Future Of Work

Some technologies don’t just solve problems — they give people their independence back. I rediscovered Liftware, and I was genuinely moved by what it can do. It looks simple: a smart handle connected to everyday utensils. But inside, it’s a powerful piece of engineering designed for people with hand tremors (Parkinson’s, essential tremor, and more). Here’s how it works: 🔹 Sensors detect tiny hand movements in real time 🔹 Micro-motors instantly counteract the tremor 🔹 The spoon or fork stays stable — even if the hand doesn’t The result? Up to 70% less shaking. And for many people, that means eating soup again… without help. This is technology at its best: invisible, intelligent, and deeply human. 💡 My take Most people don’t know this, but Liftware was developed by a small startup before being acquired by Google’s life sciences division (now Verily). What makes it remarkable is the engineering challenge: the device doesn’t try to stop the tremor — it predicts and cancels it. It’s basically a tiny real-time AI system… hidden inside a spoon. This is the future I love: not just smarter devices, but more compassionate ones. If you’ve seen other innovations that genuinely improve people’s lives, I’d love to discover them. What’s one piece of tech-for-good that inspired you recently? #techforgood #innovation #technology #healthtech #accessibility #assistivetechnology #futureofhealth #inclusiveDesign #AI #impact

AI is rapidly moving from passive text generators to active decision-makers. To understand where things are headed, it’s important to trace the stages of this evolution. 1. 𝗟𝗟𝗠𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and GPT-4 excel at generating human-like text by predicting the next word in a sequence. They can produce coherent and contextually appropriate responses—but their capabilities end there. They don’t retain memory, they don’t take actions, and they don’t understand goals. They are reactive, not proactive. 2. 𝗥𝗔𝗚: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) brought a major upgrade by integrating LLMs with external knowledge sources like vector databases or document stores. Now the model could retrieve relevant context and generate more accurate and personalized responses based on that information. This stage introduced the idea of 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, but still required orchestration. The system didn’t plan or act—it responded with more relevance. 3. 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗜: 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Agentic AI is a fundamentally different paradigm. Here, systems are built to perceive, reason, and act toward goals—often without constant human prompting. An Agentic system includes: • 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆: to retain and recall information over time. • 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: to decide what actions to take and in what order. • 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗨𝘀𝗲: to interact with APIs, databases, code, or software systems. • 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆: to loop through perception, decision, and action—iteratively improving performance.    Instead of a single model generating content, we now orchestrate 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, each responsible for specific tasks, coordinated by a central controller or planner. This is the architecture behind emerging use cases like autonomous coding assistants, intelligent workflow bots, and AI co-pilots that can operate entire systems. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 We’re no longer designing prompts. We’re designing 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿, 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 capable of interacting with the real world. This evolution—LLM → RAG → Agentic AI—marks the transition from 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 to 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

If you don’t grab a serious opportunity by 46, there’s a strong chance you’ll be pushed into early retirement by 52. Not by choice— but because the system will quietly stop picking your resume. It’s sad. It’s unfair. But it’s very real. I’ve been in leadership hiring for 25+ years. And every time I forward a capable, experienced candidate aged 50+, the response from HR is almost always the same: “Let’s hold for now.” “Maybe too senior for the role.” No response at all. Meanwhile, reports say human life expectancy is increasing. People are living longer, healthier lives. But strangely, the professional shelf-life hasn’t moved an inch. Why? Because we’ve been conditioned to rely on our resumes to open doors. But after a certain age, your resume alone stops working. So how do you stay relevant? If you want to keep getting hired after 50, you must start building your network like your career depends on it—because it does. Make people remember your name. Be present in industry circles, offline and online. Join forums, write, speak, mentor, and stay visible. Build relationships where you are seen as a business enabler, not just a job seeker. Because while HR may pause at your age, decision-makers won’t—if they know you and trust your value. This isn’t about being social. This is about survival. The future belongs to those who are known, respected, and remembered. Don’t wait for your resume to do the talking. Be in the room. Stay in the game.

Women are changing their gender to "male" on LinkedIn to prove the algorithm is biased. And it's working. Visibility shouldn’t require women to sound less like ourselves. Yet here we are. All over my feed this week, women are changing their gender markers to “prove” a point – and the results are loud, undeniable, and honestly painful. Engagement jumps. Comments triple. Reach explodes. The bias becomes visible in real time. And I get it. It’s important work. It quantifies what many of us have felt for years but couldn’t “prove” in a way algorithms take seriously. Here’s the tension I can’t shake: If we keep performing masculinity to be heard… what are we training the algorithm to believe about our real voices? Because short-term proof comes with long-term consequences: Maybe.... → We risk signalling to the platform that feminine-coded communication isn’t “valuable” → Diluting the diversity the algorithm should be learning to amplify → We risk becoming attached to the virality instead of the message → We slowly lose the nuance, softness, depth, and empathy many women naturally write with → We normalize the idea that adaptation is the only survival strategy And that’s a cost I’m not willing to ignore. This isn’t about calling out women experimenting. It’s about asking a critical question: Are we documenting the bias… or accidentally reinforcing it? There has to be another way.... ....a better way. One that strengthens our collective voice instead of bending it. Rachael (whose article sparked this reflection) said something powerful: “Instead we could all find ten women’s posts per day – follow them, engage, and amplify their voices.” And dare I add – resharing their content with the same energy we’re giving this experiment? Maybe that’s the real secret sauce. Imagine that. Thousands of us intentionally raising the volume of women who are already writing with excellence, insight, and emotional intelligence. We are not gaming the system. We are reshaping it – one amplified voice at a time. And perhaps it’s time LinkedIn joined the conversation. So here’s my stance: We don’t beat bias by becoming less of ourselves. We beat it by being so visible, amplified, united, and supported – the algorithm has no choice but to learn. This conversation isn’t about virality. It’s about voice. And how we choose to protect it. What do you think? Is there a better way forward than swapping genders just to be heard? I’d love to hear thoughtful perspectives – especially from women navigating this tension in real time.

Drone shows are increasingly incorporating AI technologies to enhance their performance. What do you think about this one? Here are several ways in which #AI is being utilized in drone shows: 1. Autonomous Navigation: Path Planning: AI algorithms assist drones in planning and optimizing flight paths for intricate aerial displays. Collision Avoidance: AI enables real-time analysis of the environment, helping drones avoid collisions and maintain safe distances. 2. Formation Flying: Coordination Algorithms: AI algorithms coordinate the movements of multiple drones to achieve precise formations. Real-Time Adjustments: Drones can dynamically adjust their positions in response to environmental factors or unexpected changes. 3. Swarm Intelligence: Collective Behavior: AI-driven swarm intelligence allows drones to exhibit collective behavior, creating synchronized and mesmerizing patterns. Adaptability: Drones in a swarm can adapt their behavior based on the actions of neighboring drones. 4. Real-Time Data Analysis: Environmental Sensors: Drones equipped with sensors provide real-time data on weather conditions, wind speed, and other factors. Adjusting Performances: AI analyzes this data to make real-time adjustments to the drone show, ensuring optimal performance. 5. Light and Color Choreography: Dynamic Lighting: AI algorithms control the lighting elements on drones, creating dynamic and customizable light shows. Color Synchronization: Drones can synchronize their colors and lighting patterns in real time for visually stunning effects. 6. AI-Generated Patterns: Generative Algorithms: AI is used to generate unique and artistic patterns for drone formations. Variability: Each show can be different, adding an element of surprise and creativity. 7. Gesture Recognition: Audience Interaction: AI-powered gesture recognition systems allow drones to respond to audience movements or gestures. Interactive Shows: Audience members can influence the show in real time. 8. Dynamic Choreography: Learning Algorithms: AI can learn from previous performances, adjusting choreography based on audience reactions and preferences. Continuous Improvement: Drones can adapt and improve their performances over time. 9. Logistics Optimization: Efficient Deployment: AI assists in optimizing the deployment and retrieval of drones before and after shows. Battery Management: Algorithms manage drone battery usage for extended performances. 10. Safety Measures: Emergency Protocols: AI can implement emergency protocols to ensure the safety of the drone show, such as automated landing in case of malfunctions. Monitoring Systems: AI monitors drones for any irregularities in flight behavior. 11. Sound Integration: Audio-Synchronized Displays: AI synchronizes drone movements with music or other audio elements for a fully immersive experience. #ai #innovation via @ zzmenx #drone #dronetechnology

Following user feedback is a Product Management virtue. Is there an actual way to implement it, between all the noise, bugs, and stakeholder requests? Well… Most teams claim they are customer-driven. Yet the moment you open Zendesk, App Store reviews, survey results, and Slack threads, you instantly remember why everyone quietly avoids this work. Feedback is everywhere, contradictory, emotional, duplicated, and nearly impossible to turn into decisions.  It is chaos disguised as “insights.” This is why the new Amplitude AI Feedback release caught my attention and made it all the easier to decide to partner with them on this update. It successfully connects what users say with what they actually do, in one workflow. No extra tools.  No extra tabs. You see their words, frustrations, and praise. You see their behavior. And AI transforms it into ranked themes, rising trends, top requests, and complaints. Noise turns into clarity. Opinions turn into patterns. Patterns turn into action. And because it is native inside Amplitude, it kills the biggest problem in feedback work: Fragmentation. Everything flows into analytics, session replay, and cohorts, creating a full loop from insight to fix. You can trace why an issue matters, how many users care, how it impacts behavior, and which actions you should take. Finally, a single source of truth for PMs, UX, CX, and marketing. I’m also genuinely impressed with the supported sources of feedback: App Store, Google Play, Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Salesforce Service, Gong, Trustpilot, G2, Reddit, Discord, and X. Slack arrives in Q1, and there will be more! If you ever felt overwhelmed by feedback, this is one of the first attempts I have seen that genuinely solves the operational pain, not just the reporting part. It launches… Today! Take a look: https://lnkd.in/dAJKeTez What was the most successful update you know that came from the product’s users? Let me know in the comments. #productmanagement #productmanager #userfeedback

RIP coding? OpenAI has just introduced Codex — a cloud-based AI agent that autonomously writes features, fixes bugs, runs tests, and even documents code. Not just autocomplete, but a true virtual teammate. This marks a shift from AI-assisted to AI-autonomous software engineering. The implications are profound. We’re entering an era where writing code can be done by simply explaining what you want in natural language. Tasks that once required hours of development can now be executed in parallel by an AI agent — securely, efficiently, and with growing precision. So, what does this mean for human skills? The value is shifting fast: → From execution to architecture and design thinking → From code writing to problem framing and solution oversight → From syntax knowledge to strategic understanding of systems, ethics, and user needs As Codex and other agentic AIs evolve, the most critical skills will be, at least for SW tech roles: • AI literacy: knowing what agents can (and cannot) do • Prompt engineering and task orchestration • System design & creative problem solving • Human judgment in code quality, security, and governance It’s a new world for solo founders, tech leads, and enterprise innovation teams alike. We won’t need fewer people. We’ll need people with new skills — ready to lead in an agent-powered era. Let’s embrace the shift. The real opportunity isn’t in writing code faster — it’s in rethinking what we build, how we build, and why. #AI #Codex #FutureOfWork #SoftwareEngineering #AgenticAI #Leadership #AIAgents #TechTrends

STATE OF THE PRODUCT JOB MARKET IN EARLY 2026 In spite of the headlines about layoffs and AI taking jobs, we’re actually seeing a lot of promising signs in tech hiring, and some interesting new trends: 1. PM openings are at the highest levels we’ve seen in over three years 2. AI hasn’t slowed the demand for software engineers (at least not yet) 3. AI roles in general are absolutely exploding 4. Design roles have plateaued 5. The Bay Area is increasing in importance 6. Remote work opportunities continue to decline 7. Despite ongoing layoffs, the overall number of tech jobs continues to grow Full report: https://lnkd.in/gHPzuDJa While these numbers are promising, I know a lot of people are having a hard time finding a job right now. And more openings doesn’t automatically mean people are finding jobs more quickly. For anyone in that situation, first of all, I’m sorry. Second, I’m working on ways to help. Until then, check out the end of the post above for a bunch of resources I’ve collected that’ll improve your odds of landing a gig. This analysis is based on data from TrueUp, one of my favorite collaborators and sources of data. They track job openings at tech companies and top startups around the world (over 9,000 companies) and make it easy to browse open gigs. Their data looks at roles at tech companies—the most sought-after and lucrative jobs. (It doesn’t include roles at non-tech companies and consulting agencies.) Browse open roles here: https://trueup.io/jobs

Stop seeing employees as faceless figures. Start acknowledging them as unique individuals. That’s how you create vibrant and engaged workplace environments. Here’s how you can lead: ✅ Define collective values: ↳ Work together to create core principles everyone can align with. ↳ Let these values influence decisions and actions across the board. ✅ Encourage open dialogue: ↳ Create regular spaces for all team members to voice their thoughts. ↳ Embrace feedback and implement it where possible. ✅ Foster shared moments: ↳ Plan events, challenges, or volunteer opportunities that connect people. ↳ Strengthen bonds through common experiences. ✅ Highlight individual efforts: ↳ Acknowledge both the large and small contributions. ↳ Show your team that they are truly appreciated. ✅ Prioritize development: ↳ Launch mentorship programs and provide career advancement opportunities. ↳ Help people grow personally and professionally. What to avoid as a leader: ❌ Enforcing participation: ↳ Avoid pressuring people into social activities. ↳ Let relationships develop naturally over time. ❌ Overlooking remote workers: ↳ Ensure your efforts to build community include those working remotely. ↳ Keep everyone connected. ❌ Skimping on resources: ↳ Don’t cut corners on building culture. ↳ Invest the necessary time and resources to make it successful. ❌ Relying solely on top-down approaches: ↳ Don’t assume leadership has all the answers. ↳ Empower everyone to help shape the community. ❌ Ignoring differences: ↳ Stay away from one-size-fits-all solutions. ↳ Be mindful of diverse needs and cultural differences. See your team for who they are, not just what they contribute. Lead the way you wish someone had led you. ♻️Repost for those needing to hear this. ➕Follow Justin Bateh, PhD for more. Want to level up your management and leadership game? Try my free newsletter:  https://lnkd.in/e9xftTyU

Innovation is the lifeblood of progress, but it doesn’t happen by chance. It’s cultivated in environments where team members feel safe to share ideas and challenge the status quo. Creating a culture of innovation means nurturing an environment where bold ideas can flourish. It’s about openness, diverse perspectives, and the freedom to experiment. When people feel empowered to speak up, creativity thrives, and true innovation follows. So, how do you create such a culture? 1️⃣ Embed a Growth Mindset: Encourage continuous learning and development across all levels of the organization. Provide resources for professional growth and celebrate learning milestones, fostering an environment where knowledge and skills are constantly evolving. 2️⃣ Facilitate Cross-Functional Collaboration: Break down silos and encourage teams from different departments to work together. Cross-functional projects can bring fresh perspectives and spur innovative solutions that wouldn’t emerge in isolation. 3️⃣ Implement Structured Feedback Mechanisms: Establish regular feedback processes focused on constructive criticism and actionable insights. Ensure psychological safety so team members feel secure, viewing feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than critique. 4️⃣ Encourage Calculated Risks: Promote a culture where calculated risks are welcomed. Empower your team to explore new ideas and approaches without fear of failure. Recognize and reward innovative efforts, even when they don’t result in immediate success. By embedding these principles into your organizational culture, you can pave the way for continuous growth and success. Let’s create spaces where innovation is not just an aspiration but a tangible reality. #Leadership #Innovation #FutureOfWork