Madam I’m Adam: Thriving in Times of Turbulence and Tech Transformation

Embracing Continuous Change

How are you building adaptability into your leadership approach? The resources below offer valuable perspectives.

Building on last week’s discussion about “constant change as the new normal,” this week we dive deeper into two challenges. We focus on navigating turbulence. We also explore technological transformation. Leaders today must cultivate resilience and adaptability, not just in tech but across all aspects of their professional strategy.

Thought Leadership Worth Your Time

Book Spotlight

The Technological Republic: Power, Belief, and the Future of Humanity

A polarizing and thought-provoking analysis that explores how technology fundamentally reshapes power structures and belief systems. Given current events, some will take offense at the main thesis. The modern technology establishment, especially Silicon Valley, lacks the drive to keep the United States in a position of global superiority.

Strategic Innovation & AI Integration

• Why You Should Form a Monetization Council – As AI rapidly transforms market dynamics, this piece from Elena Verna highlights the urgency of evolving monetization strategies through cross-functional collaboration.
• Why AI is the New Social Media – This analysis by Alex Kantrowitz identifies similarities between AI adoption patterns and the rise of social media. It draws compelling parallels and offers critical insights for marketers and product strategists.
• Does Every Marketing Channel Actually Suck? – Emily Kramer offers a rebuttal to a popular article last week by Andrew Chen. A refreshingly honest assessment of current marketing challenges and the critical importance of differentiation in an increasingly saturated landscape.
• Why AI Demands a New Breed of Leaders – MIT Sloan Review explores why effective AI integration requires leadership capable of managing both technological implementation and cultural transformation.
• On Jagged AGI and Gemini 2.5 – For tech leaders working to understand emerging AI capabilities, Ethan Mollick dives into the latest Generative AI models and their deep research features. Along the way he provides valuable insights into the complexities of artificial general intelligence developments. Spoiler alert: we’re not there yet.

Practical Applications & Implementation

• How to Get Started with Local AI Models – As common for Christopher Penn, this detailed guide goes way beyond theory. He offers practical steps for professionals looking to dive into running Large Language Models from their own compute setups.
• The Untold Story of Windsurf – This entrepreneurial case study by Lenny Rachitsky provides valuable lessons for innovators and leaders navigating high-growth environments.
• You Can Just Do Things – Peter Yang offers a pithy refrain for how motivated thinkers are now positioned to leverage AI tools to enable independent innovation and rapid results. This is particularly valuable for teams seeking to increase their impact.

Workplace Culture Conversations

• Scott Galloway on Masculinity – Galloway’s characteristically provocative perspectives on leadership, identity, and workplace expectations are sparking important conversations.
• Phone-Free Schools Debate – Jonathan Haidt discusses this topic in New York State. The focus is on technology’s role in education, specifically cell-phones in schools.

From My Desk

📖 The Evolution of Developer Marketing

In my latest analysis, I explore how the practice of developer marketing is fundamentally shifting. I examine why these changes matter for technology companies. I also discuss what strategic approaches professionals should consider to stay ahead of the curve.

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Your Perspective Matters

What resource from this week’s newsletter resonated most with your current professional challenges? I’m particularly interested in whether you’re seeing these AI leadership dynamics playing out in your organization.

Looking forward to continuing our conversation. Drop a comment or question below.

Adam