What We Brewed in August — Monthly Wrap #1
Jobs dissolving, founders posturing, and readers tuning in — here’s how August unfolded at The Percolator, and where we’re headed next.
Hello readers 👋,
August was a month of big questions — about jobs, founders, and the fragile systems we take for granted. Before the recap, a thank you: every week, thousands of you open these essays, reflect, share them with colleagues, or write back with your own stories. That’s what keeps this whole endeavour alive.
The Percolator began with a simple idea — that curiosity and ambition deserve a space to meet. August was another small step in that journey.
August in Numbers
13 issues published (4 Brewed for Work, 4 The Founder’s Brew, 5 The Sunday Brew)
120,000 emails sent
25,000 opened and 40,000 total views across platforms
Most read essay: The Job is Dead
Brewed for Work
This month, Brewed for Work explored the unravelling of work itself. The Job is Disintegrating traced the collapse of roles, management, and meaning — from the fading of factory-style jobs to the rise of hybrid identities — and asked what rituals might replace the structure jobs once provided.
The Founder’s Brew
Meanwhile, The Founder’s Brew tackled the subject of start-up power. Power Trip unpacked how founders, boards, and investors wield, distort, and perform control — through stealth buybacks, staged boardroom drama, early liquidity, and illusory exits — showing how much of governance is theatre, and how little is truth.
Coming Up in September
In September, you’ll receive 4 essays each from Brewed for Work and The Founder’s Brew.
Brewed for Work — Cognitive Capitalism
If August was about jobs disintegrating, September asks what fills the void: the mental economy. We’ll look at attention as training, layered thinking, infinite choice, and the struggle to build sustainable mental systems in a world where your brain is the product.
The Founder’s Brew — The Broken Founder
This month confronts the fractures behind the pitch decks. From the builder-to-CEO trap to co-founder decay, the post-exit void, and the performance of stability — we’ll explore the psychological toll of building companies, and why founders rarely admit it until it’s too late.
An Earnest Appeal
The Percolator is built like a magazine, but without the team or organisation. It takes research, writing, editing, and a steady rhythm to publish longform essays twice a week. Paid subscriptions make this work possible — and sustainable.
If you’ve found value here, I’d love for you to consider upgrading. Paid subscribers unlock every essay, can comment and join the chat, and — soon — will have the chance to feature their own notes and stories.
👉 Please upgrade to paid and help keep the brew strong. It costs less than two coffees a month — but unlike coffee, the energy lasts longer.
See you in September — where we’ll ask harder questions about founders, attention, and how to keep going without burning out. Until then, thank you for reading, sharing, and keeping The Percolator alive.