Articles
October 31, 2023
The Executive Order: Washington's First Word on AI
There is a document that was signed this month, and the document was the first: the executive order on the artificial intelligence, the most comprehensive action that the American government had taken, the framework that was sweeping, the moment that was historic. The October 30 executive order was Washington's first major word on the AI, and it became the signal: the technology that had outgrown the voluntary, the government that was catching up, the rules that were coming, the industry that would have to comply. The executive order is the subject of this article: what it contained, why it was issued, and what it means for the future of the AI in America.
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October 13, 2023
The $69 Billion Merger: Microsoft, Activision, and the Deal That Wouldn't Die
There is a deal that finally closed this month, and the deal was the saga: the sixty-nine billion dollar acquisition that was announced in the winter of the year before, that was fought by the regulators, that was challenged in the courts, that was blocked in one country and approved in the another, that was the largest in the history of the gaming. The Activision merger is the October 2023 story: the closing that was announced this month, the regulatory war that was finally over, the games industry that will never be the same. The sixty-nine billion dollar deal is the subject of this article: how it was fought, why it matters, and what the saga teaches about the business and the strategy.
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September 25, 2023
The Strike That Shook Detroit: UAW and the EV Transition
There is a strike that began this month, and the strike was the turning: the autoworkers who walked out of the plants, the union that took on the three giants, the demands that were about the future, the transition that was the backdrop. The United Auto Workers strike of September was the first to hit all three Detroit manufacturers at once, and it became the case study: the labor that met the electric transition, the wages that were negotiated, the plants that were the battleground, the industry that was being reshaped. The strike is the subject of this article: why it happened, what was at stake, and what it means for the future of the auto and the energy.
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September 12, 2023
The USB-C Revolution: How One Connector United the World
There is a connector that changed the world this month, and the connector was the port: the USB-C that finally came to the iPhone, the charger that the world had been waiting for, the standard that ended the cable chaos, the change that was small and enormous. The iPhone 15 is the September 2023 moment: the phone that was announced with the new port, the regulation that forced the change, the accessory industry that was upended, the consumers who were relieved. The USB-C revolution is the subject of this article: what changed, why it matters, and what the connector teaches about the standards and the operations.
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August 28, 2023
The Frugal Moon: Chandrayaan-3 and the South Pole Landing
There is a landing that was achieved this month, and the landing was the historic: the spacecraft that touched down near the south pole of the Moon, the fourth country that ever landed, the first that reached the pole, the mission that was built on the budget. Chandrayaan-3 was the Indian mission that succeeded where the others had failed, and its landing in August became the lesson: the engineering that was frugal, the persistence that followed the failure, the science that was delivered, the nation that announced itself. The frugal moon is the subject of this article: how the mission was built, why it mattered, and what it teaches the engineering and the operations world.
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August 1, 2023
The Metal Levers: China's Export Controls on Critical Minerals
There is a control that took effect this month, and the control was the lever: the export restrictions on the two obscure metals, the gallium and the germanium, the materials that are invisible and essential, the chips and the screens and the solar panels that depend on them, the supply chains that were suddenly at risk. The export controls are the August 2023 story: the announcement that came in the summer, the restrictions that began this month, the reminder that the critical minerals are the new oil, the leverage that is geopolitical. The metal levers are the subject of this article: what was restricted, why it matters, and what the controls mean for the operations and the business of the supply chains.
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July 20, 2023
The Hottest Month: When July Broke Every Record
There is a heat that the world felt this month, and the heat was the record: the hottest month that was ever measured, the temperatures that broke the charts, the oceans that were the warmest, the wildfires that raged, the cities that sweltered, the climate that sent the warning. July 2023 is the moment: the month that the scientists confirmed as the hottest in the history of the measurements, the month that the world lived through the extremes. The hottest month is the subject of this article: what happened, why it matters, and what the record means for the energy and the business of the heat.
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July 19, 2023
Threads and the 100 Million: Meta's Five-Day Blitz
There is a launch that broke the records this month, and the launch was the blitz: the app that Meta released, that exploded to the hundred million users in the five days, that was the fastest growing consumer app in the history, that shook the social media world. Threads arrived in July as the answer to Twitter, and its launch became the case study: the distribution that was leveraged, the timing that was perfect, the retention that was questioned, the war that was reignited. The Threads blitz is the subject of this article: how the app reached the milestone, what it meant for the industry, and what the launch taught the business world.
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June 27, 2023
The Titan Lesson: Risk, Certification, and the Deep-Sea Tragedy
There is a tragedy that unfolded this month, and the tragedy was the lesson: the submersible that vanished, the search that gripped the world, the implosion that was confirmed, the five lives that were lost. The Titan was the experimental submersible that was built to visit the Titanic, and its loss in June became the case study: the risk that was taken, the certification that was skipped, the design that was questioned, the culture that was exposed. The Titan lesson is the subject of this article: what happened, why it happened, and what the tragedy teaches the engineering and the business world about the risk and the certification.
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June 7, 2023
The Vision Pro Moment: Apple's Bet on Spatial Computing
There is a device that was unveiled this month, and the device was the bet: the headset that the company had worked on for the years, the product that was the new category, the computer that was worn on the face, the interface that was controlled by the eyes and the hands, the price that made the world gasp. The Vision Pro is the June 2023 moment: the announcement at the developer conference, the product that was called the beginning of the new era, the bet that was bigger than the phone. The Vision Pro moment is the subject of this article: what was announced, why it matters, and what the bet means for the technology industry.
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