Jenny Cavnar is set to make history as the first female play-by-play MLB analyst for the Oakland Athletics. But this isn’t just a personal milestone—it’s a sign of a shifting landscape in sports and beyond. What if giving women bigger microphones isn’t just about equality, but about unlocking untapped excellence?
Dario Amodei claims AI will surpass human intelligence by 2027. But does that mean the end of humanity as we know it—or the beginning of something greater? From fire to the internet, humans have adapted and thrived. What if AI isn’t our competition but our greatest opportunity yet?
Trust is the oxygen of modern work. Without it, even the best-designed systems collapse. As work evolves at AI speed, success isn’t about where you work—it’s about how you show up, with integrity and purpose. Here’s a framework for building trust and balance in today’s workplace…
As companies rush back to old models of oversight and control, there’s a better way forward. Explore why trust—not surveillance—is the true currency of modern work, and learn how high-character leadership can transform the employee-employer relationship in our AI-driven age. This fresh framework for building trust challenges the return-to-office mandates and paternalistic thinking holding organizations back.
2025 Workplace Predictions: The year AI and human potential converge. Drawing from my experience as Noom’s Chief Customer Officer and Gen Z coach, I explore five transformative shifts reshaping work – from new AI-human roles to the death of 9-5. Discover why human potential, not artificial intelligence, will drive tomorrow’s success.
From triathlon obsession to hitting reset at 48, my fitness journey revealed a surprising truth: chasing finish lines was keeping me from real transformation. Discover how a simple practice called “rucking” changed everything I thought I knew about sustainable wellness, and why the answer to lasting change might be simpler than we think.
It’s no secret that the challenges we face in today’s workforce demand more than just solutions. They require a shift in how we lead, how we think, and how we listen. As leadership models evolve and old paradigms are questioned, Melinda French Gates stands out as a voice we can all learn from—especially men in leadership.
Every now and then, the sports world gifts us a performance so exceptional that it transcends the game itself. It becomes a testament to resilience, humility, and the relentless pursuit of more. This season, Saquon Barkley is giving us that performance.
We live in a world that, in many ways, hasn’t caught up with the speed of our own progress. For example, election results in the U.S. are gathered through fifty different state systems, all feeding into the Associated Press, which then calls the outcome. This approach doesn’t just feel archaic, it is—rigid and resistant to change—revealing that many structures we rely on daily are overdue for modernization.
This rigidity is a hallmark of outdated systems.
With every product it released, from Gmail to Google Maps to Chrome, Google set new standards. Its clean design and accessibility made it irresistibly “cool.” Getting an invitation to Google’s tools felt like joining an exclusive club, where using their technology was the “popular” thing to do.
But tech culture moves fast, and Google’s transformation from scrappy startup to global giant has shifted its identity: it’s now the establishment. Today, a new disruptor has emerged, and it’s OpenAI that is capturing imaginations in the way Google once did. With its ChatGPT now embedded with real-time web search, OpenAI has pulled off a strategic move that directly challenges Google’s dominance. The cool kid in town isn’t Google anymore, and the “Don’t Be Evil” empire is facing a challenger that not only competes with its technology but also with its cultural cachet and significance.
Google’s appeal in its early days was as much about what it stood for as what it did. At a time when the internet was chaotic and information was scattered, Google provided clarity, structure, and accessibility. It wasn’t just the fastest or most accurate search engine; it was a trusted guide in an unfamiliar digital landscape. “Don’t Be Evil” resonated deeply because it implied that Google would always be a force for good, a company more concerned with empowering users than exploiting them. To many, Google was the underdog, a small company with big ideals that could take on the corporate behemoths.
But as Google grew, so did its role and its reach. No longer just a search engine, it transformed into a vast ecosystem of products and services, touching nearly every corner of the digital world. Today, Google is a titan of industry, deeply entwined with advertising, data collection, and even regulatory battles. In becoming essential, Google also became less trusted. What was once seen as a benevolent guide has come to feel like a gatekeeper, one that has faced questions about privacy, antitrust issues, and monopolistic behavior. The “Don’t Be Evil” mantra now feels like a relic of the past—an idealistic slogan that no longer fits the reality of the company it has become.
While Google has grown comfortable in its role as an industry giant, OpenAI has emerged as the new disruptor, bringing with it the sense of excitement and innovation that Google once symbolized. At a recent Zendesk AI Summit, I listened to Kara Swisher say about AI,
“Most important technology I have seen.”
From one of the most respected tech journalists of our time, that’s an immensely powerful statement, no? One that almost stops you in your tracks.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT isn’t just a tool; it’s an experience. It offers something that feels more interactive, more personal, and, crucially, more aligned with the current wave of technological curiosity. With the recent integration of web search capabilities directly into ChatGPT, and the introduction of a Chrome Extension, OpenAI is staking its claim to the future of search. It’s bold move, turning ChatGPT into a true alternative to traditional search engines, and a major threat to Google (let alone the hundreds of thousands of small businesses that rely on it for Google Ads traffic).
This isn’t just about functionality; it’s about user experience. ChatGPT can provide context, summarize complex information, and engage in a conversational way that a list of links on a Google results page simply can’t. By embedding search within an AI-driven conversation, OpenAI has created the sense of wonder that’s reminiscent of Google’s early days. And unlike Google, which has sometimes been criticized for opacity, OpenAI’s commitment to transparency and open research further enhances its appeal as a company that is both cutting-edge and trustworthy.
What OpenAI threatens isn’t just Google’s market share—it’s Google’s cultural relevance. For a new generation of users, Google is no longer the upstart company with a mission to change the world; it’s the establishment, akin to how Gen X viewed Microsoft in its heyday, the predictable, corporate giant that many see as more focused on ad revenue than on innovation. OpenAI, on the other hand, has the appeal of the Rebel Alliance, a company willing to experiment and to push the boundaries in a way that feels genuine and forward-thinking. OpenAI’s products are the ones tech enthusiasts and early adopters are talking about, and that shift in attention signals a deeper shift in the tech landscape.
This “coolness gap” between Google and OpenAI has significant implications. While Google may still be an indispensable tool, it increasingly feels like a utility—reliable but uninspiring. OpenAI, however, brings an excitement that signals new possibilities – “an abundance of intelligence at your fingertips.”
As OpenAI develops new capabilities, it’s not just building a product; it’s building a community – leaders who are harnessing its intelligence to be more productive, more useful, more adaptable, more nimble … simply more. That is the essence of AI’s promise – helping humans become more.
Users are drawn to OpenAI not only because of its technology but also because of the sense that it represents the future —a future that is here now.
Google now faces a dual challenge. It’s not just about matching OpenAI’s technology; it’s about reclaiming the cultural relevance it once owned.
OpenAI’s search integration signals a seismic shift: one that turns search from a task into an interaction, a conversational experience.
Rather than sifting through ads and links, ChatGPT users are getting direct, conversational responses, redefining what users expect from a search experience. OpenAI’s “search land grab” isn’t about claiming more market share—it’s about setting a new standard for how information is delivered and consumed.
For Google, reclaiming its status as an innovative leader will require more than technological upgrades. It will require a return to the values that made it beloved in the first place: transparency, trust, and a genuine commitment to empowering users. Google must confront its identity as the “Don’t Be Evil” Empire and ask itself whether it can still be the company people want to root for or become a relic we remember fondly as the one that once was.
In the meantime, OpenAI continues to rise, carrying with it the spirit that once defined Google. The battle between these two giants isn’t just about algorithms or AI; it’s a contest for the soul of technology itself. Will Google find a way to reawaken the excitement and trust it once inspired? Or will OpenAI continue to capture the imaginations of those seeking something new, something hopeful, something that feels like the future?
Only time will tell, but for now, the “Don’t Be Evil” empire stands at a crossroads, watching as a bold challenger rewrites the rules of the game.
It’s an incredible time to be human.
Image Credit Mirko Toller Jedi – Star Wars – Some Rights Reserved
