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 (Just Evil Enough, 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:
- Do Starfield’s Pipes Make Any Sense? – Any Austin – YouTube. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m overthinking things. Then the Internet shows me something like this, and I realize I’m a complete amateur.” (Alistair for Hugh).
- Taken: The Musical – There, I Ruined It – YouTube. “Laying off the heavy stuff this week. There, I Ruined It can turn anything into a musical, apparently.” (Alistair for Mitch).
- Extraterrestrial Tongues – Nikhil Mahant – Aeon. “What would it actually mean to communicate with aliens?” (Hugh for Alistair).
- The Moth Presents: John Turturro – Stumbling In The Dark – The Moth – YouTube. “The great John Turturro tells you a story.” (Hugh for Mitch).
- AI, Informational Pain, and Nutritional Value – Hugh McGuire – Substack. “Our buddy, Hugh, did something. He got tired of reading the things that he has to read (but doesn’t want to/doesn’t have the time for). A problem – I am guessing – most of us have to deal with. So, some vibecoding (and real coding) later and he’s come up with tldrr. A little generative AI magic tool that (accoding to him) ‘converts long-form PDFs (for now) into structured summaries (or guides) and saves them in a dashboard. It pulls key takeaways, quotes, and questions, and builds a glossary to make dense material more digestible. You can ask deep questions, and share your summaries, making it easier to send high-pain-high-nutrition docs to others, with a chance they might read them.’ And, yeah… it works… it’s cool… and I’m adding it into my toolkit. So, if you’re also struggling with both your information diet and where you need store those exccess information calories (that’s just me messing with his language ;), I’d recommned you (and everyone else) check it out… Proud of you, Hugh!” (Mitch for Alistair).
- Scott Galloway Vs. Rory Sutherland – Is The Era Of Brand Over? – Uncensored CMO – YouTube. “Talk about two great business and marketing minds coming together for a chat (and meeting for the first time). Scott Galloway may declare the era of brand dead, but what’s really dying is the old broadcast model – not branding itself. In a world of AI, search, and fragmented attention, brand isn’t built through logos and taglines anymore – it lives in product experience, social proof, and recommendation engines (plus the brands that can create the best experiences through robust services). Scott’s fixation on performance and product overlooks the soul of branding: its power to create meaning, connection, and community. As product parity rises, brand becomes the only moat (Rory agrees). What’s really at risk isn’t brand – it’s the rise of generic, forgettable offerings. And while Rory Sutherland had the insight to challenge this, the format didn’t give him enough room or time to really spar. The debate deserved more tension… and much more perspectives from Rory, but it’s still a great watch and learn moment.” (Mitch for Hugh).
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on X, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
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Mitch Joel Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.