Where’s the peak, where’s the plateau? — I’ve been finding myself making the same hand gesture on a lot of Zoom calls recently. I flick my finger up, wiggle it up and down, and trail off to the right in a straight line. I draw this oscillating line when I talk about AI. Or crypto. Or the…

Color can change everything — Color’s a tricky thing. You can ask two people can be looking at the same object, and depending on who they are (and more importantly, when they are), you can get two different answers. In Italian, dark blue and light blue are often described as separate colors, “blu” and “azzurro,”…

The laws of marketing physics break down at scale — As of this morning, Berkshire Hathaway is worth more than $667 billion. With just the change found in CEO Warren Buffett’s couch cushions, they could hire a phalanx of the best designers on the planet. Their website must be stellar, right?

Leave that naming convention with MySpace — Log on to your utility company’s website. What’s the section for your account called? Probably something like this: Maybe your school’s portal is called “My Schedule.” If you use MetroPCS for your mobile service, you pay your bill on “MyMetro,” on T-Mobile it’s “My Account,” and AT&T it’s “My AT&T.” …

Less can unlock more — For most of human history, the speed limit on long-distance communication wasn’t a matter of 5G bandwidth or even how fast an operator could connect your phone call. It was how fast a horse could gallop. …

The Principle of Priority — There’s always more to do. Years ago, when we first started our agency, friends often asked how things were going. In response, I developed a habit of describing entrepreneurship as a “10,000-item to-do list.” There was always something up next. You had this prospect call. Then you needed to write…

How does your toilet work? — How does your toilet work? You’ve flushed it thousands of times, maybe even a few goes already today. But can you explain what happens when you push that lever down? How is the President of the United States elected? You learned a rhyme with all the presidents in grade school…

Research is broken — Research is broken. I shouldn’t complain too much, as it’s infinitely easier to find facts, data, studies, quotes, and other resources than pretty much ever before in history. When I read of how famed biographer Robert Caro researched his seminal works on Robert Moses and Lyndon B. …

At least Pinterest says so — Over the past two weeks, we’ve witnessed a complete meltdown of one of the four biggest airlines in the United States. As Southwest Airlines coped with frigid temperatures and record-setting snowfall in large parts of the country, their internal systems effectively self-destructed. Other airlines took the weather shock on the…