David Lidsky's Blog, page 109

Nintendo scores a hit with Switch 2, but can it keep the streak alive?

Early sales are blistering, but analysts warn that supply issues and economic uncertainty could slow momentum.

Less than a week in, Nintendo’s hot new Switch 2 handheld video game console is already breaking sales records—including ones set by its iconic predecessor.

4 observations about Apple’s low-key WWDC 2025

Steve Jobs might have loved Liquid Glass; the battle to keep the iPad from turning into a Mac seems to be over; and other takeaways from a keynote that wasn’t so short on news after all.

At Apple’s annual WWDC keynote, the highest-level subject is always the future of its software platforms. And the big news in that department usually stares us right in the face. In 2023, for example, it was the debut of Apple Vision Pro, the company’s entry into the headset market and its first all-new experience since the Apple Watch. Last year brought Apple Intelligence, its branded take on what AI should look like as a core element of computing experiences.

Enterprise strategy isn’t broken, execution is

AI can fix it by providing connected insights.

As the pace and complexity of business accelerate, enterprise leaders are under pressure to deliver more, faster: more growth, innovation, and resilience. And yet, despite bold visions and thoughtful strategies, many organizations still struggle to execute effectively.

Can AI use inspire us to grow in new ways?

AI isn’t a competitor. It’s an enabler that challenges us to excel where AI can’t.

There’s a growing concern that artificial intelligence is leading us to a place where we think less and rely on it more. Headlines warn that AI is eroding our critical thinking skills, creating a world of work where human ingenuity might take a backseat to automated convenience. After all, when generative AI can draft a report, summarize a dense article, or generate a marketing plan in seconds, where’s the incentive for leaders and employees to sharpen the skills we relied on before? 

AI assistants still need a human touch

Despite huge technical advancements, AI is still struggling with the “human” part of
human-computer interaction.

When I first encountered AI, it wasn’t anything like the sophisticated tools we have today. In the 1990s, my introduction came in the form of a helpful, but mostly frustrating, digital paperclip. Clippy, Microsoft’s infamous assistant, was designed to help, but it often got in the way, popping up at the worst moments with advice no one asked for.

Design for the edges

How accessibility sparks smarter, more universal design

Over the past two decades, our team and I have spent countless hours in homes, healthcare settings, and community spaces, watching how people navigate the rhythms of everyday life. What stays with me are the quiet adjustments or life hacks. A bed lifted on risers to slide a storage bin of medical supplies underneath to stay within reach or to better facilitate a transfer. A bottom dresser drawer left empty because it is out of reach and there’s concern it could lead to a fall. A nightstand pulled a few inches away to make space for a CPAP hose or oxygen tubing.

Who is Alexandr Wang? Scale AI’s young billionaire CEO will head Meta’s new ‘superintelligence’ lab

After dropping out of MIT, Wang founded Scale at the age of 19. Last year, the company was valued at nearly $14 billion.

Meta, which owns and operates Facebook and Instagram—as well as Threads, Messenger, and WhatsApp—has tapped Alexandr Wang, the CEO and founder of the startup Scale AI, to head up its new artificial intelligence research lab, according to The New York Times. It is also in talks to invest over $10 billion in the company, Bloomberg reported.

Starbucks is hiring full-time content creators to travel the world and post on social media

The ‘global coffee creator’ role pays a full-time salary and includes travel to international Starbucks locations, with expenses covered by Marriott and Delta.

Here’s a dream job for chronically online coffee lovers: Starbucks is hiring two full-time content creators for a 12-month gig posting content at Starbucks locations around the world.

Video game voice actors have been on strike for nearly a year. They finally have a deal

SAG-AFTRA announced a tentative deal with video companies like Activision and Electronic Arts after disagreements over residuals and use of AI.

Video game voice actors and motion capture artists could be headed back to work soon. SAG-AFTRA and major video game companies have announced a tentative contract agreement, 11 months after union members began a work stoppage. Artificial intelligence was at the heart of the dispute.

1 in 5 people are having fewer children due to fear of the future: U.N.

Many around the world say their fertility decisions are affected by concerns about wars, pandemics, and climate change, according to a new report.

Falling fertility rates typically get blamed on the women of the world. But a new study published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says both men and women “face significant barriers to realizing their fertility aspirations.” It’s not that they don’t want to have children—rather, they just aren’t able to in the ways they want to.