David Lidsky's Blog, page 129

House Republicans just gutted the IRA. What happened to all the supposed holdouts?

In the end, none of the House Republicans who had voiced concerns about ending energy tax credits were willing to go against party leadership.

Early this morning, the House voted 215–214 to pass a sweeping budget reconciliation bill with provisions that include a cancellation or phaseout for just about everything that was in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Why independent agencies are built for the future

Decades in the business taught this CEO that agility, focus, and a tight team still beats scale—especially now.

People keep telling me that big agencies are the future—that you need massive scale, deep pockets, and cutting-edge tech to survive. But after 25 years in this business, I’ve seen firsthand that raw creativity and genuine curiosity still drive the best work. 

When “good enough” costs too much

The hidden losses of boringly reliable customer value

Customer retention is more than a buzzword—it is a proven driver of sustainable growth and profitability. Sounds like common sense? Think again. Customer churn is on the rise.  

Why hiring in-house might be your worst business decision

Skyrocketing costs, slower ramp-ups, and more burnout—there’s a smarter way to scale without the risks of full-time hires.

“We doubled our marketing team, and still fell behind.” That’s what one founder told me in January, frustrated after months of hiring, onboarding, and budgeting…only to lose ground anyway. In 2025, the old formula of “more people equals more results” just isn’t working. 

Why we should reconsider the meaning of open spaces

To reimagine open space is not to think bigger—it is to think deeper.

Most people think of urban open spaces in terms of grand parks—Chicago’s Millennium Park or New York’s Central Park or San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. These are our iconic parks—our sublime spaces. They serve as the “lungs” of our cities, and they certainly steal our hearts. These spaces are not locked behind gates but are stages where our own lives play out and memories are created, full of movement and reflection and joy. 

How libraries are becoming launchpads for music careers

Beyond books, cities like Huntsville that invest in library innovation are building economic resilience.

In an era dominated by artificial intelligence and smartphones, one of the most overlooked engines of economic growth sits quietly at the heart of every neighborhood: the public library. 

Neuroscientists have discovered why ‘aha moments’ stick in your brain long after you have them

Using fMRI scans, researchers at Duke University and the University of Berlin learned how flashes of insight get encoded into our memories.

After spending forever floundering for a solution to a problem, an “aha moment” can feel like magic. But a new study by researchers from Duke University and the University of Berlin has found that the aha moment gives us more than temporary elation.

Gen Z is willing to sell their personal data—for just $50 a month

A new app, Verb.AI, wants to pay the generation that’s most laissez-faire on digital privacy for their scrolling time.

Rather than clocking in at a Saturday job or selling old clothes for quick cash, Gen Zers have another side hustle up their sleeve: selling their personal data.

Tesla’s Cybertruck is officially a flop

Just check out its used price tag.

We’ve known since launch that the . Sales have been residual after they peaked at 5,175 units registered in July 2024, gradually falling to just 2,000 units sold in April 2025. The dip has been so deep that the Boring Company would have a hard time reaching the bottom of its sales chart pit, which has totaled 46,000 units since production started in late 2023.

TikTok signals layoffs as U.S. e-commerce team told to work from home

An internal memo hints at ‘personnel changes’ and a restructuring effort as TikTok Shop faces political pressure and leadership shake-ups.

U.S. TikTok Shop employees received a memo on Tuesday that recommended its staff to work from home Wednesday, ahead of “difficult decisions.”