Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 51

Dr. Karl Moore On Leadership And Business Across Generations – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #894 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

When you live in a city like Montreal, you often get introduced to people who have both “done the work” and are eager to stay connected. A long while back, I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Karl Moore. And, over the years, we have become friends who often run into one another on the streets of Montreal. With a distinguished position at McGill University‘s Desautels Faculty of Management and over 25 years as a Fellow at the University of Oxford, Dr. Karl Moore is no stranger to the leadership pulse of today’s world. His interaction with CEOs and the new-gen leaders, the millennials and Gen Zs, is not just cursory — it’s insightful. Karl’s exploration into the world of CEOs started with his Ph.D., leading him to study leadership dynamics and strategic evolution. His McGill MBA course, CEO Insights, has become a unique conduit for 31 CEOs to share wisdom each fall, morphing over eight years into the highly-acclaimed The CEO Series on Bell Media‘s CJAD radio station. These engaging one-on-one interviews with prominent CEOs find their way into Forbes and Les Affaires, magnifying his reach and insight. Having collaborated with the legendary Henry Mintzberg for two decades on various leadership programs and having seasoned his expertise with eleven years at IBM and Hitachi, Karl’s journey into academia reflects depth and innovation. His five-year faculty stint at Oxford’s Said Business School adds another rich layer to his profile. Karl recently published his tenth book, Ok Boomers – Working with Millennials and Zs – a discerning look into the dynamic between generations in leadership. His subsequent work, We Are All Ambiverts Now, based on over 750 interviews with C-suite executives, promises to continue the conversation. His recent talk at Harvard and annual teaching at Stanford stand as testimonials to his profound impact on business thinking. Karl’s nomination for the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Awards in the Leadership Category acknowledges him as a leading thinker in his field. In the panorama of business leadership and academia, Karl stands as a thought leader, bridging generational insights and pioneering change. Let’s dig deep into the world of business, our economy and culture. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #894 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #894 – Dr. Karl Moore On Leadership And Business Across Generations

Welcome to episode #894 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #894. When you live in a city like Montreal, you often get introduced to people who have both “done the work” and are eager to stay connected. A long while back, I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Karl Moore. And, over the years, we have become friends who often run into one another on the streets of Montreal. With a distinguished position at McGill University‘s Desautels Faculty of Management and over 25 years as a Fellow at the University of Oxford, Dr. Karl Moore is no stranger to the leadership pulse of today’s world. His interaction with CEOs and the new-gen leaders, the millennials and Gen Zs, is not just cursory — it’s insightful. Karl’s exploration into the world of CEOs started with his Ph.D., leading him to study leadership dynamics and strategic evolution. His McGill MBA course, CEO Insights, has become a unique conduit for 31 CEOs to share wisdom each fall, morphing over eight years into the highly-acclaimed The CEO Series on Bell Media‘s CJAD radio station. These engaging one-on-one interviews with prominent CEOs find their way into Forbes and Les Affaires, magnifying his reach and insight. Having collaborated with the legendary Henry Mintzberg for two decades on various leadership programs and having seasoned his expertise with eleven years at IBM and Hitachi, Karl’s journey into academia reflects depth and innovation. His five-year faculty stint at Oxford’s Said Business School adds another rich layer to his profile. Karl recently published his tenth book, Ok Boomers – Working with Millennials and Zs – a discerning look into the dynamic between generations in leadership. His subsequent work, We Are All Ambiverts Now, based on over 750 interviews with C-suite executives, promises to continue the conversation. His recent talk at Harvard and annual teaching at Stanford stand as testimonials to his profound impact on business thinking. Karl’s nomination for the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Awards in the Leadership Category acknowledges him as a leading thinker in his field. In the panorama of business leadership and academia, Karl stands as a thought leader, bridging generational insights and pioneering change. Let’s dig deep into the world of business, our economy and culture. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:00:06.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Professor Karl Moore.Ok Boomers – Working with Millennials and Zs.We Are All Ambiverts Now,.The CEO Series.Follow Karl on LinkedIn.Follow Karl on Twitter or X.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #894.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #687

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: 

Now is the time for grimoires – One Useful Thing . “I love this framing of generative AI — prompts as spell-books, where closely guarded strings of text drag the Large Language Model to somewhere in latent space that the answer already exists. Ethan Mollick clarifies this: ‘I don’t mean expert prompts… I mean the prompts of experts – prompts that encode our hard-earned expertise in ways that AI can help other people apply.’ Like a Wizard handing someone a scroll, so they can incant on their own. ‘What I would really like to see is large-scale public libraries of prompts, written by known experts and tested carefully for different audiences.’” (Alistair for Hugh). Celebrating Marginal Revolution’s 20th Anniversary – Conversations With Tyler . “Launched in August 2003, Marginal Revolution has been an economics blog for 20 years. In that time, it’s dived into technology, society, and more, and has some very famous people as its fans. We think we’ve done well with these weekly Six Links, but this team has written multiple blog posts a day. I think you’ll enjoy this retrospective on 20 years of thinking aloud online.” (Alistair for Mitch and video is below).  Parking spots are turned into people space as a Lakeview garage becomes an apartment complex – Streets Blog Chicago . “Not sure why I’m so interested in building reuse/repurposing as a topic, but there are a number of forces transforming our world, maybe: Housing costs are way too high, there is a policy imperative to reduce automobile use in a continued effort to reduce carbon emissions, and finally (maybe) there is a long-term towards less office space needs as more people can work from home. It’s not clear that transforming parking buildings into expensive apartments is the answer — and this article outlines some of the challenges — but I guess there’s a lot more transformation to come in housing and building use over the next decades.” (Hugh for Alistair).   Ane Brun – Big In Japan (Alphaville Cover) – TV Noir . “Remember Alphaville, the 80s German synthpop group and their hit ‘Big In Japan’? Here’s Sweden’s Ane Brun with a scorching cover that I can’t stop listening to.” (Hugh for Mitch and video is below). The Bill C-18 Regulation Fake-Out: Setting the Record Straight on When Bill C-18 Takes Effect and the Regulation Making Process – Michael Geist . “I’m not sure if this is what people mean when they talk about ‘a hill worth dying on’, but I do find myself writing, commenting and trying to help everyone understand what, exactly, is going on in Canada between the legacy media companies, the government and Big Tech. The mass media narrative (along with the government’s patter) is that Meta (which includes Facebook and Instagram) are blocking the news, and that this is dangerous for Canadians and democracy. When, in fact, they are not blocking the news. They are blocking links out of Facebook to news media sites (this is not the same thing). If you’re not familiar with the issues, check out this link from the always brilliant, fair and balanced, Michael Geist (who is, truly, a credible source in a world filled with noise). I’ve also done my best to tackle the issue here: Big Tech, Big Media, Big Trouble And Big Lies. This issue really gets under my skin. I’m hoping it starts to do the same for you.” (Mitch for Alistair). On the Difficulty of Getting Rid of Books – LitHub . “There is a line in this article that really resonated with me: ‘I never want to get rid of any books. I don’t get rid of them, per se; rather, I set them afloat, in search of new homes.’ I’m fortunate to have a lot of space (home and office) and still, unapologetically, buy books (new, used… you name it). I. Just. Can’t. Stop. And, as I reflect on my bookshelves and this article, I realize how I have zero issue ridding myself of other printed goods (magazines, etc.). Still, there’s something about books. I often feel bad when I see a book in a used book shop that deserves a better fate than sitting on that shelf. I’ll buy it and give it to someone that I know will appreciate it. The way people rescue cats or dogs is the way I think about books. How about you?” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Big Tech, Big Media, Big Trouble And Big Lies

It takes a lot for me to both get angry and publish about it.

Canada’s Online News Act (aka Bill C-18) has sent me down the social media rabbit hole battling both journalists, credible thought leaders, friends, and trolls.
What’s the saying? “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

For context on the law and what’s been happening, here’s my initial take: Clickbait And Switch – Canada’s Big Tech Showdown.
But, as usual, Michael Geist (Canadian academic, the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa and a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society) really nails the entire issue right here: The Bill C-18 Regulation Fake-Out: Setting the Record Straight on When Bill C-18 Takes Effect and the Regulation Making Process.

Before digging into what’s pissing me off, let me make some larger points that are not up for debate in my frustration, but need to be addressed as well (as separate issues from Bill C-18):

I am not a Facebook or social media apologist. For all of the great things this technology has added to the world, there are an equal amount of bad things… really bad things.Meta/Facebook/Instagram and many of the other social media platforms must deal with their user’s data. How it is managed, used, and sold.I believe in good government. I do not take sides based on my political leanings (in fact, I often find myself really challenged to choose a political party over a specific politician).I believe, deeply, in the power of journalism, journalists and their importance to our community and democracy. My professional career started in journalism/publishing/media long before there was a commercialized Internet.I will always fight for and support local news/media, and for it’s independence and importance.Social Media platforms have a big challenge when it comes to compensating creators. Those creators can be big media companies, people, me or influencers. Whether or not creators should be compensated directly from these platforms or via the advertising, sales, etc. that happens from that content is not something I have fully reconciled. I create a ton of content “for free” because I see it as a promotional tool that leads to other opportunities (for me, that would be sales on ThinkersOne, speaking opportunities, investment opportunities, more media appearances, etc.).

So, what grinds my gears about everything that is going on?

News outlets are claiming that they are the trusted news sources that people turn to, and having their news blocked on Meta/Facebook is an erosion of democracy. The news is not being blocked. The media companies are saying they are trusted sources of truth, but countless articles are either mis-representing the law, or simply lying/trying to scare their customers into believing that they are the victims here. The entire business model of media and advertising is the exact opposite of what this law represents. The example I have been using is this: You sell cars. I refer someone to you as a customer. You then turn around and want me to pay you for bringing in the customer. No, it’s the other way around (see: affiliate marketing). Always. These media companies should be thrilled that so many citizens are creating, commenting and sharing their news links on Facebook and driving more attention, traffic, advertising revenue and subscriptions to their websites. With that, yes, Facebook does benefit from these links and engagement on their platform. This can be true while they’re also sending traffic, advertising and more revenue to other websites.Journalists are now posting screenshots or copy & paste versions of their work. This will only weaken their individual, personal brands, and ultimately hurt their ability for their content to reach a broader audience. As usual, it’s the journalists who will, ultimately, suffer the most from the government’s new law.People are confusing links and repurposed content with news being blocked/removed. Sharing a link or teasing out an article then including a link to another website are not the same thing. The news is not being blocked. It’s readily available on the media company’s website and other social media platforms and websites, you simply can’t link to it or share it on Facebook. So, you can discuss and debate any news item or share emergency information, you simply cannot link to a news website about it. News, sadly, is not as big as people think it is. In terms of Facebook’s content, news links account for well under 5% of their content (the rest is user generated content). So, slanting this conversation to be about the end of democracy and freedom is a massive over-exaggeration, in a world where over 95% of the Facebook population never even share a link to a news story.The government created a law, making it illegal to share a news link (or repurposed content) without paying the source. Facebook decided that it would rather their users not share these links, and now the government is forcing/asking/begging them to do this. Big Tech is both portrayed as a monster that is hoovering up Canada’s advertising revenue, while then being called essential players in maintaining public safety. Talk about government rhetoric. Plus, we can’t discount how much the media companies already profit from the use of these platforms to increase their traffic and their income.Many people will then surrender with thinking like: “We should block/ban Facebook entirely”… or “Facebook is dying anyways”… or “they’ve gotten away with these antics for too long.” As a reminder (and this is via the Quartz article: Facebook passed 3 billion users for the first time): “Facebook… exceeded 3 billion monthly active users for the first time, its parent company Meta reported today (July 26, 2023) in its second-quarter financial results… user base growing by 3% since this time last year… 11% growth in revenue… most of which comes from advertising.” That’s just Facebook not the other Meta properties. And, yes, that is their business model: Ads against the content… just like other media companies. If everyone in Canada blocked Facebook it would have very little impact on their business. Facebook is not dying or even close to life-support.There’s also this data point that Google and Meta earn 80% of all digital ad revenue in Canada (over $10 billion a year), and that Facebook pays hardly any taxes. This is very mis-leading. The percentage of that revenue based on news links or repurposed content is probably closer to 2% (maybe less). But, here’s the bigger point: Why did the Canadian government wait until July 2021 to impose a tax on corporations providing digital services? Should we blame Facebook and Google for this too? In 2021, Facebook paid $4.5 billion in corporate taxes globally, and long before that, the Canadian government were (and still are) active advertisers on the platform and, of course, heavy users of social media as well. I’m not questioning whether Big Tech is paying enough in taxes, I am asking if they are paying what is required of them by current law? And, based on the news, it doesn’t seem like any of these companies have been audited or considered off-side in regards to paying their taxes in Canada.

As I wrote in my article above:

Was there a back-and-forth on how everyone can work together in a more equitable way?
Maybe put the “links-for-money” model aside, and ask Big Tech to help fund more journalism or other kinds of mutually beneficial modeling?
Maybe help Canadian media outlets generate more traffic?

While many are making this either political or about how businesses should grow and how taxation should work, those still feel like distractions from the actual truth, which is this: Legacy media companies have been struggling for a long while, government bailouts might be required, and these two entities seem to be looking for a monetary solution beyond their own four walls.

If these organizations are laying out the case that handouts and bailouts needs to happen because of the truth that they provide to our society, I’d recommend that they look in the mirror first.

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Robert Glazer On Elevating Yourself (And Your Team) – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #893 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

Founder and Chairman of Acceleration Partners, Robert Glazer, has become a significant figure in the realm of global partner marketing. With a knack for entrepreneurship and a passion for excellence, he led his company to a recognizable position in the industry, establishing best-in-class processes for client acquisition, retention, culture, and service. Under Bob’s leadership, Acceleration Partners achieved an annual growth rate of 30% over 10 years, receiving over 25 industry and company culture awards. Bob’s portfolio includes extensive experience in digital monetization, customer acquisition, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer marketing. He has been instrumental on both the buyer and seller side of M&A and served as a board advisor to several high-growth companies. He extends his influence beyond the corporate sphere through his popular weekly inspirational newsletter, Friday Forward, reaching over 300,000 individuals across 60+ countries. Bob’s voice resonates as the author of six books, and he hosts the Elevate Podcast. In a world where individuals often pay for things with regrets, Bob exemplifies a disciplined approach. His combination of professional innovation, thoughtful leadership, and personal integrity stands as a beacon in today’s business landscape, embodying a legacy of transformative success. His story encourages us all to strive for continuous growth, both in our careers and personal lives, fostering a strong sense of empathy and community-driven success. His latest book, Elevate Your Team – Empower Your Team To Reach Their Full Potential and Build A Business That Builds Leaders, is the sequel to Elevate. Bob shares his professional journey and realization at Acceleration Partners during its rapid growth. He provides a playbook for navigating the delicate balance of improving team performance, retaining talent, and nurturing future leaders without inducing burnout. The book serves as a manual for the new era of leadership, focusing on building people rather than wearing them out. It offers actionable strategies to help leaders enhance their skills and enables their teams to reach full potential, creating a results-oriented, learning-driven culture that adapts to the company’s ever-evolving growth needs. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #893 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #893 – Robert Glazer On Elevating Yourself (And Your Team)

Welcome to episode #893 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #893. Founder and Chairman of Acceleration Partners, Robert Glazer, has become a significant figure in the realm of global partner marketing. With a knack for entrepreneurship and a passion for excellence, he led his company to a recognizable position in the industry, establishing best-in-class processes for client acquisition, retention, culture, and service. Under Bob’s leadership, Acceleration Partners achieved an annual growth rate of 30% over 10 years, receiving over 25 industry and company culture awards. Bob’s portfolio includes extensive experience in digital monetization, customer acquisition, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer marketing. He has been instrumental on both the buyer and seller side of M&A and served as a board advisor to several high-growth companies. He extends his influence beyond the corporate sphere through his popular weekly inspirational newsletter, Friday Forward, reaching over 300,000 individuals across 60+ countries. Bob’s voice resonates as the author of six books, and he hosts the Elevate Podcast. In a world where individuals often pay for things with regrets, Bob exemplifies a disciplined approach. His combination of professional innovation, thoughtful leadership, and personal integrity stands as a beacon in today’s business landscape, embodying a legacy of transformative success. His story encourages us all to strive for continuous growth, both in our careers and personal lives, fostering a strong sense of empathy and community-driven success. His latest book, Elevate Your Team – Empower Your Team To Reach Their Full Potential and Build A Business That Builds Leaders, is the sequel to Elevate. Bob shares his professional journey and realization at Acceleration Partners during its rapid growth. He provides a playbook for navigating the delicate balance of improving team performance, retaining talent, and nurturing future leaders without inducing burnout. The book serves as a manual for the new era of leadership, focusing on building people rather than wearing them out. It offers actionable strategies to help leaders enhance their skills and enables their teams to reach full potential, creating a results-oriented, learning-driven culture that adapts to the company’s ever-evolving growth needs. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 57:09.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Robert Glazer,.Elevate Your Team – Empower Your Team To Reach Their Full Potential and Build A Business That Builds Leaders.Elevate.Friday Forward.Elevate Podcast.Acceleration Partners.Follow Bob on LinkedIn.Follow Bob on Instagram.Follow Bob on Twitter or X.This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #893.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #686

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: 

Calculators – Flickr . “Before the high-polish ads for Androids and iPhones, before even the Motorola flip-phone thirst-traps and Nokia N95 FOMO ads, calculators were an indispensable business tool. And they competed on brand and design; some even became status symbols. This Flickr album from Greg Maletic documents some the many designs from a byegone era. Love me some minimalist bakelite.” (Alistair for Hugh). Charanjit Singh: 2014 – REProduce – YouTube . “There’s a subgenre of EDM called Acid House. It was popularized by Josh Wink, and it has a very distinctive sound — made by playing with the frequency and resonance knobs on a Roland 303 bass emulator. But it turns out that long before Wink’s Higher Consciousness, an Indian composer named Charanjit Singh hooked a keyboard up to a synth, laid down a disco beat, and played traditional ragas, releasing them as Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat in 1982. Here’s a short documentary about him playing live decades later.” (Alistair for Mitch). The Climate Benefits of a Four-Day Workweek – Future Planet – BBC . “Pressbooks became a four day workweek company last year, and it’s been largely extremely positive. We’ve seen a marked improvement in overall employee satisfaction and wellbeing, reduced burnout risks, and either no impact on productivity, or perhaps even a slight increase. We’ve also, apparently, done one little bit of good for climate change.” (Hugh for Alistair).  India Overtakes China as the World’s Most Populous Country – Information Is Beautiful . “Delightfully clear visualization of where all the people live.” (Hugh for Mitch). Canadian news is seriously fudged. Here’s why – Michelle Rempel Garner . “This link was sent to me via my friend, Mitch Lafon. It’s a deep and clear explanation of why Canadians can no longer see or even post any news items in Canada on Meta (Facebook, Instagram, etc.). It’s looking like Google might even remove news sources for Canadians in their search results as well. This has to be one of the biggest mis-steps from the Canadian government and the traditional media lobbyists. It is so frustrating to me, that I find it hard to contain myself. Here’s a link to my overview of the problem for those who don’t know about this new law (Bill C-18 aka as The Online News Act). In short, the Canadian government is forcing Google, Meta (and others) to pay media publishers for links or repurposed content (while, at the same time, Big Tech does not share in/get any of the advertising or subscription revenues that is generated from this referral traffic). With that, Meta made the call to no longer display/share news to their Canadian users (and, yes, this includes all news… not just the content created in Canada). My only analogy for this madness is: You sell cars. I refer someone to you as a customer. You then turn around and want me to pay you for bringing in the customer. Does journalism need protection? It does. Should Big Tech be a part of this solution? They should. Is this law the answer? Absolutely not.” (Mitch for Alistair).  Twitter begins throttling all links to Threads, Instagram, news outlets, and more – 9To5 Mac . “This story isn’t even connected to the one above, but together you can begin to get a sense of how worrisome the state of information might be. Now, this is just Elon Musk doing what he does, but if you can’t put the pieces of this strange puzzle together, let me help you out: If the owners of the main social media platforms no longer want people to share news links and have all of that traffic go off of their platform, we will need to take a serious look at how we get trusted information and news to the citizens of this world. All of this is making me really edgy… can you tell?” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

WebEx-pectations – Are We Still Zooming Into The Future Of Work?

When we started ThinkersOne, it was clear to us that the use of video and video chat tools in meetings was a permanent change.

This has come to pass.
I don’t know what we call “work” these days, but it’s more of a hybrid model than ever before.
Not for everyone… but for a much larger percentage of the population.
Business travel seems to be coming back.

The rules of work are changing.

With that, it seems (no scientific data here) that people are shifting back to voice-only calls when possible (usually for one-to-one meetings).
If we were getting Zoom’d out during the pandemic…
We might be feeling it even more now.
Video chat tools like Zoom, Teams, WebEx, etc. promised to change the way we work.
This week, The Verge published this article:

The video call revolution is dead.

The promise of what could be with video and work has not evolved.

According to the article:

“Three years ago, video chat appeared set to revolutionize the way we work. All we actually got was slightly better video chat… the actual experience of video chat is maybe in its most boring state ever. Now that many people are gathering as they did before the pandemic started (even Zoom is demanding that some employees come back to the office), the market is largely run by tech giants and the pace of new and interesting features has slowed to practically nothing. This is the case with many tech changes brought on by the pandemic, but video was supposed to be the one that stuck around.”

So, is it really about a stagnant technology or the content that takes place in the meeting?

It’s probably a little bit of both.
It’s hard to deny just how much video technology helped us with work, family and friends (and continues to do so).
The digital connections video meetings fostered were essential, bridging geographical gaps in business, education, and personal relationships.

Maybe The Verge and others are misjudging the situation?

Maybe the perceived stagnation reflects maturation rather than failure.
Though the industry’s evolution may seem slow, features like virtual reality, augmented reality and what’s coming with Apple Vision Pro are hinting at an underlying transformation.
A focus on stability and usability may indicate a gradual shift rather than an immediate revolution.
We also can’t understate how the normalization of video communication has altered the professional landscape, offering flexibility and remote opportunities but blurring the lines between work and personal life.
While enhancing convenience, the reliance on technology also raises questions about its effect on workplace dynamics and human interaction.
There’s a need for more empathy and human-centric design in our digital tools… and the content.
So, while The Verge (and others) might see missed opportunities and wasted investments, others (like me… and what we’re doing at ThinkersOne) recognize a subtle transformation that continues to unfold.
The challenge is to understand how we leverage this technology to enhance our digital lives without losing our essential human connections (think valuable content and timing).

What do you think?

What is Tech Tuesday?

Every Tuesday – for just a few minutes – I join Heather Backman (my old buddy from her days on CHOM FM and Jack 103) on the air at 95.9 Star FM to give a quick blast about the current state of technology, media and Internet culture.
We call it Tech Tuesday (and we do it in just a few minutes).

Once the segment goes live on 95.9 Star FM, I will post it here for you to listen in, learn, share and engage.

Mitch Joel · WebEx-pectations – Are We Still Zooming Into The Future Of Work?

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Plot Twist! Authors Battle Against AI-Penned Forgeries

As if the book publishing and retail industry hasn’t had enough disruption and challenges since Amazon opened its digital doors in 1995.

Most recently, author Jane Friedman (and others) uncovered a disturbing trend: Artificial intelligence is now “writing” unauthorized books, sold under their name on Amazon and promoted via Goodreads (owned by Amazon).
It’s a stark reality that happened before AI, and is only amplified as AI can pump out these kind of “books” at an alarming speed and scale.
Jane, whose work I know and love via her newsletter, Electric Speed, is sounding the alarm.
Someone is harnessing AI to emulate her voice, and these machine-generated books are appearing on Amazon’s platforms (and they’re good… but not good enough).

Let’s pause and absorb the gravity of this.

AI is not merely influencing the way we conduct business or interact with technology, it has entered the sanctum of creativity and authenticity without having to bend to any of the copyright and AI laws that humans are beholden to.
This is not a novel occurrence (pardon the pun), though its scale is unprecedented.
Historically, the transformation of blog posts, articles, and other content into books has been a recurring theme (thieves of content is nothing new).
Protecting foreign rights and intellectual property has been a taxing endeavor for authors and book publishers for decades.
With diverse international copyright laws, authors have been grappling with unauthorized duplications and sales of their books.
I experienced this (and still do) with my two books, Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete.
ChatGPT and other AI engines now possess the capacity to mimic an author’s unique style if that content resides online (or through a clever prompt).

It’s a sobering thought and that should prompt us to consider the very fabric of authorship, originality and what to do next.

What if I decided to allow AI to write in my style and prose, so instead of having my work AI-created by someone else, I simply did it myself?
Is this any different than some of the celebrity authors who use ghostwriters (or even as co-writers) to pump out multiple novels a year?
Amazon’s responsibility in this matter is constrained.
Expecting the tech giant to monitor every author and their respective rights would be unrealistic and unfeasible.
The publishing industry is fluid, with authors frequently changing publishers or opting for self-publishing.
Amazon’s platform — and others like it — has democratized the publishing process.
From editing to layout to book cover design, the pathway to becoming an author is streamlined and a few clicks away from anybody.

This is a blessing, but also a potential curse as it opens the floodgates to a new realm of infringement and misrepresentation.

Ultimately, authors must now become the stewards of their work, proactively policing the digital landscape.
Google Alerts on my name and book titles regularly reveal my work being offered in unauthorized formats (and, this is almost a decade after publishing those books).
Jane also found these AI-generated books listed under her Author Profile on Goodreads (owned by Amazon).
Amazon and Goodreads have rectified Jane’s situation.
All of this underscores the challenge: A perpetual game of whack-a-mole that authors, publishers, and platforms like Amazon must engage in.

Here’s some more layers of complexity in this:

It is possible for two authors to have the same name.
It is possible for one author to use another author’s title (one author used the title, Six Pixels of Separation, to write a work of fiction, which was extremely frustrating).
The mirroring of existing book publishing problems just hit scale (Thanks, AI.).
AI has set off this strange scramble for data… and content and, when it comes to books, this pokes at the very soul of creativity and the power to control your authorship.

AI has now shifted from a tool to an active participant in our intellectual dialogue.

Ultimately, this isn’t about technology or algorithms.
It’s about the integrity of our intellectual pursuits.
The challenge is clear.
The solutions, less so.

And as we grapple with this new frontier, one question resounds: How do we preserve the human voice in a world increasingly echoed by machines?

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · Plot Twist! – Authors Battle Against AI-Penned Forgeries – The Elias Makos Show

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Laura Gassner Otting On Finding Success In Wonderhell – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #892 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to

Friend, author, speaker, thinker and executive coaching powerhouse, Laura Gassner Otting, is not just a catalyst but a virtuoso of ambition. She is someone who traded law school for a spot on a presidential campaign, she’s shaped history, and now, she’s sculpting futures (yours and mine). How? By challenging the mediocrity that binds us to our comfort zones. From the White House to her own executive search firm, she’s navigated change like a seasoned captain steering through turbulent seas (and the work world just got much more turbulent). Laura built one of the swiftest-growing search firms, becoming the ally to dreamers and doers across all shades of ambition. Selling her firm was no swan song. It was a crescendo to new heights. These days, Laura’s not just seen on Good Morning America or the Today Show… she’s felt in the hearts of her readers, in boardrooms, and on stages. With books like Limitless and her latest, Wonderhell, she’s become the ringleader of a movement and community. Her philosophy? It’s not about pursuing success but about defining it. It’s a journey from profit to purpose, wrapped up in big ideas, larger-than-life goals, and an audacity that’s contagious. Her community work isn’t a footnote… it’s a testament. Building schools, running marathons, igniting political action – these aren’t hobbies, they’re hallmarks of someone ignited by big challenges and bigger ideas. Rebel? Sure. Instigator? Absolutely. Provocateur? Without a doubt. Laura’s the embodiment of business acumen with a twist of revolution, served up with a side of ceaseless determination. Let’s dig into how we can all be limitless in our dreams without getting trapped in Wonderhell. Before we do, I’m also honored that Laura is one of our Thinkers on the ThinkersOne platform. Want to add big smarts to your meeting? Get personalized video experiences from top Thinkers like Laura to surprise and inspire your team – in-person, hybrid, or virtual! Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #892 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.