The Weekly Spill (In Shorts)
Welcome to The Weekly Spill—Silicon Bay Partners’ regularly scheduled download of thoughts, takes, and the occasional side-eye at the world as it actually is (not just as it’s pitched in a deck). Each week, we sift through the noise across current events, politics, startups, and financial markets to bring you what matters—and what’s just pretending to.
We aim to keep things light, even when the topics aren’t. That means a bit of satire where it’s earned, a bit of skepticism where it’s called for, and a commitment to staying grounded in facts even when opinions sneak in through the side door. We won’t always be non-judgmental—but we will always try to be clear-eyed.
Think of this as your informed, occasionally irreverent briefing for the week ahead. Read it for insight, stay for perspective, and feel free to disagree—that’s o.k. too. Fair warning: Sometimes we spill more than once a week!
From Trickle to Tsunami: Spain’s Migration Reckoning
A migrant surge tests Spain’s open policies. It is also angering the rest of Europe. For several days a stream of migrants swam from Morocco into Spanish territory. Then on July 30th and into the early hours of the next day, the stream turned to an uncontrollable flood. In all, Spanish officials think more than 50,000 entered Ceuta, a small Spanish exclave on the North African coast, which has a permanent population of just 84,000. Overwhelmed, Spanish police waved them through and even offered water and sandwiches to some of them.
Hot Coffee. Even Hotter CEO Pay.
What makes a CEO worth $31 million a year? You’ll have to ask Starbucks. It’s leader earns 1,794 times the typical Starbucks worker, according to Restaurant Dive. In his first year at the company, his $96 million compensation package was 6,666 times the median worker’s pay, a fact that was met with backlash across the internet.
The Best Parenting Hack Is Being Rich
Young kids shouldn’t have screen time, a new report warns. But who can afford to follow that advice? A news flash that won’t surprise anyone: Screen time is bad for young kids and is associated with less interaction between the parent and child, as well as delayed development, sleep issues, and eating problems.
Richer, highly educated parents—the kind who have the time and resources to read the news and incorporate the warnings of experts into their child-rearing—are already more likely to limit their kids’ screen time than less educated, lower-income parents are.
Shoddy Construction Or Just Another Coincidence?
Construction crews have spent weeks tearing up the White House South Lawn to build a massive granite helipad for Donald Trump’s Marine One helicopter.
Now, reports say the President has ordered contractors to redo the project after becoming frustrated that the lawn’s natural slope prevents the landing pad from sitting perfectly level with the horizon. Given the recent reflecting pool debacle, it’s hard to chalk this up to bad luck. At this point, “shoddy construction” seems like the far more convincing explanation.