Yaniv Sherman’s Post

The post-October 7th world keeps presenting us with crystalized examples of where we are living, as accurately described here by Itai Pazner. This war has many fronts, some near-term and some generational, but we cannot and must not ignore them, even when bus stations are scrubbed clean and TikTok-fueled anti-Semitic demonstrations disperse. #bringthemhome

"It's not rocket science you know" was the catch phrase I often used when a CTO or project manager shared his delivery woes with me. If she was annoyed (as most were, it's annoying), I put on my IAF alter-ego and explained how making two 4-feet-long metal tubes collide miles above ground was NOT like configuring a new SQL DB on AWS (never helped).  Yesterday night WAS rocket science, as our multi-layer, multi-dimensional defense systems faced their biggest challenge to date. It's a brutal exercise, not dissimilar to the commercial ecosystem where KPI and the bottom line are what counts, only with 10 million shareholders at the other end. But that wasn't the headline as far as I was concerned. Decades-long R&D investments often come tragically short, as we sadly witnessed on October 7th. This time around, a well-prepared, masterfully-orchestrated coalition of air and ground forces met the challenge to perfection. It's hard to explain or overstate the complexity of launching, controlling and operating such a time-sensitive campaign. Real time decision-making is an art seldom found in the business world. I was once asked in a job interview to describe a "split second decision" I made in my professional career. I replied with "let's just make sure we are aligned re what 'split second' means" (again, annoying…). One thing defense, gaming and any other tech organization I know have in common – they are as good as the people who eventually take them to battle. Yesterday night was a milestone in a war started long ago. We shouldn't celebrate, but mark and appreciate the men and women who executed it. #kudos #bringthemhome

Whether you had a dog in this race (I did…) or not, the latest 888holdings decision regarding SIsportsbook and partnership with Authentic Brands Group has stirred the iGaming feed and rekindled a decade-old brand/media/gaming debate (for a few minutes at least, until the algo moves our collective ADHD onwards…) This has enough fissile material for a longer post + discussion, but here are some key (proposed) takeaways: 1.      The Coke Zero Paradox: in most cases media/brand companies want the great taste (revenues) but none of the calories (licensing, gambling association). No matter how big the meeting room is (having sat in most if not all of them at one point or another), if you’re not sitting opposite the CEO (physically or by delegation), it’s not a partnership you’re negotiating. You are calories. Nothing wrong with that, as long as both of you see it that way. It is incremental value to their business, but it’s all of yours. 2.      Sexy vs. CPA: some brands garner awareness, some offer distribution and conversion, while others increase engagement and stickiness. They almost never present the coveted triple-threat. At the end of the day, media/brand partnerships are meant to serve as shortcuts on your chartered strategic course. If they do not translate into lower CPA/higher LTV, it means you’re probably lost (see #5). 3.      Don’t say Sky! Sky Bet, now part of the Flutter group, rose to power in the UK while being part of the NewsCorp empire, and even then took a few years to hone and streamline its proposition. It is the exception, NOT the rule. The digital plains are now riddled with media/gaming corps (Fox Bet, MaximBet, fuboTV sportsbook, Barstool). It’s not to say it can’t be done (see TheScore in Ontario, Fanatics and ESPN Bet early days), but it has to be done out of a shared strategic view and alignment of interests (see #5 again…) 4.      Keep your eyes on the road: although some pundits claim to have seen SIsportsbook’s fate from the outset, it’s still hindsight and still 20/20 when you only look at a singular event. Business Development is always forward looking and always contextual. For us the SI partnership was a milestone in a road beginning in 2009, stretching through 2013 then 2018… we could have gone right instead of left at every junction. Hindsight’s only value is if you project it forward. Otherwise, it’s a post on LI 😊 5.      Strategy eats Opportunity for breakfast: speaking of the road, you have to make sure you’re driving on one… opportunities come and go, they often have real or made-up clocks ticking on them. But striking any strategic deal/partnership under the “let’s just do it and figure it out later” motto turns it into a lottery card, with similar win chances. When kicking the can, you’ll find the road is much shorter than expected. Hope this is helpful and doesn’t get folded into a fortune cookie, but if it does – let’s hope it’s a branded one!

Thanks for that shoutout Steve Ruddock and stroll down the US yellow brick road. We should do "Smart and Selective" swag

The header says it all. As I've stated a few days ago, clarity is critical. I wrote it looking in, from a national perspective. This time, it's written looking out. The fog of war blurs your vision, making it hard to distinguish friend from foe. Free speech serves as a cleanser - it flushes out people's real views. It's unsettling at first, but will serve us well in the future. The contrast between POTUS's strong words and actions vs. BLM's new logo is a glaring one. Friend vs. Foe. Yalla, back to work. Got a war to win.

It’s been over 36 hours since we entered the new phase in our history through no fault of our own. Numbers are still coming in, but they are already in the realm of the unfathomable. Our dead, wounded, missing and hostages mark our 9/11, few times over. After over 25 years in service, 20 of them as an active reservist, this is the first time I’m sidelined in an event like this. In past conflicts I would be in my car, heading south to the base within the hour, before the call came in. It was as natural as a reflex. This time around I found myself texting with my son, at his base in the south of Israel, and with friends in a kibbutz near the Gaza border, hiding in their safe room with two small children for 13 hours. I can’t express the frustration, anger and sadness in the wake of these events. A country is no different than a commercial organization. To be a successful one, its people must agree its mission and a common vision. We have been plagued with divisiveness over the past year around a common vision for Israel, what kind of state do we want to keep building for our children. our neighbours recognized that as a weekness. But the mission has never been under question. Israel was founded, first and foremost, to provide the Jewish people with physical security. Everything else – high-tech, art, law, religion – is built on top of this mission and the path paved by our founding fathers and mothers. Yesterday marked an unprecedented setback for our mission. Families stranded in their homes while terrorists are storming their communities with a sole purpose of killing. We are still fighting to regain control of our southern border, and the next few weeks and months will be trying ones. The only two bright spots I can see at this point are clarity and unity, two other critical traits of successful organizations and nations. It is now much clearer where we live and what the people around us want. And, by judging from the overflow at the blood banks, active reservist heading in and volunteers, this should reunite us around a common vision, even if a shorter-term one. We need to re-set the power balance in our neighborhood, as Israel's mission is a righteous one. The best motivation is lack of choice – there is no Plan B. Our finest hour is still ahead. #standwithisrael #ourfinesthour

#proud #ittakesavillage #keepgoing

Capping a week-long Euro-trip, starting in London meeting some of Bragg's amazing partners, then hitting #igblive23 in Amsterdam with the Braggers on our content-powered Dutch vessel. This year was extra special, as we became the leading online #igaming platform in the regulated Dutch market, thanks to our partners and teams' relentless pursuit of product and operational excellence. Lots of exciting opportunities ahead in Europe, North America and LatAm, but beyond those it is always great to connect with colleagues and friends, new and old Lara Falzon Giles Potter Doug Fallon Jernej Spende Matej Nemec Linda Zaumane Janez Gregor Dovžan Ivica Jovanovski Karl Grech