What better way to celebrate another trip around the sun than a rundown on the latest happenings at the intersection of business, tech, and human experience. And, let me tell you, there have been some major events and developments, so hunker down and let's get to it.

• Crowdstrike Debacle - You'd think you'd learn your lesson after taking down the digital world in 2010, but apparently not. George Kurtz did it again last week when Crowdstrike brought Windows machines and the companies that run on them to a screeching halt. It's a perilous tale of what happens when you are overdependent on tech.


• Intuit Layoff Letter - Intuit's CEO Sasan Goodarzi took some major heat for an email he sent to employees outlining the plans they had for upcoming layoffs and everything that follows. While there were a few points of criticism, I don't think all the criticism is fair. At the end of the day, people don't respond to layoffs well no matter what you say.


• ChatGPT-4o Mini & Lllama 3 405B - Big language, small language. While Meta has captured attention with his now industry-leading LLM, its competitor, OpenAI, is making leaps in a different direction. While I don't think the headlines that "this changes everything" are even remotely accurate, it's worth noting what's happening.


• Hyper-Personalization Risks - I came to believe Doritos to be the best chip on the planet because of the movies I grew up watching as did many of my friends. However, what happens when that shared experience is no longer shared? While that example may seem inconsequential, the reality that people will continue living in completely different experiences will have a profound impact on society. What impact that will be is still yet to be determined.


• Samsung Galaxy Deepfakes - Hey look! There's a cat in a top hat and a cane walking through my lawn! Not really, but I could make that happen in seconds with the new Samsung Galaxy AI image enhancement capability. While fake images have always been a thing, you used to have at least to know your way around Photoshop. Not anymore, and that's a bit of a jarring thought.

Show Notes:

In this Weekly Update, Christopher offers a comprehensive analysis of recent major events at the intersection of business technology and human experience. Key topics include the CrowdStrike incident that disrupted Windows machines worldwide, the critical evaluation of Intuit's significant layoffs and the implications of their CEO's communication, and major developments in the AI space such as ChatGPT 4 Omni Mini and Meta's Llama 3 large language model. Additionally, a thought-provoking discussion on hyper-personalization in media, its risks, and a closer look at the new AI-powered functionalities of Samsung's Galaxy series. Stay ahead with insights into the continuous evolution of technology and its impact on our lives.

00:00  - Introduction

01:09  - CrowdStrike Incident Lessons

13:22  - Intuit's CEO Layoff Email

25:49  - GPT-4o Mini and Meta's LLaMA 3

32:01  - The Risks of Hyper-Personalization

40:52  - Samsung's AI Z Fold: Cool or Concerning?

46:40  - Final Thoughts and Reflections

#ai #deepfake #layoffs #leadership #techtrends