Despite what the headlines would have you believe, artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t new. The term and early technology date back to the 1950s, but generative AI (which emerged in the 2010s) is undeniably new terrain.
Can the creator economy stay afloat in a flood of AI slop?
Online creators and their business models were on our mind this week after mega-popular YouTuber MrBeast announced that his company is buying fintech startup Step, followed by Hollywood studios sending a flurry of cease-and-desist letters to ByteDance over the launch of its new video generation model Seedance 2.0. Those seemingly unconnected headlines suggest a media … Read more
My One-Word Eulogy – Leadership Freak
My One-Word Eulogy Poking fun at death relieves the tension. “After Wendell Phillips’s death, someone met Judge Hoar and asked him if he intended to attend the funeral. ‘No,’ answered the Judge, ‘I don’t; but I approve of it.’” NY Times 1885 My Eulogy A friend asked, “What two words would you love to hear … Read more
Sam Altman would like remind you that humans use a lot of energy, too
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed concerns about AI’s environmental impact this week while speaking at an event hosted by The Indian Express. For one thing, Altman — who was in India for a major AI summit — said concerns about AI’s water usage are “totally fake,” though he acknowledged it was a real issue when … Read more
Runlayer is now offering secure OpenClaw agentic capabilities for large enterprises
OpenClaw, the open source AI agent that excels at autonomous tasks on computers and which users can communicate with through popular messaging apps, has undoubtedly become a phenomena since its launch in November 2025, and especially in the last few months. Lured by the promise of greater business automation, solopreneurs and employees of large enterprises … Read more
Leading Thoughts for February 19, 2026
Leading Thoughts for February 19, 2026 IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Nicole Vignola on self-talk: “If you tell yourself you’re having a bad day, your brain will find ways to reinforce that belief, and you’ll … Read more
14 GEO Conferences to Attend in 2026
Whether you call it GEO, AEO, LLMO, or SEO for AI search, it is a field that barely existed two years ago. Now, it commands its own conference circuit, operating alongside dozens of dozens of established SEO and marketing conferences that have added substantial AI search tracks. Here’s a roundup of all the GEO and GEO-adjacent … Read more
Remember HQ? ‘Quiz Daddy’ Scott Rogowsky is back with TextSavvy, a daily mobile game show
Scott Rogowsky is a comedian — he knows how to make fun of himself. That’s how he ended up roaming New York City Comic Con with his own photo printed out like a “Wanted” poster, filming himself asking strangers, “Have you seen this man?” These passersby showed a flicker of recognition, looking at the tall, … Read more
Smart is Time-Specific – Leadership Freak
Smart is Time-Specific Yesterday’s smarts are today’s stupidity. No one intentionally chooses stupid. What looks smart behind your desk often looks stupid in the real world. From Smart to Stupid Brilliance becomes stupid when seasons change. What worked in the past tears you down in the present. Promoting from within protects culture. It’s destructive when … Read more
An AI data center boom is fueling Redwood’s energy storage business
A year ago, Redwood Materials didn’t have an energy storage business. Now, it is the fastest-growing unit within the battery recycling and materials startup — a reflection of an AI data center building boom. The evidence of that growth, the company says, can be found at its R&D lab in San Francisco, which has expanded … Read more