Business

Solo mediocrity is rampant, of course. We know that toasting the bread before making the sandwich makes it more delicious, but in service of convenience and speed, we skip a step.

It becomes a conspiracy when more than one of us is involved.

The freelancer who offers cheap and ordinary work finds customers who willingly engage with them.

The small company that gets worn down by the constant pressure to simply do a bit less and care a bit less, and decides to follow the mass market where it seems to want to go.

The thing about these conspiracies, though, is that many people have to go along for them to work.

In a big car company, it might take the agreement of 30 or 50 people before the new line gets to be a bit less magical. If just one or two folks stood up and said, “not on my watch,” the conspiracy wouldn’t work.

Like most conspiracies, this one isn’t a secret, nor is it well organized. It’s simply the result of short-term market pressures pushing individuals who used to care a lot to care a bit less.

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Here’s a useful habit that’s more than a hack…

The next time things are going well, when a project is about to launch, when a meeting has been successful, when the sun is shining… take your phone and go for a walk.

Hit record on an audio app and make a twenty-minute audiobook. Talk about what you know, what you see, what you hope for. Talk about the change you seek to make and how you’re going to get there.

And then save it.

Save it for when you need to hear from that person who recorded it.

It might become the best audiobook you own.

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Without salt, human beings don’t survive long.

But it’s possible to eat for a month without tasting an herb. The food will sustain you.

Herbs are an expensive non-obvious addition, while also being a bargain if the goal is to create delight, interest or satisfaction.

As we digitize our interactions, the first thing to go are the herbs. We strip away anything that’s not obviously functional.

The first 100 interactions you have with an AI will leave you amazed, and then a bit empty.

And when a skilled user experience professional arrives, the first thing she does is add back the herbs. Tiny speed bumps, moments of tension, opportunities for traction or surprise.

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Greetings and salutations fellow kids! TVSpy has learned our benevolent overlord Adweek is doing some work on the hamsters behind the scenes this weekend, so we won’t be posting anything until Monday. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend, if you can, and if you have to work, we hope you enjoy every story you report,…Read More

In Barcelona, digital nomads risk being attacked by angry water pistol-wielding locals. But other parts of sun-soaked Spain are welcoming remote workers with open arms — and wads of cash. This week, the local government of Extremadura announced it is offering digital nomads and remote workers up to €15,000 to move to the rural region. The grants are for “available housing, arable land, and everything necessary to expedite their arrival,” said officials in a press release.   Bordering Portugal, Extremadura is known for its mountainous landscapes, vineyards, historic villages, great food, and low cost of living. An apartment in the Cáceres‎…

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Uber has made an investment in Wayve, as the ride-hailing giant positions itself to profit from the moment when (or if?) autonomous vehicles finally go mainstream. The undisclosed investment is an extension of Wayve’s massive $1bn funding round, announced in May. Under the deal, Uber has taken a minority stake in the London-based self-driving startup. “Wayve’s advanced embodied AI approach holds a ton of promise as we work towards a world where modern vehicles are shared, electric, and autonomous,” said Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Founded in Cambridge in 2017, Wayve fits a regular car with a range of cameras and…

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When a non-expert brings a strong point of view to a complex discussion, the words might not mean what they seem to mean.

What might be being said is, “I’m worried. I’m afraid. I don’t understand. I am looking for solace.”

Answering emotional word salad with logical insight doesn’t do anything at all for these feelings.

If the argument you’re hearing isn’t based on what we know to be true, and doesn’t lead to a logical conclusion, it could be because it’s not actually seeking to be a productive discussion.

It’s awkward to say “yadda, yadda” but that might be what’s on offer.

When in doubt, look for the emotions and desires behind the words. People often don’t want their arguments to be heard as much as they’re hoping their emotions will be.

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The former chief executive of Fortune, Alan Murray, is joining The Wall Street Journal this fall, where he will play a key role in building out its events business, according to two sources familiar with the move. The hire was first reported by ADWEEK earlier this week. Murray, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune declined…Read More

Amazon has big ambitions to shake up the TV industry, starting with this year’s upfront. ADWEEK has exclusively learned that Amazon has wrapped its first TV upfront season, pitching its scale, data, and new ad-supported tier for Prime Video to advertisers. While Amazon played up shows like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of…Read More

Nike launched the latest stereotype-busting ad around the 2024 Paralympic Games, making it clear that the athletes involved have an eye-of-the-tiger mindset. The 30-second spot, with a soaring Beethoven soundtrack and loads of action shots, gets its narration from renowned wheelchair fencer Bebe Vio. “They say that just being here is winning–participating is winning,” Vio…Read More