Weekend Briefing No. 584
Shopping In God Mode -- AI Phobia -- Ikigai
Welcome to the weekend.
Wishing you light and hope during this special season of Easter and Passover.
Here’s my April playlist. It’s a good vibe for a Spring weekend.
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Prime Numbers
28 — According to data from last year, 28% of Manhattan home sales involved a trust (up from 17% just three years ago), with brokers indicating these are typically parents buying homes for children, while all-cash purchases comprised 60% of sales and the median price reached $1.1 million.
18 — According to a recent study that tracked Spotify performance data for 57 opening acts on major U.S. tours playing venues with capacities of 2,000 or more, these artists typically experienced an 18% streaming bump during tours (with some seeing increases of up to 200%). However, this effect generally diminished post-tour with streams settling at 6%-10% below peak performance levels. Few listeners became regular fans.
16 — Despite federal government opposition, new analyses show that green energy installations continue to grow, with projections indicating renewables will become the leading U.S. power source by the 2030s, though emissions are now expected to fall only 16% by 2035 compared to the previously predicted 24%.
Shopping In God Mode
The most transformative aspect of artificial-intelligence-powered shopping may be its ability to cut through the paradox of choice that plagues modern consumers. Rather than presenting thousands of options that lead to decision paralysis and buyer's remorse, AI systems curate selections specifically suited to your needs and preferences. By understanding context, analyzing past behaviors and intelligently filtering irrelevant options before you even see them, these systems maximize satisfaction while minimizing the mental burden of choosing. This hyper-personalization effectively reverses the traditional model where more choices supposedly equaled more freedom — instead recognizing that true freedom comes when technology handles the overwhelming complexity of options to present only what truly matters to you in that moment. a16z (7 minutes)
AI Phobia
AI phobia exposes our cultural bias that anything produced too easily must somehow be illegitimate — as if worth requires visible struggle rather than meaningful outcomes. Centuries of conditioning — from Puritan laws against idleness to modern "hustle culture" — have trained us to equate value with difficulty, creating environments that reward performance theater over actual results. AI doesn't eliminate labor but redistributes it toward harder-to-measure skills like judgment and creativity, potentially liberating us from the tyranny of unnecessary effort that has defined work for generations. Rather than resisting AI as "cheating," we might instead view it as an opportunity to finally break free from Industrial Age assumptions and build a healthier relationship with work that values impact over appearance. Every (4 minutes)
Think Like a CEO
Steve Graves is an author and executive coach. He's written over 25 books and has been working with CEOs and founders for 30 years. Once a week, he releases some of most recent insights, observations and inspirations in a Tuesday morning email newsletter. Join his small but mighty band of followers if you want to improve your leadership capabilities, increase strategic thinking and get a behind-the-curtain view of how today's top CEOs navigate their most pressing decisions. Subscribe to his free weekly newsletter for insights on leadership. Steve Graves (Sponsored)
Ikigai
Finding your personal "ikigai" — the Japanese concept representing the sweet spot where passion, talent, purpose and livelihood intersect — might be the ultimate key to a meaningful existence beyond mere survival. True self-expression, whether through creative outlets or simply how you show up in the world, connects you with your authentic nature while building confidence when you venture beyond your comfort zone. Discovering what makes you lose track of time requires answering four fundamental questions about purpose, value, efficacy and self-worth — an introspective journey that leads to the unique energy that Martha Graham described as "translated through you into action" that nobody else can replicate. The quest for meaningful life isn't about perfection but about making the most with what you have — like the Indian concept of "jugaad" — and recognizing that happiness often comes from contrast rather than achievement. Postantly (4 minutes)
Friendship By Appointment
Modern social connections now require advanced scheduling techniques, with some friend groups sending Calendly links and planning gatherings months ahead just to ensure they happen at all. Despite Americans technically having the same amount of leisure time as 20 years ago — about five hours daily — we spend less than 35 minutes socializing compared to nearly three hours watching television, with friendship time starting its steady decline right after age 18. Our packed calendars reflect not just necessity but also status, as extreme busyness becomes both a point of pride and a defense mechanism, leading some to embrace the structure while others redefine "hanging out" to include mundane activities like running errands or watching a child's baseball game. Vox (4 minutes)
Costco In France
Jumbo-sized American shopping collides hilariously with French sensibilities when Costco opens stores near Paris, creating cultural confusion through oversized apple pies with no French translation for "lattice" and perplexing products like beef jerky displays that likely go untouched. Despite France being no stranger to hypermarchés like Carrefour and Auchan, Costco's particular brand of excess feels distinctly foreign — selling everything from 2.2-pound jars of mustard (which would lose its "oomph" long before being used up) to pancakes mysteriously pre-wrapped in double plastic. The author navigates this cultural shopping experiment with bemused curiosity, ultimately focusing on practical treasures like fresh, plump pecans and giant jars of Italian amarena cherries while skipping opportunities to purchase Kirkland-branded wine that would raise eyebrows at a French dinner party. David Lebovitz (7 minutes)
Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote
Hidden creative genius lurks within the 11 strict rules governing the eternal chase between Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, including "No outside force can harm the Coyote — only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme products." These precisely defined limitations — from "the Road Runner must stay on the road — for no other reason than that he's a roadrunner" to "all tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation" — established a brilliant framework for comedy. What makes these guidelines extraordinary is how they balance accountability with sympathy, as "the Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures" while ensuring "the audience's sympathy must remain with the Coyote." Kottke (4 minutes)
Should We Work Together?
Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.
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Weekend Wisdom
True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island. -Baltasar Gracián