Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another:

• Product-Led AI – Greylock. “The safest bet in a goldrush is backing the people who make the pickaxes. And in the AI world, it’s companies like OpenAI and nVidia who’ve flourished. But at some point, someone’s going to strike gold. This contrarian take from Greylock has an interesting perspective from one of the world’s leading VC firms. Their thesis is that AI products will unseat incumbents, just as collaboration allowed companies like Figma to change how we worked together. What might that mean? Imagine a career coaching app that helps you be a better worker — with deep, personal insight into your personality — and how much better it would be at placing you in the perfect job.” (Alistair for Hugh).
  
• Tacos, dumplings, bagels: the complicated politics of food emoji – Vox. “As a Montrealer, I feel we were overruled. The new bagel emoji is puffy and boring, replacing a leaner one that was, dare I say, closer to the only real bagels on the planet: Those from our home town. Here’s a story of food emoji wars, which people (including me) clearly take it far too seriously.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• This extreme star might have huge tidal waves – ScienceNews. “Star with plasma waves 3.3 million kilometers tall.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• Centaurs and Cyborgs on the Jagged Frontier – One Useful Thing. “Stanford’s Ethan Mollick seems all over the place these days in my various feeds. Here’s a multidisciplinary intense study of the impact of ChatGPT 4 on work at a high level consulting firm. Short answer: Get ye to your AI tools.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• How old is too old? – Robert Reich. “As I look south at the next Presidential election cycle, I can’t stop shaking my head. It’s not about blue or red… it’s more about… well, if I am to be honest… the age of these politicians. I’m about as far from an ageist as you can get and yet… well… I’m being a total ageist. And I don’t like that about myself, but the video clips keep rolling in and it’s hard to watch. I can’t see how anyone would want an 80+ year old white male to hold this role… and then I realize there are others… many others in government who should also step aside. So, is this really about ageism or efficacy? I guess I can blur the two, but in the many instances that I’m seeing in the news, I am just angry. It’s less about age and more about ’new blood’. New thinking… diverse thinking… that kind of want. This piece grounded my thinking. It made me think differently. How old is too old? How about you?” (Mitch for Alistair).
• The twisted story of how bottled water took over the world – Fast Company. “Also known as the greatest marketing strategy ever created. We managed to convince (almost) everybody that tap water is not good, while – at the same – using tap water to fill these bottles and package them up into different brands. This is a wild ride that will force you to look in the mirror and realize that (almost) all of your purchasing decisions are deeply tied to your sense of self (and this includes your self-esteem). Choice? Freedom? Individualism? Nice try. Here’s how ’they’ (the marketers) get you… and me… and what it does to people in other countries… Care to grab a can of Liquid Death and dive into this one with me?” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

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