Hey, it’s Marek.

So, last Friday’s article (you can read it here, if you prefer text over audio) resonated with a lot of readers, it seems. This time its LinkedIn version generated a big discussion among readers.

I needed this term in my life, “the Mullet Model”- perfect. A reader.

I also received lots of positive feedback about the audio recordings in general (remember? last week was the very first time I shared an audio recording, a “directors cut” if you will), so I’ll continue it for a while. I am currently figuring out how to set up substack so that those of you who want to receive text posts, but not audio, can adjust their subscription. Please bear with me, I should have a solution next week. Don’t unsubscribe just yet. 😉

Recording this week’s podcast, I kept thinking about that call with executives who announced their to-be-completed-in-2028 Copilot rollout. This wasn’t literary fiction! I really had that call, a few weeks ago. (I won’t reveal which company; they might be reading this newsletter. 🙈) To their credit, they immediately recognised that what they were doing wasn’t ideal. But there’s a difference between recognising insanity and deciding to do something more sane.

The best article I have read in a long while about AI. Thank you for your wonderful way of mixing information, insights and entertainment. Another reader

That disconnect haunted me for days. Reports of 95% GenAI project failure rates alongside surging worker adoption made me genuinely curious: Are people seeing something organisations aren’t? That viral "MIT report" claiming 95% failure? MIT published it, then quietly took it down without explanation. Even research gets the mullet treatment: sharp findings up front, messy disappearance in the back. Still, other legitimate studies show similar struggles with demonstrating ROI (Return on Investment; yes, I explain that acronym in the recording because I felt guilty using it without definition in the original post).

Calling AI a mullet captures that duality in a way that’s funny but also true. It’s both polished and scrappy, corporate and subcultural, respectable and slightly unhinged. Yet another reader.

The paradox remains real: individual value is obvious, institutional ROI is elusive. We’re measuring the wrong things. Like trying to style a mullet with a calculator.

Oh, and writing an entire article stuffed with mullet puns absolutely forced me to visit the barber this weekend. Even I have limits.

Enjoy the recording.

And stay curious.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marekkowal.substack.com