David Lidsky's Blog, page 51

‘How do we protect our people?’

In the wake of the midtown Manhattan shooting, security experts explain how office building safety works and what best practices are.

Ever since Shane Devon Tamura entered the Midtown Manhattan office building housing the NFL’s headquarters with a high-powered rifle, killing four people on July 28, John Orloff’s phone has been ringing more than usual.

How to build healthy boundaries at work

Boundaries aren’t about shutting others out but about showing up with intention—here are some helpful tips

Boundaries aren’t about shutting others out but about showing up with intention—here are some helpful tips

Profits over people and microplastics in every meal?

New data points to a growing crisis and opportunity for business to create a better future—for all of us

For decades, the plastic crisis has always felt far away, whether through time or across distance. But unfortunately, we’re no longer talking about environmental pollution “out there” in the ocean. Microplastics, tiny fragments that come from the breakdown of everyday plastic items, are now inside all of us, turning this from a theoretical risk into a shocking—and deeply personal (physically) —reality.

AI can do your writing, but not your thinking

A VC explains his process for getting the most out of AI while avoiding its pitfalls.

As a partner at Theory Ventures, a VC firm built around deep technology and market research, I spend my days swimming in information: academic papers, market reports, interview notes, and written analyses. Our job is to synthesize these data points into a nuanced perspective to inform our investment decisions.

How Formula E made EV racing a global phenomenon

It built a faster, more exciting sport—with 500 million people now watching.

As U.S. climate policy was noisily dismantled in Washington over the spring and summer, another climate story unfolded—quieter, faster, and broadcast to millions.

Crypto’s real barrier isn’t trust, it’s understanding

The industry has a perception problem—but it’s not the one you might think.

For years, crypto headlines have fixated on trust issues: fraud, volatility, and the few bad actors who’ve given crypto a Wild West reputation. But the National Cryptocurrency Association’s new 2025 Crypto Confidence Pulse—a Harris Poll survey of Americans who don’t currently hold any crypto—reveals something more fundamental is holding people back: a knowledge gap.

Successful companies will integrate AI training into workflow

Companies should embed AI literacy into career development, not treat it as a nice-to-have.

Most of us are failingat AI.

TikTok is losing it over real-life octopus cities

The internet is obsessing over gloomy octopuses building shell-strewn underwater societies.

Remember when the internet cried actual tears for an anglerfish earlier this year? Now, TikTok has a new deep-sea obsession.

The Trump administration can’t win its flame war with ‘South Park’

Government agencies have been relying on edgy humor for their messaging. But in taking on ‘South Park,’ they are hopelessly outmatched.

“I don’t know what more we could possibly say about Trump,” South Park co-creator Trey Parker told Vanity Fair last September. Then Trump won the 2024 election.

Duolingo wants to make its music lessons more addictive

‘Our vision is to make music learning feel just as engaging and habit-forming as language learning does on Duolingo.’

Duolingo may be known as the world’s largest language-learning app, but it also wants to get users hooked on learning music.