David Lidsky's Blog, page 13

AI agents are breaking bad and CISOs aren’t ready

What companies need to do to bolster security in the agentic AI era.

AI agents going rogue isn’t just a theoretical scenario anymore. Recent incidents show AI agents making errors in a variety of situations, from legal problems and technical malfunctions, to actually deleting entire production databases. These incidents will not be one-offs; we can expect more AI agents to go awry. Security leaders need to be prepared to contain the damage when that happens.

5 questions to ask before a brand refresh

Marketers shouldn’t do a thing before thinking through these key issues.

We just completed a brand refresh and I keep getting asked the same question: “How do you know when it’s time?”

Why customer obsession is the only strategy that lasts

Develop trust by owning your errors and making proactive changes.

In a world overloaded with noise from competitor campaigns and industry hype, it’s easy for brands to get distracted by chasing the next shiny thing. But what if the real game changer isn’t out there in the market? What if it’s quietly waiting in plain sight—in your customers?

Why more car owners are ‘upside down’ on their loans

Extended loan terms and small down payments are leaving drivers with growing negative equity.

A growing number of car owners are finding themselves underwater on their auto loans, according to new data from the auto shopping website Edmunds.com. In short, that means what they owe is larger than what the cars are actually worth.

Why more customers are skipping McMuffins for gas station grub

Quietly but surely, convenience stores have become breakfast’s biggest disrupters.

Fast-food chains are losing their breakfast customers to an unlikely source: gas stations and convenience stores.

4 wearable fitness trackers that won’t break the bank

Get fit without slimming down your wallet.

Just checking in on everyone’s New Year’s resolution to get fit. Are we still doing this, or what?

Email eats up 28% of your week. Here’s how to get your time back

With a few key shifts, you can prevent email from sabotaging your deep work time.

You sit down to tackle a big project, and within minutes, your inbox pings. A Slack message follows. By the time you’ve responded to those, another four have hit your inbox. Before you know it, your morning’s derailed, and your deep work window is gone. 

How small businesses can offer lavish employee benefits

Gold bars, cryotherapy, and mortgage buy downs: an entrepreneur explains how to up your employee benefits game.

Talent wins the day. And when small business owners invest in talent through top-tier benefits, they lay the groundwork for consistent, scalable growth and stronger financial performance over the long haul.

Why Gen Z can’t afford to specialize at work

‘Specialization promised stability, but it also trapped me on a single track. And in hindsight, I’m glad I stepped off it.’

In 2013, at the age of 22, I found myself in what many in my field would consider a dream position: working in New York City as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. The position offered everything young professionals are typically told to value: competitive compensation, a prestigious brand name, world-class offices in Manhattan, comprehensive benefits, and a clear career trajectory. I was at the epitome of certainty—or so it seemed.

How to watch the 2025 Emmy Awards live, including free options

Apple TV+ and HBO will battle it out on Sunday for the 77th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Here’s how cord-cutters can catch it.

The invention of television disrupted the entertainment industry, although not everyone saw the potential right away. Darryl F. Zanuck, co-founder of 20th Century Fox, famously quipped in 1946: “[Television] won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.”

Well, Zanuck’s prediction certainly didn’t come true, and that will be evident as Hollywood celebrates all things television at the 77th Emmy Awards tonight (Sunday, September 14).