Newsletter 95. How AI could extend the productive careers of millions. Plus recommended fake books to read, nonfiction writing tips from fiction, three people to follow and three books to read. AI: Aging intelligence I’ve gotten pretty used to the way my brain works. Based on decades of historical evidence it’s quick, retains almost everything,…
I can still make useful contributions to the world, and I’m not giving up. If it’s worth doing, do it anyway I was used to being able to do almost anything (at least, anything mental) as smartly as possible, more quickly, and more creatively than most people. I am not as good as I used…
I don’t tell Black people how to be Black people. I don’t tell gay people how to be gay. I don’t tell Muslims what they should care about, or Catholics, or Orthodox Jews. I don’t tell Canadians how to be Canadian. I don’t tell working class people how they should live their lives. I don’t…
When I was an analyst, my job working with senior executives in companies was clear-cut. I would use my knowledge of their markets to develop advice for them, parachute into their companies, present my ideas, and answer their questions. Then I would leave. Implementation was their problem. I was extremely honest and often blunt, but…
Newsletter 89: Why charm, competence, and respect aren’t just good for business, but are a way of life. Plus Shopify won’t hire for what AI can do better; suing Trump to preserve libraries, Amazon recaps books with AI, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Charm, Competence, Respect How in heck was…
I was startled to read this quote in The Athletic (part of the New York Times) from a federal judge overseeing an antitrust case regarding the NCAA and college sports conferences: [U.S. District Court Judge Claudia] Wilken raised several questions related to the objections, but she also expressed optimism for eventual approval if those questions…
Newsletter 87. While life is an unending battle against chaos, chaos is where all creativity comes from. Plus, Meta rips off every author on the planet, AI “insights” are anything but, three people to follow and three books to read. Chaos in perspective Do you love chaos? Of course not. No one wants to be…
My company WOBS continues successfully in 2025, ten years after I started it. Many things about what I do have changed, but others have remained constant. I thought it might be instructive to describe my journey as a freelance writer, editor, and ghostwriter. Fundamental principles When I started, I had a clear idea of what…
Ten years ago, WOBS was born. WOBS LLC is the name of my company. The first blog post on bernoff.com (which at that time was called withoutbullshit.com) was ten years ago. Today I’ll talk about how I went from a senior executive at a respected research company to to a 56-year-old freelancer with dreams to…