Biz and Tech kick off video – Substack and YouTube launch.
I just posted my first YouTube video, and while it’s not perfect, I’m proud of myself for putting it out there, though it feels a bit awkward. I have million ideas on what and how to improve, hence hopefully it will only get better going forward.
The video is just a short introduction to my YouTube channel and Substack newsletter, so it’s not too big of a deal.
One thing it does accomplish is that by watching the video you can get to know me better as a person beyond just reading text on a screen. So go ahead and give it a watch!
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/M3k1zwXRWFA?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
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The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ Demarco.
I have just finished reading “The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ Demarco” after having seen this video of Ali Abdaal.
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Gx2vyi4JcV0?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
Though the first few chapters dragged a bit, I must say that I resonate with the ideas provided. I’m planning on having a separate post about the book. If you’d like to read the book, you can buy it from here: The Millionaire Fastlane (disclaimer: this is an affiliate link and hopefully I’ll get paid if you order through it).
The Future of Work: Work on Your Terms.
For the past 3 years all the jobs in tech were performed from home and the world did not collapse. I said back in March 2020 the world has changed and there is no going back. I remember in the late 2020 and early 2021 some management folk back then stating that CEO was too quick writing to all employees work from home is there to stay and that hybrid work model is the way forward. “How come, we have special arrangements with the customer, we need to do the work from the office”. Some people will not adjust, but the change is taking place regardless of their views.
My stance on going back to the office is that in the working world, we are all adults, and can decide for ourselves what’s best for us, whether it is in office, fully remote, or anything in between.
I see value in the business ventures in which people sign up for long, in-office hours to build something they are passionate about. If they work on grand project together and actually enjoy spending time together and if that’s their own choice. I could imagine Tesla’s top engineers and exec team finding joy in spending time at the factory floor with Elon Musk. Such setups are likely an exception and not the norm.
Most companies (all I worked for!) had dispersed teams, working on things remotely, long before 2020 pandemic sent everyone working from home.
At Unilever we had innovation teams split between Germany and France, supply chain management in Switzerland, R&D in The Netherlands, whilst the factories I worked for were in Poland and Hungary. People worked together, delivered great projects, and have they have done all this without asynchronous collaboration spaces, just with old fashioned e-mail and audio only conference calls, sparse video calls.
We’ve seen leaps of technological advancement since 2010 with all the tools we have at our disposal. It’s never been as easy as it is now to stay in touch and collaborate with people across the world, as it is now.
Working remotely full-time enabled many positive changes. Employees are getting control of their time as they do not need to commute, can run small errands and pick up kids without the hassle of rushing through traffic before daycare closes. They do not need to dress up, can set the temperature, open / close windows, make focus work in silence without the need to wear headphones, have the luxury of own office space. There is also less time wasted on chit chat and gossip, although not all of it is gone, which likely is also not a bad thing.
Yet somehow, some companies are making calls for people to ‘come back’ to the office. How come working remotely has become an issue for the leadership and people teams (aka HR)? From my perspective this is mainly about control and real estate investment, that requires justification.
How can we compete with companies without local, office presence? With companies not paying inflated leases? Office needs to be a value of sort, if we spend money on it. People should appreciate we allow them to visit office weekly. Sure… They should! 😉
Bloomberg article summarizes it nicely.
Of Course Workers Have Given Up on the Office.
(…) people may feel slightly less zealous about their work lives, (…) it could be a sign of personal growth. Before Covid, the pressure to log insane hours, to love your work, to identify strongly with your chosen career (…) was a bit obsessive. (…) If people now have more emotional distance from work and are able to carve out more time for basic needs like exercise, sleep and human connection, that’s a healthy correction.
(…) senior executives in half-empty offices are a little bit like priests standing in half-filled churches (…). If you’re a priest and half your congregation has stopped showing up, do you believe that they are probably praying just as hard at home? (…)
Workers have become more discerning about how they spend their time. They have become aware that long commutes are literally hours of time they can never get back. And it’s become obvious that people can be productive without trekking to an office.
If being confronted with our own mortality has helped us find more balance, that’s a good thing. Even if it leaves the leaders of the church of capitalism feeling a little lost.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-03-30/how-covid-deaths-changed-our-perspective-on-work#xj4y7vzkg?leadSource=uverify%20wall
There is a middle ground, which companies need to take, if they want to stay relevant. It’s the way Jason Calacanis took. I am not sure if this has cost saving side to it with move from SF to San Mateo (if you someone knows, leave a comment!).
While having a designated meeting space for colleagues and external partners is beneficial, mandating attendance without a practical purpose is counterproductive and may reflect the manager’s ego and desire for control.
Twitter Substack fight.
Substack Is Totally Borked on Twitter
Twitter users are unable to retweet, like, or comment on Substack links, and Substack users can no longer embed tweets in newsletters.
https://gizmodo.com/twitter-substack-bug-error-retweets-and-comments-musk-1850311841
This is definitely not helpful, as I am starting off with Bussiness And Technology brand utilizing (among others) Substack and Twitter. Before the publication, this Twitter thread from Substack claimed there is no block, but having pasted the link to Tweet here does not sync the content as it used to.
My Weekly Media Roundup.
Substack Is Totally Borked on Twitter.
https://gizmodo.com/twitter-substack-bug-error-retweets-and-comments-musk-1850311841
Of Course Workers Have Given Up on the Office.
A Big Reason Cities Want Workers To Return To The Office.
Good