# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending April 7, 2023

Published: 6 April 2023
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-april-7-2023

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK

[Burn multiple](https://sacks.substack.com/p/the-burn-multiple-51a7e43cb200) measures the capital efficiency of a startup. Burn multiple calculated by net burn/net new ARR. In a surprise to no one (because Burn is now a terrible word in this new market), [Startup burn multiples have changed markedly in 2023](https://tomtunguz.com/burn-multiple-2023/).

Link: https://sacks.substack.com/p/the-burn-multiple-51a7e43cb200

## 2. PRODUCT LED MARKETING

Here is the [ultimate deep-dive into PLG](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/product-led-marketing) from Kyle Poyar of OpenView, one of the OGs of the PLG world. It contains tactical advice, real-life examples, and actionable next steps.

Link: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/product-led-marketing

## 3. TECH MACRO

Every year, Benedict Evans goes on an absolute blinder in PowerPoint, exploring macro and strategic trends in the tech industry. He's [back with this year's version](https://www.ben-evans.com/presentations?lh_aid=3853160&lh_cid=vvpfnc5901&di=2b48e5175f4bed16a14e689f499efc2d) noting that (across his 104 slide deck!) big-tech is becoming bigger-tech and the ultimate gatekeepers of the tech economy.

Link: https://www.ben-evans.com/presentations?lh_aid=3853160&lh_cid=vvpfnc5901&di=2b48e5175f4bed16a14e689f499efc2d

## 4. PRODUCT DEBT

Modern-day businesses create Technical Debt via Product Debt. [Stop taking shortcuts](https://medium.com/@andrasjuhasz/technical-debt-is-overhyped-lets-talk-about-product-debt-4b422a33894b), as it's all the decisions that have been made, often tactical and acute, without a clear product vision or sufficient consideration about the long-term effects of that moment/decision. The link above also has a great case study of Google Messaging's product evolution, but [this link](https://www.koruux.com/blog/tips-to-manage-design-backlogs/) also has a great PM-focused article on how to design out of it (or at least your backlogs).

Link: https://medium.com/@andrasjuhasz/technical-debt-is-overhyped-lets-talk-about-product-debt-4b422a33894b

## 5. CONSISTENCY

I have been delivering this newsletter weekly since December 2018, holy smokes - I even took [significant breaks](https://alpineclub.org.nz/sites/default/files/styles/node_display/public/inline-images/AA%2030%20John%20Davied.jpg?itok=4b_hbZCu) that no one noticed! So [this article resonated this week on why being consistent matters](https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/how-i-stay-consistent/) - outside of his monetization, podcasts, etc. :-).

Link: https://alpineclub.org.nz/sites/default/files/styles/node_display/public/inline-images/AA%2030%20John%20Davied.jpg?itok=4b_hbZCu

## 6. OPEN SOURCE

Here is an excellent[dashboard of the top open source projects](https://redpoint.metabaseapp.com/public/dashboard/5e802588-cc2c-489c-a2f3-283d6c3cd298) by growth, retention, and usage. It can be visually confusing, so read the Substack article outlining the dashboard in more detail [here](https://cloudinfrastructure.substack.com/p/introducing-the-redpoint-open-source).

Link: https://redpoint.metabaseapp.com/public/dashboard/5e802588-cc2c-489c-a2f3-283d6c3cd298

## 7. API

APIs allow different programs and services to get along and work together, which is why they're essential in today's crowded technology space. For your continuing education credits: A Full Guide: [Understand Everything About APIs](https://nerdleveltech.com/a-full-guide-understand-everything-about-apis-with-examples) (with Examples).

Link: https://nerdleveltech.com/a-full-guide-understand-everything-about-apis-with-examples

## 8. AI

Stanford released a massive [386-page report on the state of AI](https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report/), showing how heated the market has been getting for years - Newly funded AI startups have tripled in the last ten years, primarily in the US - and also showing how the past three years have been incredibly rapid paced across many measures (including AI-related lawsuits).

Link: https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report/

## 9. PRICING FEATURETTE

Optimizing Pricing is complicated, and it's never (ever) perfect. a) If companies decide to have a pricing page on their site (which is that whole [other topic](https://www.inboundmantra.com/blog/pricing-page-right-for-your-saas-business#:~:text=For%20many%20businesses%20with%20a,website%20will%20work%20the%20best.&text=For%20enterprise%20customers%2C%20pricing%20does,the%20SaaS%20company%20is%20offering.). Jason Lemkin lays out some thoughts of [what makes a good pricing page](https://www.saastr.com/what-do-you-think-makes-a-good-saas-pricing-page). b) McKinsey gets technical, outlining how to[leverage big data to make better pricing decisions](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/using-big-data-to-make-better-pricing-decisions). c) Want to look at competitor prices? [Comptera](https://competera.net/) has a great article on [conducting a high-fidelity competitive pricing analysis project](https://competera.net/resources/articles/competitive-pricing-analysis), and d) Productled has the ultimate "[How to build the right SaaS pricing page](https://productled.com/blog/how-to-build-a-saas-pricing-page)" in 2023.

Link: https://www.inboundmantra.com/blog/pricing-page-right-for-your-saas-business#:~:text=For%20many%20businesses%20with%20a,website%20will%20work%20the%20best.&text=For%20enterprise%20customers%2C%20pricing%20does,the%20SaaS%20company%20is%20offering.

## 10. CASE STUDY

Down rounds are [pretty standard](https://www.reuters.com/technology/fintech-stripe-valued-50-bln-after-65-bln-fundraise-2023-03-15/) this year (and probably next) - so what can we learn from Down Rounds of the past? [Here is an excellent report about Docker](https://jax.substack.com/p/docker-a-whale-becomes-a-phoenix) which went through a down round and a 75% headcount reduction

Link: https://www.reuters.com/technology/fintech-stripe-valued-50-bln-after-65-bln-fundraise-2023-03-15/

## POD OF THE WEEK

Complementing #2 above - [The ultimate (podcast) guide to adding a PLG motion](https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-adding-a-plg-motion-hila-qu-reforge-gitlab/) from Hila Qu, former director of growth at Reforge and GitLab.

Link: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-adding-a-plg-motion-hila-qu-reforge-gitlab/