Thinking long to innovate now, forming a positive outlook, and a curious pivot in the shoe industry. Whether it be in the office or on the airplane headed to our next program, we’re always talking about the issues and trends that are shaping the way we learn as well as what interests each of us on the team. Read more below.
The Innovator’s Dilemma
On another excellent episode of EconTalk, host Russ Roberts discusses Nvidia’s Jensen Huang with guest Stephen Witt, author of The Thinking Machine. Shedding light on Huang’s extraordinary intelligence and relentless work ethic, the conversation also explores Clayton Christensen’s Innovator’s Dilemma or the idea that industry incumbents ignore low-margin niche markets at their peril. Witt sees NVIDIA as a near-perfect case study: the company spent years pursuing underfunded scientists and AI researchers, often losing money, while Wall Street complained. Roberts adds that the most dangerous competitors often come from an outside industry entirely. The calculator didn’t improve the slide rule; it eliminated it. The takeaway: even smart managers can see disruption coming and still fail to act, paralyzed by investor pressure and short-term incentives. Look long, there will always be short problems to solve.
Think happy thoughts
Though it may seem wishful thinking, this fascinating video in Big Think reminds us that our perception is formed by a blend of past experiences (internal) and external input, meaning we have some power to influence how we see the world. The inner voice is a powerful mental tool for reflection, problem-solving, planning, and self-narrative, but it can turn negative through chatter (rumination, worry, catastrophizing). Mindfulness and conscious attention allow us to break automatic negative patterns, shift our focus, and begin to “rewire” our perception by noticing small wins and rewriting limiting narratives. While our minds are deeply shaped by past experience, nothing is fixed, and we are all capable of growth and change at any moment.
Shoes to GPUs
In a story that had the internet buzzing, Allbirds, the sustainably-sourced sneaker darling that peaked at a $4 billion valuation before ultimately selling to a brand management company for $39 million, has found new life not in shoes, but in GPUs. One week after announcing a cheerful Pantone color collaboration, the company revealed it would make the now ubiquitous pivot to AI compute infrastructure and rebrand as NewBird AI. Whether we’ve reached ‘jump the shark’ territory on AI or this is a sign of where the smart money is, only time will tell. For a time, the investors loved it before the stock took a massive dive.