Essays and observations on the digital economy
Real-time payment systems expanded significantly in 2026. Brazil's PIX, India's UPI, and a growing list of similar national infrastructure projects processed record transaction ...
Continue reading →The center of gravity in global esports has shifted decisively toward emerging markets. By 2025, over 58% of the world's 640 million esports viewers were located in Asia, Latin ...
Continue reading →As AI coding assistants have improved, some have declared that software craftsmanship is becoming irrelevant. If the AI can write the code, what does it matter if humans underst...
Continue reading →This study analyzes consumer behavior on mobile commerce platforms across six markets (India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Brazil, and Vietnam) using transaction data from 2.8 mi...
Continue reading →We spent four weeks with six productivity apps that have gained significant traction among remote teams in 2026. Our testing involved real workflows — project management, async ...
Continue reading →The global mobile entertainment market has seen unprecedented growth over the past five years, driven largely by expanding smartphone penetration in developing economies. In reg...
Continue reading →Over the past year working from cafés in a dozen cities across three continents, I have developed an informal anthropology of café working culture. The unwritten rules vary enor...
Continue reading →Artificial intelligence has moved from a behind-the-scenes optimization tool to a central force reshaping how entertainment content is created, distributed, and consumed. From r...
Continue reading →Reporting draws on research published by Player Lounge members.