You use their apps every day. You've watched their stock prices climb. Maybe you've even built your career around their tools.

But what if the tech companies you rely on most can't actually explain how they make money?

In this episode, we get into something that's been on both our minds for a while — the growing gap between what the tech industry celebrates and what it actually delivers.

We're not coming at this as industry analysts or investors, but think of us as two people who use these products, work in and around tech, and have started to notice that a lot of what gets called "innovation" doesn't seem to solve problems anyone actually has.

We talk about AI — what's changed recently, what the difference is between the tools that just talk back to you and the newer ones that can actually do things on your behalf, and why that distinction matters even if you've never written a line of code.

We go company by company and ask uncomfortable questions. Why has one of the biggest names in AI backtracked on so many promises? Why does a company worth billions still not have a clear product focus? And why are some of the fastest-growing tools in tech already showing signs they won't last?

So we put together a test. Three fundamentals that any business — tech or not — should be able to answer.

It's not complicated. But it's surprising how many of the biggest names in tech can't pass all three.

We also zoom out and ask which tech companies have genuinely lasted. Which ones have become as permanent as a bank or a soft drink brand?

The answer is shorter than you'd think, and it raises its own set of questions about what the last twenty years of tech have actually given us.

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Jargon Decoder — a few terms we throw around in this one, explained plain:

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What happens when something you used to believe doesn’t make sense anymore?

In this episode, we get into that experience of going back to people, ideas, or opinions you’ve held for a long time, and realising you’re not as convinced as you once were.

Sometimes it’s obvious why. Other times, you can’t even trace where the belief came from, but it’s just been there.

So we try to unpack that.

We also talk about how this shows up with public figures. People you used to listen to, agree with, or rate, and then, over time, you just stop connecting with.

And even between us, we realise we don’t handle it the same way. Sometimes it’s a slow drift, where you just stop paying attention.

Other times it’s more direct, you hear something, and you’re like, yeah… I’m done.

That opens up a few other things.

Like why some people never really evolve with their audience. How easy it is for your identity to get tied to certain beliefs. And how you can end up holding onto views long after the moment that made them useful has passed.

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

In this episode, we talk about reality TV.

Love Island, Love Is Blind, Big Brother, The Traitors — and the strange hold these shows seem to have on people. Most of us know they’re ridiculous. And yet somehow we keep watching.

What is it about these formats that works so well?

At first, we’re just comparing the shows we’ve been watching and noticing how similar they often feel. The same types of contestants show up. The same conflicts repeat. After a while, you start to see the patterns.

That leads us to a bigger question. What actually happens when you take a group of ordinary people, put them in a closed environment, add cameras, pressure, and incentives, and let things play out?

We talk about how quickly people start performing for the audience, how incentives shape behaviour, and why these shows often become predictable once you’ve watched enough of them.

But even with all that, there’s still something oddly compelling about watching people placed in intense social situations and seeing what happens.

So the conversation becomes less about the shows themselves and more about what they reveal about us.

Why do we enjoy watching these social experiments? And what does reality TV say about human nature?

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

In this episode, we try to make sense of the latest tensions involving Iran, the Gulf States, and everything that seems to be unfolding around it.

We’re not experts on geopolitics, but like most people, we’re trying to understand what these kinds of global events actually mean for everyday life.

Along the way, we end up talking about how much the global economy depends on the Gulf region — from oil and jet fuel to the flow of people, money, and trade through places like Dubai. We also touch briefly on something that’s been on our minds lately: the growing connection between AI companies and military systems.

But the conversation slowly turns into something more personal.

How do you live your life when the world constantly feels like it’s on the brink of something?

With wars, economic uncertainty, and new technologies appearing in the news almost every day, it can feel like there’s always something big happening somewhere. Yet at the same time, life keeps moving. People still wake up, go to work, make decisions, and deal with whatever is happening in their own lives.

So this episode becomes less about geopolitics and more about that tension — how to stay aware of the world without letting it overwhelm you.

In other words, how do you keep living your local life while the world feels increasingly chaotic?

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

A simple question about today’s job market led us somewhere deeper.

We began by reflecting on what we’re seeing — shifting hiring patterns, oversaturated applications, the quiet disappearance of certain entry-level pathways, and the rise of AI-augmented talent. But as the conversation unfolded, it became clear that the real question wasn’t just about jobs.

It was about work itself.

What makes someone valuable in their work? Is experience still defined by time, or by exposure and context? And as new tools begin to compress the distance between beginner and expert, what happens to the structures we’ve built around expertise, hierarchy, and apprenticeship?

If knowledge can be accelerated, what becomes of judgment? If output can be amplified, what becomes of experience?

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

We’re living through something strange, and nobody really knows how it ends.

In this episode, we try to articulate that feeling — the sense that something massive is happening, billions are being poured in, companies are racing, narratives are hardening… and yet nobody actually knows how this ends.

It feels like we’re inside a chapter that will later get a name.

The “AI Boom.”

The “AI Bubble.”

The “AI Reset.”

We just don’t know which one.

We talk about:

Why so many powerful people sound absolutely certain about the future

What incentives are driving the hype (and who benefits if we believe it)

Whether this is genuine transformation — or another cycle of over-promise

But more importantly, this was a very human conversation about our scepticism and curiosity in all of this.

About choosing to think for yourself instead of joining the hive mind.

About asking what responsibility looks like when you’re building, investing, working, or creating in the middle of something that might reshape everything.

Because sometimes the most important thing isn’t knowing what will happen, but being aware that you’re already living through it.

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

Subscriptions used to be simple. A newspaper. A gym. Maybe a DVD club if you were feeling fancy.

Now they’re everywhere: apps, TV, work tools, cars, even things in your house. And somehow none of them feel expensive on their own… until you look at them together.

This episode starts with a quiz, but it quickly turns into a bigger conversation about how the subscription model has quietly taken over modern life.

We talk through how and when this shift happened, why entertainment subscriptions dominate so many budgets, and why cancelling things often feels harder than it should. 

Subscriptions are everywhere now — from entertainment to work to things we used to own. But then you step back and realise how quietly that changed everything. And you start wondering if it’s actually better.

We compare our own subscription lists, talk about the “zombie” payments we forgot to cancel, debate ownership vs access, and question whether this model is even sustainable long-term. Plus: which subs are genuinely worth it, which ones feel like scams in disguise, and the simple rules we use to avoid drowning in monthly charges.

If you’ve ever looked at your bank statement and thought, “wait… what am I even paying for?” — this one’s for you.

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

In this episode, Wole and Tobi try to make sense of a growing tension many people feel but struggle to articulate: why starting a family now feels economically overwhelming.

Sparked by real nursery costs, they unpack how raising children has become increasingly financialised — from childcare and education to housing and work expectations. They explore fertility decline across regions, the mismatch between income growth and family costs, and whether modern economies have quietly made children feel like liabilities rather than a blessing.

This isn’t an episode with neat answers. It’s a conversation about numbers, faith, fear, privilege, necessity, and meaning — and how people navigate parenthood when the system itself feels misaligned.

As always, this is sensemaking in real time.

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn

In this episode, we explore a conversation around celebrity, accountability, and mental health, using Kanye West’s public apology as a reference point.

We question what public apologies actually mean, how fame complicates responsibility, and why real growth usually happens away from the spotlight. We also touch on how mental health language has become more common, sometimes in helpful ways, but often in ways that blur accountability and reality.  

From there, the conversation widens into culture and the rise of internet-native fame.

We talk about figures like IShowSpeed and what they represent — a new kind of celebrity built on personality, algorithms, and constant visibility.

It’s a reflection on how culture is shifting in real time, how relevance is being redefined, and what it means for people like us trying to stay grounded while the rules keep changing.

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If, while you’re listening, something crosses your mind, or you get that urge to jump into the conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a quick voice note using here: http://bit.ly/sensemakingvn