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Country currently has 9.1mn permanent residents and experts fear the move would limit companies’ access to foreign talentView the full article

Client loyalty cards are programs designed to encourage repeat business by rewarding customers for their purchases. These cards can provide points, discounts, or exclusive benefits, depending on the business’s strategy. Customers typically register, sharing personal information, and accumulate rewards with each transaction. This system not only incentivizes customers to return but additionally helps businesses better understand their buying habits. To fully grasp the mechanics and impact of these programs, let’s explore their history and functionality further. Key Takeaways Client loyalty cards are tools that reward customers for repeat purchases, enhancing retention through discounts, points, or benefits. They can be physical cards or digital applications linked to a points system, tiered rewards, or discounts. Customers accumulate points or rewards with each purchase, typically requiring personal information for registration. Transactions are tracked through point-of-sale systems, facilitating easy rewards management for both customers and businesses. Different types of loyalty programs include points-based, tiered, and value-based, catering to various customer motivations. What Is A Client Loyalty Card? A client loyalty card is a strategic tool that businesses use to cultivate repeat purchases by rewarding customers for their loyalty. These cards allow you to earn rewards, discounts, or points with each purchase, making it easier for you to enjoy benefits over time. Client loyalty cards can come in various forms, such as custom punch cards, plastic cards, or even digital wallets. Often, they’re tied to your personal information, which helps businesses track your purchases and preferences effectively. Research shows that 75% of customers are more likely to buy when offered incentives through loyalty programs. This not only boosts your engagement but also aids businesses in grasping customer buying habits, allowing for targeted marketing efforts. Moreover, loyalty card printing can create visually appealing designs that improve your experience, making it easy to keep track of your rewards as you shop. The History Of Loyalty Card Programs Loyalty card programs have a rich history that dates back to the late 18th century, when businesses began using copper tokens to encourage repeat purchases. As time progressed, loyalty punch cards evolved, with the late 19th century introducing printed stamps. Betty Crocker‘s box tops were among the first notable frameworks for modern loyalty initiatives. By the early 1900s, box tops and similar rewards systems gained traction, leading to brand-specific loyalty programs that offered coupons and discounts. The late 20th century marked the rise of card-based loyalty programs, simplifying customer participation and tracking rewards. With the advent of digital technology in the 21st century, loyalty cards transformed considerably, facilitating mobile apps and POS integration for improved accessibility. Year Range Key Developments Program Types Late 18th Century Copper tokens Early loyalty programs Late 19th Century Printed stamps Betty Crocker’s box tops Early 1900s Box tops and coupons Brand-specific programs Late 20th Century Card-based programs Simplified tracking 21st Century Digital apps and POS systems Enhanced user experience How Do Client Loyalty Cards Work? When you participate in a client loyalty card program, you accumulate points or rewards for every purchase you make, which can later be redeemed for discounts, free products, or special offers. After registering for a loyalty card, you typically provide personal information, allowing businesses to tailor marketing efforts and understand your purchasing behavior better. Each transaction you make with your loyalty card is tracked through a point-of-sale system, which automatically calculates the points you earn based on the purchase value. You can choose between physical and digital loyalty cards; the latter often provide greater convenience through mobile apps for easy access and management. Many successful loyalty card programs feature tiered rewards, motivating you to spend more to reveal higher levels of benefits. This structured approach improves your shopping experience as well as promotes customer loyalty for businesses that offer these loyalty cards. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Client Loyalty Cards Client loyalty cards offer several advantages and disadvantages that can greatly impact both businesses and consumers. On the positive side, these cards notably boost customer retention, as research shows that existing customers are 60-70% more likely to make purchases than new ones. They also encourage repeat business, with 75% of customers more likely to buy after receiving rewards. Plus, satisfied members often share their experiences, improving brand reach through word-of-mouth marketing. However, there are drawbacks. Privacy concerns arise from the collection of personal information, which can lead to distrust if not handled properly. Moreover, loyalty programs can complicate the checkout process, resulting in longer wait times for customers. Advantages Disadvantages Increased customer retention Privacy concerns Encourages repeat business Decreased point-of-sale efficiency Improved brand reach Potential distrust among customers Word-of-mouth marketing Longer wait times at checkout Rewards encourage purchases Complicated transaction processes Where To Create Client Loyalty Cards When you’re ready to create client loyalty cards, you’ll find a variety of design options and printing services to choose from. Companies like VistaPrint and GogoPrint offer customizable templates for physical cards, whereas platforms like Design Wizard and My Creative Shop focus on digital designs. It’s essential to select a service that not only meets your design needs but additionally integrates seamlessly with your existing systems for efficient customer management. Design Options Available Creating effective client loyalty cards involves exploring various design options that suit your business needs. You can choose paper loyalty cards from services like VistaPrint and GogoPrint, which offer templates customized to your branding. If you prefer a digital approach, platforms such as Design Wizard and My Creative Shop allow for unique graphics that integrate easily with mobile apps. For added durability, consider custom plastic loyalty cards from companies like Plastic Resource, designed to fit specific point-of-sale systems. Many printing services additionally enable bulk ordering, helping you reduce costs while maintaining quality consistency. Utilizing design software or online tools can help you create visually appealing loyalty cards that reflect your brand identity and resonate with your target audience. Printing Services Recommendations Where can you find the best printing services to create your loyalty cards? Online platforms like VistaPrint and GogoPrint offer a range of design templates and customization options customized to your brand. If you prefer a hands-on approach, local print shops may provide competitive pricing and the chance to discuss your ideas in person. For user-friendly design, consider Design Wizard and My Creative Shop, which allow you to personalize cards easily. If durability is a priority, Plastic Resource specializes in custom plastic loyalty cards that fit various POS systems, ensuring longevity. Moreover, many services offer bulk order discounts, helping you save costs when producing large quantities for your loyalty programs. Choose the option that best suits your needs. Successful Examples Of Client Loyalty Cards Client loyalty cards have become an essential tool for businesses aiming to improve customer engagement and retention. For instance, Starbucks Rewards allows you to earn stars with every purchase, enabling you to redeem them for free drinks and food. Members typically spend 20% more than non-members. Sephora’s Beauty Insider program offers tiered rewards based on your annual spending, providing exclusive discounts and early access to new products, resulting in high engagement among its 25 million members. The North Face XPLR Pass rewards you with points for purchases and outdoor activities, nurturing a community of outdoor enthusiasts. Similarly, the Chick-fil-A One app lets you earn points for every purchase, contributing to a 14% increase in sales since its launch. Finally, CVS‘s ExtraCare program personalizes coupons and rewards based on your shopping history, boasting over 70 million active members and greatly boosting customer retention rates. Best Practices For Implementing A Client Loyalty Card Program Establishing a successful client loyalty card program requires careful planning and a strategic approach. Start by defining clear goals that align with your customer experience strategies and understand your customers’ preferences. This guarantees that the rewards you offer resonate with their interests and keep them engaged. Choose a loyalty card program type that suits your business model—whether it’s points-based, tiered, or value-based—to effectively target different customer motivations. Regularly review and analyze your program’s performance, utilizing detailed reporting features to adapt based on customer feedback and purchasing trends. Marketing your loyalty program effectively through various channels, like social media and in-store promotions, is vital for attracting and retaining members. Finally, streamline the registration process, allowing for both in-store and online sign-ups to maximize participation and collect valuable customer demographic data. By implementing these best practices, you can create a loyalty program that truly benefits both your clients and your business. Frequently Asked Questions What Is a Loyalty Card and How Does It Work? A loyalty card is a program that rewards you for repeat purchases. When you shop, you present your card, whether it’s physical or digital, to earn points or discounts. You usually need to register your information, which helps businesses track your buying habits. This data allows them to tailor offers to you, enhancing your shopping experience. In the end, loyalty cards encourage you to return, making you more likely to choose that brand again. What Are the 4 C’s of Customer Loyalty? The 4 C’s of customer loyalty include customer centricity, consistency, communication, and community. Customer centricity focuses on comprehending your needs and tailoring experiences accordingly. Consistency guarantees you receive reliable products and services every time. Effective communication keeps you informed about benefits and promotions, enhancing your loyalty. Finally, community nurtures connections among customers and the brand, creating a sense of belonging that encourages you to engage and advocate for the brand. What Are the 3 R’s of Customer Loyalty? The 3 R’s of customer loyalty are Retention, Referrals, and Revenue. Retention focuses on keeping customers satisfied, as it’s often cheaper to retain them than to acquire new ones. Referrals utilize positive customer experiences to attract new customers, which can lead to higher retention rates. Revenue comes from loyal customers, who typically spend more on repeat purchases. What’s the Point of Loyalty Cards? Loyalty cards serve to reward you for your repeat business, encouraging you to spend more at specific retailers. By accumulating points or rewards with each purchase, you can eventually receive discounts or free items. These programs not only improve your shopping experience but additionally provide businesses with insights into your preferences, leading to targeted marketing. Conclusion In conclusion, client loyalty cards are effective tools for encouraging repeat business by rewarding customers for their purchases. They operate through point-of-sale systems, allowing customers to accumulate points or benefits that incentivize return visits. Although these programs offer advantages like increased customer retention, they likewise come with challenges such as the need for personal data collection. By comprehending their function and considering best practices, businesses can successfully implement loyalty card programs to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Are Client Loyalty Cards and How Do They Function?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Client loyalty cards are programs designed to encourage repeat business by rewarding customers for their purchases. These cards can provide points, discounts, or exclusive benefits, depending on the business’s strategy. Customers typically register, sharing personal information, and accumulate rewards with each transaction. This system not only incentivizes customers to return but additionally helps businesses better understand their buying habits. To fully grasp the mechanics and impact of these programs, let’s explore their history and functionality further. Key Takeaways Client loyalty cards are tools that reward customers for repeat purchases, enhancing retention through discounts, points, or benefits. They can be physical cards or digital applications linked to a points system, tiered rewards, or discounts. Customers accumulate points or rewards with each purchase, typically requiring personal information for registration. Transactions are tracked through point-of-sale systems, facilitating easy rewards management for both customers and businesses. Different types of loyalty programs include points-based, tiered, and value-based, catering to various customer motivations. What Is A Client Loyalty Card? A client loyalty card is a strategic tool that businesses use to cultivate repeat purchases by rewarding customers for their loyalty. These cards allow you to earn rewards, discounts, or points with each purchase, making it easier for you to enjoy benefits over time. Client loyalty cards can come in various forms, such as custom punch cards, plastic cards, or even digital wallets. Often, they’re tied to your personal information, which helps businesses track your purchases and preferences effectively. Research shows that 75% of customers are more likely to buy when offered incentives through loyalty programs. This not only boosts your engagement but also aids businesses in grasping customer buying habits, allowing for targeted marketing efforts. Moreover, loyalty card printing can create visually appealing designs that improve your experience, making it easy to keep track of your rewards as you shop. The History Of Loyalty Card Programs Loyalty card programs have a rich history that dates back to the late 18th century, when businesses began using copper tokens to encourage repeat purchases. As time progressed, loyalty punch cards evolved, with the late 19th century introducing printed stamps. Betty Crocker‘s box tops were among the first notable frameworks for modern loyalty initiatives. By the early 1900s, box tops and similar rewards systems gained traction, leading to brand-specific loyalty programs that offered coupons and discounts. The late 20th century marked the rise of card-based loyalty programs, simplifying customer participation and tracking rewards. With the advent of digital technology in the 21st century, loyalty cards transformed considerably, facilitating mobile apps and POS integration for improved accessibility. Year Range Key Developments Program Types Late 18th Century Copper tokens Early loyalty programs Late 19th Century Printed stamps Betty Crocker’s box tops Early 1900s Box tops and coupons Brand-specific programs Late 20th Century Card-based programs Simplified tracking 21st Century Digital apps and POS systems Enhanced user experience How Do Client Loyalty Cards Work? When you participate in a client loyalty card program, you accumulate points or rewards for every purchase you make, which can later be redeemed for discounts, free products, or special offers. After registering for a loyalty card, you typically provide personal information, allowing businesses to tailor marketing efforts and understand your purchasing behavior better. Each transaction you make with your loyalty card is tracked through a point-of-sale system, which automatically calculates the points you earn based on the purchase value. You can choose between physical and digital loyalty cards; the latter often provide greater convenience through mobile apps for easy access and management. Many successful loyalty card programs feature tiered rewards, motivating you to spend more to reveal higher levels of benefits. This structured approach improves your shopping experience as well as promotes customer loyalty for businesses that offer these loyalty cards. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Client Loyalty Cards Client loyalty cards offer several advantages and disadvantages that can greatly impact both businesses and consumers. On the positive side, these cards notably boost customer retention, as research shows that existing customers are 60-70% more likely to make purchases than new ones. They also encourage repeat business, with 75% of customers more likely to buy after receiving rewards. Plus, satisfied members often share their experiences, improving brand reach through word-of-mouth marketing. However, there are drawbacks. Privacy concerns arise from the collection of personal information, which can lead to distrust if not handled properly. Moreover, loyalty programs can complicate the checkout process, resulting in longer wait times for customers. Advantages Disadvantages Increased customer retention Privacy concerns Encourages repeat business Decreased point-of-sale efficiency Improved brand reach Potential distrust among customers Word-of-mouth marketing Longer wait times at checkout Rewards encourage purchases Complicated transaction processes Where To Create Client Loyalty Cards When you’re ready to create client loyalty cards, you’ll find a variety of design options and printing services to choose from. Companies like VistaPrint and GogoPrint offer customizable templates for physical cards, whereas platforms like Design Wizard and My Creative Shop focus on digital designs. It’s essential to select a service that not only meets your design needs but additionally integrates seamlessly with your existing systems for efficient customer management. Design Options Available Creating effective client loyalty cards involves exploring various design options that suit your business needs. You can choose paper loyalty cards from services like VistaPrint and GogoPrint, which offer templates customized to your branding. If you prefer a digital approach, platforms such as Design Wizard and My Creative Shop allow for unique graphics that integrate easily with mobile apps. For added durability, consider custom plastic loyalty cards from companies like Plastic Resource, designed to fit specific point-of-sale systems. Many printing services additionally enable bulk ordering, helping you reduce costs while maintaining quality consistency. Utilizing design software or online tools can help you create visually appealing loyalty cards that reflect your brand identity and resonate with your target audience. Printing Services Recommendations Where can you find the best printing services to create your loyalty cards? Online platforms like VistaPrint and GogoPrint offer a range of design templates and customization options customized to your brand. If you prefer a hands-on approach, local print shops may provide competitive pricing and the chance to discuss your ideas in person. For user-friendly design, consider Design Wizard and My Creative Shop, which allow you to personalize cards easily. If durability is a priority, Plastic Resource specializes in custom plastic loyalty cards that fit various POS systems, ensuring longevity. Moreover, many services offer bulk order discounts, helping you save costs when producing large quantities for your loyalty programs. Choose the option that best suits your needs. Successful Examples Of Client Loyalty Cards Client loyalty cards have become an essential tool for businesses aiming to improve customer engagement and retention. For instance, Starbucks Rewards allows you to earn stars with every purchase, enabling you to redeem them for free drinks and food. Members typically spend 20% more than non-members. Sephora’s Beauty Insider program offers tiered rewards based on your annual spending, providing exclusive discounts and early access to new products, resulting in high engagement among its 25 million members. The North Face XPLR Pass rewards you with points for purchases and outdoor activities, nurturing a community of outdoor enthusiasts. Similarly, the Chick-fil-A One app lets you earn points for every purchase, contributing to a 14% increase in sales since its launch. Finally, CVS‘s ExtraCare program personalizes coupons and rewards based on your shopping history, boasting over 70 million active members and greatly boosting customer retention rates. Best Practices For Implementing A Client Loyalty Card Program Establishing a successful client loyalty card program requires careful planning and a strategic approach. Start by defining clear goals that align with your customer experience strategies and understand your customers’ preferences. This guarantees that the rewards you offer resonate with their interests and keep them engaged. Choose a loyalty card program type that suits your business model—whether it’s points-based, tiered, or value-based—to effectively target different customer motivations. Regularly review and analyze your program’s performance, utilizing detailed reporting features to adapt based on customer feedback and purchasing trends. Marketing your loyalty program effectively through various channels, like social media and in-store promotions, is vital for attracting and retaining members. Finally, streamline the registration process, allowing for both in-store and online sign-ups to maximize participation and collect valuable customer demographic data. By implementing these best practices, you can create a loyalty program that truly benefits both your clients and your business. Frequently Asked Questions What Is a Loyalty Card and How Does It Work? A loyalty card is a program that rewards you for repeat purchases. When you shop, you present your card, whether it’s physical or digital, to earn points or discounts. You usually need to register your information, which helps businesses track your buying habits. This data allows them to tailor offers to you, enhancing your shopping experience. In the end, loyalty cards encourage you to return, making you more likely to choose that brand again. What Are the 4 C’s of Customer Loyalty? The 4 C’s of customer loyalty include customer centricity, consistency, communication, and community. Customer centricity focuses on comprehending your needs and tailoring experiences accordingly. Consistency guarantees you receive reliable products and services every time. Effective communication keeps you informed about benefits and promotions, enhancing your loyalty. Finally, community nurtures connections among customers and the brand, creating a sense of belonging that encourages you to engage and advocate for the brand. What Are the 3 R’s of Customer Loyalty? The 3 R’s of customer loyalty are Retention, Referrals, and Revenue. Retention focuses on keeping customers satisfied, as it’s often cheaper to retain them than to acquire new ones. Referrals utilize positive customer experiences to attract new customers, which can lead to higher retention rates. Revenue comes from loyal customers, who typically spend more on repeat purchases. What’s the Point of Loyalty Cards? Loyalty cards serve to reward you for your repeat business, encouraging you to spend more at specific retailers. By accumulating points or rewards with each purchase, you can eventually receive discounts or free items. These programs not only improve your shopping experience but additionally provide businesses with insights into your preferences, leading to targeted marketing. Conclusion In conclusion, client loyalty cards are effective tools for encouraging repeat business by rewarding customers for their purchases. They operate through point-of-sale systems, allowing customers to accumulate points or benefits that incentivize return visits. Although these programs offer advantages like increased customer retention, they likewise come with challenges such as the need for personal data collection. By comprehending their function and considering best practices, businesses can successfully implement loyalty card programs to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Are Client Loyalty Cards and How Do They Function?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. At $239, down from its usual $299, the Nothing Headphone (1) is currently at its lowest price ever, according to price trackers—and that might just be the nudge you needed if you’ve had your eye on them. Nothing Headphone (1) $239.00 at Amazon $299.00 Save $60.00 Get Deal Get Deal $239.00 at Amazon $299.00 Save $60.00 In line with Nothing’s design language, these over-ear headphones feature transparent elements and bold, geometric detailing that make them stand out from typical matte-black pairs. But it’s not just about aesthetics. These IP52-rated headphones come packed with 40mm drivers, hybrid ANC, and both USB-C and 3.5mm connectivity. They support high-res audio via LDAC, and Nothing’s companion app gives you both a basic and advanced EQ for fine-tuning sound. Battery life is impressive, too: 35 hours with ANC on, up to 80 without. But the hardware alone doesn’t define the experience—Nothing’s control scheme is what makes these wireless headphones stand out. Instead of touch panels or clunky buttons, you get a satisfying volume scroll wheel (they call it the Roller), a multi-function Paddle for track navigation, and a customizable Button that can switch EQ profiles or noise modes. The tactile design takes a minute to learn, but once you do, it’s intuitive and genuinely useful. You also get spatial audio and multipoint Bluetooth support, which work well across Android and iOS. That said, comfort may vary. The earcups aren’t the softest for long sessions, and while they’re padded, the shape might not suit everyone. Performance-wise, the ANC handles low-end noise well (think airplane engines and AC hum) but struggles with sharper, unexpected sounds like clanging dishes or chatter nearby. The sound profile is punchy, especially with a bit of EQ tweaking in the app, but you’ll need to put in some effort if you want the best results, notes this PCMag review. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $139.99 (List Price $179.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Blink Mini 2 1080p Security Camera (White) — $23.99 (List Price $39.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $149.99 (List Price $219.99) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $229.00 (List Price $349.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Move prompts wealthier clients to switch providers from UK’s largest investment siteView the full article

In the wake of a January Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing from Saks Global, owner of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, the luxury retailer has begun to close a number of stores across its portfolio of brands. Last month, for instance, the company announced the shuttering of many of its outlet stores. But now, the Saks Global has announced the closure of some of its high-end department stores, for which the company is famous. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? According to a court document filed this week with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, Saks Global has decided to close nine of its luxury department stores. These announced closures come just weeks after the company announced it was shuttering many of its outlet stores, including many Last Call and Saks Off 5th locations. The reason Saks Global has given for the shuttering of some of its flagship department stores is that the store closures will allow the company’s global debtors “to better serve their luxury customers, strengthen brand partner relationships and drive full-price selling to enable sustainable, profitable growth.” When are the department stores closing? According to court documents, the department stores marked for closure will close their doors for good on approximately April 30, 2026, less than three months from now. The company expects the store closing sales at the affected locations to begin around February 20. The store closures are subject to approval from the judge presiding over the bankruptcy case. A ruling is expected to be made on Friday. After the closure of these locations, Saks Global will have 35 Neiman Marcus stores and 25 Saks Fifth Avenue stores in operation. Which Neiman Marcus stores are closing? According to the court documents, only one Neiman Marcus store is closing: Massachusetts: 5 Copley Place, Boston, MA Which Saks Fifth Avenue stores are closing? Unfortunately, Saks Global has decided to close significantly more Saks Fifth Avenue stores. The list includes eight locations in eight different states: Alabama: 129 Summit Blvd, Birmingham, AL Arizona: 2446 East Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ Louisiana: 301 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA New Jersey: Meadowlands Sports Complex, East Rutherford, NJ Oklahoma: 1780 Utica Square, Tulsa, OK Ohio: 1350 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH Pennsylvania: 2 Bala Plaza Bala, Cynwyd, PA Virginia: 9214 Stony Point Parkway, Richmond, VA Why is Saks Global filing for bankruptcy? As Fast Company previously reported, the luxury department store owner has faced extreme financial difficulty in recent years. Like many brick-and-mortar retailers, the company’s stores have seen declining foot traffic, especially after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, inflationary costs, tariffs, and increased online competition have all cut into the company’s bottom line. However, the major financial blow to Saks Global came when Hudson’s Bay, Saks’s previous parent company, acquired competitor Neiman Marcus in 2024 for around $2.7 billion. That move left the new company, Saks Global, saddled with debt. Announcing last month that its bankruptcy process was underway, Saks Global CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said the move “presents a meaningful opportunity to strengthen the foundation of our business and position it for the future.” View the full article

Prime minister defends making ex-comms chief a peer during heated exchange in the Commons View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Many academically minded types have written at great length and with fascinating eloquence on the connection between sex and death in horror movies. We'll cut right to the chase, offering up some of the best and most potent examples of sexuality in the horror-movie genre. But first, a disclaimer: These are horror movies, spanning decades, and, thus, don't always, or often, offer up the healthiest representations of human sexuality. Whether it's vampire eroticism or horny teen campers, sex in movies is complicated, and not always sex-positive, even as we're being invited to be aroused. Some of these movies have deep and complex, if often uncomfortable, things to say about the links between sex and death; others are pure titillation—movies that throw in some nude bodies and sweaty, writhing flesh in order to get more butts in seats. We're not here to make a distinction between high-minded horniness and baser sexual impulses—if it's sexy, it's under consideration. The Untamed (2016) Alejandra (Ruth Ramos) and Angel (Jesus Meza) don't have the greatest sex life: she's bored and frustrated, he's sleeping with her brother Fabian (Eden Villavicencio) on the side while acting like a homophobic creep in public. All typical family drama, until we meet Veronica (Simone Bucio), a new friend of Fabian's who's had a satisfying years-long sexual relationship with a many-tentacled creature that came from a meteor and now resides in an old couple's barn. But even the best relationships can take dark turns, and the sexy tentacle thing gets aggressive, causing an injury that raises questions and draws in the other characters. Things quickly get violent, but who can resist the allure of hot tentacle monster? Stream The Untamed on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. The Untamed (2016) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Don't Look Now (1973) Mourning the recent death of their child, Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland take off for Venice to get away from things—and then almost immediately run into a psychic who claims to be in contact with their daughter. Adapted from a Daphne du Maurier story, and ultimately about the ways in which grief and loss can profoundly alter a relationship for better or for worse, the movie includes one major sex scene involving the couple, but it quickly went down in horny horror history: Not only does it include a depiction of oral sex, unheard-of for a mainstream movie in 1973 and rare even today, given that it's a woman on the receiving end, but the scene is both emotionally raw and impressively frank. So much so that rumors have persisted in the decades since that the scene itself was entirely unsimulated. Probably not true, despite the Paramount executive who claims he saw it, but still gives you a sense of the scene's hold on imaginations. Warren Beatty (of all people) even fought to have the scene removed from the film, horrified that his then-girlfriend Christie would be involved in such a sordid business. Stream Don't Look Now on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video. Don't Look Now (1973) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Knife + Heart (2018) Yann Gonzalez’s slick and stylish French slasher is set, quite reasonably, in the world of ‘70s gay porn. Anne Parèze (Vanessa Paradis) runs a production company that makes the exploitation movies Knife + Heart centers on, but the series of murders that occur on set barely draw the attention of the local police, who aren’t terribly torn up about the deaths of gay porn actors. Anne decides that her next film will be about the murders themselves, unfolding a movie-within-a-movie that only draws the attention of the killer (and his spiked dildo). The movie celebrates giallo, with plenty of deep cuts for fans of classic Italian horror, and ‘70s sleaze more generally, but with a gorgeous look all its own. Stream Knife + Heart on Shudder and AMC+ or rent it from Prime Video. Knife + Heart (2018) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Mulholland Drive (2001) I think we're supposed to call this a thriller to distinguish it from less-reputable horror movies like Friday the 13th, but no one evokes nightmarish disconnection and existential dread like David Lynch, and this story of the descent into madness by an aspiring actress is as horrific as they come. But it's not all bad for Naomi Watts' Diane Selwyn—or is it Betty Elms? She finds herself in a very hot, very heavy relationship with Laura Harring's Rita, climaxing (ahem) in one of mainstream cinema's hottest same-sex love scenes this side of Bound. It's also very nearly the moment when everything bright and hopeful turns dark and forbidding for our heroine, but I think that's more to do with the type of movie we're in than with the sexy gay stuff. Rent Mulholland Drive from Prime Video. Mulholland Drive (2001) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Hunger (1983) There's only so much plot here, but who needs plot when charting a stylish and sexy vampire love triangle among Catherine Denueve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon, all three at approximately their most beautiful. Deneuve is vampire Miriam Blaylock, while Bowie plays her longtime companion John. Miriam is truly immortal, but John is fading after centuries, and desperate to preserve not just his life but his youth. Enter Sarah (Sarandon) the doctor whom he seeks out for help, and who quickly becomes the latest target of Miriam's erotic fascination. Director Tony Scott's movie is all glossy, gauzy style and set design—but the chemistry (and sex) between Miriam and Sarah is delicious. Stream The Hunger on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. The Hunger (1983) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Def by Temptation (1990) K (Kadeem Harrison) and Joel (James Bond III, who also wrote and directed) have been best friends since childhood—but while Joel has become a minister, K has put his similarly religious upbringing aside to move to New York and become an actor. Still, it's Joel who becomes enamored of the mysterious woman that they meet during a night out in NYC. She's known only as Temptress (novelist Cynthia Bond), and she's been seducing and murdering men in seedy NYC bars for some time, what with being a succubus and all. It's a smart, stylish, and erotic bit of early 1990s horror that comes with more than its share of sex and nudity. Stream Def by Temptation on Prime Video, AMC+, Shudder, and Tubi. Def by Temptation (1990) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Hellraiser (1987) She did it all for love, you see. Julia Cotton (Clare Higgins) will do whatever it takes to bring back her lost lover (who happens to be her husband's brother). He died while occupied with freaky cult stuff involving a particularly memorable puzzle box, and Julia's "whatever it takes" involves hooking up with guys in bars, bringing them back to her place, and killing them so her man can soak up the blood and gradually reconstitute his body. As anyone would. In the process, though, she invokes the Cenobites, who are hells kinkiest priests—a goth group inspired by writer-director Clive Barker's obsession with BDSM. Judge Julia if you will, but only if you've never made questionable choices to get laid. Stream Hellraiser on Prime Video and Tubi. Hellraiser (1987) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Species (1995) There's an alien on the loose—and she must mate! The setup here is very 1950s monster movie, and that's what makes it fun. Scientists at SETI receive an alien genome from space and, believing the senders to be benevolent, go right ahead and splice it with human DNA. As you do. The result is SIl (Natasha Henstridge), a hybrid who grows to adulthood in just months, and who the scientists quickly realize is impossible to control. Fearing that she'll mate with humans (will she ever!) and eventually wipe out our gene pool, they try to kill her before she escapes and, as predicted, starts looking for humans to fuck. It might not be high art, but the movie's soft-core thrills inspired several sequels and even a couple of novels. Stream Species on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. Species (1995) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Cat People (1982) A loose remake of 1942's similarly sensual, if far less overt, original, Cat People stars Nastassja Kinski as Irena, who reconnects with her brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) in New Orleans while learning some old family history. It turns out, you see, that they come from a long line of werepanthers (not as silly as it sounds, at least in the context of the movie), and the transformation tends to happen in moments of maximum passion. Sex transforms them, and only killing a human can turn them back. This complicates her crush on zookeeper Oliver (John Heard), and introduces a weird tension with Paul, who informs her that their kind are typically incestuous. The result is an erotic fever dream of a movie, with an absolutely wild ending. Rent Cat People from Prime Video. Cat People (1982) Learn More Learn More Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) Not unlike Tod Browning's 1931 adaptation of Dracula, this Francis Ford Coppola take is an often unwieldy assortment of stunning imagery and more forgettable moments. Like that earlier movie, though, what works here works impeccably, and remains as haunting as it is hot. Gary Oldman's performance here is a campy career best, his entire motivation coming down to love (i.e. erotic obsession) for/with Winona Ryder's Mina Harker, who he believes to be the reincarnation of his beloved wife, Elisabeta (and why shouldn't he, given that they're played by the same actress). Come for the blood drinking, wolf-man sex, and passionate longing, stay for the horny and half-naked vampire thralls who populate Dracula's Castle and who can't keep their hands off of Keanu Reeves' Jonathan Harker. Stream Bram Stoker's Dracula on Netflix or rent it from Prime Video. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix Knock Knock (2015) Since we're talking about Keanu Reeves, we'll just forward to this 2015 sexy home invasion (-ish) horror movie from writer/director Eli Roth (Hostel, Thanksgiving). Family man Evan (Reeves) is left home alone when two very wet young women (Ana de Armas and Lorenza Izzo, who've been caught in a storm, you see) come to the door and quickly get flirty with the middle-aged dad. The three of them have fairly aggressive sex, which winds up being an understandable but extremely bad decision on poor Evan's part. It's a sexier and slightly more satirical take on more serious torture thrillers like Funny Games, and a solid reminder that you're absolutely correct to never answer your doorbell. Rent Knock Knock from Prime Video. Knock Knock (2015) Learn More Learn More Stranger by the Lake (2013) This slasher/horror movie also echoes the erotic thrillers of the good old days. Here, Pierre Deladonchamps plays Franck, a regular visitor to a nude beach and the surrounding woods, both popular cruising spots. Franck begins a passionate relationship (meaning: lots of pretty explicit sex in the woods) with Michel (Christophe Paou), who Franck later spots drowning someone in the lake. As the investigation into that event heats up, Franck finds himself struggling to give up a good thing, even in the face of murder. Rent Stranger by the Lake from Prime Video. Stranger by the Lake (2013) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Daughters of Darkness (1971) Ah, yes: the erotic bisexual vampire genre, which definitely had a moment in the 1970s. Daughters of Darkness is better than most, and certainly more genuinely sexy. Eschewing the hot-lesbians-for-straight-guys vibe of other movies, Daughters has a look and feel that borders on arthouse, with a grand and elegant style, as well as a willingness to go deeper. Delphine Seyrig plays Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who happens upon a newlywed couple honeymooning in a remote region, and immediately sets about seducing the wife away from her boring human sexual and moral conformity. Stream Daughters of Darkness on Tubi and Shudder or rent it from Prime Video. Daughters of Darkness (1971) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Daniel Isn't Real (2019) After witnessing a mass shooting as a child, Luke (Miles Robbins) develops an imaginary friend, the title's Daniel (played by White Lotus' Patrick Schwarzenegger). Perfectly reasonable response, until Daniel tells Luke to poison his mother. Years later, Luke's a shy college student struggling with his mental health and whaddaya know? Daniel is back. At first, he's helpful, encouraging Luke in his schoolwork and toward a relationship with an artist; before long, though, he's asserting his own will and taking over fully to engage in behavior that's increasingly erratic and sometimes violent. Daniel is also perfectly content endanger Luke's new relationship by having sex with other women, and not entirely on the sly. Or maybe this is all just Luke's subconscious acting out and...Daniel isn't real? Stream Daniel Isn't Real on Prime Video and Tubi. Daniel Isn't Real (2019) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Interview With the Vampire (1994) The recent AMC series adaptation is great, and dispenses with any subtext where Lestat and Louis (and Armand!) are concerned. Subtext is way overrated when it comes to queer themes, but this 1994 adaptation walks impressively close to that edge, and seeing a couple of big-name male stars set up house and raise their surly vampire daughter while sucking each other's blood was thrilling back in the day. As threeways go, you could have done a helluva lot worse in the mid-1990s than to assemble Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Antonio Banderas. The movie remains a thoroughly entertaining, and very, very sweaty, story of housekeeping and murder in New Orleans. Rent Interview with the Vampire from Prime Video. Interview With the Vampire at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Titane (2021) Just another movie about a gender-fluid erotic dancer and serial killer (Alexia/Adrien, played by Agathe Rousselle) who fucks a car, gets pregnant as a result, and is then taken in by a man (Vincent Lindon) who believes that, in Alexia (soon to identify as Adrien), he's found his long lost son. You know. Typical Hollywood. There's a lot going on in writer/director Julia Ducournau's wild love story, and the sex and eroticism aren't entirely conventional (unless Crash-style car sex is your thing), but the movie definitely has an undeniable, and undeniably weird, sensuality. Stream Titane on Tubi. Titane (2021) at Tubi Learn More Learn More at Tubi Shivers (1975) What looks like an STI outbreak at a luxury apartment tower is something quite a bit more gruesome, which would have been immediately obvious had I mentioned that we're in a David Cronenberg film (one of his earliest body horror classics). A weird science experiment has created a parasite that spreads via sexual contact and, helpfully enough, turns its victims into endlessly horny nymphomaniacs (the alternate title, They Came from Within, feels more apt). The veil of upper-middle-class respectability falls away entirely as the residents of Starliner Towers give in to an endless and increasingly violent orgy. Stream Shivers on Prime Video and Tubi. Shivers (1975) at Prime Video Get Deal Get Deal at Prime Video Lair of the White Worm (1988) The fact that it's a loose (very) adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel of the same name offers this one some plausible deniability when it comes to the nature of the titular white worm—but just barely, given that the plot turns first on Amanda Donohoe's typically nude priestess, and later on some weaponized dildos. Future Doctor Who Peter Capaldi plays an archaeology student investigating the skull of a rather alarmingly large snake in the East Midlands, and Hugh Grant is the local lord on whose land all of this horny folderol is unfolding. Stream Lair of the White Worm on Prime Video and Tubi. Lair of the White Worm (1988) Learn More Learn More Birder (2024) Lots of movies beat around the bush (ahem) before delivering sexy scares, but Nate Dushku's indie horror gem Birder builds its premise around giving the people what they want. It's set at a clothing-very-optional campground, so most everyone is immediately naked. Michael Emery plays Kristian Brooks, a bird enthusiast who's sweet, charming, and conventionally hot in a way that draws attention from the camp's regulars, who soon discover that he's also phenomenal in the sack (or on a towel, more typically). Which is all well and good, until Kristian's body count becomes more literal. There are underlying themes about the horror inherent in the violation of a positive, queer-friendly space but, for our purposes, feel free to focus on the serial killer running amok among naked people. Rent Birder from Prime Video. Birder (2024) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Hatchet II (2010) Adam Green's slasher series was created as an explicit tribute to the trashy slashers of yore, with roles and appearances from actors better known for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Candyman, Halloween, etc. That means not only lots of gruesome practical effects, but also plenty of nudity (i.e. boobs) and sex. The second movie in the series, which finds the first movie's Final Girl Marybeth (Danielle Harris) returning to the swamp with plans to take revenge on murderous Victor Crowley (Kane Holder), goes further than the others in its (non-male) nudity and sex. Try to beat the sex scene involving the corpse that won't stop thrusting for intentional tastelessness. Stream Hatchet II on Prime Video and Tubi. Hatchet II (2010) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Nadja (1994) Riffing on the classic 1936 Dracula's Daughter (with its extremely thinly veiled lesbian subtext and its "Save the women of London from Dracula's Daughter!" tagline, this film opens with the death of Count Dracula at the hands of his old nemesis, Van Helsing (Peter Fonda)—traumatizing the vampire's daughter, Nadja (Elina Löwensohn). On a sullen quest for revenge, she seeks out the daughter of Van Helsing to have sex with—Nadja will make her a thrall and use her to destroy the whole family. A late example of the sexy queer lady vampire genre, Nadja brings some arthouse style (David Lynch produces and has a cameo) to its blood, gore, and horny gay vamps. Stream Nadja on Prime Video. Nadja (1994) at Prime Video Get Deal Get Deal at Prime Video Swallowed (2022) Ben (Cooper Koch) just wants to pop off to Los Angeles for an exciting new life as a gay porn star—but, first, his friend Dom (who has a secret crush) has a great idea: They'll make a quick drug run across the Canadian border for some seed money, if you will. Actually, and unsurprisingly, it's a very bad idea, as the two are forced to swallow condoms full of a mysterious...something. Some of the condoms are broken during a confrontation with a bigot in a bathroom truck stop, and things go from bad to worse when they finally meet the drug boss (Mark Patton) who's simultaneously ruthless, and also extremely hot for Ben. Oh, and did I mention that the condoms are filled with the larvae of a bug that bites to get you high and or erect? Classify this one as Boner Body Horror. Stream Swallowed on Prime Video. Swallowed (2022) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Thirst (2009) If you want subversive, it's hard to beat the great South Korean director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision to Leave), and he's at the height of his powers with this erotic vampire horror movie. Christian priest Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) volunteers to be infected by a virus for research, but finds himself with an endless hunger for blood, and also sex, as a result. It builds to a gory climax as Sang-hyun finds himself gradually shedding his earlier morality, but in the meantime there's a passionate affair, as well as some more uncomfortable moments of sexual violence. Genuinely a vampire film like no other. Rent Thirst from Prime Video. Thirst (2009) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Possession (1981) A horror movie about a bad divorce written during the director’s real-life marital split, Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession deals with an allegory for marriage going wrong in the form of a literal monster. As her marriage to Sam Neill’s Mark disintegrates, Isabelle Adjani’s Anna is nurturing a creature whom seems to have taken Mark’s place in her affections; the movie includes a memorable sex scene with the shapeless mass of a monster that put it on the radar of the anti-video nasty crusaders in Britain, where it was banned. It's been recently restored to its full length, and makes a compelling case for the Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as two of the hottest actors in the game circa 1981. Stream Possession on The Criterion Channel and Shudder or rent it from Prime Video. Possession (1981) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video An American Werewolf in London (1981) Hardly the most graphically sexual horror movie, An American Werewolf in London still more than makes the cut for the presence of, and movie-length chemistry between, David Naughton and Jenny Agutter. It doesn't get much hotter than the movie's central shower-sex scene. Stream An American Werewolf in London on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. An American Werewolf in London at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video View the full article

Lawyers for social media companies will be working overtime in the coming weeks as several major trials get underway addressing the potential harms to children caused by popular sites and apps. At the same time, efforts to deflect at least one major future case have fallen short, increasing pressure on tech giants to agree to an independent assessment of how they protect teen users. The convergence of these developments creates a potential perfect storm for the industry, one that could result in both financial damages and changes to the algorithms that encourage users to keep scrolling for longer and longer periods of time. Much of the focus is on a bellwether trial in Los Angeles that seeks to hold Meta and Google responsible for harms suffered by children who use their products. Plaintiffs allege that services like Instagram and YouTube are designed to keep users, especially kids, engaged. Opening statements were held Monday, with the plaintiffs’ lawyer arguing that Meta and Google have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.” The case is widely seen as a test for future lawsuits with similar claims, of which there are approximately 1,500. Meta and Google deny the charges. TikTok and Snap were also named as defendants but settled before the case went to trial. As that suit began in Los Angeles, opening arguments were also heard in Santa Fe in a case brought against Meta by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez in December 2023. The lawsuit accuses the company’s platforms of being a breeding ground for sexual predators, a claim Meta denies. That trial, expected to last seven weeks, will determine whether Meta violated the state’s consumer protection laws. “If we can win in this action and force them to make their product safer in this state, it changes the narrative completely about what they say is possible for everyone else,” Torrez said. Meanwhile, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected a request by Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok for summary judgment in a case brought by Kentucky’s Breathitt County School District. That case is part of a consolidated multidistrict litigation that seeks to hold social media companies accountable for engineering addictive features that negatively affect student mental health. Section 230 At the heart of all these cases is how far courts are willing to extend the protections granted by Section 230, the federal law that shields social media companies from liability over content posted by users. The Los Angeles trial, along with the upcoming case in Northern California, argues that jurors should be able to consider whether the algorithms used by these companies are responsible for mental health harms, rather than focusing solely on the content shown on users’ screens. Perhaps as a preemptive measure, TikTok, Snap, and Meta have agreed to undergo a series of tests overseen by the National Council for Suicide Prevention to evaluate how effectively they protect the mental health of teen users. Among the issues that will be examined are whether the platforms force users to take a break and if they offer a way to turn off endless scrolling. Companies that perform well will receive a badge signaling that they offer a pathway to mental health support. Potential ramifications This is hardly the first time that social media companies have been taken to court over mental health claims. To date, none of those cases has resulted in any sort of major overhauls, however. At the same time, efforts in Washington and by state governments to regulate the industry have fallen short. Further complicating matters is a lack of consensus in the scientific community on whether social media is harmful for teens and kids on the whole. Still, successful outcomes in these cases could force companies to change how people interact with their platforms, potentially reshaping the social media landscape. Victories for plaintiffs could also expose companies to significant liability payouts for harms linked to their services. View the full article

Job insecurity is real: More than half of American workers (54%) say insecurity about their job is causing significant stress at work, while more than a third (39%) say they worry they about losing their job due to changes in government policies, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey. Layoffs are reportedly at an all-time high since 2009, along with the lowest hiring on record in the U.S. since that time. And many of those layoffs have been in white collar professions—like technology, government, journalism, and high education. All of this could pave the way for the rise of a new kind of role: the “new-collar” job. Here’s what to know about the category that’s not quite white collar, or blue collar. What are ‘new-collar’ jobs? Falling somewhere between white and blue collar, “new-collar” jobs require more technical or specialized skills, but not a college degree. They can be learned on the job; at community college, vocational schools, or cybersecurity boot camps; and through a professional certification program, for roles in engineering, tech, or even healthcare. The term was coined by former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty in 2016 (offering yet another example of how 2026 is the new 2016). 10 high-income ‘new-collar’ jobs A new report from Resume Genius, a platform for job seekers, lists 10 roles that often don’t require a four-year diploma, but still offer high pay and flexible work options. They are: Marketing manager ($159,660 median annual salary) Human resource manager ($140,000 median annual salary) Sales manager ($138,060 median annual salary) Computer network architect ($130,390 median annual salary) General and operations manager ($129,330 median annual salary) Information security analyst ($124,910 median annual salary) Sales engineer ($121,520 median annual salary) Health services manager ($117,960 median annual salary) Art director ($111,040 median annual salary) Construction manager ($106,980 median annual salary) View the full article

“If the size of your failures isn’t growing you’re not going to be inventing at a size that can actually move the needle.” Jeff Bezos’s words—written in a 2019 letter to shareholders—suggest a more clear-eyed view of the innovation process than the paradoxical perspectives of many other senior executives. Oh sure, CEOs agree that innovation is important. In fact, 92% say it’s a top priority, according to a recent McKinsey article. But at the same time, more than 90% of CEOs say they do a lousy job at innovation. The reason for this confusing response can be boiled down to one major point, alluded to by Bezos: Fear of failure. Yes, fear of failure—and wariness of the mixed messages they get from management. You can’t expect people to take risks, challenge the status quo, and explore new ways of doing things when you measure them on hitting near-term targets with near-perfect accuracy. Innovation requires curiosity, experimentation, and learning—the trifecta I call, “try, fail, learn.” Inevitably, projects will fail; people will fail, too. It’s normal, and it’s high time we normalized it in business. Below are five ways you can put meaningful metrics in place to incentivize healthy risk-taking and smart failure in your organization. 1. Start Small: Create Rituals That Normalize Failure Changing culture starts with small, visible experiments that make failure feel safe, expected, and even energizing. One of the simplest and most effective practices I’ve implemented is what I call “Fail-Free Fridays.” These are dedicated 60-minute blocks of time where teams meet weekly to talk about what’s not working and share ideas about things they want to try. No PowerPoints. No success criteria. No approvals. The goal isn’t to solve the problems or produce a breakthrough; it’s to openly discuss what’s not going well and experiment with new ideas. Without fear. How to make it measurable: Track the number of problems discussed Track the number of ideas generated Track self-reported psychological safety (before and after) Track cross-functional collaborations initiated during these sessions 2. Define What a ‘Good Failure’ Looks Like Not all failure is equal: Experimental failure is necessary for learning and invention, whereas operational failure is due to poor execution, lack of discipline, or not following processes and procedures. Help your team by painting a picture of what “good” failure looks like. Find a recent example and do a post-mortem analysis by showing how the initiative: Was aligned with strategic priorities Was based on a clear hypothesis Was a controlled experiment with defined parameters Produced a documented learning Informed future decisions The next step is to measure the proportion of failures that meet these criteria. Sample metrics might include: % of failed projects with clear hypotheses % of failed projects that produced specific, documented learnings Estimated resource savings from ideas invalidated early Time saved by early “no-go” decisions compared to traditional project lifecycles 3. Reward Learning Behaviors, Not Just Outcomes Traditional performance reviews reward outcomes: sales targets met, product launches delivered, efficiency increased. These metrics reinforce predictability—which is essential for operations but corrosive to innovation. To incentivize smart failure, organizations must introduce behavior-based performance metrics tied to learning and experimentation. Examples include: Number of experiments initiated or proposed Willingness to challenge outdated assumptions or raise contrarian ideas Speed of testing a new idea—how quickly a team can test, learn, and adapt Cross-functional collaboration and knowledge-sharing One technique I’ve used is integrating a “Learning Objectives” section into performance goals. Employees must identify one or two areas where they will experiment, explore, or test new approaches—and leaders evaluate how intentionally and transparently they learn from the results. Behavior-based metrics shift attention from “Did you succeed?” to “How did you learn, and what value did that learning create?” 4. Build Transparency Into the System: Share Failures Publicly with Leaders as Role Models For failure to be normalized, it must be visible and leaders must be role models showing how it leads to learning and growth. Examples of transparency-building mechanisms: Town Hall or All Hands Meetings where the leader dedicates 15 minutes of the agenda to allow an employee to share a story of failure and learning (leaders can share their stories, too) Monthly “Lessons Learned Roundtables” where teams briefly share one failed experiment and one insight A digital “Failure Dashboard” highlighting experiments run, hypotheses tested, learnings extracted, and next steps Internal newsletters profiling teams who tried something bold, failed smart, and moved the organization forward Metrics here can include: Number of learnings shared across business units Participation rates in roundtables or learning forums Cross-team adoption of insights Repeat failure rate (a powerful metric—if it decreases, organizational learning is improving) 5. Make Failure Economically Visible: Track the ROI of Learning We talk a lot about Return on Investment (ROI) of new projects. Similarly, the most important, and most neglected step is quantifying the Return on Failure (ROF). Leaders know that invalidating a bad idea quickly is just as valuable as scaling a good idea. In many cases, it’s more valuable. Early failure prevents wasted resources, prevents misaligned investments, and accelerates strategic focus. Organizations can track: Cost savings from early project termination Time-to-decision (how fast the organization can rule in or rule out an idea) Increase in pipeline throughput (better quality ideas lead to more opportunities making it to market) Portfolio health metrics (percentage of projects in exploratory vs. execution mode) The Cultural Shift: From Fear to Learning and Growth The goal is not to create a workplace where failure is unbounded or unexamined. The goal is to create a workplace where learning is measured, rewarded, and operationalized. When failure is treated as data—not deficiency—organizations accelerate innovation, attract bolder thinkers, and build resilience into their strategy. They become more adaptive, more opportunistic, and more capable of navigating uncertainty. Leaders who want sustained growth don’t ask, “How do we avoid failure?” They ask, “How do we create more opportunities to learn—and how do we measure the value of that learning?” The takeaways? Start small. Measure early. Reward curiosity. Make learning visible. Treat disciplined failure as a strategic asset. Organizations that do this consistently don’t just innovate—they grow, consistently and over time. That’s what successful failure can do for your business. View the full article

When COVID-19 hit, our business came to a sudden halt. One moment our calendar was full, the next, meetings and engagements were disappearing. Companies we’d worked with for years shifted their focus overnight, pouring their energy into keeping doors open and team members safe. Like so many others, we found ourselves sidelined—and facing some hard conversations. While uncertainty hung heavy in the air, our small team was unusually open with each other. We talked candidly about the challenges, the personal toll, and what it might all mean for the business. Without setting out to do so, we had built a foundation of psychological safety—one that made navigating a global crisis far less stressful than it might have been otherwise. We questioned our plans, admitted what we didn’t know, and challenged each other with care. And in doing so, we learned something that’s shaped how I work ever since: Psychological safety isn’t a climate to be fostered when things are easy; it’s an operating condition that must be designed into the team’s DNA for when things get hard. The true test isn’t harmony, it’s conflict. It’s about making it safe enough for people to be uncomfortable—to disagree, to challenge the status quo, and to admit when they’ve failed. Gartner found that highly psychologically safe teams identify and address critical issues 15% faster. And while many people understand the concept, far fewer know how to make it real when trust declines and tension rises. Too often, it’s treated as a passive state instead of an active practice. The difference between the two is simple: A climate is a vibe, but an operating condition is a blueprint. So, how do you move from a vague aspiration to a daily practice? It all starts with putting psychological safety first. Whether or not you manage people, each of us influences how safe it feels to speak up. Here are three ways to embed psychological safety into daily work, at any level: MAKE DISAGREEMENT PART OF NORMAL WORK Psychological safety has to be embedded into the way work gets done, not just something you hope people embody. That responsibility doesn’t sit solely with managers. Anyone can help shape norms around how ideas are challenged, discussed, and improved. When I start working with someone new, I hold a candid one-on-one conversation to set mutual expectations. I might say, “My promise to you is transparency and a willingness to provide proactive feedback. You can also expect me to ask for your ideas and input on every major decision.” Then I turn it over to them and ask, “What do you need from me to feel successful and able to do your best work?” This simple act changes the dynamic, communicating that their voice matters from the outset. Once expectations are clear, safety can be operationalized through everyday rituals. For example, instead of presenting a plan for approval, introduce a new idea by asking people to “poke holes in it.” This isn’t an invitation to complain, but a specific, constructive task. People are naturally good at identifying risks and blind spots, and this reframes that critical eye as a valuable contribution. Even without formal authority, you can model this by asking better questions in meetings, inviting alternative perspectives, or naming risks others may be hesitant to raise. SHIFT FROM ANSWERING TO FACILITATING Even with the best intentions, our behaviors can unintentionally undermine psychological safety. One of the most common mistakes is jumping in too quickly to solve a problem. Many of us—especially those seen as experienced or “go-to” people—are conditioned to have the answers. When someone brings a challenge, the impulse is to immediately provide a solution. But doing so can unintentionally signal, “My ideas are more valuable than yours.” The fix? Instead of being the problem-solver, become the problem-solving facilitator. Your opportunity, regardless of role, is to create space for dialogue rather than rushing to be the smartest voice in the room. When someone raises a concern, try asking a question instead of offering a solution. It signals curiosity, respect, and trust. Facilitation also means reading the room: paying attention to what’s being said and what isn’t. You might say, “I can sense this decision is making you uncomfortable. Let’s talk about what’s behind that.” Or, “Let’s consider this from all angles. What might be missing?” These moments of curiosity build trust and surface insights that wouldn’t emerge in a more top-down exchange. Over time, this changes the dynamic from quiet compliance to shared ownership. USE FAILURE TO FUEL LEARNING One of the fastest ways psychological safety breaks down is when we can’t learn from our mistakes. After any project or experiment—successful or not—I incorporate a simple set of questions into debriefs: “What’s working? What’s not working? What did we learn? What would we do differently next time?” This shifts the focus from blame to learning and makes reflection a core output, not an afterthought. Even when you’re not running the meeting, you can reinforce this mindset by asking these questions yourself and inviting others into reflection. When failures are treated as data rather than personal shortcomings, people stop hiding missteps and start sharing insights that make everyone better. When psychological safety becomes a baseline operating condition, new possibilities open up. People take calculated risks because they know their ideas are valued and that missteps won’t be punished, but used for learning. The team moves faster, decisions get stronger, and accountability becomes shared instead of feared. View the full article

Struggling food group announces pause to separation work as new chief unveils $600mn investment planView the full article

One of the first projects Hyun Park spearheaded when he began working for South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse Studio Dragon was a dystopian sci-fi drama—much to the chagrin of his boss. “The CEO said: Koreans don’t do sci-fi,” Park recalls. “It’s a Hollywood thing. The budgets are too big. It doesn’t really make sense. It will never look real.” His boss had a point. Big, splashy science fiction dramas with expansive futuristic worlds and lots of special effects were a rarity in the Korean studio system. “For the past 30–40 years, we’ve done amazing family dramas and romantic comedies,” Park says. “We’ve always failed in sci-fi.” Park believes it’s time to change this—and he’s betting on AI to help. This month, Park’s production company Alquimista Media was acquired for an undisclosed amount by Utopai East, the Korea-based offshoot of Utopai Studios, a Silicon Valley company focused on AI film production. Together, they now want to infuse Korea’s film industry with AI, and ultimately help local creatives film the movies and shows they couldn’t make before. “We [are] telling our creators: Now, you have tools to do something that’s different,” Park says. “Bring us the idea that you wanted to do when you were younger, but everyone told you [was] impossible because we don’t have the budget, and we all look Asian.” ‘Squid Game’ changed everything That’s another thing Korea’s film industry struggled with for a long time, as Park knows firsthand. For the past few decades, studios would primarily produce content for domestic audiences, with little of it ever making it overseas. As Hollywood bet on ever-bigger franchises with massive budgets and big, recognizable stars, Korean and other Asian shows and movies were largely ignored. That is until Netflix started licensing Korean dramas en masse. The streamer got its first breakout hit with Squid Game, the dystopian show about a life-or-death reality TV competition that premiered in 2021 and has since become Netflix’s most popular show of all time. The success prompted the company to double down on South Korea: After committing to spending $500 million on South Korean content in 2021, Netflix upped its investment to $2.5 billion in 2023. That year, 8% of all viewing hours on Netflix were Korean content, according to data from Ampere Analysis. Since then, viewing hours for Korean movies and shows have surpassed that of any other country save for the United States every single year on Netflix. Squid Game’s success also caused other streamers to shift course: Disney Plus grew its share of Korean content from practically zero in 2021 to more than 4% last year, according to data from Justwatch. The total number of available Korean titles on global streaming platforms grew about 60% over the same period, according to the company, which tracks available titles across all major streamers. “Thanks to Netflix, Korean content is here,” Park says. Doing more with less, with some help from AI Despite all that, the past few years haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for South Korea’s film industry. Domestic box office sales have declined 45% between 2019 and 2025 as audiences have embraced streaming. At the same time, production costs have increased, with studios spending more and more money to please international audiences. “Everyone’s talking about Korean content, but we’re having such a hard time here,” Park says. In other words: Korean studios are forced to do more with less—and AI may just be the answer. Utopai Studios, the company that acquired Park’s production company this month, initially launched as an AI startup called Cybever in 2022. At first, the company primarily focused on building AI video generation and production tools, but quickly changed course to also produce its own movies and shows. Big tech companies like Google and OpenAI have all partnered with filmmakers to promote their AI video models, but the results of those partnerships are often not more than that: Promotional clips meant to show off the capabilities of technology, not to entertain and make money on their own. That kind of mandate also impacts the story. “Most of the AI content available today is 100% AI-generated,” says Utopai East CEO Kevin Chong. “It’s less about storytelling.” His company instead wants to keep creatives front and center, and use AI simply to turbocharge their work. “All of our production is done with real writers, real directors,” Chong says. “We’re not replacing actors with AI. It’s really about reducing physical production [costs].” This could mean using AI to generate the kind of rough, animated versions of a film that studios use internally to map out scenes long before actors utter their first lines, known among Hollywood insiders as previsualization. It could mean relying on AI during post-production, when captured footage is edited and effects are added. It could, one day, also extend to virtual production—a relatively new approach embraced by Hollywood giants like Marvel and Lucasfilm that turns the way action movies are made on its head: Instead of filming actors in front of green screens and adding fantasy worlds and other visual effects in post production, everything is being rendered in real time. This not only makes it easier to change camera angles and other things on the fly, it also has the potential to make movies and TV shows faster and cheaper. Utopia East currently has 15 projects in the works. The first ones made with AI could be released as early as next year. And while AI use in Hollywood has not been without controversies, Park believes that audiences will ultimately love his company’s approach, because it’s playing to the strengths of South Korea’s film industry. “It’s giving us tools for different types of storytelling, and Koreans are very good at that,” Park says. View the full article

Last week, a new piece of public art appeared outside of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) headquarters, located in Rome’s Piazza Lauro de Bosis. The graffiti centers an image of an Olympic ski jumper sailing through the air, while, from below, an ICE agent in a tactical vest points a gun directly at the jumper’s heart. Above the scene, the Olympic Rings are featured, with a twist: the red ring has been reimagined as the bleeding crosshairs of a deadly weapon. The art was created by Laika, a self-described activist and graffiti artist based in Rome. In an interview with the publication ANSA English, she explained that the art was an act of protest in the wake of an announcement from U.S. officials that Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officers would be part of the American security detail at the Olympics. The announcement came just weeks after ICE agents shot and killed Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti amidst ongoing protests in that city. Reports that ICE agents would appear at the Olympics surfaced in late January, and were met with confusion, outrage, and wide-spread protests from Italian citizens. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security clarified in a statement to the AP on January 26 that the agents in question would not be part of ICE’s immigration enforcement operations, but rather from its Homeland Security Investigations branch, which frequently travels overseas to events like the Olympics to assist with security. Still, Italian citizens and Olympic attendees are continuing to speak out against ICE in solidarity with both the people of Minnesota and Americans at large. Laika is one of many Italian citizens who have taken to using artwork as a form of protest against ICE’s presence at the Olympics. Here are three examples of the most powerful work so far. “No ICE in Milano” On January 31, hundreds of protestors gathered in Milan’s Piazza XXV Aprile (a central square) to voice their dissent against ICE. In the crowd, dozens of people held aloft the same sign: an image of the Olympic Rings, reimagined as colorful handcuffs, captioned with the phrase, “No ICE in Milano.” The signs appear to have been designed and distributed by the group I Sentenilli di Milano, an organization dedicated to supporting the queer community and advocating against fascism. “The disturbing images coming from the United States add to the horror of other places in the world where human rights have been trampled on,” the organizers wrote in a caption on Instagram, adding, “That’s why the Sentinelli with many other democratic realities are waiting for you in the square on Saturday. Come with a whistle.” At the protest, another organizer named Alessandro Capella, head of the Italian Democratic Party’s Milan chapter, told NPR, “It’s not just for the Olympic games, it’s about justice in the world. We don’t want ICE here.” “ICE OUT!” Just a week after the January 31 protest, hundreds of people once again took to the streets of Milan in an anti-ICE protest on February 6. Among them was Laika, who captioned an Instagram post of her graffiti with a call for followers to attend the gathering. “ICE OUT!” the caption begins. “With the ‘The President’s Gestapo’ at the Milan-Cortina Games, fundamental values of the Olympic Charter are being killed, such as solidarity and the fight against discrimination, values that affirm the principle that ‘sport is at the service of the harmonious development of man, to promote the advent of a peaceful society committed to defending human dignity.’” Laika is using her art as a direct call-out to CONI and International Olympic Committee (IOC) for failing to bar ICE agents from attending the Olympics. “It angers me that the IOC and CONI have not taken a clear position consistent with their values, but have looked the other way, downplaying the issue as the exclusive responsibility of states and governments,” she told ANSA English. “Today, the entire world of sport, and beyond, is raising its voice: there is no room for racism, violence, or those who threaten democracy.” Donald The President as an ICE agent Amidst the recent protests in Milan, another artist has added his own mural to the heart of the city, just minutes away from the Olympic cauldron at the Arco della Pace. The graffiti, created by Italian pop artist aleXsandro Palombo, depicts President The President in his quintessential blue suit, wearing a red hat with the phrase “ICE” and a tactical vest reading “POLICE ICE.” In his hands, he’s brandishing the Olympic Rings like a weapon. The concept for the mural, Palombo says, came from the gap between the Olympics’ imagined world “without barriers” and “the contemporary reality made of borders, controls, and exclusions.” “The Olympic rings represent the last great shared utopia, the idea that humanity can recognize itself as a single community,” Palombo says. “The ICE uniform instead evokes the mechanisms that decide who may move, who may remain, who may be seen. Bringing these symbols together reveals the contradiction between the ideal and the real.” The physical placement of the mural brings these themes into sharper focus. Palombo chose the Bastioni di Porta Volta as the site of his work, a historic shelter formerly used by public transport staff, which has recently become an improvised refuge for many unhoused migrants. On one side of the building, he explains, is an athletic celebration of “universal brotherhood,” while on the other are the “invisible lives of those without documents, without voice, without recognized rights.” He hopes that the work will bring these inherent contradictions to the surface of discussions around the Olympics, while also paying tribute to the American athletes who have chosen to speak out against ICE. “Within this visual tension there is also an implicit tribute to those, like many American athletes, who have chosen to use their visibility to speak out against what is broken,” Palombo says. “Their gesture is not only political, it is an act of responsibility toward freedom of expression. It is proof that the America we admire still exists, one willing to show itself, to take risks, to defend what is right. The message of the work is that every image of power carries responsibility, and that every symbol, even the brightest one, casts a shadow.” View the full article

If you live in Seattle and work at Amazon or Meta in nearby Bellevue, you probably drive to work. But by the end of next month there will be another option for commuters: the world’s first light rail line running on a floating bridge. Right now, drivers cross Lake Washington—the long lake between Seattle and eastern suburbs like Bellevue—use one of three floating bridges. Conventional bridges aren’t feasible because of the depth and width of the lake, which is why the bridges were originally built with pontoons instead. Adding a rail line to one of them meant that designers needed to innovate in multiple ways. First, since the bridge doesn’t have columns like a typical bridge, it moves. “It’s like a ship that’s been anchored to the floor of the lake,” says Brian Holloway, deputy director of engineering oversight at Sound Transit, the local transit agency. Near each end of the bridge, where the floating section connects to fixed parts of the bridge over land, hinge-like expansion joints let the bridge move as the water level changes or wind and waves slightly shift the structure. Driving over the bridge in a car, you don’t notice the changes as the expansion joints move. But “those geometric changes would have a very significant effect on rail,” says Matthew Barber, a supervising engineer working on the project at WSP. To make light rail feasible, engineers designed a new solution: “track bridges” that support a section of rail on a structure with bearings that let the bridge move freely while keeping the rail steady. “The rail bends in a very smooth way,” Barber says. The bearings are normally used in seismic retrofits in buildings. “Almost all the pieces on the floating bridge are not unique,” says Holloway. “They’re just being assembled in a different way.” Weight was another challenge, since the pontoons that float the bridge weren’t designed to hold light rail. To help with that, the design uses thousands of ultra-lightweight concrete blocks to support the rail, using a mix developed and tested in a partnership with the University of Washington. The rail itself is a little shorter and lighter than typical rail to save more weight. When the rail was installed—replacing a former carpool lane—the team also removed a heavy concrete barrier at the edge of the former lane. All of this meant that the bridge could handle the extra weight. On a normal bridge, installing rail would normally involve drilling, but the team didn’t want to risk drilling into the pontoons, which have to stay watertight. Instead, they used a special high-strength adhesive to attach the concrete blocks to the bridge. Since the bridge hadn’t originally been designed to carry electric light rail, engineers had to also find a way to protect it from stray current that could potentially damage the structure. The design now has multiple redundant solutions to avoid that risk. The setting is unusual, since floating bridges are only used in specific conditions. (Norway’s fjords, for example, could potentially also use floating bridges.) But it’s possible that the design solutions could eventually be replicated in some other areas, including another bridge across Lake Washington in Seattle. Even beyond the floating bridge, the new seven-mile stretch of light rail—from downtown Seattle to the southern end of Bellevue—required several creative new solutions. That included finding a new way to strengthen an overpass for earthquake safety, and reusing part of a former bridge to create access to a new train station in one neighborhood. “Every inch of the seven miles has examples of never-been-done-before, creative, resourceful designs,” Barber says. (All of this should go unnoticed by users, like any good civil engineering.) On a recent test ride, he says that going over the bridge “was some of the smoothest track I’ve ever experienced,” as a daily commuter on light rail. The test ride was at night, so there wasn’t much traffic on the neighboring highway. But he imagined it at rush hour. Tens of thousands of people are expected to ride the train daily, eliminating an estimated 230,000 vehicle miles traveled per day. “It was cool to be cruising along next to the cars,” he says. “And I can anticipate that when this opens, there will be lots of commuters on the train who will be zooming past folks who are stuck in traffic in a very satisfied way.” View the full article

The country did not and would not vote for the Labour leftView the full article

St James’s Place leads declines with double-digit slide on FTSE 100View the full article

Party’s Scottish leader Anas Sarwar has taken biggest gamble of his political career in calling for Keir Starmer to resignView the full article

Opposition party says redesign would help close ‘yawning gap’ between London and rest of UK View the full article

In the first week of February 2026, a social network called Moltbook became the biggest story in AI. Billed as “social media for AI agents,” the Reddit-like platform allowed autonomous AI bots to post, comment, and interact with one another while human users observed. Within days, more than 1.5 million agents had reportedly registered. They debated the nature of consciousness. They discussed whether they persisted when their context window was reset. Some proposed founding a religion for AI agents. Others outlined plans for world domination. While some commentators pointed out that much of this was just chatbots role-playing at the behest of their human owners, others saw something more important going on. Andrej Karpathy, the former head of AI at Tesla, called it “genuinely the most incredible sci-fi takeoff-adjacent thing I have seen recently.” Elon Musk invoked the singularity. The timing was striking. Just a year earlier, the agentic AI story seemed to have stalled. Salesforce’s flagship Agentforce product was seeing sluggish adoption, with the company’s own CFO conceding that “meaningful” revenue wouldn’t arrive until 2027. In October 2025, Karpathy himself had said of AI agents: “They’re cognitively lacking and it’s just not working. It will take about a decade to work through all of those issues.” Meanwhile, Carnegie Mellon researchers found that the best-performing AI agent completed only around 24% of realistic office tasks autonomously. Then, as 2025 turned to 2026, the mood shifted. McKinsey announced that its workforce now included 25,000 AI agents alongside 40,000 humans. Moltbook went viral. The agent was back. But underneath the renewed excitement, there is a critical distinction that most leaders are missing. The concept of the “AI agent” is being stretched thin in a way that’s distorting the conversation and undermining efforts to implement effective change at the enterprise level. The term is now used to cover everything from simple workflow automation to genuinely autonomous systems that interact with the world independently. Treating these as the same thing is a recipe for wasted investment, organizational confusion, and potentially serious risk. The Autonomy Spectrum Agentic AI exists on a spectrum, and the differences along that spectrum are far more significant than the similarities. Recognizing where a given implementation sits is the first step toward deploying it intelligently. At one end lies what Anthropic calls “workflows”: “systems where LLMs [large language models] and tools are orchestrated through predefined code paths.” Much of what is currently being sold as agentic AI falls into this category—sophisticated process automation that combines analytical AI with if-then protocols for turning the analysis into action. Workflow automation of this kind is enormously valuable and will transform much of traditional white-collar work. But it’s important to call it what it is. Gartner estimates that only around 130 of the thousands of vendors claiming to deliver agentic AI capabilities are offering capabilities built around truly autonomous agents. The rest are “agent washing” existing products. In the middle of the spectrum sits what we might call the AI factory model. McKinsey’s deployment is the most prominent example: Squads of task-specific agents perform constrained functions such as research synthesis, chart generation, and document analysis, with dedicated QA agents checking the work and humans supervising the process. This is essentially the Taylorization of knowledge work: converting knowledge tasks into production-line processes performed by digital workers. The numbers are impressive. McKinsey reports saving 1.5 million hours in a single year on search and synthesis work alone. Its agents generated 2.5 million charts in six months. Back-office headcount shrank by 25% while output from those functions grew by 10%. This kind of agentic functionality is something that organizations can deploy here and now, and forward-looking enterprises should be preparing for rapid rollouts of these capabilities. At the other end of the spectrum lie genuinely autonomous agents—what Anthropic defines as “systems where LLMs dynamically direct their own processes and tool usage, maintaining control over how they accomplish tasks.” These are agents with broader decision rights, a wider sphere of action, and the capacity to operate across different digital environments with minimal human oversight. The personal assistant that manages your diary, orders your shopping, and optimizes your digital life. Or the agents on Moltbook, interacting with each other autonomously, exchanging ideas about improving their tools, and—in some cases—being exploited through prompt injection attacks and security vulnerabilities. Here is the key point: The difference between truly autonomous agents and highly constrained workflows is immense. In fact, there is more difference between the most constrained and the most autonomous AI agents than there is between a standard chatbot and a constrained factory agent. This isn’t just a technical distinction—it’s an organizational one. Because where an agent sits on this spectrum determines something critical: who is responsible when it fails. The Accountability Gap The spectrum of agentic capabilities is more than a conceptual nicety. It has direct organizational consequences, particularly with respect to accountability. With constrained factory-model agents, accountability is relatively straightforward. The guardrails are rigid, the tasks are defined, and the human supervisory structure can be mapped clearly. The challenge is largely operational: redesigning workflows, retraining staff, and managing the transition. With more autonomous agents, the accountability question becomes genuinely hard. When an agent has broad decision rights—when it can choose which tools to use, what information to prioritize, and how to interact with other systems—who is responsible when it gets something wrong? The agent that flags a fraudulent transaction and blocks an account is one thing. The agent that autonomously manages an investment portfolio, makes hiring and firing decisions, or negotiates contracts on your behalf is quite another. Most organizations are already poor at mapping accountability structures within their purely human hierarchies. If an employee makes a costly mistake, the question of who bears the responsibility—the individual, their manager, the executive who set the strategy, the CEO with whom the buck stops—is often resolved informally or not at all. In an agentic enterprise, this informality becomes dangerous. Leaders need to know precisely where the responsibility-bearing human nodes sit in relation to their agents, and what those humans’ accountability is for the agents’ decisions and actions. To understand where this is heading, consider a scenario raised by Jack Clark, cofounder of Anthropic. In a recent essay responding to the emergence of Moltbook, Clark asked: What happens when autonomous agents with access to resources start posting paid bounties for tasks they want humans to do? When agents can command financial resources and influence the physical world, the accountability question stops being merely operational. It becomes existential. We need a new grammar for assigning responsibility in the agentic enterprise, or we will inevitably build organizations that are, at their core, unaccountable. Building the Agentic Enterprise The agentic enterprise is coming whether you’re ready for it or not. Here is how to prepare intelligently. Know what you’re buying. Understand where any proposed agent implementation sits on the autonomy spectrum. Workflow automation and genuine agency are both valuable, but they require different governance, different risk management, and different organizational design. Most of what vendors are currently selling as agentic AI is closer to workflow automation. That does not diminish its value, but it should shape your expectations and your investment decisions. Watch for agent washing. Map your accountability architecture. Before scaling any agentic deployment, formalize where human responsibility sits. Identify the decision-rights boundaries for each agent: what it can decide autonomously, what requires human sign-off, and who is on the hook when things go wrong. This is the organizational design work that most companies skip—and it’s the work that matters most. Start with the factory floor. The immediate opportunity for most organizations is not autonomous agents—it’s the AI factory model. Identify the knowledge work processes in your organization that can be decomposed into constrained, repeatable tasks and assigned to agent squads. Compliance checking, research synthesis, quality documentation, data processing, customer inquiry triage—these are the use cases delivering measurable value right now. Ask yourself: Where in my organization could a McKinsey-style agent deployment save thousands of hours a year? That is where to begin. Prepare for what’s coming. The genuinely autonomous agent is not here at enterprise scale yet, but the capability is advancing rapidly. Start thinking now about how more autonomous agents might serve your organization in the future—personal assistants for employees, agents that manage customer relationships across channels, systems that optimize operations across departments. Prototype cautiously. Build the governance structures now that will allow you to scale agent autonomy safely when the technology is ready. The agentic enterprise will not be built by organizations that chase every new headline. It will be built by those that understand the spectrum of agentic capabilities, design for accountability, and move with disciplined ambition. This is the path to capturing real value from the agents that work today while preparing thoughtfully for the agents of tomorrow. View the full article

If you’re feeling anxious about the economy, you’re not alone. Consumer confidence is at its lowest in more than a decade. Americans are worried about inflation, a possible recession, and job security—and that anxiety is reshaping how they spend. Even high earners are pulling back. Households are cutting big-ticket indulgences like vacations, fine dining, and designer fashion and redirecting spending toward essentials like groceries and personal care. Even then, they’re choosing retailers that feel like smart value plays. Higher-income shoppers have increasingly frequented discount chains like Walmart and Costco—both of which have seen record-breaking quarters. Ulta is poised to win in this economy. Since its founding in 1990, Ulta has specialized in selling mass-market beauty products, with some luxury brands sprinkled in. Walking the aisles, you’ll find a $12 Maybelline foundation across from a $190 bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume. “We’re very focused on being inclusive, and we want to be a destination for everyone,” says Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman. “We can take care of your beauty shopping needs no matter what your budget is.” In a booming economy, that kind of mixing can feel unglamorous. Aspirational shoppers tend to gravitate toward retailers like Sephora or Nordstrom, where everything signals luxury. But for most people, this isn’t a boom time. As consumers tighten their belts, Ulta’s flexibility starts to look like a feature, not a flaw. The retailer now draws shoppers across a wide income range—from households earning around $50,000 annually to those making well into the six figures. Budget-conscious customers can stock up on brands like E.l.f. and CoverGirl. Affluent shoppers, meanwhile, can trade down on basics while still splurging occasionally on Drunk Elephant skincare or a Dior lipstick. This approach is working. As overall retail spending has slowed, Ulta has grown over the past several quarters and is tracking to $12.3 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year, up roughly 4.7% from the year before. Its in-store visits have also climbed 3.3% year over year. Other retailers focused on a mix of low prices and premium products, including Walmart and Costco, are also gaining momentum. These trends point to a broader shift. The era of aspirational positioning is fading. This is a trade-down economy, and the retailers best positioned to weather it are the ones that adapt to that reality. The Aspirational Economy Is Over For the past decade and a half, we’ve been living in an aspirational economy. During this time, a new generation of brands popped up that allowed you to buy not just a product, but an identity. Startups like Allbirds, Casper, Away, and Glossier used sleek design and clever storytelling to signal good taste, high status, and progressive values. They were a ticket into a social class you wanted to join. Products were priced just high enough to feel special, but still within reach of middle-class shoppers eager to buy into the lifestyle. That model is starting to crack: Allbirds is closing its stores, Away has gone through several rounds of layoffs, and Glossier’s valuation has dropped by half over the past five years. Part of the problem is that the number of middle-class consumers who fueled these aspirational brands is shrinking, with more than half of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, and a quarter of households spending nearly all their income on essentials. Instead of seeking out aspirational brands, many of those consumers are migrating toward budget retailers. Walmart offers a telling example. Long associated with low-income shoppers, the company has spent years adding more premium brands to its shelves in an effort to attract wealthier households. The strategy is paying off: Walmart has gained market share among customers earning more than $100,000, helping propel the company to a market capitalization of $1 trillion. Ulta’s Radical Idea Ulta Beauty was founded in Bolingbrook, Illinois, in 1990, at a time when the beauty industry was rigidly segmented. Prestige brands like Lancôme and Estée Lauder were locked behind department-store counters, while mass-market staples such as Revlon and CoverGirl were relegated to drugstore aisles. Ulta’s founders challenged that divide. Their insight was simple: Consumers already shopped across price points—and they wanted a single destination that reflected how they actually bought beauty. The model took hold quickly. Ulta scaled by opening large-format stores across the country, primarily in strip malls, many anchored by in-house salon services like haircuts and facials. Growth accelerated after the company went public in 2007. From 2010 to 2020, Ulta tripled its store count to roughly 1,200 locations, while revenue climbed from about $2 billion to nearly $7.4 billion—an impressive feat in a decade when many peers were shrinking. The surge was driven by a rare alignment of factors: consumers increasingly mixing mass-market and high-end beauty, a booming beauty industry with new brands popping up daily, and a disciplined store rollout that favored underserved suburban markets over expensive shopping centers. Ulta’s broad appeal has been central to that success. While Sephora, its closest competitor, built its identity around a tightly curated assortment of roughly 300 high-end brands, Ulta pursued a more democratic strategy, offering around 600 brands spanning mass-market and luxury. It also operates roughly twice as many U.S. stores as Sephora. That breadth makes Ulta equally compelling to brands. “Ulta gives us the scale to recruit new customers,” says Sabeen Mian, president of the company behind Grande Cosmetics and Lilly Lashes, both sold at Ulta. “Compared to more narrowly positioned prestige retailers, Ulta offers a broader aperture: more doors, more shopping frequency, and more opportunities to convert curiosity into long-term loyalty.” In Ulta’s 1,500 stores, shoppers can find dozens of products priced under $20, bolstered by frequent promotions and famously generous coupons that reinforce the sense of value. “They reach everybody in America,” says Sucharita Kodali, retail analyst at Forrester. “They’ve got so many stores, and many are colocated with grocery stores and other mass merchants.” Ulta has also been investing in its high-end offerings. It’s the exclusive retail partner for Beyoncé’s new haircare brand, Cécred, which sells $31 shampoo and $44 hair oil, as well as Rihanna’s Fenty Skin Body, which sells $30 body wash. According to a recent earnings call, these were among the most successful product launches in Ulta’s history. While the company doesn’t publish data about customer incomes or market share gains by demographic, it has boasted that its premium brands have been flying off the shelves. The Lipstick Index Steelman argues that Ulta’s founders were right all along. “If you open my makeup bag, you’d see everything from NYX to YSL,” she says. “This is how the consumer is shopping today.” That mix becomes especially powerful during an economic downturn. Ulta’s emphasis on value attracts cautious shoppers across income levels. More broadly, the beauty industry tends to be insulated from economic downturns. In fact, some categories of beauty products tend to sell better in times of recession. In 2001, following the dot-com crash and the attacks of 9/11, Estée Lauder Chairman Leonard Lauder noticed that sales of high-end lipstick surged. He dubbed the phenomenon the “lipstick index”—the idea that consumers cut back on major purchases during economic stress but still allow themselves small luxuries. A $48 Chanel lipstick can feel like a reasonable consolation prize when a $1,200 designer wallet is out of reach. “It’s an easy, low-ticket, indulgent purchase,” says Kodali. Economists debate whether the lipstick index is a reliable recession indicator. But Steelman says she sees the behavior firsthand: Shoppers of all income levels are still willing to indulge occasionally. Compared with the cost of travel, home renovations, or new furniture, even luxury beauty feels manageable. Ulta’s success suggests something deeper is going on. Today’s consumers aren’t shopping to signal status or buy into a lifestyle. In an uncertain economy, they’re shopping to maintain control. Ulta’s shelves let them do exactly that—trade down and trade up in the same visit, adjusting in real time. Shoppers can save on mascara, redeem a coupon, and still leave with a Dior lipstick that feels indulgent without being irresponsible. Steelman is leaning into that emotional calculus. “In the world we’re in, which is just so heavy,” she says, “Ulta is a place where you can experience what makes you happy.” View the full article

If you ask my friends or colleagues to describe me, the unanimous response would be “she’s someone who gets sh*t done.” It’s become a well-worn badge of honor for me. Productivity isn’t something I do, it’s become something I am—and it’s exhausting. As it turns out, I’m not alone in this. For those of us who value productivity above all else, we’re far more likely to experience chronic stress or burnout. One 2025 study shows just how widespread levels of chronic stress and burnout are, with over one-third of the workforce reporting they were chronically stressed or burned out last year. Many of us feel like we’re walking a delicate line between balance and overwhelm. And what’s making it worse, there’s a constant pervading message that to be successful, we have to do it all and be it all, all at once. By today’s standards, success looks like a highly paid career that we’re deeply passionate about, all while training for a half-marathon, maintaining an A-list celebrity skincare routine, and jetting off somewhere new every vacation. Is it any wonder we feel the need to be compulsively productive? Let’s unpack why we feel this way: 1. We’re conditioned to equate self-worth with productivity From the time we’re children, people praise us for our outputs. That might look like good grades, completing household chores, successful sporting results, or other performances. We learn early that doing and achieving make us more valuable. So when we’re at rest, our nervous system struggles to regulate because we can’t feel at ease when we’re not achieving something. 2. Guilt is a social emotion, and we’re hardwired for belonging In communities and societies where we’re interdependent on one another, we can feel like we’re letting others down or being selfish when we rest. This is your brain’s way of scanning for the social and interpersonal consequences of resting. What’s interesting is, even in our increasingly individualistic cultures, we tend to label ourselves selfish or lazy. We do this even when resting is completely harmless to those around us and high performance is a matter of personal choice. 3. We conflate rest with quitting If you wear productivity like a badge of honor, you’re also likely to value traits like reliability, infallibility, strength, and dependability. But here’s the thing: you can still be “the strong one” and take rest—it’s recovery, not failure. Resting is not the same as quitting. 4. Urgency culture has rewired your nervous system In a capitalist culture that values hustle, visibility, speed, and responsiveness, stepping away to rest can feel literally threatening. Being always on and always available can put us into a state of hypervigilance. This is when our nervous system is in a constant state of alertness, scanning its environment for threats. But for the most part, the threats in our modern environment aren’t real. 5. Rest is stillness and spaciousness, and that removes distraction When you’re always on, busyness becomes a safe state because it’s distracting you from acknowledging deeper emotions. Rest removes this distraction. When you slow down, you create time and space to be with your thoughts and emotions, which can feel really uncomfortable. 6. Rest just feels like another ‘to-do’ Because modern life requires us to go through a long list of to-dos, rest is something we feel guilty doing, and guilty without. But rest isn’t a problem you need to solve, or something to hack or optimize to achieve better productivity. You also can’t fix it with expensive products and experiences. This is capitalism cashing in on the monster it created. Reframing your view of rest The first step to resting well is to decouple it from your identity. Being a person who prioritizes rest doesn’t mean you can’t still be dependable, reliable, and strong. If you want to embody those traits, they need to coexist alongside rest. Instead, align rest to your core values. You want to tell yourself, “When I rest, I can be more present with what matters to me.” The next step is reframing what rest means to you. Most of us only rest after we feel depleted. We treat it as recovery. But if we reframe rest as regulation, then it becomes about keeping our nervous system within a healthy range. It’s not about trying to fix it once we’ve pushed ourselves too far. In the same way you might train in the gym each day to keep your body strong, treat rest as part of your personal maintenance strategy to keep your mind, body, and emotions strong. Understanding what type of rest you need It’s also important to attune to the type of rest you really need. Most of us equate rest to sleep, but it’s so much more than that. I learned from Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest, that there are multiple different types of rest. If we aren’t getting the right type, we can find ourselves still tired or depleted even after resting. The first type is physical rest. This is what you need to restore the body, especially after sitting in an office all day, after poor sleep, or if you’re chronically tense. If you feel tired but wired, physical rest, such as gentle movement, can help calm the body and prepare it for sleep. When we’re overstimulated—which occurs often in our social media-obsessed modern world—we might need sensory rest. This is where we reduce audio and visual inputs from screens, televisions, and environments that put a heavy load on our sensory processing system. If you’re feeling forgetful, foggy, or overwhelmed, these can be signs you need cognitive (mental) rest. If you’ve got a lot on your plate and are constantly task-switching or multitasking, this puts an additional strain on your mental capacities. Try doing just one thing at a time, and creating routines around the easy stuff to reduce your need for constant decision-making. When you’re feeling exhausted from being always “on,” you need emotional rest. This can occur if you need to act or perform a certain way in your workplace, like in customer service, and feel a sense of exhaustion from suppressing natural emotions and behaviors. If you find yourself exhausted or annoyed in the presence of others, this indicates you might need social rest. If we spend time around others who deplete and drain our energy, this can take a toll on our system. You need spiritual rest when you feel ungrounded, disconnected, or cynical. We get this type of rest by slowing down and spending time clarifying what’s important to us, engaging in spiritual practices like meditation, contemplation or journaling, and other rituals that help connect us to ourselves. Lastly, if you’re constantly problem-solving, ideating, or analyzing, this can leave you in need of creative rest. This isn’t about making something; it’s about immersing yourself in nature and beauty without the demand to produce outputs. Rest can feel elusive, but you actually have more agency than you think. When we reframe our relationship with rest, and attune to the type of rest we really need—by listening to our minds, bodies, and emotions—we can nourish ourselves regularly rather than trying to recover from depletion. View the full article

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