In The Loop

Mary Meeker is back after six years with a deep dive into AI—and in this episode of In The Loop, I break it down and explain why this technology isn’t just another trend. From lightning-fast adoption to its global reach and disruptive potential, I explore how AI is unfolding in ways no tech ever has before.

But beyond the big headlines, I also dig into the real-world implications. What’s actually working when it comes to AI implementation? Where is the hype overshooting the reality? I share where the real value is being created—and why most of it isn’t happening where you’d expect. If you want a grounded, honest take on the state of AI right now, this one’s for you.

⏩ Episode Highlights

(01:00) - How AI adoption is outpacing every tech wave before it

(08:10) - Global reach and geopolitical power plays: AI leadership as global leverage

(10:50) - The breadth of AI’s disruption—exponential leaps

(12:15) - My honest take on all of this data: Why AI agents are promising in theory but fragile in practice—right now—and what the future holds

Links & Resources

💹 Mary Meeker’s AI Trends Report 2025

📖 Written version with charts here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

Are we witnessing the end of entry-level jobs as we know them? In this episode of In The Loop, I’m tuning in from a shed on the coast of Scotland—yes, seriously—to dig into one of the most urgent and overlooked consequences of AI: its impact on early career opportunities. 

Based on fresh insights from SignalFire’s State of Tech Talent Report 2025, World Economic Forum, and LinkedIn data, I explore how AI and automation are rapidly dismantling traditional junior roles and what this means for economic mobility, education, and the next generation of talent.

I’ll unpack the widening disconnect between digital labor and human development, the rise of experience paradoxes, and whether employers have a structural responsibility to train and invest in new talent. If you're a graduate, a hiring manager, or simply concerned about the future of work, this is one episode you can’t afford to miss.

⏩ Episode Highlights

(00:15) - The State of Talent Report 2025: the urgent questions raised by tracking 650 million professionals’ career prospects.

(02:15) - The data: a 50% drop in junior hiring and the “experience paradox”—is AI creating a Lost Generation?

(06:00) - The societal impact: rethinking education in a world with fewer traditional pathways—and the moralities. 

(08:00) - Commercial responsibilities: global apprenticeship models that might offer solutions.

(11:25) - The call to action: Why 2025 might be the inflection point we can’t ignore.

🔗 Links & Resources

📊 SignalFire’s State of Tech Talent Report 2025

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

In this episode of In the Loop, I dive into the biggest AI reveals from Microsoft’s Build and Google I/O—two landmark conferences that showcased over 150 new AI features in just one week. But this isn't just a recap. I cherry-pick the announcements that I believe signal the future of AI, particularly in how Microsoft and Google are taking radically different routes in shaping our digital world.

From Microsoft’s bold vision of an "open agentic web" to Google’s consumer-driven experiments and AR glasses revival, I break down what these strategies mean for developers, businesses, and everyday users. Whether you're an enterprise builder, a curious consumer, or just someone trying to keep up with the rapid pace of AI innovation—this one’s for you.

⏩ Episode Highlights

(00:40) — 7 days, 150 AI features, and AI agents mentioned 300 times: an overview of Microsoft Build and Google I/O 2025

(01:23) — Microsoft Build: Open Agentic Web, Model Context Protocol, and layoffs → Enterprise AI strategy

(07:10) — Google I/O: Agent Mode, AI Search & Shopping, wearables → Consumer AI strategy

🎧 Related Episodes

What is Model Context Protocols (MCP)? At 3:55

What is Agent2Agent Protocol (A2A)?

🔗 Links & Resources

Microsoft Build overview

Google I/O 2025 overview

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

By the end of this In The Loop episode, you’ll have a clear breakdown of the five categories of AI features SaaS companies are launching right now—and the frameworks product teams can use to design them. From small, delightful UX enhancements to semi-autonomous AI agents and powerful standalone AI-native platforms, I walk you through how companies like Google, Stripe, Notion, Attio, and Mindset AI are thinking about their AI strategy.

After reading Rich Holmes' fantastic analysis from the Department of Product, which reviewed 25+ major AI feature launches, I was inspired to dig into this topic. I’ve taken that foundation and layered on what I’m seeing firsthand with Mindset AI customers and in the AI products we’re building. 

Whether you're a founder, product manager, or just AI-curious, this episode will give you a practical lens for understanding how the next wave of software is being built.

⏩ Episode Highlights

(00:40) – Type 1: Embedded UX—invisible, contextual, yet powerful AI features

(07:00) – Type 2: AI Agents that control existing functionality and why they’re a game-changer

(10:40) – Type 3: Domain-specialized workflow agents tailored to Jobs To Be Done (JTBD)

(13:25) – Type 4: Gen Ai-focused features (glance-over)

(14:05) – Type 5: AI-native standalone apps and how they’re redefining entire categories—while disrupting traditional SaaS

Links & Resources:

🔗 Rich Homes, Department of Product: Deep (on Substack)

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📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

This week’s In The Loop dives into the battle for the future of AI computing—and it’s getting fierce. In this episode, I break down three major AI battlegrounds that could reshape how we code, search, shop, and interact online. It’s Google vs. OpenAI vs. Meta in a high-stakes war that’s as much about market dominance as it is about redefining how we use technology every day.

From Google's game-changing Gemini 2.5 launch to Meta’s bold push into consumer AI with their latest app, and OpenAI’s stealthy assault on Google Search, I connect the dots between strategy, product releases, and billion-dollar plays. There’s a lot happening under the surface—and some of these moves could fundamentally shift who owns your digital attention.

⏭️ Episode highlights

(00:35) – Battleground #1: AI coding

(02:20) – Battleground #2: Consumer AI market

(09:30) – Battleground #3: Search & Shopping

🔗 Related Links

EP14 - What's AI ReallyUsed For: The Real State Of AI Adoption In 2025

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends.

In this episode of In The Loop, I unpack the most compelling AI research released so far this year—highlighting how generative AI is being used not just as a productivity booster but as a deeply embedded layer in both personal and professional lives. Drawing on new data from Harvard Business Review and KPMG, I explore what the top 10 use cases in 2025 really say about the direction of society, the workplace, and how business leaders need to respond.

You'll hear my take on the rise of use cases like organizing life, enhanced learning, and even therapy and companionship—and why these shifts reflect a broader redefinition of how we measure value, capability, and contribution. I’ll also dig into the hidden AI behaviors inside companies, including the 57% of employees who still conceal their AI usage from management. This isn’t just about tools—it’s about trust, talent models, and the next evolution of organizational design.

⏭️ Episode Highlights:

(00:40) – The top 10 global use cases for AI in 2025—and what’s been displaced since last year.

(04:05) – AI in our everyday life: The sharp rise in AI for personal support, therapy, and companionship.

(06:30) – Lessons from OpenAI’s recent ChatGPT update, the most sycophantic model out there.

(10:00) – AI at the workplace: How AI is augmenting, not replacing, human-centric roles like coaching, education, and wellness.

(15:00) – A call to action for leaders: build trust, lead from the top, and reshape how your teams work with AI.

🔗 Related Links

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

In this episode of In The Loop, I unpack the viral storm surrounding a startup that’s made headlines—and sparked outrage—with a bold statement: “We want to cheat on everything.” Cluely, has built an AI tool designed to help users breeze through interviews, exams, and more by feeding them real-time answers. Is this tech genius or just glorified dishonesty?

We’ll take a look at the firestorm Cluely has ignited, break down the biggest critiques (and why they matter), and explore how society, education, and even hiring might be forced to evolve. I also share my personal perspective on why narratives shape our cultural reaction to tools like this—and why this conversation is way bigger than just one startup’s viral campaign.

Episode Highlights

(01:00) - How Cluely’s Roy Lee and his co-founder went viral—and got suspended from Columbia

(03:35) - Clash of values: The three main criticisms: dishonesty, human development, and societal collapse

(07:00) - Cluely’s defense: is this just the next wave of tech progress?

(10:30) - Cheating or smart strategy? The grey areas of AI-assisted testing

(13:30) - Where we go from here—and what it means for us all

🔗 Related Links

Cluely's viral ad (YouTube)

EP11 - Shopify Memo: No Humans Hired Without AI Approval—Tobias Lütke's Vision

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

Google’s Agent2Agent (A2A) is a brand new protocol to facilitate communication between independent AI agents—but what does this actually mean?

Imagine waking up to a push notification that your fridge has been restocked, your flight’s been rerouted around bad weather, and your taxes were filed—all while you were sleeping. No apps. No tabs. Just invisible agents handling your life. Sounds futuristic? In this episode of In The Loop, I dig into what could make that scenario a reality: Google’s new Agent-to-Agent protocol, or A2A.

This isn’t just a nerdy dive into AI plumbing—this is the foundation that might define how AI agents talk, collaborate, and make your digital life seamless. We explore why A2A could become the “HTTP for AI,” how it works with the Model-Context Protocol (MCP), and why it matters for developers, companies, and, yep, even governments. If you're building in the AI space or just fascinated by how the future gets built, you’re gonna want to listen to this.

Episode Highlights

(01:00) - A recap of multi-agent systems

(02:50) - Why Google’s Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol is crucial for the next phase of agentic AI

(06:55) - Orchestrator agents and what can go wrong when agents don’t work together

(09:50) - The key components of the A2A protocol 

(12:05) - What the A2A protocol means to You: the future of personal assistants—and the dark side of this innovation

(18:40) - Where does this leave us? Will A2A become widely adopted or will it flop?

Links & Resources

👀 Related episodes you might like

EP8 - Model Context Protocol (MCP): The Newest AI Buzzword Explained

EP6 - Multi-Agent Systems: The Next Big Shift In AI—Yet People Have No Clue About Them

EP3 - The Real AI Challenge: Designing Human-Agent Interfaces That Work

📕 Book recommendation

AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Chen Qiufan and Kai-Fu Lee

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

This week, I’m unpacking one of the boldest corporate moves we’ve seen for a while—a memo from Shopify’s CEO that might just signal the beginning of a new AI-first era in the workplace. Shopify’s Tobias Lütke dropped a bombshell: no new human hires unless it’s been proven first that AI can't do the job. The policy has sparked everything from praise to panic, and we need to talk about what it really means.

In this episode of In The Loop, I deep dive into the Shopify AI memo, dissect the reactions it’s stirred online, and explore what this could mean for your job, your future, and the broader workplace. Will other CEOs follow suit? Is this about cutting costs or doubling down on innovation? And what happens to junior workers in an AI-first world? Let’s break it all down.

Episode Highlights

(00:50) - The Shopify memo from Tobias Lütke: a CEO mandate to justify human hiring - Read the memo on our blog

(08:10) - Breaking down the key points Tobias Lütke made in his AI-first message

(09:15) - Saying the quiet part out loud

(17:00) - How does the next five years look like?

(20:00) - My final takeaway: this is either visionary leadership, or the start of a tough reckoning

Links & Resources

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀

In this episode of In The Loop, I break down one of the most jaw-dropping AI updates we’ve seen for a few years—the new ChatGPT image generator that’s now baked directly into GPT-4. It’s fast, playful, and wildly powerful. You can take any photo and instantly transform it into something that looks straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. It’s fun—until it gets complicated…

I dive into how this model actually works, why it’s such a leap forward, and what it means for artists, creatives, and entire industries. From copyright dilemmas and lawsuits to cultural questions and job displacement, this tech is stirring up some big conversations. Whether you’re experimenting with AI art for fun or thinking deeply about its implications, this episode helps you make sense of it all.

Episode Timeline: Key Highlights

(01:00) – The magic of the ChatGPT image generator and why it’s blowing up

(02:40) – What makes GPT-4o’s image generator tool different from DALL·E and diffusion models

(06:30) – The cultural and ethical impact – The Ghibli debate: Art homage vs. imitation and cultural appropriation

(08:25) – Copyright grey zones: can style be protected by law?

(13:10) – The business and workforce impact – How creative careers might shift—and who’s at risk of being replaced

(15:30) – Final thoughts: will AI homogenize art, or spark a new wave of creativity?

Links & Resources:

📖 Read the written version of this episode on the Mindset AI blog (with all relevant links and resources). Read here.

If you enjoyed this episode, rate, follow, and share! It helps others stay ahead of the latest AI trends. 🚀