What is Pivotal?
Pivotal is a newsletter of long-form essays about data, finance, AI, and startups, written by Abraham Thomas.
Here’s what readers have to say about it:
“There is no more thoughtful writer on financial topics today.” — global head of data, 10b AUM hedge fund
“Abraham Thomas is on a hot streak with his writing. Not sure anyone else is putting out clearer thinking. This is a MUST read.” — senior partner, 3b AUM growth equity firm
“Bravo. Likely the most lucid and accurate rendition of the space. Absolutely loved it. A little jealous that I didn’t write it.” — CEO, tech startup (near-unicorn)
“When Abraham Thomas writes, it’s worth stopping to read and be rewarded for the time spent.” — head of data and analytics, 100b asset manager
“Brilliant and enlightening.” — partner, top silicon valley seed firm
“I doubt if even the people doing this have this kind of clarity about their own industry.” — CEO, tech startup (unicorn, exited)
“A masterpiece” — writer, finance + tech newsletter with 50k subscribers
“Everyone can throw [words] around, some people can explain, but only a rare few truly master [their subjects]. Abraham Thomas is one of those rare experts.” — CEO, tech startup (acquired for $700m)
Let Me Read It First!
Here are some essays that proved especially popular with readers:
The Data Arc
The Venture Arc
The Startup Arc
Who Writes Pivotal?
Pivotal is written by Abraham Thomas.
I’m the founder and CEO of Windkey.ai, building at the intersection of finance, data, and AI. (But note that Pivotal is NOT about Windkey, and never will be.)
Previously, I was the co-founder and chief data officer of Quandl, a venture-backed tech startup that built a data marketplace and pioneered the category of ‘alternative data’ in finance. Quandl was acquired by Nasdaq.
Before Quandl, I was a researcher, trader and portfolio manager at Simplex, a quant hedge fund headquartered in Tokyo. At Simplex, I built one of the bond market’s earliest high-frequency trading systems, over two decades ago.
There are people who know data; there are people who know finance; and there are people who know startups. There are not many people who know all three at a deep professional level. I’m one of them. (Modest, too.)
What Pivotal Isn’t
Pivotal is not technical. I might talk about technical subjects — data economics, quant finance, AI adoption, venture capital — but I try to do so at a level that’s accessible to generalists.
Pivotal is not topical. I don’t plan to write about current events or developments, except on the rare occasions when they intersect strongly with my underlying themes.
Pivotal is not overwhelming. I aim to publish 2-4 posts a year, at an irregular cadence. But they’ll be good posts.
Pivotal is not paid, and I have no plans to ever change that.
Why Pivotal Exists
Pivotal exists because I’m fascinated by data, finance and technology.
Data: As a species, we are defined by our ability to manipulate information: language, writing, software. It’s not a coincidence that the word we associate most strongly with human evolutionary advantage — intelligence — means both raw data, and the capacity to act on it.
Finance: Markets are the most effective and resilient mechanism we have found to solve a genuinely hard problem: how should society allocate resources in the face of incomplete information and uncertain outcomes?
Technology: Writing, agriculture, government, cities, money, industry: these and other technologies have impacted humanity in profound (and still evolving) ways. We’re living through another technological revolution right now: AI. And we’ve barely scratched the surface of what it can achieve.
Despite these big themes, this is not an abstract, 30,000-foot-view newsletter. Instead, it aims to be concrete, detailed, observational, practical, and helpful.
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