ECOMMERCE: Generating more revenue through e-commerce was a strategy the company adopted several years ago as a way to maintain financial independence, in contrast to competitors who were backed by venture capital. In 2014, the company was already generating around $10 million from consumer transactions; in an interview in April, Gawker’s founder, Nick Denton, claimed that e-commerce revenue “now covers our editorial spending.”

MEDIA: The API means that Snapchat ads will, for the first time, be sold by third parties, and will be divided by two kinds of collaborators: Ads Partners and Creative Partners. The first group will develop software for Snapchat advertisers, enabling buying, optimizing and analyzing of campaigns. Ads Partners includes 4C, Amobee, VaynerMedia, Brand Networks, SocialCode, TubeMogul, Adaptly and Unified.

INNOVATION: In 1973, shortly after Boeing abandoned the 2707, its Mach 3 government-funded competitor to the British- and French-made Concorde, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rule banning supersonic transport over the U.S. The move came after growing concerns about the impact of sonic booms over land, including fears that the shock wave would damage buildings, shatter windows and create intolerable noise near airports.

BRAND: I’ve sorted nine modern brands into the very scientific categories of Ugh, Meh, and Bleh to denote shopping categories that are typically considered complicated, boring, or inconvenient, respectively. Yet these nine Ughs, Mehs, and Bleh brands have created entertaining, cohesive, and easy-to-use digital experiences, thoughtfully using digital experiences to behave with a bit more humanity.

ECOMMERCE: Merchants that offer “Pay with Amazon” may lower cart abandonment rates among Amazon customers, in addition to providing a layer of payment fraud protection, especially for international orders. The main downsides to merchants are customer service (i.e., customers have to interact with Amazon if there is a decline) and administrative hoops to set up the service.

MEDIA: None of the proposals was as appealing as HBO's, however. The premium cable network would offer him not only a weekly 10 p.m. talk show but also an opportunity to create or consult on other programming for the network and its digital offshoot, HBO Now. Simmons' podcasts could become TV shows (The Watch already has spawned a Game of Thrones aftershow); and his ferocious stream of ideas for documentaries would be heard as the network looked to regain a foothold in sports.

DATA: December 15th, 2008, marked the first day of the best job I’ve ever had. My rationale for joining LinkedIn was simple: The opportunity to work with Reid Hoffman, a founder I greatly admired and respected; to join an extremely talented and dedicated team; and to massively scale LinkedIn’s membership and business, both of which had the potential to fundamentally transform the way the world connects to opportunity. Never in my wildest dreams, could I have imagined what would happen in the next 7½ years.

ECOMMERCE: Retailers are “facing unprecedented challenges, and their very survival is in question,” the shipping firm says in the report. “They must keep pace with ever-evolving technology and customer expectations. Those retailers who can’t elevate their game won’t be on the playing field for long.” But shoppers are clearly becoming more “evolved,” tech-savvy and less accommodating of so-so e-commerce. That’s particularly true of what UPS calls Power Shoppers and Millennials, both of whom like to keep control during the buying process.

MEDIA: Reddit, otherwise known as the front page of the Internet, is an amazingly diverse online community. Through nearly 1 million ‘subreddits’ – which act as discussion boards – Reddit hosts conversations on a myriad of topics, including; world news, videos, television, science, and sports. Reddit members can create subreddits on any topic at will, and open them up to the wider community to spark conversations. I’ve compiled fourteen of the very best to help you glean ideas, find inspiration, and learn new things.

DATA: Things are clearly progressing rapidly when it comes to machine intelligence. But how did we get here, after not one but multiple “A.I. winters”? What’s the breakthrough? And why is Silicon Valley buzzing about artificial intelligence again? From types of machine intelligence to a tour of algorithms, a16z Deal and Research team head Frank Chen walks us through the basics (and beyond) of AI and deep learning in this slide presentation.

ECOMMERCE: Data indicates that customers who arrive on your site ready to search for something are more likely to convert than those who come just to browse. On-site searching plays a role in as much as 40% of online purchases, so it’s essential that your site offers fast, useful search tools to help customers find what they are looking for. Pay equal attention to search design – such as placement, colors, and calls-to-action, as to functionality – such as facets, filtering, and spelling suggestions.

ECOMMERCE: The increasingly popular flat-pack furniture model is generally affordable, you can buy it immediately, assemble and dissemble it at will, and you can furniture shop without leaving your couch (or floor, as the case may be). IKEA led the way, we'll give it that. But other companies have taken flat-pack furniture and made it better: sturdier, sleeker, customizable, and able to survive multiple moves. Lately, these new flat-pack purveyors been coming out of the woodwork. Here are our top five.