Silicon Valley faces decline, air pollution is harming our intelligence, and more top insights

During the week, the Daily Rundown brings you the day’s trending professional news. On the weekend, we try to keep you current on the big ideas that can help you see what’s coming. Read on and join the conversation.

Is Silicon Valley breaking apart? The region’s prohibitive cost of living is sending startups and workers packing. According to The Economist, 46% of Bay Area residents say they plan to leave the area in the next few years, up from 34% in 2016. But switching cities may not help startups enough. The dominance of behemoths like Alphabet and Facebook has made it much harder for young companies from all over to raise capital and attract workers. Initial financing rounds declined by 22% between 2012 and 2017. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Jobs that will keep the robots at bay. The statistics are disconcerting: 800 million people are expected to lose their jobs due to automation by 2030, according to McKinsey. But not all is lost, says Tom Pickersgill, who runs AI-powered staffing firm Broadstone. Positions that call for a human touch — therapists, teachers, nannies — are likely safe. Gigs that require manual dexterity, like barbers, will likely remain with the sentient. And those who get by on creative and emotional expression — artists and singers — will keep plugging along. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Air pollution is dumbing us down, according to study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers found that exposure to toxic air could wield an average loss of one year's worth of education. The study, which was conducted in China, found that air pollution affects the cognitive performance of all age groups, though its effects were most pronounced for those over 64 years old. Air pollution is responsible for 7 million deaths a year, according to The Guardian. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

The ‘invisible hand’ may be visible after all. Instead of Adam Smith’s unobservable force, researchers at Michigan State argue that markets reach equilibrium thanks to the handiwork of party-crashing interlopers. The researchers assert that markets of any kind tend to include a stable group of participants who offer each other special deals. After too many favors, though, prices become distorted. Enter a disruptor — a third party who delivers a better offer to one of the participants, breaking up the insiders’ club and balancing the market out. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Storms may soon give us drinking water. Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed an “engineered sand” that can convert stormwater running through streets into safe drinking water. The material, which is made of garden-variety sand and two kinds of manganese, can break down or remove organic pollutants that often show up in stormwater, like herbicides. Such an approach could turn stormwater — often considered a nuisance — into a saving grace for water-strapped regions like southern California. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea:  The longer you wait to take a vacation, the harder it becomes to separate from the daily grind. But, as executive coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders writes, such separation anxiety is a key signal that it’s time to rediscover life beyond work for a while.

“There’s something wonderfully freeing about realizing the world can and will keep turning without you. Completely stepping away from work for a time gives us the gift of perspective.”

Want to get ahead at work? Looking for advice from the pros? Share your burning career questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll get experts to weigh in.

— Scott Olster