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This week’s stories all share the same backdrop: a shift in power. From Gen Z resisting remote work, to consumers making more intentional purchases, to brands giving up control and letting creators lead – it’s clear the centre of gravity is moving. That means it’s a good time to pause, recalibrate and rethink what influence looks like now. Let’s dive in.

Enjoy!

Mary Meeker returns – and her bet is on AI agents

Mary Meeker, the former Morgan Stanley analyst who became Silicon Valley’s most influential trend-spotter, is back with her first report since 2019 – and this time, it’s all about AI. Clocking in at over 300 slides, her Trends: Artificial Intelligence deck sets out a sweeping vision of where things are heading. At the heart of it is a shift from basic tools to agentic systems – AI that can reason, plan and act autonomously. She argues we’re just 5% into a 20-year transformation, with enterprise adoption accelerating fast, infrastructure costs still high and global competition intensifying. Whether you’re building, investing or just trying to keep up, this is required reading. Download it here.

Gen Z isn't sold on working from home

According to Gallup’s latest research, just 23% of Gen Z workers want to be fully remote, compared with 35% of older employees. And when asked how they want others in their organisation to work, Gen Z was more critical of remote setups than Baby Boomers. One reason is that younger workers may be acutely aware of what they’ve missed – informal mentoring, exposure to senior colleagues, and a sense of belonging – and, without family obligations to anchor them at home, they’re less willing to accept the career trade-off. Discover more from the report here.

Britain’s forgotten growth engine

Entrepreneurship isn’t just a career path – it’s a culture. In her latest FT column, Camilla Cavendish argues that while the UK still reveres arts and science, it consistently underappreciates its third culture: building things. From Larry Ellison’s £100mn bet on Oxford’s science parks to the pandemic-era successes of British vaccine deployment, we’ve seen what happens when innovation meets urgency. But our post-Covid return to red tape, planning delays and cultural squeamishness about profit is stifling the very enterprise we claim to admire. If Britain wants to lead in AI, biotech or clean energy, she says, it must stop treating entrepreneurs like outliers – and start treating them like national assets. Read the full article here.

Why YouTube isn’t eating TV’s lunch just yet

Yes, YouTube is growing – but TV remains the main course. Ofcom’s Media Nations 2025 report shows that traditional TV still accounts for 71% of in-home viewing and 85% of all AV advertising time. While YouTube commands impressive total hours, nearly 90% of its viewing comes from just a quarter of users. And for all its cultural clout, its biggest UK channel on TV – Peppa Pig – would rank 84th by audience. YouTube may be ever-present, but TV remains the stage for national moments, mass reach and brand-safe impact. Get the full report here.

Silicon Valley’s dangerous new badge of honour

The punishing “996” schedule – 9am to 9pm, six days a week – was once synonymous with burnout protests in China. Now it’s gaining traction in the US, especially among AI startups chasing speed, scale and investor attention. Wired reports that companies from San Francisco to New York are not only adopting the 72-hour week, but openly advertising it. Some even offer equity bonuses for staff who opt in. Advocates frame it as a noble hustle culture – the spiritual heir to Kobe Bryant’s work ethic and Gates-era grind. Critics call it modern exploitation wrapped in entrepreneurial myth. Either way, 996 is back – and it’s coming for the tech sector’s youngest and most ambitious. Read Wired’s take on it here.

Oh, and if you’re struggling to access paywalled pieces from places like Wired and the FT – and miss being able to do so from the now defunct 12ft website – then give Archive a try.

Today’s consumers are buying less, but thinking more

Impulse is out. Intent is in. WARC’s 2025 consumer trends report finds that faced with financial pressure and choice fatigue, people are adopting more deliberate buying habits – pausing to assess value, alignment with personal ethics and long-term utility before spending. This shift is about a broader mindset reset, rather than just budgeting. Consumers are treating purchases as expressions of identity and agency. They’re looking for fewer, better things. This means that brands must show up where intent already lives – in trusted channels, with frictionless journeys, and with messages that reflect more conscious priorities. Get a wider take on the report here.

AI prompt of the week: find your side hustle

Not all side hustles are created equal – and the best one for you probably sits at the intersection of skills, energy and real-world demand. Use this prompt to help uncover ideas that fit your life:

“Act as a career strategist helping me design a profitable side hustle that fits my skills, schedule and interests. Here’s my situation: [your current job or status], [skills or hobbies], [hours per week I can dedicate], [topics or causes I care about], and [constraints — e.g. startup capital, equipment, location]. Suggest 5–10 realistic side hustle ideas that align with my strengths and lifestyle. For each, include why it’s a good match, how it could make money, and one low-cost way to test it fast.”

You can also ask it to sort the ideas by effort, earning potential or skill-building value – depending on what you’re optimising for.

The new rules of social: messier, rawer, more human

Forget polished brand films and six-round approval processes. In 2025, the most effective social content looks like it was made in five minutes by someone who knows the group chat better than the marketing plan. According to The Drum’s crowdsourced playbook, lo-fi chaos, episodic storytelling and creator-first content now outperform traditional campaigns. From ‘single-frame ambushes’ to reverse collaborations, brands that win are leaning into unfiltered formats, niche subcultures and comment-fuelled creative. The goal is no longer just reach or resonance – it’s remixability. In other words, starting something on social that others want to playfully carry on. Find out more here.

Why the FCA’s new rules could trigger a surge in wealth M&A

The UK regulator is overhauling its approach to financial advice – aiming to reach the millions who hold large cash savings but get no guidance. The proposed reforms open the door for scalable, tech-enabled advice models to gain traction. For smaller wealth firms with digital platforms or hybrid propositions, this could drive serious interest from larger players seeking to buy, not build. In this article, LAVA Advisory Partners unpacks what this shift means for M&A – and how smart firms can position themselves to attract the right deal.

How to find the A-players

Hiring someone who talks a good game is easy. This guide helps employers cut through the waffle and identify the traits that matter most.

Drop me a line

Thanks for reading – and do reach out if you want to chat. If this week’s round-up helped you sound 10% smarter in the Monday meeting, job done. I’ll be back next Sunday with more intel.

Cheers!
Adam

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