Roger Kermode

Winter's afternoon at Bondi Beach, what's not to like?

Check out my latest article: Australia, We Have a Problem… and a Massive Opportunity linkedin.com/pulse/australi… via @LinkedIn

The bigger issue is startups. They run at a loss for number of years while valuation increases. Founders will be forced to sell shares early to pay for gains that may never realise. They will move offshore, VC will be impacted here as a result. AUS Innovation will be stunted. 2/2

Am increasingly concerned about the proposed tax on paper gains in super where balances exceed AUD$3m. Sure only a small fraction of people will be affected now. The threshold is not indexed, many in Gen Z and later will get be affected - a long term problem BUT… 1/2

AI lowers the barrier to getting started on anything, which means people start doing far more. But to do great work still has a long tail of execution, judgment, creativity, and knowledge about the specific domain, which means AI replaces far fewer jobs than we think.

@matt_barrie @katherine_deves Not disagreeing that overhaul is needed. Wouldn’t expect there to be too many yoga instructors getting through. Agree that this however is a noise issue that distracts. The bigger issue of how many actual global talent visas get issued. Transparency per list role is needed.

What I was chastised about by a government wonk when I brought it up was that "its just in the agreement" "these things are normal" which intimated to me that its a backdoor. Also I saw an article saying we haven't imported many yoga instructors. It's not the point however, the point is that we have yoga instructors on the "on" list with 1800 or so to one country, 3000 from gaza and only 5000 going to 4000 for the actual skills global talent visa, then 2.6m in the country, the whole immigration program is a cruel joke on the people of Australia.

Australia should be a world leader in nuclear reactor development. We have 31% of the worlds uranium, a double Saudi Arabia. We should be leaders in the whole supply chain. Why should South Korea be the leader? What uranium do they have? Debate in this country is a joke.

@matt_barrie @katherine_deves . @matt_barrie from what I understand from Barney Glover’s recent radio interview there are a number of roles that are locked in via long standing bilateral agreements eg yoga instructors is embedded in an agreement with India. Not defending roles, just noting these are locked in

@katherine_deves But somehow yoga instructors end up on the critical skills list muppet show

R&D investment in Aus is too low. Only 1.7% of GDP goes into R&D and it's declining, while other nations are charging forward - Korea 5%, Taiwan 4%, US/Japan/UK ~3%, China 2.5%... 🧵...

Next stop off to late night chemist for some antibiotics and steroids - total cost there was AUD$37 - all done and sites by 8:40pm. So all up AUD$47 or USD$30 to get diagnosed and treatment in 40minutes. Brilliant. 2/2

Have to love Aussie Medicare. One of my kids is ill, did AUD$10 home test that came back -ve for Covid as well as Influenza A&B - so off to our local Bulk Bill Dr at 8pm. See a Dr there at 8:10 and get diagnosis (no copay as it is bulk bill) 1/2

Australia's largest companies are banks, supermarkets, a mining Co and a toll road. Taiwan's largest companies manufacture semiconductors, electronics and cars. One is scalping its hostage citizens with price gouging and the other's innovation makes it competitive on world stage

Moonrise over Curl Curl beach after a lazy Sunday. #northernbeacheslife

@RoohbirSingh @KirilRuvinsky @AussieFinance2 I used a buyer’s agent, a good one will have fixed price ($66k seems high for that sale), will help you not make the costly mistake of buying a property with issues, and expedite the negotiation to a secure a property you would otherwise have missed. Yr mileage may vary

@KirilRuvinsky @AussieFinance2 From what I understand most in Sydney charge fixed price for this very reason?

I attended a Sydney auction this morning. 5 registered. Property guided $2.3m through campaign. Increased to $2.5m yesterday. Buyers Agent opens with a knock-out bid- $2.8m Agent takes BA into room. Comes out declaring BA raised to $3m. Buyer charged $66K to overpay $400K

@matt_barrie @Ausproperty95 Hey @matt_barrie not sure where you’re getting your data from. I entered the workforce prior to that with a EE degree and that number seems more than a little low…. That said I agree point that wages have nowhere kept up with prices.

@Ausproperty95 Elec eng grads got 32k in 1996

A graduate engineer at the top companies was making $65-70k in 2012 and now it’s $70-75k meanwhile houses prices are up 150%, eggs are up 180%.. why bother studying one of the hardest degrees and getting educated

Agree 2024 will be very interesting. Current price declines will have or are about to shutdown high cost producers.... reckon the pendulum could well swing back hard to high prices in short order

Great tome@of@the year in Sydney when the Jacarandas bloom any lay lavender carpets on the ground

So I learned today that about 20yrs ago a big hurricane emancipated a bunch of chickens that were never rounded up on Kauai - which is now the home of an abundance of free range fowl and felines. Never seen so many well fed happy chickens and cats on the prowl ever!

@derek_abbott60 @UTSEngage It was great to show you around and to chat about all the opportunities that are coming up in Space for Australia

Great to catch up with ⁦@rogerkermode⁩ at ⁦@UTSEngage⁩ in their very impressive anechoic chamber.

Up to 2005: Silicon Valley is virtually unchallenged 2005-2015: Adyen, Spotify, Just Eat Takeaway, are category leaders Last 7 years: 30% of global seed investment goes to European startups Europe today: largest ever pool of startup talent, experienced VC scene, the highest density of science talent

@MJBiercuk @Mikenicholls88 @PhysDownUnder @UTSTechLab Agree that TTOs struggle - performance is hard to measure through, as you and Erik point out at this stage most are aiming for base hits and not necessarily looking to count how many home runs were missed.

@rogerkermode @Mikenicholls88 @PhysDownUnder @UTSTechLab A very important lesson that should be shouted at governments and Univ TTOs locally who will for the most part hold on so tight to IP that they'll glad strangle a startup in the process...back to my original post about making it easier for academics to commercialize as a priority

lol over the last 15yrs, every innovation thinktank meeting I have been to comes up with this idea & everyone thinks this will solve the disconnect between researchers & SME while ignoring the fact this has been done a dozen times in the last decade

@PhysDownUnder @MJBiercuk @Mikenicholls88 @UTSTechLab Yup I was at the Media Lab in the mid to late 90s. At that time patents were seen as an impediment not a way forward - not surprising given the ‘demo or die’ culture present. Working code / prototype driving a compelling demo was the objective.

@rogerkermode @MJBiercuk @Mikenicholls88 @UTSTechLab MIT TTO in the early 2000's was not good. Many of the startup seminars I went to as a grad student talked specifically how to side-step it.