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In the short time since Graza’s 2022 launch, the wunderkind olive oil slinger has become a standout in a crowded market with its dynamic duo of extra-virgin olive oils: Sizzle for cooking and Drizzle for finishing—cleverly packaged in matte-green squeeze bottles. On Tuesday, Graza introduced its third product to the lineup, the high-heat cooking oil Frizzle. It’s being sold online as well as in select Whole Foods locations nationwide in squeeze bottles and a company-first nonaerosol spray bottle. Made from the remaining pressed olives from Graza’s flagship oils, Frizzle is extracted and refined without the use of chemicals or solvents. The natural refinement process results in a neutral taste and high smoke point, making it a wholly olive-based alternative to seed oils (those being the latest boogeyman of the wellness-industrial complex). Entering the neutral oil market has also allowed Graza to play around with new packaging, something the brand explored last year with its olive oil refill cans. [Photo: Graza] A new spin on neutral oil Graza cofounder and CEO Andrew Benin was well aware of the risks of tinkering with the brand. “Why mess with something that’s working?” he says. Frizzle may be the new kid on the block, but the product’s conception is as old as Graza itself. The Graza braintrust had always envisioned three use cases for its oil: frying and high-heat cooking, sautéing, and raw finishing. Frizzle is still made from olives, but don’t call it olive oil. Per regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, that title is reserved for the substance directly extracted from the olive fruit (such as Graza’s Drizzle and Sizzle). Frizzle, on the other hand, is technically an upcycled by-product made from the spent olives. But unlike some other cooking oils, it isn’t chemically refined. After spinning the pressed olives in a high-speed centrifuge, a tapenade-like slurry of flesh, pits, and peels known as pomace is left behind—what the Graza team lovingly calls “olive mush.” Once the oil is extracted, the product is naturally refined through multistep filtration and gradual heating, which removes impurities without the use of hexanes, solvents, or deodorants. [Photo: Graza] No seeds, no problem? These common refinement techniques are at the center of an ongoing push against seed oils, the detractors of which range from gently concerned at best to conspiratorial at worst. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new secretary of Health and Human Services, has been a particularly vocal skeptic of seed oils, suggesting Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by them. Nutrition experts insist such concerns have been exaggerated. Benin is quick to point out that neutral seed oils have a role to play. “By diminishing them, you’re diminishing the people who need to consume them as a functional ingredient in their diet,” he says, alluding to the presence of dietarily necessary omega-6 fatty acids that occur in corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, and the like. To lump all seed oils into one category, he continues, is as overly generalizing as presuming all olive oil meets the same quality standards. Still, Benin will go to bat for Graza any day of the week. “This is a superior product than canola oil because we can back it up with lab data, and taste,” he says. “But we’re not going to be bashing seed oils as part of our brand.” [Photo: Graza] Standing out by blending in Despite conventional wisdom, Benin says, you can fry with extra-virgin olive oil. In fact, he notes that you can fry more, repeatedly, in EVOO than you can in other types of oils. But its capabilities top out around its smoke point of 410 degrees. At that temperature, you’re essentially refining the oil yourself, and all of those lovely grassy, bitter notes flame out, making way for an acrid-tasting substance called acrolein. [Photo: Graza] Frizzle’s 490-degree smoke point makes it optimal for wok cooking, grilling, or searing in a ripping-hot cast iron. But Benin says those capabilities presented some new challenges for the oil aficionados at Graza. How do you sell a product whose defining characteristic is neutrality? Extra-virgin olive oil is known for its variety of tasting notes, whether grassy, peppery, or fruity, due to EVOO’s high percentage of antioxidant-rich polyphenols. The refining process breaks down polyphenols, resulting in more neutral-tasting oil. Graza adds 7% of its Sizzle formula to Frizzle post-refinement, replacing some lost polyphenols and adding a soupçon of buttery flavor that Benin says eludes other neutral oil options. “Adding [EVOO] after the Frizzle has been refined means that all the antioxidants from the Sizzle are not affected as part of the refining process,” he says. “We’re adding in the health benefit afterwards.” New oil, new packaging One advantage of refined oil is its longer shelf life—approximately three years as opposed to extra-virgin olive oil’s two (or even one, in some instances). That wiggle room allowed Graza, which has limited its refills to single-use sizes, to introduce a new suite of packaging volumes, all decked out in a lemon-yellow color scheme. Frizzle can be bought in Graza’s first at-home jug, a 2-liter vessel with an ergonomic handle that retails for $29.99 exclusively on the company’s website. Frizzle also comes in a nonaerosol spray bottle—another Graza first—for grilling and baking ($6.99). And it wouldn’t be Graza without the signature squeeze bottle that put the brand on the map, available in the same 750-milliliter bottle as Sizzle ($14.99). Benin and company have no doubt that Frizzle will stand up to Graza’s flagship oils, even if it means expanding its lexicon to include the word neutral. “We’re trying to push it, we’re trying to innovate, we’re trying to prove it in our products,” he says. “It’s been exciting and difficult to orient a company around a new word.” View the full article

When Netflix reality show Dubai Bling debuted in 2022, it became a global sensation, garnering viewers across 51 countries. And it’s kept up the momentum: The show’s recently released third season racked up 18.6 million hours of viewing time in its first week alone. Dubai Bling, filmed in English and Arabic, is subtitled in 31 languages and dubbed in 5. The show has been part of a surge in Arabic content on Netflix attracting global viewership. Last spring’s Honeymoonish, an Arab-language rom-com from Kuwait, trended in the top 10 film list of 73 countries, amassing more than 22 million views. Danya “Diva Dee” Mohammed in Dubai Bling, Season 1 [Photo: Hyku Desesto/Netflix] Love Is Blind Habibi, the Arab adaptation of the hit reality show Love Is Blind, premiered on Netflix in October 2024 and ranked among the top 10 global non-English shows in 26 countries. Netflix’s commitment to showcasing stories from the Arab region has been a game changer for Arab filmmakers, according to Dubai Bling creator Mazen Laham. Though he had worked on multiple Arabic-language shows previously, they were local projects with nowhere near the scope of Netflix’s viewership. As the streaming platform has invested in stories told in Arabic, it has given Arab-led projects global reach by dubbing them in multiple languages. “[Before Netflix] we didn’t have the chance to show the world what content we can produce,” Laham says. “We were always producing for local platforms and channels. Nobody had the opportunity to see what we do.” Netflix’s targeted move Investing in original content from the Arab region is a strategic move for Netflix: The world’s fastest-growing population is in the Middle East and Africa. Arab-speaking countries have a combined population of more than 473 million people, and more than 55% of the people in the Middle East and North Africa are younger than 30. A young and growing population poses a lucrative viewership opportunity for Netflix. Nour El Haj in Love is Blind: Habibi [Photo: Netflix] Netflix has also launched several initiatives aimed at encouraging young creative talent from the Arab world, focusing especially on nurturing female filmmakers through financial grants and upskilling opportunities. Because She Created provides a platform for female creatives in the Arab world who are pioneering new paths in the film industry. As part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, the initiative also offers a onetime grant of $250,000 to support female filmmakers in their creative endeavors. In July 2024, Netflix also launched the Saudi Female Future Filmmakers Program, an advanced mentoring initiative designed to identify the next generation of female talent in the Saudi film industry. “Through these projects [Netflix is] automatically nurturing the industry. The more projects that we deliver to the industry, the better the industry will become,” says Wael Abumansour, a Saudi producer with Telfaz11, the studio behind Netflix films such as AlKhallat+, The Matchmaker, and Naga. He adds that the demand for content from the Arab region is “accelerating really fast,” which makes it “an exciting time” to be an Arab filmmaker. Taking Arab content global Abumansour says the creative freedom that Netflix extends to showrunners and filmmakers allows them to explore diverse narratives and cultural themes. In 2024, the platform aired a diverse slate of shows and films from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kuwait, and Jordan from both emerging and seasoned creatives from the region. Raneem Haitham (in pink) plays Farah in the second season of the Jordanian series AlRawabi School for Girls. [Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024] One of those emerging talents is Tima Shomali, the Jordanian writer-director of the teen drama AlRawabi School for Girls, one of Netflix’s most successful series, garnering solid viewership in 43 countries. Shomali believes that Arab content has increasing appeal on streaming platforms because of its well-crafted scripts and characters who resonate with audiences. Tima Shomali created and directs the Jordanian teen drama AlRawabi School for Girls. [Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024] “The most important thing in a story is writing root-worthy characters—characters that people can relate with, sympathize with,” Shomali says. “AlRawabi connected with people regionally and internationally, because maybe a lot of people actually connected or saw themselves or someone they know in one of these characters.” The hope is that Netflix’s investment continues to pay off for Arab storytelling. “It’s time for Arabic content to travel,” Shomali says. “We’ve always imported content from the West. And now it’s time for us to export our content.” View the full article

In 2034, Salt Lake City will join a short list of cities that have hosted a Winter Olympic Games twice, joining the likes of Turin and Innsbruck. But unlike in any Olympics of the past, skiers and bobsledders may glimpse a surreal sight overhead as they compete—flying air taxis. Though still nine years away from the Opening Ceremony, aviation company Beta Technologies sees the state of Utah as a proving ground for its electric planes. As competitors focus on major cities like New York and Los Angeles, Beta has inked a deal with Utah to start exploring transportation solutions across the very rural state. The Beehive State had a confluence of benefits for Beta, including a varied geography, well-distributed airports, expansive land for testing, and a foot already in aviation. “In our space, everybody (municipalities and states) wants to raise their hand,” says Kyle Clark, Beta’s founder and CEO. “But it’s only a few who step up and [allocate] the right money, the right political resources, the right regulatory support, the right businesses.” If Beta can create a functioning network of electric planes to connect the remotest parts of Utah, initially focusing on cargo and logistics, then it should be able to streamline naturally into carrying passengers for the 2034 Olympics. Connecting Utah’s remote areas Utah has created a coalition designed to support companies like Beta comprises the governor’s office, the state Department of Transportation, and public-private aerospace partnership, 47G (named for 1847, the year the first Mormons reached the Salt Lake Valley, and for a number close to the most G-force ever experienced, 46.2). 47G is focused on growing aerospace and defense in the state, industries that already represent 20% of Utah’s economy. The organization helps 200 aerospace-adjacent companies—from startups, to contractors, to Delta Air Lines—to source capital, build infrastructures, and incubate. Beta was a welcome addition. “We want to move people and packages, and we want Utah to lead out on this space,” says Aaron Starks, 47G’s president and CEO. “We wanted to bring a partner in and not just sell us aircraft, but build the ecosystem with us.” One significant hurdle is FAA certifications, which Beta will need to progress. It has three certifications pending: It expects the first, for its pusher motor—the propulsion device that pushes the craft forward—to be completed this year, followed by those for its eCTOL (conventional take-off and landing) and eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing) models. If they come through, Utah will be an inviting market. Utah was the fastest-growing state by population between 2010 and 2020, and is due to welcome 500,000 new residents by 2033. That’ll increase demand for cargo, medical, and logistics—all of which Beta wants to operate in, having already secured partners that include Amazon, UPS, and United Health Therapeutics. Utah’s unique geography suits Beta’s goals. Of its 29 counties, only four are not considered rural, and a third of the state is desert. That allows the possibility for aircraft to improve rural routes that are otherwise inefficient to traverse. Clark says the minor roads that connect eastern and western Utah slow down transport, which is precarious when it involves goods like emergency medical supplies. It’s a state actively seeking out faster and cheaper options. Carbon emissions from vehicles also contribute to poor air quality, as the mountainous topography leads to a phenomenon called inversion, whereby cold air and pollutants, including carbon, get trapped under a layer of warmer air, resulting in thick smog. “As a state, we are very much on board with decreasing the emissions footprint through clean technologies,” Starks says. Making it happen The coalition’s first order of business will be developing airport infrastructure to accommodate Beta’s vehicles across Utah, where 94% of the population lives within a 30-minute drive of an airport. They have started identifying five initial existing airports that could serve as bases for both of Beta’s aircraft offerings: eCTOLs and eVTOLs. The latter, which rise upward like helicopters instead of accelerating along a runway and taking off, need slightly different sites known as vertiports—which could easily be added to existing airports. “Vertiport sounds big and scary,” Clark says, “[but] we’ve built vertiports that are de-iced landing pads with lights on them. These are pretty simple things.” Beta and the coalition have also begun an assessment of optimal sites for a charging network, with the help of Beta’s algorithm, which it’s used to place 60 of its “charge cubes” across the U.S., mainly concentrated in the Northeast and South. The fast chargers are multi-modal, meaning they can accommodate EV road fleets like trucks and delivery vans. So, once Beta’s FAA certifications come through, both the planes and networks will be ready to go for their partners. “UPS loves the fact that we’re putting in a bunch of charging network nodes throughout Utah,” Clark says. For Clark, the ability to validate the entire system holistically within a single state makes Utah a better market entry point than major metropolitan areas, where its competitors, including Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, have focused on passenger air taxis. Archer has announced Newark-to-Manhattan and O’Hare-to-Chicago routes with United Airlines, which has conditionally approved $1.5 billion of investment; and Joby has partnered with Delta, with up to $200 million. But cities pose complicated regulatory hurdles from municipalities and communities, Clark says, as well as the need for intricate power and flight infrastructures. And for such a new offering, the size of demand from would-be passengers is yet unknown. “It’s going to happen,” he says. “But you have to ask the question: Is that the right entry point?” Archer and Joby, both public companies, are reportedly both planning to use the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as the milestone event for proving out their air taxis. But caution lingers from the Paris Olympics, where grand promises of air taxis by European companies fell flat. Clark believes the L.A. Games are too soon to do this effectively, and it would merely be “a bit of a stunt” to show the world flying taxis without providing any real use. Conversely, he says the plan in Utah gives them time to rehearse with cargo and logistics for almost a decade, so that by 2034 they can meaningfully taxi Winter Olympics visitors across the skies. Clark insists he’s unfazed by his competitors, but still slams what he views as their “superficial” strategies. “We are a quiet, private company, and we have been crushing the technology,” he says. “You may not see us out there making fancy videos of the future, because we’re building the real stuff here.” View the full article

The best review platforms for businesses include Google, Facebook, Yelp, Tripadvisor, G2, and Trustpilot. View the full article

If you are career-minded, you may think applying for a loftier position in another company is the best route. In fact half of millennials expect to leave their current company within a year. But it’s not always the right move. Advancing in your present company may be a smarter move. You already know the culture and the people. If you enjoy them, who is to say that you’d find something better elsewhere? Also, some companies reward loyalty. And why would you want to compete with hundreds of applicants in a chaotic job market? If you are staying, hone your strategy. Follow these five steps to boost your likelihood of advancing. 1. ASK FOR VISIBLE ASSIGNMENTS First, seek out high-profile assignments. You want to be seen as a go-getter. Do this, and your boss and other leaders in the firm will regard you as a creative, productive worker with aspirational goals. I’m not talking about doing extra grunt work. I mean seizing opportunities to come up with innovative ideas and initiatives that impress others. Commit to projects that reach beyond your department. You’ll open the door to new relationships with potential bosses in other departments. For example, you might lead a fundraising project, or help another executive with her presentation, or volunteer to speak at an International Women’s Day event in your company. 2. BUILD YOUR NETWORK AT THE COMPANY It’s important to build your network within the firm. You’ll meet and gain the favor of leaders who recognize your talent and initiative. That can lead to important new relationships with strategically placed individuals. Take part in activities where you can meet senior leaders. These include conferences, sports such as company golf tournaments, leadership forums, and training sessions. If there is someone in the company you admire and think you’d like to work for, find a way to get onto their calendar. You might have a mutual interest. Or, you might invite them to speak to your team as a guest expert. Be creative in setting up that meeting. Once you’ve made that contact, broach the discussion about reporting to them. There might be an advertised position or not. Either way, if you want to work in that department go for it, set up a meeting, and prepare to pitch yourself. 3. PREPARE A STRONG PITCH If you’re job hunting in your present company, it might seem like overkill to prepare for each encounter. But you must do so—even for conversations with people who may not have a job to offer you at the moment. They may be able to recommend you to others. Your preparation should include a résumé that is polished and geared to opportunities in the company. If someone has agreed to meet with you, you’ll also want to prepare speaking notes in the form of a well-crafted statement explaining what kind of position you are looking for and why you feel ready for it. And don’t forget to write a thank-you note after the meeting. For guidelines on how to create a strong networking pitch, see the chapter on “Pitching Yourself inside Your Company.” in my book, The Job Seeker’s Script. You’ll discover how to sell yourself within your present company. 4. DON’T LET YOUR BOSS GET IN YOUR WAY It’s important to get along with your boss. But don’t let that person slow you down if you want to advance. A manager who praises your work may not want to see you move to another department. One woman I know had an opportunity to take a VP position elsewhere in the company. That would have been a big step forward since she was a director. But her boss pleaded “don’t go . . . I need you here.” So, she stayed, and after a decade she is still a director. If you have a boss who encourages you to pursue next steps within the company, be thankful. But be wary of a bad boss who tries to block ascent. All the more reason to develop strong network ties that will allow you to get around that roadblock. 5. AVOID COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE As you have conversations with others and seek to move up the corporate ladder, never complain about your current position. A bad boss is, of course, only one reason for seeking a new position. There are many others. But if you are looking to move up because you are unhappy with your current manager or some other aspect of your job, keep that to yourself. No one wants to hire a complainer. They fear it might be a personality trait. Instead, focus on what you like about your present role, what you have learned from your boss, what a great team of professionals you’ve had the pleasure of working with. And then look ahead and share your excitement about moving to the next role, whatever it may be. That kind of self-portrayal will get you a potential job offer and it will help you build your career. View the full article

Plus the housing market and growthView the full article

The lawlessness of big numbersView the full article

A $19 strawberry has broken the internet. Over the weekend, several content creators went viral with reviews of one very expensive berry, purchased from the upscale Los Angeles-based grocery chain Erewhon. “Apparently it’s the best-tasting strawberry in the entire world,” influencer Alyssa Antoci says in a video that has racked up more than 15 million views. It’s worth noting that Antoci appears to be a social media manager for Erewhon, and her family also owns the store. “Wow. That is the best strawberry. That’s crazy,” she adds. Along with the $19 price tag, the berries from luxury Japanese fruit vendor Elly Amai are individually packaged, set on a small cushion inside a miniature plastic cloche for protection—exactly how one would expect such an expensive berry to be packaged. On its website, the company claims to sell only the “highest-quality fruits from Japan’s most celebrated farms.” Not everyone is impressed. “People in L.A. are so gullible,” one commenter wrote. “If I dropped $20 on a strawberry, I’d probably convince myself it was the best one I’ve ever tasted too,” wrote another. “It does taste good but is it worth the $19?” content creator @janemukbangs questioned in a TikTok video with 5.5 million views. (Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.) Whether people are willing to pay a premium for Japanese berries or it’s simply a case of clever marketing, this isn’t the first time the celeb-loved L.A. grocery store has made headlines for its pricey products. This month, it’s a $19 strawberry; last year, it was a $32 bag of specialty ice. In a time when many are struggling to afford even basic groceries, it’s easy to see why a ridiculously expensive strawberry has rubbed some people the wrong way. Or, as one commenter theorized, “Erewhon was 100% started by a group of uni students who wanted to run a social experiment on consumerism. They ended up accidentally creating a successful grocery so now they just watch and laugh.” View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss is great in some ways but is he crossing lines? I’m trying to figure out if my manager is interested in me as more than a coworker, or if the lines he crosses are just a part of his personality. I’ve been with my company as a general manager for eight months, hired into a lower position and immediately promoted by this man. He is always kind and funny with me. He calls me awesome, amazing, sunshine, tells me how funny I am, tells me I’m tough, and that he wants to make my life easier. And these are just the things he regularly says. He is never sexual, and mentions his wife casually in group conversation we are both involved in. He is very stern with other people, but still outgoing and friendly. He isn’t stern with me. He makes sure I’m set up for success in every situation he can. Now to the parts that are a bit on the fence, so to speak. He often asks me to come and see things on his laptop at a hightop table; I’m 5’2” and he is about 6’4″ and he keeps the laptop in front of him, even if asking me to type something for him, which leads to very close contact. While we speak, he keeps non-broken full eye contact the entire time. He often stands so closely behind me that when he breathes deeply, I feel his chest as he inhales. Other people claim he is “different” with me. He is an extremely extroverted person, who in my opinion is usually more openly friendly with others than with me. But he makes sure we speak every day, even if one or both of us is off. Flip side, he visits other locations more often than mine. He brags on others more openly than he does me. But something has gotten strange. Does this seem like normal extroverted behavior? Could I just seem like a child to him, paternal affection type stuff? I just don’t know if maybe I’m misreading and it’s just that I have the best boss ever, not a potential issue. You have alarm bells going off for a reason; don’t talk yourself out of it. I don’t know exactly what’s up with your boss, but standing so close that you can feel his chest when he breathes is not normal behavior, and is in fact very creepy. The laptop thing could be simple lack of consideration or it could be pervy, I don’t know — but in combination with standing practically against you, it alarms me. In both these situations, you should feel free to create more physical separation between you. When he’s standing behind you practically touching you, move away! You can do that without announcing it, or it would also be fine to say, “Oh, let me move so we’re not so crowded.” With the laptop, you can say, “I can’t easily reach it from where I am, let me move it closer to me if I need to type” and then move it somewhere where you can access it without leaning into his lap (or whatever is going on in this configuration that he’s arranged). I suppose it’s possible that you have an otherwise good boss who is remarkably oblivious about physical space issues, but I doubt it. Is he breathing all over male colleagues? If he does it to everyone, regardless of gender, perhaps he simply has no sense of physical boundaries. Otherwise, he knows what he’s doing, which moves him solidly out of “good boss” territory (and, frankly, into “not a good person” territory, too). 2. Coworker injecting medication at their desk I work in a small office with about 15 people. One of my colleagues has diabetes and has to regularly monitor their blood sugars, which is of course of absolute importance. However, this colleague regularly pulls up their shirt to inject themselves in the stomach while sitting at their desk, and has once or twice done this in front of clients. I completely understand that this is a medical issue that they have to act on urgently, but part of me wonders whether it’s appropriate to ask them to do this in a private space. I’m not weirded out by injections, but some people can be, and I don’t necessarily want to see so much of my colleague’s skin on a regular basis. I have a feeling that this is a me problem and I should just ignore it, but any advice on how to appropriately support my colleague would be gratefully received. (To note, this is an early professional job for my colleague, who is still learning business norms, and helping them learn these is part of my role.) I’d leave it alone. You’re right that people can be squeamish about needles but there’s no way for you as a colleague to know how urgent the situation might be and they need insulin to live. So it makes sense to err on the side of assuming that if they’re doing it at their desk, it’s because it needs to happen right then (and they might feel a public bathroom isn’t a particularly sanitary place to inject something into their body). To be clear, if your coworker were the one writing to me, I’d tell them that if they’re able to avoid doing it in front of clients, that’s preferable (with the caveat that it might not always be optional). But as a colleague, I’d stay out of it. 3. Reference for an employee who didn’t perform well I’m in a situation where I may have to respond to reference checks about a mediocre employee. My direct report was with us for about nine months. In that time, I quickly discovered some of her basic skills were not as good as her resume or her small test had revealed. I invested a solid chunk of time in training her, and I saw a trajectory of improvement that was slower than I’d have liked, but still reasonable. However, she recently made a few egregious mistakes. I gave her very serious feedback in the moment and also discussed the situation with my manager and HR. We decided a formal PIP was needed to more formally codify what she needed to fix and improve, and how soon. We all agreed that she had the potential to get there, and this was not a performative PIP where you go through the motions because you want to fire a person. We had not finished drafting this plan and communicating it to her when, for entirely unrelated reasons, many people on our team, including her, were laid off. I was not involved in the decision-making, but it made sense to me given the circumstances of our organization. She has mentioned that in her job search, she’ll be asking me to be a reference. I don’t feel like I can recommend her without reservations. She has potential, but it was a lot more work to bring her along and train her than I expected or think should have been necessary. If I receive a reference call, how do I respond? Despite my feedback in the moment, I’m not sure she’s fully aware of the pattern of errors she was making, because I was expecting to emphasize that during our PIP discussion that never happened. Do I talk with her about this? Refuse to be a reference? Act as a reference but be up-front about her strengths and weaknesses? She’s a good person, and I don’t want to be careless and damage her chance at a new job. But I don’t want to give a great recommendation that makes people doubt my judgment, either. Talk to her and let her know so she can decide whether she wants to offer you as a reference or not. I’d frame it this way: “I want to be transparent that the reference I’d give would be mixed because of what happened with X and Y. The layoffs cut off our discussion about those issues, but otherwise we would have needed to move a formal improvement plan because those concerns were such serious ones. In a reference I’d be able to share that I saw A and B as strengths, but would need to be honest that I wasn’t seeing what I needed in C and D. I want to be up-front with you about that so you can decide whether it makes sense to share my name as a reference or not.” On my first read of your letter, I was going to add that it’s really important to be giving feedback all along so that the person isn’t blindsided by something like this if it comes up later. But in this case, the way things unfolded made it more understandable that you didn’t: you thought she was coming along, just more slowly than you’d expected, and then when things became more dire you were preparing to address it, but then the layoffs cut you off just as you were about to. It’s not ideal but it sounds like that’s largely a consequence of the layoff timing, not a mistake on your end. 4. Are the federal layoffs causing layoffs at private companies? I was discussing the federal layoffs with a coworker and she said her in-laws who work at (a) a big private financial services company and (b) the Bezos space company have all seen layoffs recently. Is this in reaction to the federal layoffs? I had thought my and my husband’s jobs in the private sector were safe for now, but now I’m worried. I can’t speak to the layoffs at those specific companies, but in general, yes, there will be layoffs at private companies as a response to the federal government cuts. Loads of private companies have contracts with the government and so will be affected by the cuts there. And then it’s likely to trickle down further; heavy job losses in any large sector will start affecting other businesses because people will begin restricting their spending (either out of necessity because their households have less or no income or out of caution at what’s happening around them and uncertainty about what’s to come). It’s all intertwined, so what’s happening federally is likely to affect a lot of people in the private sector as well. 5. Alternative to Facebook for discussion groups I am hoping you can put this out to the readers of AAM for some solutions. I work in payroll for the movies and run a couple of Facebook groups for people doing payroll for both film and television. Not to get too political, I would like to move my group off of Facebook, but I have no idea what other options are out there. I’m Gen-X so comfortable with computers but not so much with social media that isn’t mainstream. Could someone direct me to a site where a group can have discussions, share files/documents, and limit access to members only? Basically, FB without the political ramifications. I’m happy to throw it out to suggestions from readers, but take a look at Discord. View the full article

It’s been a year since Intuitive Machines (IM) made history with the first private soft landing and first American spacecraft since the Apollo program to land on the moon, after a nail-biting descent that came perilously close to failing. But this time around, they’re veterans. As they ready their second mission, IM-2, with an updated lunar lander named Athena, the vibe at the startup’s Houston headquarters is decidedly more relaxed and confident. “We’ve made 85 improvements to the vehicle and the process used for building and flying it,” says Trent Martin, IM’s senior VP of space systems. “That includes 10 for landing and determining its location in space, which we struggled with during the first mission. We’re not nearly spending as many late nights as we did getting ready for IM-1.” Not that they don’t still worry. “This is space flight,” he says. “And space flight is hard.” Athena is slated to lift off from Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 at 7:17 p.m. ET on February 26 for a 10-day mission at the Mons Mouton plateau near the lunar south pole. (Click here for ways to watch.) Athena, a 14-foot hexagonal cylinder on six landing legs, will shuttle several NASA and commercial payloads to the lunar surface to test exploration vehicles and the first communications network on the moon; drill and analyze samples of lunar soil (called regolith); and map precious resources, like water ice. The roughly $100 million mission turned a 10% profit, thanks to funding from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and Tipping Point Initiative, commercial payloads, and three additional rideshares for satellites that will deploy to other destinations after Athena detaches from the rocket post-launch. Most are to support NASA’s Artemis mission to establish sustainable infrastructure on the moon and in space, rather than rely solely on Earth for materials. In situ resources like oxygen and helium-3 can be used to make rocket fuel, water, and energy, while water can also make fuel and be a source for astronauts. “Water is a building block for just about every chemical process that we would like to use on the moon,” says Martin. [Image: Intuitive Machines] Athena is an upgrade from IM’s first lander, Odysseus, and part of its methalox-propelled Nova-C class of landers. Odysseus might have crashed were it not for some lightning engineering. A missed safety switch prevented the lander’s altimeter lasers from firing to the surface to gauge its altitude and descent speed. Unable to reprogram substitute lasers from a NASA payload, they imaged a crater, estimated its size, and used that to approximate the lander’s altitude. Given the circumstances, they came astonishingly close—Odysseus touched down 4 mph too fast, broke a gear, and tipped over. But it still worked. “The lander showed incredible resilience, but it was a miracle we were able to do it with a measurement we took from 85 kilometers [53 miles] high,” says CEO Steve Altemus. “We were all pretty steady during it. But afterward, it was like, ‘Oh my God, what did we just do?’” For this next mission, the company not only revised its lander engineering but also began diversifying beyond lunar landers. One of the IM-2 payloads, the Intuitive Machines’ Micro Nova Hopper One, is a 29-inch, 77-pound rocket-propelled drone designed to explore areas inaccessible to ground rovers. Last fall, the firm unveiled Moon Racer, a two-passenger prototype Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that can carry and tow a combined 2,600 pounds, that’s earmarked for a future manned mission. Building the lander [Photo: Susan Karlin] “We’re maturing [from] a startup having these aspirations and initial ideas to where we’re now battle-hardened by mission one,” says Altemus. “We’re providing and building a cis-lunar economy [offering] three pillars of service: the delivery to the moon and ride share, the data transmission and navigation services for communicating around the moon, and infrastructure as a service. That’s the beginning of an economy and everyone can take advantage of that.” Prospecting for resources The Micro-Nova Hopper, nicknamed the Hopper and Grace (after computer science pioneer Grace Hopper), will gauge surface temperatures and water distribution using instruments from Hungary and Germany. Although designed for a 15-mile distance, it will make five shorter parabolic hops and level flights to hard-to-reach areas, including a crater that has never seen sunlight. “It provides you extreme mobility in places that rovers can’t go,” says Martin. “So, if you want to go into a pit or a lava tube—or a permanently shadowed region with steep walls, we can do it with a rocket-propelled drone.” At the landing site, NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1) will operate a meter-long drill and a mass spectrometer to look for and analyze sub-surface resources that might sustain future human exploration, plus measure forces and temperature. The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT), from Blue Origin’s Honeybee Robotics, will bore three feet deep and bring regolith samples to the surface where the spectrometer will measure the compositions of volatile gases escaping from the material. [Photo: NASA/Honeybee Robotics] As it’s done with other landers, NASA is outfitting Athena with a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), mirrors that reflect laser light back to an orbiting spacecraft initially emitting the light to determine the lander’s location. LRAs will enable precision landmarks for Artemis sites to guide the arriving landers. Lunar Outpost’s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) is slated to be the first commercial rover on another planetary body. Sporting internal prospecting instruments and an MIT-designed CW Time of Flight camera, the 22-pound solar-powered vehicle will travel about a mile from the lander, 3D mapping the lunar surface and scouting for ice and other valuable resources. Another MIT device, AstroAnt, a .95-ounce micro-rover with magnetic wheels, will roam MAPP’s surface to measure its internal temperature to assess MAPP’s health—a proof of concept for future iterations that might monitor and fix space hardware remotely. “It’s very meta,” laughs Justin Cyrus, Lunar Outpost’s founder and CEO. [Photo: Lunar Outpost] MAPP carries drills and wheels designed to grip the powdery regolith with little excavators to collect and analyze samples that NASA will eventually retrieve. The space agency will pay the Denver company $1 to transfer the sample ownership to set a legal precedent and procedural framework for a private company to own and sell what it mines on a celestial body. NASA has similar contracts with other companies for future samples. Considering the investment cost and potential rewards—helium-3, for example, is among the most expensive substances on Earth due to its scarcity, but abundant on the moon—this step gives companies more confidence they won’t be legally challenged before spending billions to extract resources on a large scale. “If you’re looking at resources not only on the moon but the near-Earth asteroids, it’s significantly more resources than we’ve ever had access to,” says Cyrus. Can you hear me now? In a first step towards a lunar cellular system, Nokia Bell Labs is providing a 4G LTE communications network between MAPP, the Hopper, and a Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS) on the lander serving as a cell tower. The rovers, carrying antennas and radio equipment, will venture from the lander and beam signals back to the LSCS, which will measure the speeds and bandwidth. This network will also enable the three vehicles to talk to one another. The lander will sport a direct-to-Earth radio connection so mission controllers can receive data and images and remotely operate the probes. “The main goal was to prove to NASA that it can take the cellular technology and adapt it for space, compared to using UHF or proprietary technology,” says Nokia Bell Labs president Thierry Klein. Additionally, some of the data collected from the rovers would transmit over the Nokia network to the lander and relayed back to Earth. Commercial symbiosis Columbia Sportswear continues its symbiotic partnership with IM after IM-1 helped the clothing company perfect its Omni-Heat Infinity insulation—a lightweight, breathable, heal-reflecting foil used in its winter jackets. On the first mission, IM applied it to one panel to buffer Odysseus’ cryogenic propellant tanks from extreme radiation and a 450-degree Fahrenheit temperature range. This time, it’s covering more of the lander packages. Columbia Insulation [Photo: Susan Karlin] “Columbia’s materials enabled a more cost-effective and nuanced method of thermal management than off-the-shelf aerospace materials from the Apollo missions,” says Haskell Beckham, Columbia’s VP of innovation. “We also learned that in space you typically have multilayers of installation. So, we took this information, brought it back to our lab in Portland, and made a jacket where we had the insulating layer, not only on the lining but also on the shelf fabric, which made it much warmer.” But wait, there’s more . . . Other commercial payloads include Dymon’s YAOKI rover, IM’s first Japanese commercial payload, that will capture images of the lunar surface. Lonestar Data Holdings is sending a data center that will test data transmission between Earth and the moon. The Florida start-up wants to establish a server system on the moon for extremely secure data storage for disaster recovery. After proving its software on IM-1, Lonestar will now test its ability to remotely load, store, and retrieve data from the server. Three satellites will hitch rideshares, deploying from Athena for other destinations. Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite will orbit the moon, mapping the water distribution on its surface. Astroforge’s Odin satellite may become the first commercial satellite in deep space when it sets out to image a near-Earth asteroid. Epic Aerospace Chimera, a chemical propulsion system to help payloads change orbit, will head to low Earth orbit. Creative culture It takes a little whimsy to pull off pioneering engineering. And IM’s self-described “battle-hardened” stance hasn’t disrupted its playful engineering nerd culture. Back at headquarters, cutouts of Star Wars characters grace the ceiling beams, while the Moon Racer LTV sports longhorns, a flourish spearheaded by CTO Tim Crain, a former Texas Longhorn football player. Part of its corporate mantra is serving as a space ambassador, by partnering with academics on science objectives, such as the University of Arizona on Hopper mission science; artists, like Jeff Koons, who flew a payload on IM-1; and STEM aspirants with student internships, such as those at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Altemus’ alma mater) and nearby San Jacinto Community College. “Before we flew to the moon, I think we had 20 people apply for our internships,” says Martin. “After we landed on the moon, we had 1,500 people apply. We found incredible young, bright minds to come and work here. Having art projects is a good way to encourage people outside of the aerospace world to imagine what can happen in space.” This mission, MIT has an art tie-in to its payloads, titled To the Moon to Stay. The first, HUMANS (an anagram of Humanity United with MIT Art and Nanotechnology in Space), was inspired by the Voyager Golden Record. It’s a 2-inch silicon wafer flying aboard MAPP that contains an etched recording of voices in numerous languages describing what space means for humanity. The other is a Lunar Mission Control installation at MIT Media Lab that’s a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative, which designed the 3D camera and AstroAnt aboard MAPP, MIT Architecture students, and Inploration, a Los Angeles space education and design lab. It consists of a lunar-inspired self-supporting half-dome with displays connecting the public to the MIT payloads through a short film, real-time views of the lunar surface and payload operators, and a VR experience that lets visitors interact with the software they use. Of course, it all depends on how you define art. Altemus, who comes from a family of painters, considers the mission itself a creative endeavor. “That’s a piece of art right there,” he says, motioning to the Hopper. “The people who can actually put that together are artists in their own right. It’s important that people understand the art of engineering. And the day I don’t feel that way, it’s time for me to go.” View the full article

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Salesforce and Google have announced a significant expansion of their partnership, integrating Google’s Gemini AI models into Agentforce and strengthening ties between Salesforce Service Cloud and Google Customer Engagement Suite. The move aims to enhance AI-powered customer service capabilities, providing businesses with more flexibility in deploying AI agents. With the integration of Google’s Gemini AI models, Agentforce agents will be able to process images, audio, and video, handle complex tasks using Gemini’s multi-modal capabilities, and leverage real-time insights from Google Search through Vertex AI. “Through our expanded partnership with Google Cloud and deep integrations at the platform, application, and infrastructure layer, we’re giving customers choice in the applications and models they want to use,” said Srini Tallapragada, Salesforce President & Chief Engineering and Customer Success Officer. Salesforce’s selection of Google Cloud as a major infrastructure provider will also allow enterprise customers to deploy Salesforce applications on Google Cloud’s AI-optimized infrastructure, streamlining operations with enhanced security and scalability. The integration between Salesforce Service Cloud and Google Customer Engagement Suite will introduce real-time voice translation, intelligent agent handoffs, personalized recommendations, and AI-driven conversational insights across multiple customer service channels. “Our mutual customers have asked us to be able to work more seamlessly across Salesforce and Google Cloud, and this expanded partnership will help them accelerate their AI transformations with agentic AI, state-of-the-art AI models, data analytics, and more,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. Generative AI Expands Business Applications By integrating Gemini into Agentforce, Salesforce users will gain access to: Multi-modal AI capabilities – Agents can process and interpret text, images, and audio, enhancing automation in industries such as insurance and logistics. Expanded contextual memory – A 2-million-token context window allows AI agents to retain and reference extensive information, improving accuracy and efficiency. Real-time automation – AI-powered workflows will enable businesses to streamline complex processes, reducing operational costs. For example, an insurance provider could use Agentforce with Gemini to analyze damage claims, interpret photos, and respond to customer inquiries via text-to-speech, accelerating claim resolutions. The Salesforce Platform, including Agentforce, Data Cloud, and Customer 360, will now operate on Google Cloud’s AI-optimized infrastructure, offering businesses greater flexibility and security. Features such as dynamic grounding, zero data retention, and toxicity detection will be integrated through Salesforce’s Einstein Trust Layer. Additionally, Salesforce customers will soon be able to purchase Salesforce solutions directly from the Google Cloud Marketplace, simplifying procurement processes and expanding deployment options. The partnership reflects the increasing adoption of AI in enterprise solutions, with Salesforce estimating that agentic AI represents a $2 trillion market opportunity. As businesses seek to implement AI-powered automation and customer service improvements, Salesforce and Google’s collaboration aims to provide the tools needed to drive innovation and efficiency. With Salesforce’s AI platform running on Google Cloud, organizations will have access to advanced AI capabilities, secure infrastructure, and an expanded marketplace—positioning them to compete in an increasingly AI-driven business landscape. This article, "Salesforce Expands Google Partnership, Bringing Gemini AI to Agentforce" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Salesforce and Google have announced a significant expansion of their partnership, integrating Google’s Gemini AI models into Agentforce and strengthening ties between Salesforce Service Cloud and Google Customer Engagement Suite. The move aims to enhance AI-powered customer service capabilities, providing businesses with more flexibility in deploying AI agents. With the integration of Google’s Gemini AI models, Agentforce agents will be able to process images, audio, and video, handle complex tasks using Gemini’s multi-modal capabilities, and leverage real-time insights from Google Search through Vertex AI. “Through our expanded partnership with Google Cloud and deep integrations at the platform, application, and infrastructure layer, we’re giving customers choice in the applications and models they want to use,” said Srini Tallapragada, Salesforce President & Chief Engineering and Customer Success Officer. Salesforce’s selection of Google Cloud as a major infrastructure provider will also allow enterprise customers to deploy Salesforce applications on Google Cloud’s AI-optimized infrastructure, streamlining operations with enhanced security and scalability. The integration between Salesforce Service Cloud and Google Customer Engagement Suite will introduce real-time voice translation, intelligent agent handoffs, personalized recommendations, and AI-driven conversational insights across multiple customer service channels. “Our mutual customers have asked us to be able to work more seamlessly across Salesforce and Google Cloud, and this expanded partnership will help them accelerate their AI transformations with agentic AI, state-of-the-art AI models, data analytics, and more,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. Generative AI Expands Business Applications By integrating Gemini into Agentforce, Salesforce users will gain access to: Multi-modal AI capabilities – Agents can process and interpret text, images, and audio, enhancing automation in industries such as insurance and logistics. Expanded contextual memory – A 2-million-token context window allows AI agents to retain and reference extensive information, improving accuracy and efficiency. Real-time automation – AI-powered workflows will enable businesses to streamline complex processes, reducing operational costs. For example, an insurance provider could use Agentforce with Gemini to analyze damage claims, interpret photos, and respond to customer inquiries via text-to-speech, accelerating claim resolutions. The Salesforce Platform, including Agentforce, Data Cloud, and Customer 360, will now operate on Google Cloud’s AI-optimized infrastructure, offering businesses greater flexibility and security. Features such as dynamic grounding, zero data retention, and toxicity detection will be integrated through Salesforce’s Einstein Trust Layer. Additionally, Salesforce customers will soon be able to purchase Salesforce solutions directly from the Google Cloud Marketplace, simplifying procurement processes and expanding deployment options. The partnership reflects the increasing adoption of AI in enterprise solutions, with Salesforce estimating that agentic AI represents a $2 trillion market opportunity. As businesses seek to implement AI-powered automation and customer service improvements, Salesforce and Google’s collaboration aims to provide the tools needed to drive innovation and efficiency. With Salesforce’s AI platform running on Google Cloud, organizations will have access to advanced AI capabilities, secure infrastructure, and an expanded marketplace—positioning them to compete in an increasingly AI-driven business landscape. This article, "Salesforce Expands Google Partnership, Bringing Gemini AI to Agentforce" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

PayPal has announced the launch of PayPal Open, a unified platform designed to streamline payments and financial services for businesses of all sizes. The new platform integrates all of PayPal’s merchant solutions under one system, allowing businesses to access payment processing, financial tools, and AI-driven insights through a single interface. PayPal Open aims to support businesses ranging from small enterprises to multinational corporations by simplifying commerce operations. With access to PayPal’s global network of up to 400 million active accounts, including 92 million active Venmo customers, merchants can leverage a broad consumer base to drive sales. “Our goal in developing PayPal Open is to create one unified commerce platform that supports the evolving needs of today’s merchants,” said Frank Keller, EVP, General Manager, Large Enterprise & Merchant Platforms Group, PayPal. “By partnering with PayPal, small businesses can seamlessly manage their cash flow with financial and payments solutions, while enterprise businesses can build custom solutions based on their unique business needs, PayPal Open will allow them to do so in one streamlined platform.” Key Features of PayPal Open The platform is designed to enhance commerce efficiency by offering: Payments Integration — Businesses can accept payments online and in-store through PayPal, Venmo, Fastlane, and Pay Later, while processing transactions through a single integration. Merchants can accept payments in over 140 currencies across more than 200 global markets. Growth Tools — Businesses can access financial resources, including lending solutions, business debit and credit offerings, and personalized commerce experiences powered by AI to attract and retain customers. AI-Driven Insights — Merchants can leverage AI-powered analytics to assess sales performance, identify trends, and optimize operations. PayPal reports that nearly 25% of global e-commerce transactions run through its platform, providing data-driven insights to enhance business strategies. PayPal Open also integrates with third-party commerce partners, allowing businesses to customize their payment infrastructure while maintaining access to PayPal’s security and fraud protection features. “PayPal Open will enable us to deliver innovation to our customers in the near-term while also preparing them for success in the future,” Keller said. “The platform will act as a framework where not only we, but others will be able to contribute solutions, ultimately providing these offerings to millions of merchants that are a part of the PayPal ecosystem.” PayPal Open will launch in the U.S. first, with expansion planned for the UK and Germany later in 2025. Additional markets will follow in 2026. This article, "PayPal Introduces PayPal Open, a Unified Payments and Growth Platform for Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

PayPal has announced the launch of PayPal Open, a unified platform designed to streamline payments and financial services for businesses of all sizes. The new platform integrates all of PayPal’s merchant solutions under one system, allowing businesses to access payment processing, financial tools, and AI-driven insights through a single interface. PayPal Open aims to support businesses ranging from small enterprises to multinational corporations by simplifying commerce operations. With access to PayPal’s global network of up to 400 million active accounts, including 92 million active Venmo customers, merchants can leverage a broad consumer base to drive sales. “Our goal in developing PayPal Open is to create one unified commerce platform that supports the evolving needs of today’s merchants,” said Frank Keller, EVP, General Manager, Large Enterprise & Merchant Platforms Group, PayPal. “By partnering with PayPal, small businesses can seamlessly manage their cash flow with financial and payments solutions, while enterprise businesses can build custom solutions based on their unique business needs, PayPal Open will allow them to do so in one streamlined platform.” Key Features of PayPal Open The platform is designed to enhance commerce efficiency by offering: Payments Integration — Businesses can accept payments online and in-store through PayPal, Venmo, Fastlane, and Pay Later, while processing transactions through a single integration. Merchants can accept payments in over 140 currencies across more than 200 global markets. Growth Tools — Businesses can access financial resources, including lending solutions, business debit and credit offerings, and personalized commerce experiences powered by AI to attract and retain customers. AI-Driven Insights — Merchants can leverage AI-powered analytics to assess sales performance, identify trends, and optimize operations. PayPal reports that nearly 25% of global e-commerce transactions run through its platform, providing data-driven insights to enhance business strategies. PayPal Open also integrates with third-party commerce partners, allowing businesses to customize their payment infrastructure while maintaining access to PayPal’s security and fraud protection features. “PayPal Open will enable us to deliver innovation to our customers in the near-term while also preparing them for success in the future,” Keller said. “The platform will act as a framework where not only we, but others will be able to contribute solutions, ultimately providing these offerings to millions of merchants that are a part of the PayPal ecosystem.” PayPal Open will launch in the U.S. first, with expansion planned for the UK and Germany later in 2025. Additional markets will follow in 2026. This article, "PayPal Introduces PayPal Open, a Unified Payments and Growth Platform for Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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The challenges businesses face today are increasingly unpredictable and interdependent. Traditional business structures were built for different times and different challenges. These models helped companies to scale and thrive in a more predictable world, where efficiency, clear hierarchies, and specialization were the keys to success. But as the world has evolved, so too have the conditions for innovation. In today’s fast-paced, globalized, and complex world, these outdated models actively hold teams back. Silos trap expertise—preventing the flow of fresh ideas—rigid hierarchies create bottlenecks that slow down decision making when speed is essential, and a lack of clear vision can drain energy and resources, leaving critical problems unsolved. These traditional models aren’t just inefficient—they actively stifle innovation, making it harder to succeed in this new, rapidly evolving environment. This stagnation is evident in the U.S. economy, where labor productivity growth has significantly slowed since 2005. To break out of this productivity slump, companies need to adopt new models and modes of working that cultivate innovation and can keep pace with the modern rate of change. Build a foundation for innovation At Whipsaw, collaboration is at the core of our ethos and process. It’s built into our very name—a whipsaw requires back-and-forth coordination between two operators to succeed. We know the best results come from continuous collaboration between our team and our clients—as well as the dynamic back-and-forth between design and engineering. For over two decades, we’ve crafted an environment where teams from all disciplines collaborate seamlessly to design beautiful, functional solutions to pressing problems. While speed is often critical, true innovation isn’t always a linear or efficient process. It thrives in the space between exploration and execution—where deep thinking, expansive exploration, and iteration are essential. We’ve learned that to achieve great results, teams need the time and space to experiment, make mistakes, and refine their ideas. We’ve been able to tackle complex challenges for our clients by designing a process that provides the time and creative space necessary for innovation while maintaining the momentum required to stay aligned with client deadlines. This approach ensures both exploration and execution happen at the right pace. We’ve developed a framework—clarity, collaboration, and confidence—to help businesses innovate while navigating today’s world. Here are three practical steps that can elevate your innovation process: 1. Start with clarity: Define the why Clarity is the foundation of any successful innovation effort. It ensures that everyone—internally and externally—understands the problem being solved and why it matters. But often, the only thing clear at the start of a project is the process itself. Navigating ambiguity is a natural part of the innovation journey. We guide our clients through that uncertainty by spending time during our discovery phase to clarify business, customer, market, and technological needs, helping internal and client teams align and move forward with a shared vision. 2. Nurture collaboration: Tap into collective expertise Collaboration is the engine of innovation. But it’s not just about bringing people together—it’s about creating an environment where diverse perspectives can thrive. We’ve learned from our work with clients that the best ideas emerge when cross-functional teams, clients, and end users are involved. We’ve built collaborative practices like co-creation workshops, stakeholder interviews, and design hootenannies—bringing fresh eyes from outside the project team to challenge assumptions and offer new perspectives—into our process to ensure our innovations are relevant and well-informed. It’s about avoiding silos, leveraging collective wisdom, and ensuring that all contributors are aligned toward a common goal. 3. Empower confidence: Give teams autonomy to act Innovation requires confidence—confidence in your team’s expertise, vision, and process. We’ve learned that autonomy is key to maintaining momentum. Teams need the freedom to make decisions and experiment without navigating endless approvals or rigid structures. But empowerment isn’t just about giving the team space to act; it’s about creating an environment where they feel safe to test ideas, fail fast, and adapt quickly. We’ve found success in cultivating a culture of empowerment and growth. While our teams have the autonomy to innovate, they are supported by leaders who know when to encourage exploration and when to provide key insights to drive the next stage of innovation—they guide teams past obstacles and help drive innovation forward, even amidst uncertainty. We’ve seen that this blend of autonomy and strategic guidance fuels creativity and accelerates decision making. Don’t be forced to follow innovation; lead it The businesses that win today aren’t just reacting to change—they’re driving it. Traditional models may have worked in the past, but those old systems will hold you back in today’s fast-moving, tech-driven, complex world. The path forward? Embrace clarity, collaboration, and confidence—three simple principles that have helped Whipsaw define new markets and create products with impact. So, if you’re looking to stay competitive in today’s evolving landscape, it’s time to foster the right culture, trust your teams, and create innovation built to last. Dan Harden is CEO and principal designer at Whipsaw. View the full article

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The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. As an amateur historian, I can say with certainty that technology has never embedded itself into society as rapidly as it has in the last decade. Today’s consumer relationship with technology is complicated and multifaceted—understanding that intersection is at the heart of everything we do as a company, and personally for me as Verizon’s Consumer CEO. Given our focus on the consumer, we publish an annual view of insights and trends that shed light on these relationships and the evolving role of technology in our lives, and this year’s Consumer Connections Report does just that. The report reflects our commitment to understanding and supporting the ways technology shapes our relationships, empowers our families, and enriches our daily experiences. It explores the interplay between digital and physical shopping experiences, and the growing reliance on home connectivity, as people use more and more smart home devices. And for the second year in a row, we look at how NFL fans showed up for their favorite teams, alongside the events and moments from the past year that connected us most as a society. What we learned: Limits reign: Parents and caregivers are using tech to monitor tech Parents are motivated to keep on top of their children’s use of technology. Our report reveals that they’re focused on social media apps like Tumblr, Whisper, and Snapchat the most. They’re also utilizing transitional options, like the Gizmo watch, which averages 3.3 million calls connecting parents and other caregivers with children each month. They can set content controls, block unwanted contacts, view text and call history, set usage limits, and more. That helps kids find their balance—learning to make smart, safe connectivity choices. Connectivity is where the heart is Home data use is on the rise. The average monthly data usage in 2024 across all Verizon Home Internet households was 656 GB, a 6% increase from 2023. People enjoy video and music streaming, gaming, videoconferencing, and smart home technologies that bring convenience, energy savings, and security. We know that to be true given that 18 is the average number of devices per Verizon Internet household. Customer experience is on demand Brick-and-mortar retail is returning to growth after pandemic-era slowdowns, indicating that in-store shopping provides a social and sensory experience that appeals to many consumers. We’re seeing the emergence of the “phygital economy,” which combines online and in-person in a single experience. Sixty-two percent of our customers’ purchases were made in a Verizon retail store. Most Verizon customers who use our in-store pickup service initiate their order online, and a growing number place the order over the phone. Go live from the game—it’s on 5G My company provides the 5G infrastructure for the NFL, which gives us insights into how fans are using their phones at games. Fans are increasingly creating and sharing their own game experience. They’re interacting with fellow fans via text, social media, and voice calls. They’re analyzing fantasy football matchups and checking scores. And they’re embracing AR and VR for on-site entertainment. In fact, average mobility (wireless) usage per game was 3.6 TB this season, a 37% increase over last season. The game with the most mobility usage? Giants at Cowboys. Video accounted for 25% of consumer data usage at NFL stadiums. That’s a lot of footage of the action. Other ways consumers use connectivity During the holidays, Americans are generating an enormous volume of calls, texts, and data to reach out. We studied data use at the airports over the winter holiday season, and found it rose to 17.7 million GB, and 28% of that was video. At the same time, many of us are also focusing more on connecting in person—and on balancing our access to the world around us with our attention to those in front of us. Indeed, on New Year’s Eve, the number of phone calls skyrocketed—it was the top holiday for phone calls—while on Christmas and Hanukkah, the number was muted. And that’s the point. Mobile devices connect us all to a world of opportunity, but don’t replace the world. Recognizing that truth is one of the keys to a healthier life. Sowmyanarayan Sampath is the CEO of Verizon Consumer. View the full article

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