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Building a business in 2025 means learning to thrive in contradiction. This week’s edition digs into the paradoxes shaping modern work, with brain scans, digital fortune tellers and a call to stay specific, human and slightly unreasonable in a world that wants everything optimised.

Enjoy!

The productivity–pain trade-off

Gallup’s latest workplace data reveals a striking paradox: fully remote workers are the most engaged, but also the most stressed and lonely. Autonomy, flexibility and fewer distractions are boosting output – but without office interactions, stress and isolation are quietly building. Emotional strain is now rising year-on-year for remote teams, even as performance improves. It’s something I’ve felt too, if I’ve spent too long away from the office – powering through deadlines from home, but missing the energy of a room, or the quick fix of a five-minute chat. It’s a reminder that culture doesn’t look after itself – and that wellbeing isn’t just about buying an employee assistance scheme. Get the story here.

Overwork doesn’t just drain you – it rewires you

Whether at home or in an office, a new Korean brain imaging study shows that consistently working more than 52 hours a week can reshape key regions of the brain — including those responsible for memory, decision-making and emotional regulation. In other words, all the things you probably need to do your job well. Researchers think it’s the brain adapting to prolonged stress, but the side effects may linger. It’s a stark warning that the modern working week, however flexible, is pushing cognitive limits – and while those long hours might deliver results now, they could come at a cost you can’t see in a spreadsheet. Time has the story.​

Silos: the quiet culture killer

Overwork isn’t the only stressor worth watching. New research highlights the subtle but corrosive effect of workplace silos — where teams (or individuals) operate in isolation, with limited collaboration or visibility. As Silicon Republic points out, the signs often go unnoticed: duplicated work, stalled development and a creeping sense that progress is happening elsewhere. In remote or hybrid settings, those divides can deepen fast. Business leaders can’t afford to assume alignment – it must be built, reinforced and constantly rechecked.

How the C-suite unwinds (or says it does)

After the brain scans, burnout and silos, here’s something lighter — sort of. Fortune asked European C-suite leaders how they spend their 5-to-9, and the answers range from solving Rubik’s cubes to playing jazz saxophone. Apparently, these hobbies make them better leaders. Maybe so – but just once I’d like to hear an interviewee say: “I order a disgustingly huge pizza and binge watch something mindless.” Still, there’s a point beneath the polish: routines and interests that feel miles from the day job can help maintain mental resilience.

Investing wisdom in ten words or less

In other ‘ask the experts’ news, Rubin Miller, Chief Investment Officer at Peltoma Capital Partners, posed a challenge to 13 seasoned investors: distil your best advice into a ten-word sentence. The responses are enlightening – addressing pitfalls like impatience, overconfidence and the allure of complexity. Phil Huber warns against “the inability to distinguish between the interesting and the actionable,” while Morgan Housel notes that “the long run is a series of crazy short runs.” You can find the piece here and it’s worth checking out the rest of Miller’s Fortunes and Frictions blog, as it’s a great source of investment insight.

AI meets astrology in China’s new spiritual economy

In one of the weirder AI stories of the week, it seems that in post-pandemic China, a curious trend has emerged: the rise of AI-powered fortune-telling. This long-read Sinopsis article details how young, educated individuals are turning to digital oracles, blending ancient practices with modern technology. Apps like CeCe Astrology offer AI-generated horoscopes and tarot readings, capitalising on the nation's fascination with both technology and spirituality. This fusion reflects a broader search for meaning in uncertain times, where even the most rational minds seek solace in the stars – albeit through a digital lens.

What we lose when we optimise everything

Here’s another long read about AI but one well worth your time. JoRoan Lazaro’s piece on LLMs, creativity and the future of taste is part essay, part battle cry. It captures what’s slipping through the cracks as we automate our way to frictionless everything – and why weirdness, obsession and lived experience might be the only antidotes. “The algorithm can give you what you want,” he writes. “But a person can give you what you didn’t know you needed.” Bookmark it. Then go make something messy but real.

Generative AI is more than your intern

On the flipside to the above takes, Robert Rose from the US’s Content Marketing Institute has a rosier outlook, arguing that generative AI isn’t just the world’s most tireless content intern – it’s also a prompt to slow down. Used well, he says, it can help marketers uncover patterns, clarify intent and deepen strategy, not just churn out more stuff. Technology doesn’t dictate the pace, in other words, the people using it do. Read the article here.

Staying steady when the future arrives fast

AI isn’t just a tool for marketers or coders – it’s a force reshaping entire careers. For some, that means new workflows. For others, it could mean redundancy. In a standout TED talk, Kristy Ellmer – a managing director at BCG and seasoned transformation lead – tackles how to navigate change when it’s not your idea. Drawing on behavioural science and boardroom experience, she offers practical ways to stay grounded and reveals how even the most difficult transitions, including layoffs and company-wide transformations, can open unexpected doors. It’s aimed at leaders, but relevant to anyone watching the future arrive faster than expected. Watch the talk here.

AI prompt of the week: from threads to decisions

Slack is where clarity goes to die – same with email chains that spiral into 40-message sagas. If you’re staring at a thread full of half-decisions, vague agreements and a drive-by comment from the CEO, try this:

“Summarise this thread as a decision document. Include context, options discussed, stakeholder views, decisions made, open questions and action points with names and deadlines.”

It works well pasted into Claude or GPT-4o. You’ll get a short, neutral summary that pulls signal from noise – turning half-baked ideas into next steps and showing exactly who owns what. Bonus: it gives newer team members a way into the conversation without needing to decode 200 emojis and a passive-aggressive ‘per my last message’.

What great bosses really do

The best leaders don’t just drive performance – they shape careers. A great boss sees potential before you do, forgives mistakes without forgetting the lesson and connects the task at hand to something that matters. Like good teachers, you never forget a boss who helped you grow.

Drop me a line

That’s all for this week. Whether you’re dodging silos, avoiding burnout or just trying to stay one step weirder than the algorithm, the throughline is clear: don’t let efficiency flatten the edges. Specificity, friction and a little bit of chaos might just be your sharpest tools. Until next time – keep it human.

Cheers!
Adam

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