What's on Your Mind?

Dried paint was becoming a problem for Billie Asmus. An entrepreneur who was running a small furniture refinishing company from her basement studio, she kept having to toss out paint trays that were caked with dried paint. “I looked over at my garbage can and it was just filled with plastic paint dry liners. And I was like, oh my gosh, there seriously has to be a better way. Something that’s more sustainable, something with a lid, something that’s reusable,” she says. It was 2021. She searched in all the typical places online for a product that could cut down her modest business’s immodest waste stream. “Nothing showed up,” she says. “That sent me down this huge rabbi…

For all the industries that are facing existential crises from the emergence of artificial intelligence, one is seeing a happily profitable outcome. Architects are increasingly being commissioned to design the brick-and-mortar infrastructure supporting the AI boom. These data centers—big warehouse-like buildings stuffed with whirring servers sucking up hundreds of megawatts of power—are becoming a major, and majorly lucrative, part of the architecture industry’s bottom line. “We’ve got about 200 people working strictly on data center projects,” says Joy Hughes, a design manager at the architecture and design firm Gensler. It’s a subset of the architecture business tha…

For the first time in over two decades, Capri Sun is expanding its single serving offerings with a colorful new bottle—but don’t worry, the iconic pouch is here to stay. Capri Sun’s new bottles are hitting shelves nationwide today at Kroger, Circle K, some Walmart locations, and regional convenience stores like Meijer and Hy-vee. They come in the brand’s three most popular flavors: Fruit Punch, Pacific Cooler, and Strawberry Kiwi. According to the company, each bottle contains about double the liquid contents of a traditional pouch, at 12 fluid ounces. However, for those interested in a smaller serving size and that classic form factor, Capri Sun pouches aren’t actual…

DEI measures may be under threat, but the reality is many workers want jobs at companies that value diversity. Comparably, a platform for salary data and work culture insights, just released its list of the top 100 large companies for diversity. To compile the list, Comparably asked 30,000 employees of color to weigh in on 16 different categories, including satisfaction with leadership, compensation, and career growth opportunities. The ratings were collected between February 10, 2024 and February 10, 2025. To qualify, large companies had to employ over 500 employees and needed at least 75 employee ratings. (Comparably also published a list of top 25 small-to-midsize co…

It was the year 2000. We survived Y2K and sat at our computers obsessed with a strange new game called The Sims. It was the first game I ever played where the protagonist could be late to work, forget to take out the garbage, or be so preoccupied by the doldrums of life that they might pee themselves. I, alongside millions, was hooked and could not articulate why. Born from the mind of Will Wright—the same designer who bucked the industry’s penchant for arcade games for world simulators like SimCity—The Sims is almost as hard to define now as it was then. Is it a virtual dollhouse? A simulacrum of suburban life? A neighborhood of tamagotchis with jobs? An HGTV ho…

In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining creative industries, branding stands at a pivotal crossroads. Tools like Midjourney and DALL-E are often portrayed as threats to traditional visual branding, but their true value may lie elsewhere—not in replacing human creativity, but in expanding the sensory dimensions of brand expression. At the bread and butter, a global brand consultancy, we believe branding should never be superficial. It should touch. Move. Resonate. That’s why we built our practice around “Betterment Branding”—a philosophy that connects long-term brand growth to emotional, sensory, and social resonance. Today, the intersection of A…

Spirit Airlines has rejected a merger offer with Frontier as it prepares to exit bankruptcy. Wednesday, Frontier made its second offer to merge with the bankrupt Spirit Airlines, but Spirit rejected it on the grounds that it was financially insufficient. In 2022, Frontier offered to acquire Spirit for $2.9 billion, but the offer was ultimately rejected when Spirit chose to accept a higher offer from JetBlue (which was later blocked for antitrust concerns). Frontier Airlines put forward its current merger offer in hopes of creating a strong, low-fare airline together. “We have long believed a combination with Spirit would allow us to unlock additional v…

On a freezing cold Wednesday afternoon in eastern Kentucky, Taysha DeVaughan joined a small gathering at the foot of a reclaimed strip mine to celebrate a homecoming. “It’s a return of an ancestor,” DeVaughan said. “It’s a return of a relative.” That relative was the land they stood on, part of a tract slated for a federal penitentiary that many in the crowd consider another injustice in a region riddled with them. The mine shut down years ago, but the site, near the town of Roxana, still bears the scars of extraction. DeVaughan, an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, joined some two dozen people on January 22 to celebrate the Appalachian Rekindling Project buyin…

Our cognition and mental well-being are crucial factors for our quality of life and put us in a good position to contribute to society. Ultimately, it can be near impossible to achieve physical goals and demanding life challenges if our brain health is not optimal. Yet most of us appear to be more concerned with physical health than brain health. According to the YouGov website, the most popular New Year’s resolutions in the U.K. in 2024 were doing more exercise, saving money, losing weight and dieting—with about 20% reporting they were failing some resolutions just six days into the year. A large study of approximately 1,000 participants showed that mental health fea…

At the moment, confidence in leadership is at an all time low, according to the 2024 Leadership Confidence Index. It’s natural to assume the cause is born of an individual failure—the leader lacks competence, their boss didn’t prepare or train them well, they don’t care about how others experience them. And many of these reasons certainly hold true. But in my experience working with senior executives as an executive coach and organization design consultant, bad leadership is often manufactured by an organization designed, albeit unintentionally, to produce bad leaders. In the intricate dance of organizations, design and leadership are the two central partners. The de…

Shares of Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI) surged 12% Wednesday in early morning premarket trading after it forecast strong revenue gains for 2026 and updated investors on plans to remain on the Nasdaq exchange. SMCI was up over 3% in afternoon trading. On Tuesday, the AI server maker said it now “believes it will make” the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) February 25 deadline to submit its delayed 10-K filings, thereby avoiding delisting from the Nasdaq. It also expects to file its 10-Q quarterly report ending in September by that date. Super Micro president and CEO Charles Liang projected revenue of $40 billion for fiscal 2026, lowering e…

It’s okay to admit it: You want to stand out, get ahead, and achieve all you can. And while you may feel that you can’t mention these goals, they don’t actually make you a narcissist. In fact, it’s natural for people to want a sense of status at work. After all, status is an indication that the company and your peers respect and appreciate you. But you’re also wise to balance your desire for accolades with the appropriate humility. No one likes someone who is arrogant, self-serving, or disrespectful—and there is a delicate balance between being confident and being egotistical. AVOID ARROGANCE In a 2019 study published in Review of General Psychology researchers…

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) just got a new logo, and there’s more to it than meets the eye. The updated logo dropped just in time for the upcoming Super Bowl, when an influx of out-of-state fans will bustle through MSY on their way to the Caesars Superdome arena. MSY is taking advantage of the increased publicity, using it as an opportunity to scrap its old logo—a blobby, clunky take on the fleur-de-lis that’s more of an eyesore than an homage—for a sleeker, more intriguing graphic. From left: The new logo outshines its predecessor [Image: courtesy Louis Armstrong International Airport] Called the “Plane de Lis,” the new mark is …

Netflix exceeded Wall Street’s revenue estimates for its holiday quarter, as it crossed 325 million subscribers, the company said on Tuesday. Revenue came in at $12.1 billion for October through December—topping forecasts of $11.97 billion for the quarter, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. Nielsen reported that Netflix’s monthly viewership rose 10% in December, thanks largely to the final season of hit sci-fi series “Stranger Things,” which generated 15 billion viewing minutes. Netflix also streamed two National Football League games on Christmas Day and released a third film in the “Knives Out” murder mystery series. Investors remain focused on Netflix’…

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, marking the unofficial start of the summer vacation season in America. Yet, a recent Bankrate survey from late April found that only 46% of Americans plan to travel domestically or internationally this summer, with costs cited as the primary concern. Dwindling U.S. consumer confidence may lead some individuals to reconsider spending their precious discretionary dollars on travel. Still, you may have more travel options within your budget than you thought. For those determined to get away, there’s an excellent Google Flights hack that reveals options within a certain budget. Some Google Flights aficionados know this as the “anywhere” ha…

When most people think about innovation, they imagine sprints, whiteboards, late nights, and the relentless pace of deadlines. What’s often missing from this image are genuine acts of kindness and empathy—but perhaps they should be at the center.  As the leader of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global youth STEM education community, I’ve seen firsthand the power of Gracious Professionalism. This ethos is about more than producing quality work: It’s about valuing others—teammates, competitors, and the broader community—and showing respect at every turn. Gracious Professionalism empowers everyone, regardless of role or tenure, to l…

Not long ago, much of the business world still ran on Rolodexes, fax machines and file cabinets. Today, most of those once indispensable tools have been rendered obsolete and replaced by modern technology that has redefined the way we work. This integration of technology into all facets of business operations is widely known as Digital Transformation (DX), and it’s happening across nearly every industry today. In fact, 74% of organizations now consider DX initiatives a top priority, with global spending projected to hit $3.9 trillion by 2027. While modern tech solutions offer significant benefits, the race to keep up with emerging trends can overwhelm decision-makers …

In recent years, pay transparency has grown increasingly common as many states have passed legislation to help arm workers with more data as they enter into salary negotiations. Across 14 states and many more localities, employers are now required to either provide explicit salary ranges in job postings or share that information during the hiring process. That means some of the biggest employers in the country now have to disclose compensation data in states like California and New York. But according to a new report from compensation platform Beqom, despite all this progress, many workers still feel like pay transparency isn’t within reach and that they have little i…

Is LinkedIn the new TikTok? Short-form video is now the fastest-growing category on LinkedIn, growing at twice the rate of other post formats on the platform. According to LinkedIn, total video viewership surged 36% in the first quarter of 2025. Now, LinkedIn is doubling down on video with new features to boost discovery and engagement. The full-screen vertical video experience, first launched on mobile, is now coming to desktop. Users can tap a video, swipe through more, and explore a new video tab for TikTok-like scrolling. Videos are also getting front-and-center placement on the platform. Now, when you search a topic, relevant videos will appear in a swi…

Not so long ago, a book deal and a live tour marked the outer limits of how far a hot podcast could hope to expand its horizons. These days, they’re only the beginning. Especially at Wondery, the fast-growing podcast network based in West Hollywood, California. Wondery has more than 240 podcasts, and more than 55 of them have hit the No. 1 spot on Apple Podcasts. The first book adapted from the network’s hit survival podcast Against the Odds is set for publication this June, but a better example of where things might be headed is the line of toys Wondery just launched for the family-friendly science show Wow in the World or the immersive cruise inspired by its Exhibit…

A’ja Wilson has come to realize what is delayed is not always denied. The two-time WNBA champion and three-time league MVP proudly released her long-awaited Nike signature shoe and athletic apparel collection in her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, where she helped lead the South Carolina Gamecocks to their first national championship in 2017 and had her college jersey retired on Sunday. The release of the predominantly pink shoe and apparel collection — which she said reflects her “girly, girly side” — has been 10 months in the making since she signed the lucrative six-year contract with Nike. It’s a deal Wilson says signals the continued growth and interest…

The most important leadership strategies are often the ones you don’t see. The quiet, behind-the-scenes work that truly drives success might not make the headlines, but it makes all the difference. We spoke to 10 experienced leaders who opened up about the practical, everyday practices they use to transform team dynamics and boost business outcomes. From creating space for honest conversations to fine-tuning how work gets done, these insights show that small, thoughtful changes can have a big impact. Create space for vulnerability and open dialog One of the most impactful but often invisible aspects of leadership is creating space for vulnerability and open dialog …

What a time to be alive. Looking at the sci-fi movie canon and the years in which these films take place, we’re 10 years past Robocop (set in 2015) and 7 years away from Demolition Man (set in 2032). As often as sci-fi serves as inspiration for the tech world, from the AI girlfriend of Her (2013) to an Iron Man-inspired tactical battle suit, so rarely does the tech world regard the thematic warnings underpinning their favorite depictions of the future. I believe in the power and opportunity of tech, and I’ve made a career of building applications with integrity. Many emerging advancements—AI-assisted breast cancer screenings, for example—will change our world for …

As wind-driven wildfires spread through the Los Angeles area in January 2025, fire-spotting technology and computer models were helping firefighters understand the rapidly changing environment they were facing. That technology has evolved over the years, yet some techniques are very similar to those used over 100 years ago. I have spent several decades studying combustion, including wildfire behavior and the technology used to track fires and predict where wildfires might turn. Here’s a quick tour of the key technologies used today. Spotting fires faster First, the fire must be discovered. Often wildfires are reported by people seeing smoke. That hasn’t…

If you enjoy snacking on chocolate-covered pretzels, you’ll want to make sure you don’t have a specific variety of the tasty snacks from Fresh Direct in your possession. That’s because the chocolate-covered pretzels in question contain an undeclared milk allergen that could cause life-threatening health consequences in some people, up to and including death. Here’s what you need to know about the recall. What’s happened? Food distributor United Natural Trading LLC of Edison, New Jersey, has announced a recall of one of its Fresh Direct Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels products after it was found to contain an undeclared milk allergen. As a result, the company de…