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Google confirmed it had an issue serving search results earlier this morning at around 1:30 am ET on Wednesday, February 25th. The issue seemed to be fixed very quickly and we didn’t see a huge number of complaints about the issue. Google posted a notice saying, “We fixed the issue with serving search results. There will be no more updates.” Why we care. If your website noticed a drop in traffic around midnight last night, it may be related to this serving issue. Again, it seems the serving issue was discovered and fixed very quickly but just because Google posted the issue and resolved it within a minute, it does not mean the serving issue was only a minute. Rather, this is when Google posted the notices. Here is a screenshot of the status dashboard notice: View the full article

Women’s sports continue to thrive. Record-breaking WNBA viewership, a flood of new brand investment, and now Unrivaled: the women’s basketball league built by players, for players. Commissioner Micky Lawler pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to launch a high-stakes sports startup in the full glare of the public eye. The question is no longer whether women’s sports can compete. It’s how fast they can grow. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scalepodcast, Rapid Responsefeatures candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Responsewherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. I first came upon Unrivaled last year around this time. I’m a basketball fan, but other 3-on-3 leagues didn’t really connect for me. But Unrivaled, it grabbed my attention right away. The format, the players, the model of playing in one location in Miami, adopting what the WNBA did during the pandemic bubble, it’s fun. You felt what I felt when I first heard about it. I loved it from the start. I could see it, I could feel it. And what’s not to like about the name, Unrivaled? And the timing for the league when it came out was great. It was just as the Caitlin Clark mania was surging, although I know Caitlin hasn’t competed on Unrivaled. But women’s leagues overall were accelerating, the WNBA, the NWSL. How much did that timing matter for you? Look, I’ve spent a lifetime working in professional sports, and in particular in tennis, most of it in women’s tennis, and so I could see the momentum. And sometimes the world has a way of working in mysterious ways, because the timing was also perfect for me, having just retired from the WTA. Were you into basketball before this? I mean, your life was obviously tennis, so that was where your time and your energy was focused. When you work in sports, it’s your microcosm, so I was very familiar with the opportunity of women’s basketball, and I always loved it. When my kids played sports, basketball was my favorite season because it’s so much fun to watch. And I did play in high school, very badly, so basketball was not entirely foreign to me, but it’s like you lived in San Francisco and now you’re moving to New York. It’s the same country, but it’s two very different cities. Does that make sense? Yeah. Part of Unrivaled’s appeal for the players is financial. WNBA salaries remain modest. Players generally have to look for other paying gigs in the off-season. It’s why Brittney Griner went to Russia. You’re offering sort of an alternative to going overseas. Your salary pool isn’t enormous, but there are other benefits, including equity. This is part of the selling point to the players is the financial opportunity, and I guess the vibe in Florida where Unrivaled happens. As a professional athlete, when you are competing six months of the year, you need to have another source of competition. Income, yes, but also competition. You need to stay sharp, you need to stay in shape, you need to keep working on your craft, on your game. So both Breanna and Napheesa are mothers, and for them it was increasingly difficult to go overseas for three months, and also for their own brand exposure in the market. So we looked at this as a way to really build the entire ecosystem of women’s basketball and support what clearly is a very interesting league, which is the WNBA. SAFIAN: Yeah. You’re separate from the WNBA, right? LAWLER: Yes. Yes. But as you say, you travel in these concentric circles with players and media partners and sponsors. How do you approach that relationship? Well, we have 54 WNBA players here in-house, so our approach is to really deepen the focus on players, getting them into the public eye. And so, we hope that this is all very, very positive and good for the environment in which the WNBA operates. So the relationship is complimentary. You’re deep into Unrivaled’s second season. The playoffs start February 28th, the end of the month. The business of the league keeps evolving. More sponsors, more facilities, more teams. You added the 1-on-1 tournament mid-season, took the league on the road to Philadelphia, and the semi-finals will be right near me at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This sort of business roadmap, how does it compare to your efforts growing the WTA? How much do you look at and focus on, what’s the lowest hanging fruit, what’s easiest to get versus long shot plans? At the WTA, you have a structure where owners, tournaments, and players sit on the same board. There’s a 50/50 ownership. The players, they’re not contracted by the WTA, so they are self-employed and they have their own commercial rights. So the tour has to try to elevate the whole thing with limited assets, getting to a point that perfects the pressure on the players, not overstressing them, but you also have to answer to players number one to 250. And the number one is going to play many more matches. But in any case, it’s a lot to juggle. Over here you’ve got a clean slate and you’re giving players real equity from the start. So the players were very, very fast to understand that the more Unrivaled grew, the better for them from every angle. The more that they could participate in telling brand stories, the more their own story would be relevant. So it’s completely different because you don’t have to argue about the value of social media like we did with the WTA many years ago. We need to change the media requirements from a post-match interview to giving some time to the social side. In tennis, that took a long time. Here it’s front and center. They want to be doing it. They understand the holistic side to the business, that it’s not just about being a phenomenal basketball player. You have to be good at social. You have to serve the press, serve all your fans, create an environment that is community. If I had any doubt that this was going to work, well, that was quickly gone because of the intensity of the fans and the intimacy. Sephora Arena is a place where you come to be very happy and entertained, and you see just stellar performances. The players are aware that it’s a start-up, but they’re also aware that everything goes to serve them. We are highly, highly focused on making sure that they have everything that they need. Having two player founders in Breanna and Napheesa, we know they need a glam room. They need, of course, a weight room. They need training, and a very good training room and a training team. The best childcare. Saunas. Infrared for inflammation and recovery. I can’t do it justice. I loved the 1-on-1 tournament that happened. Yeah. When you go to the players and you say, “Hey, what about doing a 1-on-1 tournament?” Are they like, “Oh, that’s great. We play 1-on-1 against each other all the time,” or are they like, “Oh, I don’t know. It’s more work for me”? Both. You have the players that shy away from it a little bit, but once they play, they’re all-in. And it is, again, the crowd was so into it. The men talk about it, how much they would love it, and so we did it. And these women, they leave no stone unturned. They fight. Well, that was part of what I loved about it. They looked exhausted. You could physically see they’re not dogging this. Sometimes in an all-star game, you can tell the players are a little sort of – they’re in it. Totally in. Personally, in year one I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is starting to look like a tennis tournament. Is this the right place?” But it has been a big success. Players love it. View the full article

Some bad news for all the mutual fund managers out there: A new study from researchers at Harvard Business School seems to support the fear that artificial intelligence and machine learning could do their jobs. But here’s the catch—with only about 71% accuracy, depending on how predictable their trades are. The working paper “Mimicking Finance” from Lauren Cohen, Yiwen Lu, and Quoc H. Nguyen, published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, finds “that 71% of mutual fund managers’ trade directions can be predicted in the absence of the agent making a single trade.” The paper goes on to say, “For some managers, this increases to nearly all of their trades in a given quarter. Further, we find that manager behavior is more predictable and replicable for managers who have a longer history of trading and are in less competitive categories.” What does that mean? Basically, that the trades of more senior managers, especially those who are in less competitive areas, are easier to mimic (and thereby, those jobs might be easier to replace with AI). The findings are based on data the researchers analyzed from 1990 to 2023 that took into account the size of the fund, the broader economic indicators, and investor flows. Perhaps what’s most alarming for mutual fund managers, though, is the paper’s conclusion: “For some managers,” AI predicted “nearly all of their trades in a given quarter”—which is the equivalent of a mic drop. However, there are a few big caveats. The paper finds that the larger the ownership stake of the manager in the fund, the less predictable their behavior. It also found less predictable managers strongly outperform their peers, while the most predictable managers significantly underperform. Even within each manager’s portfolio, the research shows “those stock positions that are more difficult to predict strongly outperform those that are easier to predict” (a bright spot for fund managers who want to keep their jobs). The study is significant because it explores which tasks could be automated using AI, and how that could affect jobs in the financial sector. It estimates the U.S. asset management industry to be worth about $54 trillion. View the full article

Early drivers steered cars by pushing a lever left and right. That was fine at slow speeds, but disastrous when you accelerated. It took years before the steering wheel arrived. Granola CEO Chris Pedregal says AI interfaces are still in the lever era. Pedregal, who in 2019 sold the edtech startup Socratic to Google, says we’re just beginning to figure out how humans should interact with AI. Three years after the launch of ChatGPT, people still associate AI with typing into a chat box. Granola is betting on a new approach to AI-enhanced note-taking. The London-based startup doesn’t record audio or video or send bots into your meetings. Instead, its tool sits on your computer or phone, transcribing in real time while you maintain control. Chris Pedregal You can jot notes alongside its transcription, building a personal knowledge base instead of a raw archive of recordings. The viral spread of its tool helped the company raise $43 million last year, bringing its total funding to $67 million at a valuation of $250 million. It’s also grown from a team of 4 to 35. Fast Company spoke with Pedregal about the “steering wheel moment” still ahead for AI interfaces and the surprising ways people are using Granola to take notes on everything from therapy to vet visits. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. You’ve described Granola as a steering wheel for large language models. What do you mean by that? I think it’s very, very early days in this new wave of AI, particularly on the user interface interaction side of things. The technology developed very quickly, but it takes human time to figure out the right interaction patterns. I looked it up—it was over three years from when the iPhone came out to when Instagram launched. I think we’re in that time period right now. People might be like, ChatGPT has been out for three years, and we’re still just dealing with chatbots. Is that the end of it? I think it’s just early days. Early cars were driven with a lever, literally a stick that you’d move left and right to steer. It was fine if you’re going slowly, but the moment you started going quickly, it was easy to go off the road. It took quite a while for them to develop the steering wheel. Once they figured out the steering wheel, it became very natural and it stuck. AI interfaces are still in their lever era. Granola deliberately doesn’t record audio. Why make that choice when competitors do? Granola doesn’t record audio by design, which is probably annoying if you ever try to use Granola for interviews. But it makes it less invasive for work conversations, because really what you want are the notes. The goal is not to have an audio recording. The way I think about it is: What’s the minimum amount of invasiveness for the most value? That’s how you have to thread the needle. AI is here, we’re all going to be using tools like this in the future because they’re so useful. But what are the norms? What’s the thoughtful, ethical design of these tools so that we maximize the gains for the cost? How is Granola different from Otter, Fathom, and other meeting notetakers? It all really comes down to this: Granola feels like a tool that lets you be your best self in meetings. The operative word there is tool, and that means you control it. You can write your own notes. When the AI generates notes, you can edit them. The AI is subservient, augmenting your abilities. It’s your personal place where you have all this information. I think a lot of the other tools—Otter is like 9 years old at this point—are really about meeting capture, meeting recording. You log in and here’s all your meeting recordings. That’s useful, but it feels very different than when you open Granola. It’s like, here’s my personal context where I can ask questions. It’s not really about the meetings. It’s about the notes, the knowledge inside of it. As we look towards the future, Granola and those other tools are going to look more and more different. I see Granola as being much more of a contextual workspace where Granola has all this helpful context about you. Now if I need to go write an article or a blog post, or institute some process changes inside the company, I will go into Granola and write that first draft because it has all that context. I can’t imagine doing that in Otter or Fireflies—it just doesn’t feel like the right place for it. You’ve found that mixing work and personal contexts in Granola is actually more useful. Why? Right now, I use Granola for all my work meetings, therapy sessions, and logistics conversations about my life. If you had sat me down two years ago and asked if that’s really useful, I would have said no—I want those things separate. It turns out when you’re asking Granola questions, it having a 360-degree view of different things that are going on in your life is very useful. When you’re making decisions, you’re weighing all those constraints and priorities—not just the ones tied to this specific project at work. I was just at the vet this morning, and I used Granola because it’s my mom’s cat and I’m not going to remember exactly what the vet says. Moments like going to the doctor, parent-teacher conferences, talking to a construction worker or plumber—any situation where there’s sometimes technical language that’s really important to get right, that you’re not familiar with—are incredibly valuable to capture accurately. There’s a different question around data ownership. I don’t necessarily want my company to have my therapy notes. But as models get better, the AI having access to the right context makes all the difference in terms of the quality of the response. What’s appropriate etiquette around recording conversations with Granola? I think right now, the etiquette is simple: Ask. I imagine that the norms around this will change quickly, but it will remain very situation-dependent. Inside our company, it’s expected that meetings are Granola’d unless someone asks not to be. But in social environments the norms will be very different. I’ve tried some of these pendants that record everything, and the idea of wearing those at a party just makes me feel a bit icky. I also think the video conference providers will adapt and make it easy to show meeting participants that you are using something like Granola, so you won’t have to think about it. I think it really comes down to the social nuances of the situation. I usually frame it simply: Talk about it in terms of notes and transcription. “Is it okay if I take notes? This thing will transcribe so I don’t forget the important stuff you say.” That’s basically what I say. What’s been your biggest mistake as you’ve grown Granola? The biggest mistake I’ve made so far was that we didn’t grow the team fast enough. We had product-market fit in a fast-moving space, and I didn’t recognize that early enough. By the time I did, we were drowning in user tickets, requests for billing—all the kinds of stuff that happens when you grow. There were only four of us on the team when we launched the product. I was trying to use my playbook from my last startup—keep the team super small, grow slow and steady. [I realized] that’s great, Chris, but actually the world wants this and you have to respond. I thought growing quickly meant sacrificing how thoughtful we could be about product, and I wasn’t reactive enough. We’re 35 people now, and most of that has happened in the last couple of months. What are some surprising ways people are using Granola? All the personal stuff was surprising at first—therapy, vet visits, parent-teacher conferences. Then there were these founders early on who used Granola as their collective brain. They logged in with the same account and would record every conversation they had because they were early in their startup—every brainstorm, every argument. It became a single shared memory between the two of them. One user followed this famous sales methodology where every conversation falls into one of 14 buckets. He created very specific templates for each bucket, and at the end of the meeting he’d select the right one. Granola would basically spit out all the next steps to win that deal based on that framework. He encoded his entire sales process into it—super intricate. I didn’t see that coming. View the full article

Ten years ago, I ended a meeting at WeWork with an offer to grab a free beer on tap. Last week, I ended it with a similar offer, except this time the beverage on offer was kombucha. The seemingly innocuous shift is symbolic of a bigger evolution underway at the coworking giant: less coolness, more functionality. WeWork is growing up, and its newest location in downtown Manhattan is the most visible proof yet: 250 Broadway, which opened in January, is WeWork’s first outpost in the city since 2019—the year WeWork abandoned its initial public offering and ousted cofounder Adam Neumann as CEO. The space adds 60,000 square feet to the company’s New York portfolio, which already exceeds 3 million square feet. And it’s yet another outpost in a global network that now spans 600 locations worldwide. Except this isn’t WeWork as you might remember it: There are no neon signs, no beer o’clock, and no ping-pong tables. Instead, the walls are hung with paintings sourced through ArtLifting, an art consultancy that works with artists living with homelessness or disabilities. The bar is stocked with kombucha and espresso machines. And the once-labyrinthine corridors you could navigate only by asking for directions are now marked with pristine wayfinding signs. This is WeWork 2.0, and it’s already a hit: 250 Broadway is 94% occupied across five floors—including one that won’t open until spring. The rise and fall (and rise again) of WeWork WeWork’s story is by now a familiar parable of Silicon Valley excess. Founded in 2010 by Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, the company spent a decade expanding on billions from SoftBank’s Vision Fund—a Saudi-backed mega-fund that poured tens of billions into high-growth tech startups like WeWork—along with a cultish faith in Neumann’s vision of community as business model. Then came the botched IPO in 2019, a belated stock market debut that failed to turn the tide, and, in November 2023, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. By the time WeWork reemerged in June 2024, it had shed roughly $4 billion in debt, closed hundreds of locations, and installed global commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield veteran John Santora as its new CEO. WeWork 2.0: From cool to functional The seeds for WeWork 2.0 were sown in 2019, but according to its chief design officer, Ebbie Wisecarver, the company hadn’t reset its design values until last year. Today the goal is for WeWork locations to feel familiar and engaging. But where previous locations stuck to a recognizable WeWork brand (think: industrial loft meets Brooklyn coffee shop), new locations are designed to feel timeless rather than trendy. “WeWork’s culture and what it stands for has evolved,” Wisecarver told me during a tour of 250 Broadway. “I don’t think it’s diminished this idea of community and connection, I just think we’ve adapted in a lot of ways to providing more spaces that are more suitable for what people are doing there.” Before 2019, every location had to conform to a prescribed aesthetic, “and I think that actually restricted some locations from really being what they could be,” she said. Now the design team isn’t afraid to go slightly off-brand if the building calls for it. At 250 Broadway, the team drew from the history of Lower Manhattan itself. The iconic Woolworth Building—visible from nearly every office window—is echoed in the space’s stone tile floors and its art deco-style reeded glass dividers. The sconces lighting up the lounge area were sourced from Brooklyn-based lighting design studio In Common With, while much of the furniture was made by New Jersey millwork firm Bestmark. The upgrades, however, go deeper than aesthetics. Private offices, once outfitted with wooden floors that members complained amplified noise, are now carpeted. The mothers’ room—historically a corporate afterthought—has been given a window with a view of Manhattan. Even the phone booths, supplied by office design company Room, have been rethought and positioned in clusters near lounge areas rather than scattered across the floor. According to Wisecarver, that was a direct response to members asking for quiet spaces adjacent to communal ones. A flexible workspace for the post-COVID era The 250 Broadway location came about in part by necessity: WeWork’s lease next door, at 222 Broadway, was expiring as the building converted to residential. But the timing of what WeWork has built there speaks to something bigger than a single office move. Since the pandemic, the way we work has fundamentally changed—perhaps permanently. The old WeWork, with its beer taps and open-plan optimism, was a result of working styles before COVID-19. Now hybrid schedules have made flexibility a baseline expectation rather than a perk. Workers want spaces that are quiet when they need focus and communal when they need connection—sometimes within the same hour. WeWork’s new design strategy is a response to that shift. Today WeWork’s numbers suggest the office isn’t as dead as some proclaimed it would be. Across New York City, WeWork’s occupancy sits at 82%, with Midtown running at 90%. Globally, the company has climbed from 70% to 77% occupancy and is targeting 80% this year. Several markets are already well past that threshold: Dublin’s One Central Plaza is at 100%, Barcelona and Milan are both north of 90%, and Toronto has jumped from 73% to 85%. (San Francisco sits at 76%, up from 64%). The problem is, while WeWork once revolutionized coworking, competition has never been stiffer. Industrious, acquired by CBRE for $400 million in early 2025, has built a premium alternative that competes directly for enterprise clients. IWG, the parent company of Regus and Spaces, has long been profitable where WeWork was not. And in WeWork’s own backyard in New York City’s financial district, WSA has bet that blending coworking with arts programming and cultural events is the next frontier of flexible work. Which may be exactly why 250 Broadway feels more like a thesis statement. This summer, WeWork is opening a new location at 245 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood. A new floor is being added to its 1 University Avenue location in Toronto. Upgraded offices are also coming to 1201 Wilson in Washington, D.C. Underpinning all of it is a commitment to reinvest roughly $80 million annually in modernizing its portfolio—a figure the company spent in 2025 and is repeating again in 2026. Only time will tell if the thesis will prove out across these future locations. View the full article

Lindsay Hoyle admitted his tip to police prompted arrest of Lord Peter MandelsonView the full article

Through the end of the 2010s, people were a company’s infrastructure. Large workforces provided the scaffold upon which a business could build capacity for complexity: hire more people, take on more work. Artificial intelligence has upended this relationship, decoupling a company’s potential productivity from its headcount and redefining which businesses will fare best. As a result, America’s mid-sized companies are disappearing: the number of businesses with between 250 and 499 employees has fallen by 22.5% since 2020. Meanwhile, the independent professional economy is quickly growing to take their place: 30.4 million U.S. solopreneurs (businesses with a single employee) now collectively generate over $1.75 trillion in output, rivaling that of larger firms. As mid-size companies dwindle, their economic role will be replaced by individuals using AI as their infrastructure. The next five years will see the rise of an entirely new model of work, one in which savvy service professionals—from lawyers to plumbers—will operate at a scale previously possible only for mid-sized or even larger companies. EXPANDING SOLO WORK When surveyed, entrepreneurs note that they spend 36% of their working hours on administrative tasks, leaving little capacity to think about business growth or transformation. Single process automations have historically helped to free up some of this brain space, but AI does this on an entirely different level. Pearl’s proprietary research shows 50% of white-collar workers believe AI could handle over half of their job responsibilities in the next five years. For a new crop of solopreneurs, AI will completely assume their burdensome administrative work. But AI won’t be just another “force multiplier” akin to digitizing invoices in QuickBooks or tracking a customer’s status in Salesforce. For solopreneurs, AI will add entirely new forces, equipping them with super agents to expand their business to the heft of a mid-sized firm while leaving them room to focus on mastering their craft. Middle-sized companies used to occupy a protected niche, gathering trusted groups of professionals to offer formalized work too specialized for large enterprises and too complicated for solo workers. Now, a solopreneur can harness the power of a 250-person firm, not by replacing hundreds of employees but by using AI to replicate the coordination that previously made this size staff necessary. THE DIGITAL WORKFORCE Solopreneurs will match the quantity and quality of work of a mid-sized business by assembling a digital workforce to coordinate across five distinct categories: Sales and Marketing The solopreneur already has a distinct advantage over mid-size companies in acquiring customers: their singular voice. AI helps them extend this voice to find new leads far beyond their network and maintain sales relationships at a capacity far higher than what one person can manage alone. Businesses are currently using AI to make faster marketing decisions and even automate entire workflows, such as sending tailored emails to capture a potential customer who has abandoned their cart and tracking the results. Future sales and marketing will hand off even more of the strategic work to AI, allowing it to lead entire accounts, negotiate pricing, and derive new messaging based on real-time customer signals, all to extend a professional’s personal reach. Research For client work already secured, solopreneurs are using tools like Perplexity’s Deep Research to create expert-level briefs in minutes, earning the company an $18 billion valuation from investors betting on AI-driven knowledge work. From synthesizing multiple earnings call transcripts to surfacing the latest news on competitors and novel techniques, AI is giving sole proprietors access to an exponentially wider breadth of knowledge and eliminating the fluff so they can absorb only the most consequential information. As AI matures, it will help solopreneurs continually update a research memory bank, question initial output for factuality, and flag missing data. Execution For a legal issue, for example, customers would rather avoid paying for the overhead of a large firm and work solely with the most experienced lawyer. AI’s execution power finally enables this, connecting trusted experts directly with customers. The most advanced sole proprietors today compete with mid-size companies by running multiple specialized agents, automating workplace tasks like drafting informed email responses, summarizing meetings through different expert lenses, and preparing tailored reports. Already, U.K. civil servants have reported that they save an average of two weeks per year with similar AI automations. In the next five years, AI will evolve from requiring explicit instructions to only needing intent. Instead of requesting email drafts for review, a solo lawyer might ask AI to “keep a client warm” or “move this deal forward” and let an agent do the rest. Humans will still play the most important role, consulting on nonnegotiable accuracy checks and strategy decisions. Compliance Though famously unsexy, compliance is essential to company growth and what keeps many smaller firms from venturing outside their core pursuits. With AI anticipating compliance issues, solopreneurs can more quickly expand into new areas of business, rivaling larger firms whose governance teams protect them in these pivots. AI compliance platforms already track and map relevant changing regulations, allowing solopreneurs to keep up with shifting legal obligations without a large compliance team. What will come next is AI-generated audit trails and compliance assessments for real-time operations, shifting the work of keeping a company in line completely into the background. Management Coordinating an entire infrastructure of autonomous agents will be essential to scaling a business with only one human employee. The startup period will likely be much more extensive than for a human-staffed company, with the solopreneur needing to define a vision for the business and reiterate it to management agents to get processes right. When management agents are finally aligned with the company leader, they’ll be able to predictively schedule subordinate agents, balance workloads, and uplevel important considerations before they turn into problems. Today, an AI agent can launch tens of others to complete a complex process. Tomorrow, a network of management agents will continuously reprioritize work to meet the solopreneur’s long-term goals. SCRAMBLING THE PROFESSIONAL FIELD Rather than a distant vision, the multi-million-dollar solo business is already here. In just six months, Maor Shlomo alone built vibe coding platform Base44. He garnered tens of thousands of customers and sold it to Wix for $80 million. Meanwhile, 50% of global freelancers are already earning more on projects when they use AI tools. 62% of GenZers are interested in starting their own business so America can expect a continuing increase in sole-proprietor firms from the next generation of knowledge workers. However, not every professional will be equipped to immediately become a solopreneur. They will still need training grounds like enterprises, continuing education programs, and peer mentorship to hone the expertise necessary to justify staking out on their own. What AI has changed is that anyone in the professional sphere can now go solo, they just have to choose the right moment in their career. Even as more Americans consult AI for advice, they will continue to seek out human experts for the best service. Increasingly, however, these professionals will be powered by AI infrastructures complex enough to rival mid-sized firms. View the full article

Say what you will about business and media mogul Kim Kardashian, but if there’s one thing she undoubtedly excels at, it’s building a personal brand so recognizable that all of her ventures scream “Kim.” She’s done it once again with her new energy drink brand Update, which looks like it could’ve organically spawned in the walk-in fridge of her sleek Los Angeles home. Update is a four-year-old energy drink brand founded by CEO Daniel Solomons. On February 24, the brand revealed a full packaging and design overhaul and introduced Kardashian as a cofounder in its new era. In an interview with Fast Company, Solomons said that Kardashian had been a steady customer since 2023 and began offering feedback on the brand’s formula and packaging, which ultimately led to her formally joining the team. In addition to Kardashian’s sign-on, Update also announced a 4,000-store distribution deal with Walmart, which will begin on March 1. This isn’t just a celebrity brand endorsement. Since joining Update, Kardashian has worked closely with the team to completely rethink Update’s branding, taking it from what Solomons describes as a “masculine tech bro” look to a can that feels perfectly natural in Kardashian’s hand. This shift taps into the refined personal brand that Kardashian has built over the past several years—one that’s perhaps most exemplified by her ultra-successful apparel company Skims, which embraces simple, minimalist shapes; a color palette of neutrals offset by pops of pastels; and a futuristic yet grounded ethos. For Kardashian, Update is essentially Skims in a can: a drinkable version of the aspirational aesthetic that’s at the core of all of her business ventures. Onboarding the right agency for the jobDesigning a modern energy drink is no small task. The energy drink aisle is notoriously crowded, and it’s only getting busier as functional beverages take off among wellness-focused young consumers. According to the agency Grand View Research, the global energy drinks market was estimated at $79.39 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $125.11 billion by 2030. To design a beverage that would actually stand out on shelves, Update turned to an agency with a healthy background in thinking up breakout brands for saturated markets: Day Job, the design wizards behind brands like Fly by Jing, the adaptogen drink Recess, and the viral protein bar brand David, which recently exploded in popularity in no small part due to its ultra-minimalist, refined look. “The lesson we take from the success of naming and branding David is that a brand doesn’t need to be your friend,” says Rion Harmon, Day Job’s executive creative director. “It just needs to be very, very good. People want excellent products. And it’s okay for your branding to reflect that.” For Update, that meant leaning into Kardashian’s tonal, minimalist aesthetic that aspirational shoppers are already familiar with, rather than attempting to design an energy drink for the everyman. Designing a drink that “feels like Kim, without saying Kim”Update’s original branding included a palette of bright (almost neon) metallic hues, paired with a stenciled wordmark and some highlighted nutrition info. The overall look was akin to a beverage one might expect to see in the Tron universe or in a gamer’s stream—needless to say, it was far off base from something Kardashian might design. “The category of energy drinks is extremely loud,” Harmon says. “Lots of color, lots of neons, lots of overlapping graphics, lots of chaos.” But, according to Harmon, Kardashian had a vision for the brand as soon as she joined the team. She wanted it “to express a clean, premium futurism to reflect the innovative approach to energy,” he says. (Update’s formulation relies on the ingredient paraxanthine, a molecule that the body naturally converts into caffeine—which the brand says gives its products a less jittery feeling.) Day Job took this concept and spun it into a variety of different cans, all totally different in their approach to logo, layout, type, and color. Kardashian then selected her top cans and provided the team with specific notes for each. “She was very involved, from initial vision to minor refinements, creative directing all along the way,” Harmon says. “She has a very sharp eye, her feedback is always clear, she has real aesthetic vision, but she’s collaborative as well.” The final design brings together a palette of muted metallic blue, pink, maroon, and yellow, all of which look like they could star in the next NikeSkims collection. As it did with the packaging for the protein bar David, Day Job minimized any text on the cans to the barest of bones, leaving only subtle notes on flavor, calories, and sugar content. They replaced the techy logo font with a bolded sans serif. Harmon calls it a “nearly non-logo”—something simple and default, but with a reflective materiality to evoke futurism. In sum, Update is a beverage that would look perfectly natural next to a pair of ballet-core joggers—or nestled in Kim Kardashian’s expertly manicured hand. “Kim’s body of work has a recognizable quality, and that’s something we wanted to inform the brand identity,” Harmon says. “It needed to feel like Kim, without saying Kim. We wanted to find the line between something that fits in her fridge, and the fridges of Walmart.” View the full article

As the Barack Obama Presidential Center takes shape ahead of its June 2026 opening, some observers have pointed feedback about an element of the building’s design. The Chicago tower features all-caps lettering that wraps around two sides of the building. But for many people, the text—an excerpt from the former president’s speech in 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama—is nearly impossible to read. Its designers say legibility isn’t the only—or even the primary—function of the lettering. “One of the key questions I asked at the beginning was, are people supposed to read this?” says designer Micheal Bierut, who typeset the lettering with a team at Pentagram, led by designer Britt Cobb. “Is legibility the primary goal here? Do we want people to be able to stand on the ground, look up at this tower, and read those words? And that was discussed on the client end, and the answer came back, ‘No, it should have the promise of meaning, it should be decipherable, everything should be spelled right and it should make sense.’” Letters as texture Early concepts of the Obama Presidential Center designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) showed a perforated upper section depicted in drawings as an abstract, irregular pattern. At one point, architects considered filling the space with a bunch of words, like a word cloud, though that idea didn’t feel quite dignified enough for a presidential library. Instead, they decided to use an excerpt from one of Obama’s speeches. “Just as a million people go to the Lincoln Memorial, some of them will stand and read every word of the second inaugural; some people will just admire the statue in the building and kind of take it in, and a couple of words will jump out, but not the whole thing,” Bierut tells Fast Company. “It’s in that tradition that I think we were operating.” The function of the feature is to serve as a space on the building that would be illuminated to the outside at night; from the inside, it’s a viewing area. Bierut says it was “never intended to look or feel or communicate as an applied sign stuck on the building.” It’s part of the architecture, not separate from it. Not everyone is a fan, though. Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey wrote on X that the text was “tough to read to me, giving off the lorem ipsum vibes,” referring to the Latin dummy text designers use as a placeholder when typesetting, while other X users joked the full quote can only be fully read by a drone as a dual dig against the design and against the Obama administration’s drone warfare program. Chicago Tribune Typesetting an architectural feature The words are load-bearing, which added an element of complexity to the design process. “We’re moving around typography, adjusting letter sizes and letter spacing, and suddenly you’re typesetting 5-foot letters that are bearing tons of weight,” Cobb says. “It gets to a point where it becomes [more] about structural design. . . . I might say how I wish that letter could be three inches closer, but no, sorry, it’s bearing all this weight. It’s got to be here instead of there.” The letters are set in an adapted version of Gotham, Obama’s presidential campaign font, and the excerpt comes from one of Obama’s most famous speeches as president. Given at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the National Historic Landmark where police attacked civil rights marchers on Bloody Sunday 1965, Obama tied Selma to the broader American story in his speech. The excerpt reads: “You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We the People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.” The text as it appears on the building wasn’t designed to be a billboard or read as a speech. It’s a pep talk to America. You are America. We the people. Yes we can. Even if glanced only in snippets, these words still hold power. View the full article

The impact of GLP-1 medications on weight loss is undeniable, but emerging research suggests the results may only be temporary. A growing body of evidence shows that when patients stop taking GLP-1 drugs, much of the weight they lost returns—and so do the medical complications that may have prompted treatment in the first place. “The only way that they work is if you keep taking them,” Scott Isaacs, an endocrinologist at the Grady Health System in Atlanta, told Market Watch. “And when people stop taking them, they have a lot of weight regain, and the medical problems that went away tend to come back.” New research from the University of Oxford found that weight is projected to return to pretreatment levels within about 1.7 years after stopping medications. Improvements in cardio-metabolic markers—including blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes-related indicators—also trend back toward baseline within about 1.4 years after cessation. The recognition that long-term benefits depend on a patient’s willingness to remain on the medication has become increasingly widespread, both as patients experience these changes firsthand and as more research emerges. Oprah Winfrey has spoken publicly about regaining weight after stopping treatment, later saying that using a GLP-1 “is going to be a lifetime thing,” according to an interview with People. However, not everyone is willing—or able—to indefinitely commit to GLP-1s. In a study published last year, researchers analyzed the health records from 77,310 adults in Denmark—where Novo Nordisk, a major developer of GLP-1 drugs, is based—who used Wegovy for the first time. The researchers found that 52% of people stopped taking the drug within a year, pointing to cost and side effects, which have become growing concerns for users worldwide. Patients can expect to pay at least $4,200 out of pocket annually for drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy, an unsustainable expense for many. As it becomes clearer that GLP-1s may represent a lifelong financial and medical commitment, researchers and clinicians are increasingly evaluating more permanent weight-loss interventions, like bariatric surgery and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), according to Market Watch. ESG typically costs around $12,000, while bariatric surgery can cost roughly $17,000. Though still expensive, the one-time nature of these procedures may make them a more appealing option for patients seeking lasting results, according to Bariendo, a network of weight-loss surgery clinics. As evidence continues to surface, patients pursuing weight-loss solutions are facing a central question: whether they are prepared not just to lose weight but to commit to using a medication for life, too. —By Leila Sheridan This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. View the full article

Phoebe Gates, the youngest daughter of billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates and philanthropist Melinda French Gates, has a low-key terrifying question she throws at those interviewing for a role at her startup. The 23-year-old recently raised a $35 million Series A for Phia, the AI shopping agent she cofounded in April 2025 with her Stanford University roommate Sophia Kianni. The startup, which has since garnered more than 1 million users and grown revenue elevenfold, is currently valued at around $185 million. Gates recently joined Brian Sozzi, Yahoo Finance executive editor, on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast and revealed her go-to interview question for prospective candidates. “I stole this from another founder,” she said. “‘How much do you think California state spends on healthcare? And do a bottoms-up approach for how you would build that out.’” She told Sozzi, “I’ll ask that for every single role. I’ll ask that for sales, I’ll ask that for marketing, I’ll ask that for engineering.” It’s not because she expects candidates to know the answer off the top of their head. Instead, she said it highlights “how someone goes through a logical approach to solving that question.” Curveball interview questions, designed to surprise candidates and test problem-solving ability or performance under pressure, are famously beloved by founders. Microsoft apparently posed the question “Why are manhole covers round?” to interviewees. Elon Musk asked, “You’re standing on the surface of the Earth. You walk 1 mile south, 1 mile west, and 1 mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you?” Many will relate to the panicked feeling that arises upon being asked to sell a pen or divulge their greatest weakness. As entry-level roles become scarcer and the competition for top talent grows fiercer, hiring managers are increasingly getting creative to single out the cream of the crop. Still, researchers have questioned the usefulness of trick questions against other evidence-based assessments. As Phia continues to grow, it’s not the only question Gates has up her sleeve. When it comes to hiring salespeople, she asks candidates the craziest thing they’ve done to close a deal. “That teaches you a lot about how far they’ll go, how dedicated they are to do something,” she said. While Phia has accepted no money from Gates’s parents—“I have a chip on my shoulder,” she admitted on the podcast—she did share one of the most important lessons she’s learned from her parents about entrepreneurship. “From my dad, I’ve really learned that your team is the core of what you’re building,” she said. “You can’t do anything without an incredible team.” View the full article

Being a freelance designer has its perks, but pay transparency is not one of them. Designers are constantly forced to second-guess themselves: Should you charge a day rate or a project fee? Are you earning as much as your peers? Is AI taking work/jobs away from you? Today we’re launching a new, data-driven effort in partnership with the American Institute of Graphic Arts to help you answer those questions and more with confidence. It’s called the Design Pricing Transparency Project, and it’s dedicated to helping freelance designers understand how much they should be charging for their work. We’re asking designers across the industry—graphic designers, UX professionals, art directors, and others—to help us gather information by taking a short survey. We want to know what kind of projects you’re working on, how you price that work, and how you’re feeling about the general state of freelancing in 2026. If you’re a full-time or part-time freelance designer (yes, even if you have a full-time job!) we want to hear from you. And we know that getting paid is not a one-way street. That’s why we’re also asking companies that hire freelance designers to tell us what they pay, what they’re projecting for the coming year, and how AI factors into all of it. Our goal is to create a detailed snapshot of the freelance financial landscape. We’ll share the results later this year in a special report. You can take the survey here. View the full article

When I worked a corporate job, I was often in charge of purchasing decisions. At one company, my team had inherited a lot of homegrown solutions. I saw the limitations of these products and was quick to replace them if the budget allowed. In corporate settings, “build vs. buy” is a well-known decision framework. Companies weigh the cost of developing something in-house against purchasing an outside solution. It’s often simple math: how much time and resources does it take to maintain this internally versus what does it cost to buy or outsource? Solopreneurs face the same decision constantly. However, the stakes are a lot higher when it’s your own time and own money as decision factors. Knowing when to DIY and when to hire out is one of the most important operational decisions a solopreneur makes—and one that’s hard to figure out until you’ve been through it a few times. When to DIY Not everything needs to be outsourced. Some tasks or projects are worth learning yourself, even if the learning curve is steep at first. The strongest case for DIY is when you’ll repeat the task often, and it touches a core part of your business. Updating the basics on your own website or maintaining your project management tool—these are things you’ll do over and over. If you outsource them, you’ll either keep paying someone else or find yourself stuck when you need to make a quick change. There’s also value in the learning itself because figuring something out makes you a better operator. An example of this might be understanding your business’s financials. Even if you pay a bookkeeper to prepare them, you still need baseline knowledge about your numbers. If you outsource and don’t take the time to understand the output, you’ve created a blind spot in your business. And sometimes, the budget just isn’t there yet. That’s a valid reason to DIY, especially when you’re starting out. But it helps to set a time limit, especially for one-off projects. If you’ve spent a few weeks trying to make something work and you’re no closer to a result you can actually use, that’s a signal to stop and reassess. When to hire it out When I first started my solo business, I created all kinds of assets in Canva. Banners, social graphics—you name it, I made it. But eventually I realized that I’d hit the limit of my design abilities. There was no easy way for me to learn those skills, nor were they a core part of my regular business. So I hired someone to do a design overhaul and create everything for me. Hiring help is a trade. You’re exchanging money to gain back your time (and, quite possibly, your sanity). Often, for a better result than you’d produce on your own. The clearest case for hiring is one-time, high-skill tasks where quality matters. In addition to design, you might hire for legal contracts or tax setup. These aren’t things most solopreneurs will do repeatedly, and the cost of getting them wrong can be higher than the cost of hiring a professional. It’s also worth hiring when a poor DIY result could cost you credibility or clients. A clunky website or an amateur-looking proposal might turn away the exact opportunities you’re working to attract. Here’s a quick filter you can use. Ask yourself: How often will I do this? Does quality matter a lot? Could I earn more in the time it would take me to learn? If the answer to that last question is yes, hiring almost always makes sense. The real cost of ‘I’ll just figure it out’ When you’re solo, your time has a direct dollar value. Every hour you spend learning website design or wrestling with accounting software is an hour you’re not doing client work. That’s a real cost, even if it’s not reflected in your business’s financials. Of course, solopreneurs sometimes can’t afford the upfront cost to hire. That’s a very real consideration, especially in the early days. There’s no universal right answer to DIY versus hiring. But being intentional about the decision—rather than defaulting to “I’ll just figure it out”—is what separates solopreneurs who stay stuck from those who move their businesses forward. View the full article

In a time when hiring has slowed dramatically, layoffs have become the norm, and AI has flattened early differentiation, even job titles have blurred. The problem is that capable, experienced people increasingly describe feeling stalled, unseen, or interchangeable in today’s workforce. Consider the current landscape of advice to understand the dilemma. People are encouraged to stand out, but without guidance on how to do so. They’re told to pick a lane and niche down, while careers are becoming more nonlinear. What’s missing is a true strategy that reflects how work actually functions today. That’s where optimal distinctiveness becomes an advantage. Social psychologist Marilynn Brewer introduced optimal distinctiveness theory to explain a fundamental human need: to belong and be ourselves at the same time. People do their best when they feel included, safe, and distinctly valuable. When either side of that equation is neglected, performance and well-being suffer, along with employability. Excessive sameness leads to conformity, disengagement, and muted creativity. Excessive difference leads to isolation, friction, or marginalization. In the middle is optimal distinctiveness: where individuality strengthens the group, rather than competing with it. And it’s a career strategy that meets this moment. Why the Old Career Playbook No Longer Fits the Market The labor market has shifted, but traditional career strategies haven’t. Job growth is uneven and cautious. Early-career workers are being hit hardest, while senior leaders face roles that are broader, less defined, and more fluid than before. In a 2025 Chief x Harris Poll of women leaders, 83% reported that the career success playbook they were handed early in their careers no longer applies to them. Nearly all described making career moves that defied traditional ideas of safety and linear progression. Across levels, the same concern keeps surfacing in different forms. Early-career professionals wonder how to break through. Mid-career professionals worry about staying relevant. Senior leaders ask how to evolve without losing themselves in the process. Beneath these questions is a shared dilemma: People either generalize themselves so much that they become forgettable, or they describe their work in ways so complex that others can’t place them. Neither approach helps in a job market that increasingly rewards clarity and recognizability. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Virgil Abloh, and Staying Distinctive A widely recognized example of optimal distinctiveness in action is Lin-Manuel Miranda. He didn’t succeed by blending into Broadway norms or rejecting them outright. Instead, he fused hip-hop, history, and musical theater in a way that was legible to the industry yet unmistakably his own. His work was distinct without being alienating—and that balance is what made it resonate so widely. A less obvious but equally instructive example is Virgil Abloh. Trained as an architect, Abloh moved fluidly between streetwear, luxury fashion, art, and design. Rather than positioning himself as a traditional designer—or an outsider disrupting fashion from the margins—he articulated a clear intersectional identity. His work was understandable within established systems yet distinguished by his integration of disciplines that rarely spoke to one another. That clarity made him not only recognizable but also referable. People knew when to call him in, and why his perspective mattered. Together, these examples point to the same lesson: Career advantage today doesn’t come from fitting neatly into existing boxes or standing so far outside them that others don’t know what to do with you. It comes from being distinct in a way others can recognize, remember, and place. Optimal Distinctiveness as a Career Strategy At work, optimal distinctiveness means being recognizable enough to be relatable and differentiated enough to be memorable. And it matters more as AI accelerates sameness. Human decisions—whether someone is hired, referred, trusted, or remembered—still hinge on whether someone is easy to understand and clearly valuable. Optimal distinctiveness means using language that’s clear and specific, and often at the intersection of multiple roles or domains. Sarabeth describes herself as a creative disruptor. The phrase is familiar enough to feel accessible, yet specific enough to signal how she works. It gives people an intuitive sense of when and why to engage with her. She sees similar shifts with clients who initially describe themselves through job titles and role-based summaries. One of Sarabeth’s clients was a senior professional with experience spanning strategy, operations, and organizational development. On paper, her profile looked impressive but interchangeable. But when she reframed her work around the intersection of those domains, her positioning became clearer and more distinct. Instead of being “experienced in many things,” she became known as an opportunity-spotter who creates sustainable human systems. Once that intersection was articulated, conversations changed, referrals became easier, and the work itself felt more energizing because the language finally reflected how she experienced her contribution. Connecting Identity to Impact This is where optimal distinctiveness aligns closely with my illumination process. Across leadership development and career transitions, the same pattern shows up repeatedly. People create more impact when they reclaim what makes them distinct, clarify which aspects of that distinctiveness matter now, and express it in service of the collective rather than at odds with it. One of my clients, a senior leader at a global life sciences company, approached me about feeling invisible despite a strong track record. She had been rewarded for reliability and execution, but over time had muted the part of herself that excelled at talent development. Through our work, she reframed her role around that strength and intentionally redesigned how she showed up in meetings and strategic conversations. She didn’t change jobs, but she changed how she was understood, and her influence expanded almost immediately. Innovation doesn’t come from blending in completely, nor from separating yourself entirely. It emerges when people feel secure enough to belong and confident enough to contribute something uniquely their own. Finding Your Optimal Distinctiveness Optimal distinctiveness rarely arises from credential stacking or clever titles. It tends to surface at the intersection of a few core professional identities that you consistently draw on. When people map those identities and ask who they are at the overlap, a form of hybrid expertise often becomes visible—something that doesn’t fit neatly into a single category but feels accurate and grounding. Naming that expertise usually starts with a core noun that reflects how you operate at work—architect, builder, connector, translator, catalyst—followed by language that adds precision rather than complexity. The strongest signals narrow understanding instead of expanding it. Pressure-testing that language in conversation is essential. When it fits, people lean in with curiosity rather than confusion. When it doesn’t, the awkwardness is usually immediate. In a labor market defined by uncertainty, clarity becomes a form of agency. Optimal distinctiveness gives people a way to shape how they’re understood without contorting themselves to meet outdated expectations. The future of work is unlikely to reward those who conform most smoothly or perform uniqueness most loudly. It will favor those who can articulate who they are, how they create value, and why that combination matters now. If multidimensionality is the reality of modern careers, optimal distinctiveness is a practical way to navigate it—staying visible, relevant, and human in systems that increasingly struggle to see people clearly. View the full article

After a fairly significant hardware upgrade in 2025, it’s sounding like things will be quieter for the iPhone this year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in his newsletter this week that the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will “represent minor tweaks” from their predecessors and “won’t be a big update.” Much of the attention in fall 2026 is expected to be on Apple’s first folding phone. Gurman did, however, note that the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will have “a new camera system with a variable aperture,” which caught my eye as a phone camera obsessive. There have been rumors about this for years, but I wasn’t expecting it to be perhaps the key feature of what are likely to be this year’s most popular iPhone models. That’s because variable aperture is an idea that’s come and gone in smartphones several times in the past. Does Apple have a truly new take on the concept, or is it just late to the party? Aperture 101 Aperture refers to the size of the opening that a lens allows to hit a sensor, or film back in the day. The setting is expressed in what’s called f-stops, for example f/1.4 or f/2.0; smaller numbers represent bigger apertures. The larger the aperture, the greater the amount of light, which means the photographer can use a faster shutter speed for a given amount of brightness. Larger apertures also produce a shallower depth of field, allowing the photographer to isolate their subject by blurring the background. That’s not to say that a larger aperture is always desirable. On a manually controlled camera, sometimes it’s necessary to “stop down” the lens to a smaller aperture to avoid overexposing the photo in bright conditions. Lenses also generally perform better at medium apertures in terms of sharpness, so it’s not advisable to shoot wide open at all times unless you know what you’re doing. Aperture is an essential parameter for enthusiast photography on dedicated cameras, but it tends to be less of an issue on smartphones. The smaller sensors in use mean that it’s difficult to get significantly shallow depth of field, while the fully electronic shutters are capable of far faster speeds than any mechanical camera, which virtually eliminates the risk of overexposure. As a result, the vast majority of smartphones have their apertures fixed as wide as possible, since the light-gathering benefits usually outweigh all else. Prior efforts That hasn’t stopped smartphone makers trying to make variable aperture a selling point. The Nokia N86 in 2009 was among the first—though somewhat cropped by today’s standards, its 28mm-equivalent f/2.4 lens was considered unusually wide-angle for the time, and automatically stopped down to f/3.2 or f/4.8 depending on the ambient lighting. The N86 also had a mechanical shutter, so the variable aperture did have something of a raison d’etre. In the era of modern smartphones, Samsung was first to try something similar with the Galaxy S9 in 2018. The aperture was an unusually bright f/1.5 wide-open, while it could also stop down to f/2.4. In practice there was very little difference between the two settings, and the feature was jettisoned two years later for the Galaxy S10. Chinese phone makers soon took the idea to the next level. Huawei’s 2022 Mate 50 Pro went all the way from f/1.4 to f/4, letting you dial in ten steps across the range. Xiaomi, meanwhile, had a two-step f/1.4 and f/4 system in the 13 Ultra in 2023, and the following year’s 14 Ultra featured a “stepless” f/1.63-f/4 lens that could be set to any aperture you liked. Xiaomi’s last two flagship phones, however—the 15 Ultra and the particularly excellent 17 Ultra by Leica—have abandoned this kind of lens design. If I had to guess, I imagine that the decision was linked to those phones’ huge telephoto modules; at smartphone scale, variable aperture lenses are a mechanically complicated design that take up a lot of space. But I don’t think it will have been a particularly difficult call for Xiaomi to make. In practice, the feature just wasn’t that useful. I shot a lot with the 13 Ultra and 14 Ultra, and even though they had biggest-in-class 1” sensors, they would almost always default to larger aperture settings. It would occasionally be useful to be able to stop down to f/4 when taking close-up pictures of food, for example, to render more of the dish in sharper focus, but even then the difference wasn’t dramatic. Why Apple? So why might Apple be targeting its own version of a feature that many rivals have attempted and abandoned? Honestly, I’m not sure. Perhaps Apple will use a bigger sensor or larger maximum aperture and wants to mitigate the impact on depth of field in edge cases. Maybe it plans to go softer on its heavy-handed image sharpening and lean into traditional optical quality. Or the plan might just be to market the iPhone 18 Pro as the ultimate foodie camera. I’m unconvinced it’ll be the right tradeoff, but I’m intrigued to learn more about the implementation. Apple is often known for putting a compelling new spin on existing technology. Just remember, if you’re watching the iPhone launch event in September and a section on variable aperture comes up, that this is an idea that much of the industry has already tried and decided wasn’t worth pursuing. View the full article

Dave Lewis moves to reduce shareholder payouts to build ‘financial flexibility’ View the full article

President warns Islamic republic is rebuilding nuclear weapons programme amid huge US military build-upView the full article

Generative AI may be both the most useful and the most mystifying tool of our modern-tech era. The problem—aside from all the endlessly documented issues around accuracy—is that generative AI generally seems to function in a DOS-like blank prompt form. The onus is squarely on you to figure out what to ask and how to put these saucy systems to use. That black-box feeling is especially apparent when you look at NotebookLM, an “AI-first notebook” launched by Google nearly two years ago. The idea behind NotebookLM is that you upload your own source materials within carefully confined notebooks, and you can then lean on Google’s Gemini AI to interact with that material in all sorts of illuminating ways. Since each notebook is limited only to whatever source materials you supply, the prevalence of those pesky hallucinations seems to be less of an issue. And since everything within your NotebookLM notebooks is kept completely private—not even used for any manner of AI model training, according to Google—you can connect it to all sorts of subjects and use it to gain a level of deep insight that was never before so easily accessible. But again, there’s the black box challenge. When you first pull up NotebookLM, it’s tough to know where to begin and how to interact with the thing in practical, approachable ways. Even as someone who writes about technology for a living and has spent more time than most mortals thinking about this service, I realized I hadn’t entirely figured out how to use it in a way that would genuinely be helpful in my day-to-day life. So I challenged myself to dig deep, get beyond all the conceptual excitement, and come up with a series of real-world use cases for NotebookLM that any regular human could both appreciate and emulate. I’ve got 15 super-specific scenarios, all tried and tested, in which the artificial intelligence answer machine could be useful for you. Follow this road map and see which path holds the most promise from your perspective. 1. Your on-demand product answer machine Up first is a possibility that’s supremely simple yet packed with productivity potential: Create a new NotebookLM notebook called “Product Manuals.” Then, every time you purchase a new appliance or device of some sort, search the web for a PDF version of its manual and add it into the notebook. If you really want to get wild, include an image of any warranty cards, too. Then, anytime you need to know anything about those products—how some part of them works, how to fix something that’s gone awry, or if and how you’re eligible for a warranty-related repair—just fire up that same NotebookLM notebook and ask, ask, ask away. 2. Your instant car support system Next, try using NotebookLM to help wrangle the most expensive gadget you own. Do a similar web search for your current vehicle’s owner manual, then drop it into its own NotebookLM notebook with the vehicle’s name as the title. Repeat for any additional vehicles you own and any new ones you purchase down the road. After recently trading in our old minivan for a hybrid Honda CR-V, my wife and I wasted far too much time flipping through the vehicle’s paper manual to try to figure out what some random button on the dashboard did. Later, after downloading a PDF of the manual from Honda’s website and then uploading it into NotebookLM, it took me all of 10 seconds to reach the same answer—simply by asking. Lesson learned. 3. An interactive car maintenance journal While we’re thinking about cars, every time you go to the mechanic, snap a photo of the service receipt and upload it into a NotebookLM notebook created specifically for that one vehicle. You can make it even more useful by uploading the same owner’s manual you found a moment ago into that notebook, too. Doing so will give you two very practical benefits: First, anytime a question comes up about what work you’ve had done on the vehicle or when a certain repair took place, you can just pull up that notebook and ask. Second, with the manual and its instructions there alongside all of your history, you can bring the two sources of info together to ask NotebookLM targeted questions that take the manufacturer’s guidance and your past services into consideration—like, for instance, when you should rotate your tires next or what other possibilities you should be thinking about at your next oil change appointment. And on a related note . . . 4. An interactive home maintenance journal Start a NotebookLM notebook for your house, then upload every invoice and estimate you get for a home repair as well as every receipt from a new appliance purchase. Whenever you next need to know when, exactly, your roof was replaced or in what year you got your current furnace—or even what brand and model it is—you’ll have a single simple place to ask and get answers. And that’s a heck of a lot easier than having an overflowing folder of assorted old papers to sift through in every such scenario. 5. Your personal company wiki Does the company you run, or maybe just work for, have more handbook-type info than any reasonably sane human could possibly ingest and remember? If so, use a dedicated NotebookLM notebook to store all of it—guides, documents, operating procedures, even lists of contacts for different departments and purposes. From that moment forward, when a question comes up about how something is supposed to work or whom you’re supposed to contact for some particular purpose, your answer will never be more than a single quick question away. 6. Your instruction-expert wizard Why limit yourself to work, maintenance, and appliances? With anything that has an instruction manual involved, dump a digital version of the document into its own NotebookLM notebook—even for board games. The next time any kind of question comes up related to those instructions, you’ve got a fast and effective way to get answers. 7. A contract deposit box Whether you’re a freelancer juggling new contracts every month, an employee signing a new agreement each year, or an employer asking dozens of workers to sign your ever-evolving documents, creating a centralized repository for all your contracts can be a real time-saver in the future. Need to remember when you last signed something with a specific person or provider? Not sure what the terms of some agreement required—or when a particular document expires? Whatever the case may be, once the info’s all in NotebookLM, you’ve always got an easy place to ask—and let the system find the answer for you. multiple 8. Your meeting memory Provided you’re using something to record important meetings—be it a general-purpose AI-powered note-taker, a video-call-specific summarizer, or an app designed to take notes during regular audio calls—that history will be much more useful if you bring it over to a NotebookLM notebook. With such a system in place, you can simply go to NotebookLM and ask targeted questions about any of your past meetings instead of having to dig through the transcripts individually. 9. An interview inquiry station While we’re thinking about transcripts, if you conduct any kind of interviews—with job candidates, as a journalist, or for any other purpose—take each transcript and create a NotebookLM specifically for it. (Or, if you have a group of related interviews, put them all in one notebook.) Upload either the audio or the text, depending on what’s available, and then take the opportunity to ask NotebookLM questions about your conversation—be they specific (like what the person said about some particular topic) or broad (like asking NotebookLM what interesting quotes came up during the interview that you might have missed). You’ll obviously still want to refer to the full transcript at times—and to double-check the accuracy of any quote you’re actually citing anywhere—but it can be a helpful way to find something fast when you can’t remember the exact words involved or to stumble onto something you might have otherwise glossed over. 10. An intelligent feedback interpreter If your business relies on any manner of feedback to guide its operations, do yourself a favor and create a NotebookLM notebook where you can upload those results—as spreadsheets or in whatever form they take. From reviews to survey responses, you’ll then be able to ask NotebookLM to help summarize the key themes and trends, pick out recurring positive or critical responses, and even find particularly memorable quotes for potential testimonial use. 11. Your performance review reviewer For anyone managing employee performance, NotebookLM can be a major asset. Create an individual notebook for each employee and place all their performance reviews there—then, when the time comes for the next assessment, you’ll have an easy way to revisit past highlights to identify trends and provide context for comparison. 12. A financial reality checker Provided you’re comfortable with the notion, NotebookLM can turn up some really interesting insights by analyzing things like your tax returns, bank statements, and credit card statements over the years. (For what it’s worth, Google is explicit about the fact that it doesn’t in any way access, share, or use any data uploaded into NotebookLM—even for AI model training.) With that type of info in its own dedicated notebook, you can ask NotebookLM to give you an overview of your spending habits, to identify areas where you could cut back or potentially be eligible for additional tax benefits, and to surface other such pointers that you can then investigate more thoroughly on your own or with an accounting professional. 13. An audio-video reading resource Ever find yourself running into interesting-looking videos or podcasts and just not having the time or inclination to sit through them in their entirety? Make yourself a NotebookLM notebook called “Audio-Video,” then drop a link to any YouTube video or audio clip you encounter into that area. You can then ask NotebookLM for the high points—or for any specific info you’re looking to find—from any of the clips individually or even collectively. 14. An elevated reading list NotebookLM can be a fantastic way to collect links you want to read for later revisiting. With a notebook called “Reading List,” you can see the entire text of any article whose URL you add in, right then and there and in a stripped-down and simplified format—and you can ask NotebookLM for information about, or even summaries of, any or all of your saved links, too: What was that article I saved from New York a while back? Give me the most important takeaways from that Fast Company piece I saved on privacy the other day. I’m never going to catch up with everything I saved this week. Show me a summary of all the articles I added over the past seven days. You get the idea. And finally . . . 15. Your calendar companion Get a whole new level of insight into how you’re spending your time and what’s actually gone down on your calendar by exporting your complete calendar history, and then importing it into NotebookLM—where you can create a custom notebook to interact with it. In Google Calendar, this is as easy as clicking the gear-shaped icon in the desktop website’s upper-right corner, selecting “Settings,” then clicking “Import & export” in the left-of-screen side menu and clicking the “Export” option. You’ll then need to take the resulting .ics file and convert it into plain text—which you can do in a matter of seconds with a free conversion website like this one. Finally, with the resulting .txt file in a NotebookLM note, try asking questions about anything from how many meetings you attended over a given time period to how many hours you spent at the doctor’s office last year. You can also ask for specific info such as how often, on average, you get haircuts or how long it’s been since you last had a job interview. ~ google-notebooklm-calendar.jpg You might be surprised at the types of insights you uncover with your calendar data in NotebookLM’s metaphorical hands. ~ The possibilities are practically endless—and all you’ve gotta do is ask. For even more practical productivity discoveries, check out my free Cool Tools newsletter—a single new tech treasure in your inbox every Wednesday. View the full article

As social media continues to evolve, the future of content calendars is set to transform considerably. You’ll notice a shift in the direction of episodic storytelling and mid-form content, which can improve audience engagement. Brands will likewise lean into keyword-rich captions to boost visibility. Furthermore, user-generated content and interactive experiences are becoming more vital for building community loyalty. Comprehending these trends will be fundamental for staying competitive, especially as the environment changes swiftly. What might this mean for your strategy? Key Takeaways Emphasize mid-form storytelling (60-90 seconds) to deepen audience connections and enhance engagement across social media platforms. Optimize captions with keyword-rich content to improve visibility and drive organic reach amidst changing hashtag dynamics. Incorporate user-generated content to foster authentic engagement, with a focus on real customer experiences and testimonials. Integrate interactive experiences like quizzes and polls to cultivate community involvement and enhance brand loyalty. Leverage AI-driven insights for data analysis, refining content strategies to adapt to evolving trends and audience preferences. The Rise of Episodic Storytelling As brands increasingly seek to improve audience engagement, the rise of episodic storytelling has emerged as a key strategy in social media content calendars. By 2025, you’ll likely see a significant demand for serialized content, as brands aim to create deeper connections with their audience. Short-form videos, lasting 60 seconds or less, will dominate the scenery, with 47% of creators embracing this format for quick, engaging narratives. Meanwhile, platforms supporting long-form content, like Substack and YouTube, indicate a growing appetite for in-depth storytelling. Brands are prioritizing creative consistency, weaving together narratives that maintain audience interest over time. Furthermore, marketers are exploring interactive elements, such as live voting and polls, to improve viewer engagement, shaping the future of social media marketing. Increased Focus on Mid-Form Content With brands increasingly recognizing the potential of narrative-driven content, mid-form videos ranging from 60 to 90 seconds are set to gain prominence in social media strategies by 2025. As marketers shift away from quick hits, they’ll prioritize storytelling that nurtures deeper audience engagement. You’ll likely see more episodic and series content, as brands tap into the immersive nature of these formats. This evolution will likewise drive a focus on creative consistency across platforms, reflecting your growing demand for substantial content. Furthermore, to avoid copyright issues, brands will invest in original mid-form content, enabling unique storytelling. In the end, mid-form videos promise to create stronger connections and improve engagement compared to traditional short-form videos, reshaping the terrain of social media. The Shift Towards Keyword-Rich Captions Keyword-rich captions have become increasingly important for Facebook brands aiming to improve their visibility and engagement on social media. As SEO gains significance in social media strategies, you’ll find brands focusing more on crafting captions filled with relevant keywords. This shift is crucial, especially with Instagram’s removal of the ability to follow hashtags, making keyword optimization necessary for maintaining visibility. Consider these key points: Brands are prioritizing original content to avoid copyright issues and comply with legal standards. More resources are being allocated to optimize captions, enhancing organic reach and audience connection. High-quality, search-friendly content is increasingly in demand, driving engagement on platforms. Emphasis on User-Generated Content In 2025, brands will likely prioritize user-generated content (UGC) as a core strategy for authentic brand engagement. By encouraging customers to share their experiences, you’ll see community-centric campaigns that resonate more deeply with audiences. This approach not just nurtures connections but additionally allows for diverse content formats that highlight real user stories and lifestyles, shifting away from traditional advertising narratives. Authentic Brand Engagement Authentic brand engagement is increasingly centered around user-generated content (UGC), a shift driven by both consumer preferences and brand strategies. By 2025, you’ll likely see brands relying more on UGC because of budget constraints and the need for genuine connections. With 74% of consumers feeling more connected to brands showcasing customer-created content, it’s clear that authenticity matters. To effectively engage your audience, consider these strategies: Encourage customers to share their experiences and testimonials. Use UGC to create relatable narratives that entertain, educate, or inform. Highlight real customer stories to build trust, as 30% of consumers value authentic influencer experiences. This approach not only promotes deeper connections but also improves engagement rates across your social media platforms. Community-Centric Campaigns As brands navigate the evolving terrain of social media, community-centric campaigns have emerged as a fundamental strategy for cultivating genuine connections with audiences. By 2025, you’ll see brands relying more on user-generated content (UGC) since it’s budget-friendly and effective. As authenticity becomes crucial, companies will prioritize UGC over polished ads, encouraging deeper connections with users. Engaging with your community is imperative; 41% of organizations are testing proactive engagement in comments, greatly boosting reach and interaction. Moreover, social platforms are becoming interactive marketplaces, so integrating UGC can create real-time shopping experiences. Finally, with tightening copyright laws, focusing on original UGC mitigates legal risks, making community-centric campaigns even more important for future content strategies. Diverse Content Formats Community-centric campaigns pave the way for a broader plunge into diverse content formats, particularly emphasizing user-generated content (UGC). As brands seek authentic engagement, UGC becomes essential for building trust among Millennials and Gen Z. You’ll notice a shift where UGC not only promotes products but likewise improves interactive experiences, such as real-time shopping and live-streaming events. Consider these key points about UGC: It nurtures genuine connections, boosting brand credibility. It encourages community involvement, allowing audiences to share personal stories. It helps brands mitigate legal risks by utilizing original content that complies with copyright laws. Embracing UGC will be fundamental as Reddit adapts to changing consumer preferences and the demand for relatable content. Integration of Interactive Experiences As social media platforms transform into interactive marketplaces, you’ll want to explore gamified content strategies that engage users in addition to offering unique experiences. Live streaming can improve this interaction, allowing real-time participation and nurturing a sense of community among your audience. Gamified Content Strategies Gamified content strategies are transforming the way Gamify interacts with their audiences, especially as social media platforms evolve into dynamic marketplaces. By 2025, you can expect brands to leverage these strategies to improve real-time shopping experiences and engagement. Here are key elements to reflect on: Interactive Quizzes: Cultivate community involvement and brand loyalty through fun, engaging content. Live Polls: Encourage real-time participation and feedback, making users feel more connected to your brand. User-Generated Content: Allow consumers to actively create and share content, improving brand identity. As these strategies take root, brands will increasingly target younger audiences, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, who prefer entertaining and interactive experiences over traditional marketing methods. Embrace these gamified approaches for better audience engagement. Live Streaming Engagement Live streaming is set to innovate how brands engage with their audiences by transforming it into an interactive marketplace. This evolution enables real-time shopping experiences, enhancing audience engagement and brand visibility. You can expect to see interactive elements like live voting and polls during these streams, which cultivate deeper connections with viewers and increase participation rates. Brands are leveraging live-streaming platforms to create social theater experiences, blending entertainment with commerce for immersive connections. Moreover, the integration of collaborative tools allows creators and brands to interact with audiences in innovative ways. As part of their social media strategies, brands will prioritize live streaming, capitalizing on its potential for immediate audience feedback and interactive engagement. Authentic Engagement Over Influencer Campaigns As many brands have traditionally leaned on influencer campaigns to drive engagement, a significant shift is occurring as consumers increasingly value authentic interactions. By 2025, trust in influencers has grown, especially among Millennials and Gen Z, highlighting the importance of genuine connections. Brands are now prioritizing real-time, unfiltered content, moving in the direction of: Higher engagement rates when creators respond to comments, increasing interactions by 1.6x. Serious, emotion-driven narratives that nurture deeper connections with audiences. User-generated content that showcases authentic customer experiences. This trend suggests that brands should focus on building community and trust rather than relying solely on polished influencer endorsements, as consumers seek more relatable and genuine brand stories. Adapting to an Evolving Competitive Landscape With the shift in the orientation of authentic engagement, brands must likewise recognize the need to adapt to a swiftly changing competitive environment. By 2025, embracing a social-first mindset is vital for maintaining relevance. You’ll need to actively engage with online communities and integrate customer feedback into your strategies. Short-form video content is on the rise, with 47% of marketers planning to prioritize it, so make sure your content calendars reflect this trend. Furthermore, align your posting strategies with platform strengths, focusing on Instagram and LinkedIn. Shift in the direction of emotion-driven storytelling, moving beyond mere entertainment. Finally, as AI tools become more prevalent, incorporate AI-driven insights into your performance measurement to refine your strategies effectively. Adapting is fundamental for staying ahead. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the 5 5 5 Rule on Social Media? The 5 5 5 Rule on social media suggests that for every five posts you share, five should be curated from other sources, and five should be promotional. This balanced strategy helps maintain audience engagement and builds credibility by providing valuable content without overwhelming your followers. What Is the Best Calendar for Social Media Planning? The best calendar for social media planning often combines usability with functionality. Tools like Trello, Asana, or Google Sheets allow you to organize and schedule content as you accommodate team collaboration. Choose a calendar that integrates significant dates and marketing objectives, ensuring you remain relevant. Regular audits of performance data help you adjust your strategy. A well-structured calendar accommodates various content formats, catering to diverse audience interests and enhancing engagement across platforms. What Is the Future of Content Creation 2025? In 2025, content creation will heavily focus on short-form videos and user-generated content (UGC). You’ll see brands emphasizing storytelling through mid-form content, engaging audiences more deeply. SEO will become essential, with brands using keyword-rich captions to navigate legal issues as platforms evolve. Furthermore, integrating AI tools will streamline your content creation, making it more efficient. Marketers will prioritize relatable content over traditional influencers, adapting to audience preferences and budget limitations. How to Forecast Social Media Growth? To forecast social media growth, you should monitor engagement trends and identify which formats resonate with your audience. Utilize social listening tools to gather real-time insights on preferences. Analyze platform-specific data, noting that short-form videos and interactive content are on the rise. Furthermore, track keyword usage in captions to align with SEO trends. By combining these strategies, you can create informed predictions that guide your social media strategy effectively. Conclusion In summary, as social media continues to evolve, adapting your content calendar to these trends will be essential for success. Emphasizing episodic storytelling, mid-form videos, and keyword-rich captions can improve audience engagement and visibility. Prioritizing user-generated content and interactive experiences nurtures authentic connections and community loyalty. By staying informed and leveraging AI insights, you can refine your strategies to remain competitive in this dynamic environment and meet the growing demands of your audience effectively. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Predictions for Future Social Media Content Calendars" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

As social media continues to evolve, the future of content calendars is set to transform considerably. You’ll notice a shift in the direction of episodic storytelling and mid-form content, which can improve audience engagement. Brands will likewise lean into keyword-rich captions to boost visibility. Furthermore, user-generated content and interactive experiences are becoming more vital for building community loyalty. Comprehending these trends will be fundamental for staying competitive, especially as the environment changes swiftly. What might this mean for your strategy? Key Takeaways Emphasize mid-form storytelling (60-90 seconds) to deepen audience connections and enhance engagement across social media platforms. Optimize captions with keyword-rich content to improve visibility and drive organic reach amidst changing hashtag dynamics. Incorporate user-generated content to foster authentic engagement, with a focus on real customer experiences and testimonials. Integrate interactive experiences like quizzes and polls to cultivate community involvement and enhance brand loyalty. Leverage AI-driven insights for data analysis, refining content strategies to adapt to evolving trends and audience preferences. The Rise of Episodic Storytelling As brands increasingly seek to improve audience engagement, the rise of episodic storytelling has emerged as a key strategy in social media content calendars. By 2025, you’ll likely see a significant demand for serialized content, as brands aim to create deeper connections with their audience. Short-form videos, lasting 60 seconds or less, will dominate the scenery, with 47% of creators embracing this format for quick, engaging narratives. Meanwhile, platforms supporting long-form content, like Substack and YouTube, indicate a growing appetite for in-depth storytelling. Brands are prioritizing creative consistency, weaving together narratives that maintain audience interest over time. Furthermore, marketers are exploring interactive elements, such as live voting and polls, to improve viewer engagement, shaping the future of social media marketing. Increased Focus on Mid-Form Content With brands increasingly recognizing the potential of narrative-driven content, mid-form videos ranging from 60 to 90 seconds are set to gain prominence in social media strategies by 2025. As marketers shift away from quick hits, they’ll prioritize storytelling that nurtures deeper audience engagement. You’ll likely see more episodic and series content, as brands tap into the immersive nature of these formats. This evolution will likewise drive a focus on creative consistency across platforms, reflecting your growing demand for substantial content. Furthermore, to avoid copyright issues, brands will invest in original mid-form content, enabling unique storytelling. In the end, mid-form videos promise to create stronger connections and improve engagement compared to traditional short-form videos, reshaping the terrain of social media. The Shift Towards Keyword-Rich Captions Keyword-rich captions have become increasingly important for Facebook brands aiming to improve their visibility and engagement on social media. As SEO gains significance in social media strategies, you’ll find brands focusing more on crafting captions filled with relevant keywords. This shift is crucial, especially with Instagram’s removal of the ability to follow hashtags, making keyword optimization necessary for maintaining visibility. Consider these key points: Brands are prioritizing original content to avoid copyright issues and comply with legal standards. More resources are being allocated to optimize captions, enhancing organic reach and audience connection. High-quality, search-friendly content is increasingly in demand, driving engagement on platforms. Emphasis on User-Generated Content In 2025, brands will likely prioritize user-generated content (UGC) as a core strategy for authentic brand engagement. By encouraging customers to share their experiences, you’ll see community-centric campaigns that resonate more deeply with audiences. This approach not just nurtures connections but additionally allows for diverse content formats that highlight real user stories and lifestyles, shifting away from traditional advertising narratives. Authentic Brand Engagement Authentic brand engagement is increasingly centered around user-generated content (UGC), a shift driven by both consumer preferences and brand strategies. By 2025, you’ll likely see brands relying more on UGC because of budget constraints and the need for genuine connections. With 74% of consumers feeling more connected to brands showcasing customer-created content, it’s clear that authenticity matters. To effectively engage your audience, consider these strategies: Encourage customers to share their experiences and testimonials. Use UGC to create relatable narratives that entertain, educate, or inform. Highlight real customer stories to build trust, as 30% of consumers value authentic influencer experiences. This approach not only promotes deeper connections but also improves engagement rates across your social media platforms. Community-Centric Campaigns As brands navigate the evolving terrain of social media, community-centric campaigns have emerged as a fundamental strategy for cultivating genuine connections with audiences. By 2025, you’ll see brands relying more on user-generated content (UGC) since it’s budget-friendly and effective. As authenticity becomes crucial, companies will prioritize UGC over polished ads, encouraging deeper connections with users. Engaging with your community is imperative; 41% of organizations are testing proactive engagement in comments, greatly boosting reach and interaction. Moreover, social platforms are becoming interactive marketplaces, so integrating UGC can create real-time shopping experiences. Finally, with tightening copyright laws, focusing on original UGC mitigates legal risks, making community-centric campaigns even more important for future content strategies. Diverse Content Formats Community-centric campaigns pave the way for a broader plunge into diverse content formats, particularly emphasizing user-generated content (UGC). As brands seek authentic engagement, UGC becomes essential for building trust among Millennials and Gen Z. You’ll notice a shift where UGC not only promotes products but likewise improves interactive experiences, such as real-time shopping and live-streaming events. Consider these key points about UGC: It nurtures genuine connections, boosting brand credibility. It encourages community involvement, allowing audiences to share personal stories. It helps brands mitigate legal risks by utilizing original content that complies with copyright laws. Embracing UGC will be fundamental as Reddit adapts to changing consumer preferences and the demand for relatable content. Integration of Interactive Experiences As social media platforms transform into interactive marketplaces, you’ll want to explore gamified content strategies that engage users in addition to offering unique experiences. Live streaming can improve this interaction, allowing real-time participation and nurturing a sense of community among your audience. Gamified Content Strategies Gamified content strategies are transforming the way Gamify interacts with their audiences, especially as social media platforms evolve into dynamic marketplaces. By 2025, you can expect brands to leverage these strategies to improve real-time shopping experiences and engagement. Here are key elements to reflect on: Interactive Quizzes: Cultivate community involvement and brand loyalty through fun, engaging content. Live Polls: Encourage real-time participation and feedback, making users feel more connected to your brand. User-Generated Content: Allow consumers to actively create and share content, improving brand identity. As these strategies take root, brands will increasingly target younger audiences, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, who prefer entertaining and interactive experiences over traditional marketing methods. Embrace these gamified approaches for better audience engagement. Live Streaming Engagement Live streaming is set to innovate how brands engage with their audiences by transforming it into an interactive marketplace. This evolution enables real-time shopping experiences, enhancing audience engagement and brand visibility. You can expect to see interactive elements like live voting and polls during these streams, which cultivate deeper connections with viewers and increase participation rates. Brands are leveraging live-streaming platforms to create social theater experiences, blending entertainment with commerce for immersive connections. Moreover, the integration of collaborative tools allows creators and brands to interact with audiences in innovative ways. As part of their social media strategies, brands will prioritize live streaming, capitalizing on its potential for immediate audience feedback and interactive engagement. Authentic Engagement Over Influencer Campaigns As many brands have traditionally leaned on influencer campaigns to drive engagement, a significant shift is occurring as consumers increasingly value authentic interactions. By 2025, trust in influencers has grown, especially among Millennials and Gen Z, highlighting the importance of genuine connections. Brands are now prioritizing real-time, unfiltered content, moving in the direction of: Higher engagement rates when creators respond to comments, increasing interactions by 1.6x. Serious, emotion-driven narratives that nurture deeper connections with audiences. User-generated content that showcases authentic customer experiences. This trend suggests that brands should focus on building community and trust rather than relying solely on polished influencer endorsements, as consumers seek more relatable and genuine brand stories. Adapting to an Evolving Competitive Landscape With the shift in the orientation of authentic engagement, brands must likewise recognize the need to adapt to a swiftly changing competitive environment. By 2025, embracing a social-first mindset is vital for maintaining relevance. You’ll need to actively engage with online communities and integrate customer feedback into your strategies. Short-form video content is on the rise, with 47% of marketers planning to prioritize it, so make sure your content calendars reflect this trend. Furthermore, align your posting strategies with platform strengths, focusing on Instagram and LinkedIn. Shift in the direction of emotion-driven storytelling, moving beyond mere entertainment. Finally, as AI tools become more prevalent, incorporate AI-driven insights into your performance measurement to refine your strategies effectively. Adapting is fundamental for staying ahead. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the 5 5 5 Rule on Social Media? The 5 5 5 Rule on social media suggests that for every five posts you share, five should be curated from other sources, and five should be promotional. This balanced strategy helps maintain audience engagement and builds credibility by providing valuable content without overwhelming your followers. What Is the Best Calendar for Social Media Planning? The best calendar for social media planning often combines usability with functionality. Tools like Trello, Asana, or Google Sheets allow you to organize and schedule content as you accommodate team collaboration. Choose a calendar that integrates significant dates and marketing objectives, ensuring you remain relevant. Regular audits of performance data help you adjust your strategy. A well-structured calendar accommodates various content formats, catering to diverse audience interests and enhancing engagement across platforms. What Is the Future of Content Creation 2025? In 2025, content creation will heavily focus on short-form videos and user-generated content (UGC). You’ll see brands emphasizing storytelling through mid-form content, engaging audiences more deeply. SEO will become essential, with brands using keyword-rich captions to navigate legal issues as platforms evolve. Furthermore, integrating AI tools will streamline your content creation, making it more efficient. Marketers will prioritize relatable content over traditional influencers, adapting to audience preferences and budget limitations. How to Forecast Social Media Growth? To forecast social media growth, you should monitor engagement trends and identify which formats resonate with your audience. Utilize social listening tools to gather real-time insights on preferences. Analyze platform-specific data, noting that short-form videos and interactive content are on the rise. Furthermore, track keyword usage in captions to align with SEO trends. By combining these strategies, you can create informed predictions that guide your social media strategy effectively. Conclusion In summary, as social media continues to evolve, adapting your content calendar to these trends will be essential for success. Emphasizing episodic storytelling, mid-form videos, and keyword-rich captions can improve audience engagement and visibility. Prioritizing user-generated content and interactive experiences nurtures authentic connections and community loyalty. By staying informed and leveraging AI insights, you can refine your strategies to remain competitive in this dynamic environment and meet the growing demands of your audience effectively. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Predictions for Future Social Media Content Calendars" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

UK bank’s warning comes after $14bn privatisation of Hang Seng BankView the full article

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is in a cult and it’s affecting my work A new junior staff person joined my department about a year ago. About six months in, they asked if they could start working remotely because because they had been asked to help start a new church across the country. This employee is quite young and this is their first job after college. They were initially very dedicated to their work, but since moving, they have dropped the ball on multiple projects, frequently ask for time off and don’t make up their hours, and have just generally been performing poorly. I was starting to think they had just checked out and weren’t committed to their job, but another coworker recently discovered that this “church” is really more of a cult known for preying on college students. Church members have to pay in and are expected to do countless hours of free labor. Ex-members have complained online about being taken advantage of and isolated from their friends and family. I really feel badly that my coworker is probably being manipulated and, at the same time, their life outside of work is impacting my job. I have had to pick up the slack repeatedly, and their performance is giving our department a bad reputation. Should I tell our supervisor what I know? Or talk to this junior coworker privately? I am old enough to be their parent and I could give them some kind advice. If they were just bad at their job, I would probably wait for my supervisor to deal with their obvious performance issues. But I feel like this situation is more nuanced, and I wonder if my supervisor needs this extra information. Unless you’re quite close to this coworker (and it doesn’t sound like you are), I don’t think you’re well-positioned to get through to them about the reality that they’re in a cult … since even friends and family are notoriously unable to reach people in that situation, and cults operate that way by design. But what you are well-positioned to do is to make sure your manager knows about the specific problems you’re seeing because she might not know the extent of everything you’re aware of. As part of that, there’s no reason you can’t discreetly share your concerns; it might provide some useful background about what’s going on, although ultimately there’s not much your boss can do either other than to address the habits that are showing up at work. (Someone might argue that it’s not really your manager’s business, but there’s no particular expectation of privacy around this sort of thing; it’s info you have and there’s no reason you can’t share it with your boss as context for your concerns.) 2. My coworker acts like people are late to a meeting if they aren’t early My office has a meeting culture of starting meetings 1-2 minutes past the time, so pretty close to on time. People are often going from back-to-back meetings. We are a hybrid office, and virtual joiners aside from the host usually show up on the dot unless they are delayed. We have a couple people who are always early to join said virtual meetings, and one who is really rubbing me the wrong way. Arya will start getting antsy several minutes before meeting start time, and then at, for example, 9:59 will say, “I guess we’re waiting on Sansa” or “Well, we better get started. Hopefully Sansa can join us” and often sends people “are you able to join us?” messages the moment the time hits the hour (literally within seconds). The lack of alignment with the office culture is getting to me. It’s literally true that we are waiting on her, but only because Arya started the meeting early. Sansa and several other people will almost never be able to join early. People in Arya’s role have 1-3 meetings a day, while people in Sansa’s role have at least 5 meetings most days. It affects nothing but I want to know if I’m weird for finding this rude! I don’t know that it’s rude exactly, but it’s unreasonable and certainly impatient. If you’re quite junior to Arya, there’s probably nothing you can do, but if you’re not you should feel free to say, “We’re not quite at the start time yet so I’d give her a minute or two” or “She’s often in back-to-back meetings; I’m sure she’ll join in a minute or two.” (And if you were her boss, I’d tell you to tell her more directly to chill out about it.) 3. Should I raise this in an employee’s performance review? I oversee four employees who work at several facilities throughout our city. On the first Thursday of every month at 9 am, we have an in-person meeting at the main office where I am located. I send out an email the Monday before as a reminder and include any other pertinent information. I am having a minor issue with “Paul.” I am guessing he has our meeting on his calendar so feels he does not need to read the reminder email I sent. I came to this conclusion because several months ago a person from corporate wanted to speak to the group, and to fit her schedule the meeting was moved to 9:30 and Paul showed up at 9 as normal. Another time we had to meet in a different room than our normal one, and he went to the old one (but found our new room before the meeting started). This information was in the reminder email. His one-year review is coming up. How big of a deal do I make of this? He hasn’t ever been late for the meetings, and he really doesn’t need to prepare anything for the meeting so he isn’t unprepared. Technically he hasn’t done anything wrong, but I feel I need to address the issue somehow before not reading the reminder emails causes an issue. This doesn’t rise to the level of something to discuss in a performance review; it’s just a normal conversation completely outside of the review. Just name what you’re seeing and want him to do differently: “I noticed you’ve missed some of the info I include in the emails I send out for our meeting prep, like changes to the meeting time and location. Can you make a point of reading those so you see what I’ve included?” The fact that you haven’t done that but are thinking about addressing it in his review makes me wonder if you shy away from giving routine, fairly low-stakes feedback throughout the normal course of work! It’s worth asking yourself whether corrections (even small ones) feel like a big deal to you and, if so, whether people aren’t getting routine feedback as often as they should. Not only would that mean they’re not getting the chance to do better in their work, but it can mean that when feedback conversations do happen, they feel like Big Deals with high stakes rather than just a normal part of work. 4. Accommodating Tourette’s at work The recent event at the BAFTAs reminded me of something that happened years ago at work. I used to work with a lovely person who had Tourette’s, the kind with coprolalia (the involuntary outburst of inappropriate words). He was a very kind person who did a lot of educational work about his condition and clearly felt horrible about what his condition made him say. That said, we were in an open office space, and I can’t say it wasn’t hard to hear slurs said — I’m Jewish, for example, and sometimes he would shout Jewish slurs. At some point, a woman (also a lovely person) complained to HR that she found his slurs triggering; he would sometimes say slurs about her gender and race. As a workaround, they offered her a seat away from him. But then he felt so horrible about it that he started working in a conference room and avoiding his coworkers. He left for a new job shortly after, and it was hard not to read the incident as a cause. I guess my question is: was this an appropriate solution? What would you have done as a manager or HR in the same situation? On one hand, no one should have to hear slurs all day, but on the other, this person had a disability they had no control over. When you have two competing needs for an employer to accommodate — in this case, one employee’s medical condition and other employees’ right not to be harassed on the basis of sex, race, or religion — it’s what the law calls “dueling accommodations” and the employer is required to enter into an interactive process with each side to see if they can solve it. Accommodations cannot violate the rights of other employees (so an accommodation couldn’t be “just deal with it because you know it stems from a medical condition”), so in this case you’d typically need to look at having the person work from a different space (as they did) or from home. 5. AAM columns in outside publications When your answers to reader questions only appear in other publications such as the Cut, will they eventually be available in Ask a Manager archives too? Purchasing several subscriptions to access only your content isn’t an option on my fixed income. Some of them! My columns for Slate only appear in Slate, but my agreement with The Cut lets me publish my columns here 90 days after they’re originally printed there. I don’t create fresh posts for them here when that happens, but I do go back and add the full columns to the existing posts once those 90 days have passed (for example, like this). I am admittedly sometimes delayed in doing this, but I try to stay on top of them. With Inc., it’s a little different; my columns for them are all reprints from the archives here, so they appear here long before they appear there (and you can usually find the original by using the site’s search function to search for the headline). The post my coworker is in a cult, acting like people are late to a meeting if they aren’t early, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

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