-first-customer-with-8-notion-docs%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/7WHU6g8nijf_WUiLgEh_ls4A20-0mxudFhTxunxXepY=452">
<span>
<strong>How I Got My First Customer With 8 Notion Docs (3 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Short feedback loops make failure cheap.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Funsung.aresluna.org%2Fsolving-a-largely-imaginary-user-goal%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/HUKI9H7gCVmzA5-_XnwJ7KViNfX_4TJkKssVVPuewFA=452">
<span>
<strong>Solving a largely imaginary user goal (3 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Most dark-mode toggles make users pick between light, dark, and a confusing third option that follows the system.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Freadonpaper.substack.com%2Fp%2Fsales-still-obeys-the-laws-of-physics%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/Okkhpu4d3c-xweH2jU2lXTb4HkbOJy6BYRsqwGYWcAA=452">
<span>
<strong>Sales Still Obeys the Laws of Physics (2 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
You can cut engineering by an order of magnitude, and a product will still ship, but you can't compress a relationship, which is often rated in literal touchpoints, sometimes in real life.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
<span>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fstratnotes.substack.com%2Fp%2Fjobs-to-be-done%3Futm_source=tldrfounders/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/8HZqC_L6KXCqEnTxBCSnSZCeoRdm78izH2AbdAt_Gig=452">
<span>
<strong>Jobs to be done (13 minute read)</strong>
</span>
</a>
<br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">
Products are not bought - they are hired for specific jobs.
</span>
</span>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="word-break: break-word; vertical-align: top; padding: 5px 10px;">
<p style="padding: 0; margin: 0; font-size: 22px; color: #000000; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: bold;">
Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards!
</p>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="container" style="padding: 0px 10px 15px;">
<div class="text-block">
Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag!
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" style="padding: 10px;">
<div class="text-block">
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Frefer.tldr.tech%2Fd90026dc%2F7/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/XorYeAbULzZd5vyf_unq0Gu57c9Z0UrEmZ7IR1OgiVs=452" style="color: #464ba4; text-decoration: underline;">https://refer.tldr.tech/d90026dc/7</a>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr><td align="left" style="padding:5px 10px;">
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fhub.sparklp.co%2Fsub_7ce5224eca6b%2F7/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/UxYIUyKhNiNdS58j75GJMbIqzm0xpSl5kPa2_uY4muE=452" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; padding: 10px 0; display: inline-block; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="mso-text-raise:13pt; text-decoration: underline;">Track your referrals here.</span></a>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="word-break: break-word; vertical-align: top; padding: 5px 10px;">
<p style="padding: 0; margin: 0; font-size: 22px; color: #000000; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: bold;">
Want to advertise in TLDR? 📰
</p>
<div class="text-block" style="margin-top: 10px;">
If your company is interested in reaching an audience of founders, executives, and decision makers, you may want to <a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fadvertise.tldr.tech%2F%3Futm_source=tldrfounders%26utm_medium=newsletter%26utm_campaign=advertisecta/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/3zbvxRr3Ogo83W34pkrkhkN2kMgszEVbPKtRSnyMy1c=452"><strong><span>advertise with us</span></strong></a>.
</div>
<br>
<!-- New "Want to work at TLDR?" section -->
<p style="padding: 0; margin: 0; font-size: 22px; color: #000000; line-height: 1.6; font-weight: bold;">
Want to work at TLDR? 💼
</p>
<div class="text-block" style="margin-top: 10px;">
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fjobs.ashbyhq.com%2Ftldr.tech/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/OaEwUvDEXoKKfZvFk-4hbyTebKsqUIlGCFmwSFncmyM=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #0000EE; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><strong>Apply here</strong></a>,
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fjobs.ashbyhq.com%2Ftldr.tech%2Fc227b917-a6a4-40ce-8950-d3e165357871/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/R_PDmg0uTrl24Fe9_KeX-MjgjNgDrVpWpj5cko17nnE=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #0000EE; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><strong>create your own role</strong></a> or send a friend's resume to <a href="mailto:jobs@tldr.tech" style="color: #0000EE; text-decoration: underline;">jobs@tldr.tech</a> and get $1k if we hire them! TLDR is one of <a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Ffeed%2Fupdate%2Furn:li:activity:7401699691039830016%2F/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/38ASlsWNSImSQQhYN0H3IC3adGOuUvoXUPsVCDX0z1s=452" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #0000EE; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><strong>Inc.'s Best Bootstrapped businesses</strong></a> of 2025.
</div>
<br>
<div class="text-block">
If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!
<br>
<br> Thanks for reading,
<br>
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fx.com%2Fandrewztan/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/VSkOtBEGB5ifSVJQIzAnBmLzvDP43wb-53PJ9aV_Yt4=452"><span>Andrew Tan</span></a> & <a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fx.com%2Fkevinskyewu/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/xDJJW0O1tHXyiDBTuYIN3EG4cgEDUij2X9kg9faGnOw=452"><span>Kevin Wu</span></a>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<br>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="container" style="padding: 15px 15px;">
<div class="text-block" id="testing-id">
<a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Ftldr.tech%2Ffounders%2Fmanage%3Femail=silk.theater.56%2540fwdnl.com/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/C-ae_qt-UmRViOZsnZ5Y2RB3MIoG0ucbFfXdzy3pj8U=452">Manage your subscriptions</a> to our other newsletters on tech, startups, and programming. Or if TLDR Founders isn't for you, please <a href="https://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fa.tldrnewsletter.com%2Funsubscribe%3Fep=1%26l=33bb36cf-4024-11ed-9a32-0241b9615763%26lc=1572f2fc-84b7-11f0-9937-47c5c04ad337%26p=b1abbfa2-9a2b-11f1-a4bc-619a848830c3%26pt=campaign%26pv=4%26spa=1786968110%26t=1786968533%26s=c7853344d34cb9975575d2362391c844529b438e278b9bd985e76c1df6c602d9/1/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/O8cvEjgbMqasRwDXbJXev5AW1EsqRCevN5Ef_Ggo1J4=452">unsubscribe</a>.
<br>
</div>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<img alt="" src="http://tracking.tldrnewsletter.com/CI0/010001a00f9febe9-2928fcdf-b0cc-4a22-bea4-095767416a55-000000/qM4GOf_-cSqfjd-vtZbNfS-BR-bzaW-JQGJQ00fca40=452" style="display: none; width: 1px; height: 1px;">
</body></html>