Unbossing, earworms, and greenhindering
November 1, 2024
Welcome to this 141st issue of our newsletter “Weak Signals and other Trends”.
Each week, I personally sift through hundreds of sources of inspiration to track where we’re heading. If you are a new subscriber to this newsletter, take the time to send me a note and introduce yourself, I love to understand who is reading.
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I have prepared this newsletter this week from London, United Kingdom. This is what I noticed these past couple of weeks, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Competitive Intelligence
Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024. When bodyguards load their location on Strava. Meta Develops AI Search Engine to Lessen Reliance on Google. Tracing celebrity locations with OSINT. Extract all urls from a page. An anomaly tracker.
Strategic blindspots and business models
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots. This section also is about the risks we miss.
Uber and Lyft are using a loophole to avoid paying drivers a minimum wage in New York. Singapore's first canine blood registry, streamlines blood donations for dogs. Airbnb launched a network in 10 countries where owners looking to rent out their homes can hire co-hosts. Amazon Web Services announced a $500m+ plan to develop small modular nuclear reactors with Dominion Energy. The 70bn sleep economy. LinkedIn launches its first AI agent to take on the role of job recruiters.
Our future
Whole Foods Market Forecasts the Top 10 Food and Beverage Trends for 2025. Mining asteroids for food. Astronauts could mine asteroids for food someday. Future food trajectories. Toyota's hydrogen cartridges offer portable fuel for clean cars.
It is the time of the year when trend reports start pouring in. Until end of January, I will for each issue add in this section and track those of interest to you, with my personal remarks:
Ipsos Global Trends 2024- I find the “Nouveau Nihilism” a particularly one to dive into, as it impacts how we recruit and retain employees, a better understanding of the new generation of consumers arriving on the market, and how brands need to guide values and purpose for a generation who easily sees through superficial marketing campaigns.
The Technology Report 2024 by Bain- This year’s Bain Technology Report examines AI’s sweeping impact on industry structure, enterprise value, data centers, geopolitical trading blocs, software, services, business opportunities, and resource and talent. I like the section on strategic battlegrounds.
We keep you updated on those trends and more on Twitter.
Weak signals
Weak signals are indicators of a change, a trend or an emerging risk that might become significant for the future. They allow us to run hypothesis, expand our thinking, and challenge assumptions. How will you interpret those in your industry or field of expertise?
Google Japan Releases a Two Sided Keyboard . Most popular 2024 Halloween costumes, per Google. Protecting workers from customers emotions. The USB exchange. Conscious unbossing: why gen Z are refusing to become managers. Netflix creates moments. Why are baseball,players always eating? Prairie strips.
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Down the rabbit hole
This section highlights a subject that led me to many useful threads, or a single site, that opened many doors: “A rabbit hole is not a distraction. A rabbit hole is your brain trying to tell you to pay attention to something you’re curious about. Ignore algorithmic rabbit holes” ( by are.na):
This week, I explored a future timeline.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths.
When greenhindering is the new greenwashing. The minivan is dead, long live the minivan. The seismic map of the world over time. What is Human energy? White-Collar Work Is Just Meetings Now.
Numbers
43%- 43% of food marketed to children contains artificial food dye.
700k- the number of working-age immigrants Spain welcomed over the past 3 years, a key to its economic growth
And numbers that illustrate the demise of the European car industry:
Chinese market share for foreign manufacturers dropped from 53% to 33% between 2022-2024;
Chinese manufacturers build EVs 30% cheaper than Europeans;
Chinese companies develop new cars in ONE year vs FOUR years for European makers.
Feeling good
Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours. Write poetry. Earworms. Mapping time: The surprising overlaps of history’s most influential minds.
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