Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 20

Why The “World’s First” AI-Powered Hotel May Be More Than Fancy Marketing

From the outside the Otonomus Hotel (pun probably intended) doesn’t really look much different from any other spot. The property just had their soft-launch before officially opening in April 2025, declaring themselves the “first true AI-powered hotel in the world.” I can already picture you rolling your eyes. Despite the cringe-worthy marketing hyperbole, there are some features the hotel has planned which could indeed offer a glimpse into a future normal for hotel stays we can all expect.

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The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Brave New Words by Sal Khan

Back in April of 2023, Sal Khan (founder of Khan Academy) did a TED talk with a timely title: How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education. It was near the start of what would soon become a full-blown debate about the role of AI in schools, whether kids are stunting their learning and intellect by using generative AI and what the future will look like if kids increasingly allow tools to do all their thinking. In this book, which was our pick for the Most Important Book of 2024 in the recent Non-Obv...

The Problem of Fake Job Postings

The Wall Street Journal published a piece this week about the rise in fake job postings online. The reasons for these range from some companies using those listings to try and appear larger or more successful than they are, to some that are fraudulently listed to try and capture data. There are even some organizations who are creating and then uncreating job openings after they fill part of it or decide they don’t want to hire after all.

There is a real human cost to these “ghost jobs” as hir...

What the Canadian Angst Over the Upcoming Trump Inauguration Can Teach Us

In days, President Trump will take office again and there is certainly some concern among the groups you would expect. One unusual source for some of the strongest angst is some of our neighbors from the North who have been swaying between terror and confusion over some of the soon-to-be-President’s most audacious plans for Canada. Bestselling author and student of history Dan Gardner offered an alarmist call to arms for his fellow Canadians on how Canada should respond to Trump. Popular YouTube...

The Brilliance of Costco’s New Plan to Build Apartments on Top of Their Stores

There is a housing shortage in many cities. And there’s a Costco in those cities. In an ambitious new project, the brand is working with LA-based developers Thrive Living to build a new 800-unit apartment complex in Baldwin Village, South Los Angeles, with a new Costco store occupying the ground floor. Nearly 25% of the apartments will be offered as low-income housing. I love the non-obvious thinking behind this idea. You have a store that is already occupying real estate. They provide many home...

The Slow Decline of Patriotic Branding (and Maybe National Pride Itself)

There was a time when patriotic branding was hot. That time seems to be over. According to an eye-opening new study from a sociologist at Northern Arizona University, brands that include the outline of the U.S. map or the American flag are on the decline. And this is not just happening in America—it’s becoming more common globally too. So what might this say about our future culture or the state of how people see their relationships to the places they live and call their homes?

National p...

The Non-Obvious Media Platform of the Week: Shelly Palmer Blog

Rather than sharing a book recommendation this week, I wanted to switch it up and share a media source that’s particularly timely right now. If you’re not familiar with Shelly Palmer, he is a tech commentator and overall insightful voice on the future of technology. At CES he hosts tours and often offers his own perspective on hits and misses from the show.

More significantly, throughout the year he posts details about the things that are happening in tech and has been very aggressive abo...

The Hottest Innovations and Tech from CES 2025 — Insights from the Ground

I’m very tempted to put together a “best innovations” list from the world’s largest tech trade show. I did one last year and I know that’s probably the biggest thing you want to know about my experience here at CES anyway. CNET, Engadget, WIRED, Tom’s Guide and lots of other tech media have already been releasing their picks for the best, most fun products and inventions. This year, I’ve been focusing my efforts on videos and will be releasing lots of the stories over the next few weeks. The peo...

Want To Help LA? Curb Your Schadenfreude

A billionaire posted a desperate tweet asking for private fire support to save his home … and he was attacked for it. Turns out this particular billionaire posted in the past about lowering property taxes and generally supports politicians who advocate for smaller government. Along with that smaller government and less taxes, though, there is less money to pay those brave firefighters who are currently overworked and underpaid yet still trying to save people’s homes and businesses.

Every ...

The Long Game of the Kardashians May Be Smarter Than You Think

Most of us know that reality TV is often heavily scripted and edited to tell an intentionally melodramatic story. Usually the on-screen participants have little to no control over how they are portrayed. The Kardashians have always been different. The family has frequently been criticized for having little talent and only being famous for being famous–the ultimate oxymoron. Yet over the past decade, the individual sisters from this “untalented” family have taken their fame and turned it into mul...