If you guaged by the headlines, you might swear that we have one of three problems:
- The youths are terrible workers who only care about sitting on their phones at home. (Thanks, Nike.)
- AI is going to run the world, so you better quick pander to the giant platforms that are going to monetize your breathing patterns and heart palpitations.
- The former president is on trial for something.
The irony (or not-so-irony) is that none of this does anything for the real problems you face, all while obfuscating what's really happening.
The real trendlines for businesses I support are similar but meaningfully different:
- Rising young talent is remarkably aware of the pitfalls of the internet, wants to do great work, and can't find employers that understand its the 21st century.
- AI is a ruse for cool gimmicks that might be useful here and there, but the real work is happening in how we network, who we know, and who we can Snap or Slack when we need them.
- The 20th century and the leaders it created are on trial. And the current economy is stacking up evidence against their standing assumptions.
There's good news on all of these fronts in this week's FWD. Looking ... ahem... forward to hearing your thoughts on:
- Trusting Gen Z
- How to lose clients and talent all at the same time
- The wors sales job in America
- A long-overdue divorce between Big Tech and Big Media, now let's divvy the assets.
