AI is an average writer. It creates clear but boring prose. Average writers aren’t very good teachers or editors. So here’s how I see it. If you are an excellent writer, you can use AI to do better research, draft ideas, test out different ways of writing, and get feedback. You can then use your…
You probably heard about the Delta Air Lines plane that crashed in Toronto, landing upside-down on the tarmac. Amazingly, due to the swift actions of the crew, all 76 passengers survived. (Since this was in Canada, I immediately worried that the long-suffering guitar-carrying Canadian musician Dave Carroll must have been on that plane, but apparently…
Newsletter 79: American tech pirates want protection from Chinese tech pirates, patent examiner crisis, data infrastructure erosion, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Nobody whines louder than a disrupted disruptor Chinese AI model Deepseek has thundered onto the scene, competing effectively with existing players like OpenAI and Meta while using far…
These are the rules for working with writers and editors in a way that demonstrates good manners. If you follow these rules, everything will be efficient and run smoothly. If you do not, professional writers and editors will curse you and your descendants. (Yes, I’m writing this today because I’m annoyed at some people.) The…
“Learnings” is a corporate buzzword intended to describe what you learned from some work activity. It sets my teeth on edge. You might feel the plural “learnings” is a perfectly legitimate word. After all, we have no problem talking about the teachings of Richard Feynman or Charles Darwin. And it’s perfectly understandable to discuss corporate…
I inadvertently set off a firestorm on LinkedIn when, on a whim, I posted this: The minute I see an exclamation point in a post on LinkedIn, I immediately want to disbelieve the person sharing it and the content of what’s being shared. Is that just me, or do any of you feel the same…
Newsletter 65. Raise your right hand and promise to edit faithfully. Plus, Tucker Max spills the truth, Jane Friedman reveals the fakes, and the copyright office in the crosshairs. The editor’s oath Doctors take a Hippocratic oath, a set of promises to their patients. This is necessary because the patient needs to know the doctor…
Newsletter 63: A revolutionary new take on management; the lie that Harris and Trump agree on; five ways to write a book. Plus three people to follow and three books to read. What if you actually asked your people what they wanted? Today’s newsletter is a little different. It’s dedicated to my review of a…
Newsletter 62: Thoughts on diversity and monoculture, seven terrible author habits, three people to follow, and three books to read. What teams must share — and what they mustn’t In more than 40 years of work, I’ve been part of some amazing teams. Looking back, what strikes me is how effective and functional almost all…