Neil Perkin
@neilperkin.bsky.social
Founder of Only Dead Fish. Author of 'Building the Agile Business', 'Agile Transformation' and 'Agile Marketing'. Curator of Google Firestarters.
Nicely put
If people in your team or organisation are using AI notetakers as a way of coping with too many meetings and a culture of presenteeism, there's not a technological fix for this. The answer is to have fewer, better organised meetings www.careful.industries/blog/2025-11...
November 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Nicely put
When it comes to driving change, systems are way more powerful than goals. Many businesses mistake goals and targets for strategy, but systems motivate through progress, compound through repetition, and preserve adaptability and optionality onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Fish Food 669: Why systems beat goals
Change through systems, AI is eats the world, Gemini 3.0, testing AI-produced ads, why we still need to teach knowledge, and the myth of shrinking attention spans
onlydeadfish.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
When it comes to driving change, systems are way more powerful than goals. Many businesses mistake goals and targets for strategy, but systems motivate through progress, compound through repetition, and preserve adaptability and optionality onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
We've all been there, mate
November 21, 2025 at 10:01 AM
We've all been there, mate
Frosty morning from the shed
November 20, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Frosty morning from the shed
John Burn-Murdoch on the growing numbers of young NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training), disengaged not only from the economy but the rest of society. Something big is happening to our young people and it's not good www.ft.com/content/bd61...
Young adults are growing increasingly economically dislocated
A disconnected class is taking shape, but is absent from the headline statistics
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:20 PM
John Burn-Murdoch on the growing numbers of young NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training), disengaged not only from the economy but the rest of society. Something big is happening to our young people and it's not good www.ft.com/content/bd61...
Some weekend listening - I've been binge-listening the BBC's wonderful 'This Cultural Life' in which creative figures talk about their life and influences. These 2 episodes from James Rhodes and Goldie are so moving but so inspiring www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - This Cultural Life, James Rhodes
Pianist James Rhodes talks to John Wilson about his formative influences and experiences.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Some weekend listening - I've been binge-listening the BBC's wonderful 'This Cultural Life' in which creative figures talk about their life and influences. These 2 episodes from James Rhodes and Goldie are so moving but so inspiring www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
One of the biggest challenges in AI transformation is the ‘bottom-up trap, top-down fantasy’ that results in a disconnect between leadership intent and the reality of how stuff gets done in organisations. This week's newsletter looks at this, and the ROI of AI open.substack.com/pub/onlydead...
Fish Food 668: AI Transformation and ROI - Bottom-up trap, top-down fantasy
The ROI of AI, how much AI will audiences accept in art, Meta on the future of agencies, Sam Altman on ChatGPT advertising, and consulting slop
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:43 AM
One of the biggest challenges in AI transformation is the ‘bottom-up trap, top-down fantasy’ that results in a disconnect between leadership intent and the reality of how stuff gets done in organisations. This week's newsletter looks at this, and the ROI of AI open.substack.com/pub/onlydead...
There's an interesting/awful thought in here about companies paying talented employees to train agents so that they can retain at least some of that capability/knowledge when the employee leaves www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Ex-McKinsey Consultants Are Training AI Models to Replace Them
The consulting sector has been buffeted by headwinds in key markets from the UK and China to Saudi Arabia and Australia in recent years. But its latest challenge might come from within.
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:30 AM
There's an interesting/awful thought in here about companies paying talented employees to train agents so that they can retain at least some of that capability/knowledge when the employee leaves www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Neil Perkin
The fact that the BBC has made serious culpable errors does not negate the point that there is a real and concerted right-wing media campaign to destroy it. Both points can be true at the same time and the campaign would not end even if the errors did.
November 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM
The fact that the BBC has made serious culpable errors does not negate the point that there is a real and concerted right-wing media campaign to destroy it. Both points can be true at the same time and the campaign would not end even if the errors did.
I genuinely think that intellectual curiosity will be even more of a superpower in the age of AI and so I've written a 'How to be Interested (Part Two)' post, as a follow up to my first one a few weeks back. onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Fish Food 667: How to be Interested (Part Two)
Turning intellectual curiosity into a superpower, the state of enterprise AI, AI mode as agent, and are technology bubbles good, actually?
onlydeadfish.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I genuinely think that intellectual curiosity will be even more of a superpower in the age of AI and so I've written a 'How to be Interested (Part Two)' post, as a follow up to my first one a few weeks back. onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
A term I really dislike (in a corporate context): 'Playbook'
November 7, 2025 at 1:32 PM
A term I really dislike (in a corporate context): 'Playbook'
There seems to be conflicting data on whether AI is actually taking jobs at scale but this FT piece is a good analysis. TL:DR is that it’s complex but so far AI is displacing tasks not jobs, unless you are a freelance copywriter or graphic designer www.ft.com/content/3d26...
The AI Shift: where are all the job losses?
A macroeconomic change isn’t clear yet but payroll data shows some types of work are already being displaced
www.ft.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:02 AM
There seems to be conflicting data on whether AI is actually taking jobs at scale but this FT piece is a good analysis. TL:DR is that it’s complex but so far AI is displacing tasks not jobs, unless you are a freelance copywriter or graphic designer www.ft.com/content/3d26...
Difficult to know what to think about this. On the one hand, maybe some people are getting some form of help. On the other, it's terrifying that that help is coming from the black box of AI techcrunch.com/2025/10/27/o...
OpenAI says over a million people talk to ChatGPT about suicide weekly | TechCrunch
OpenAI released data on just how many of ChatGPT's users are facing mental health challenges, and how it's addressing them.
techcrunch.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Difficult to know what to think about this. On the one hand, maybe some people are getting some form of help. On the other, it's terrifying that that help is coming from the black box of AI techcrunch.com/2025/10/27/o...
All through my career (and in life) I've always believed in the value of working at the edges of what you know, and what psychologists would call 'desirable difficulty'. This week's newsletter is all about that, along with the usual interesting/useful links onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Fish Food 666: In praise of working at the edge
Operating on the edge of comfort, a guide to getting more done with AI, inhouse content machines, and a guide to 'aliveness'
onlydeadfish.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 2:09 PM
All through my career (and in life) I've always believed in the value of working at the edges of what you know, and what psychologists would call 'desirable difficulty'. This week's newsletter is all about that, along with the usual interesting/useful links onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
This week I spoke at the Google Partner Summit in Dublin on the future of agencies in the era of AI. I did some (AI-assisted) scenario-planning for it to set out potential futures and paths open to agencies. I've written up the key insights from that here onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Fish Food 666: The Future of Agencies in the Age of AI
Where do agencies go from here? Are we living in a 'stupidogenic society'? Are there more AI generated articles on the web than human generated ones? So many questions.
onlydeadfish.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:35 AM
This week I spoke at the Google Partner Summit in Dublin on the future of agencies in the era of AI. I did some (AI-assisted) scenario-planning for it to set out potential futures and paths open to agencies. I've written up the key insights from that here onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Robot waiter in Dublin airport
October 22, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Robot waiter in Dublin airport
Properly thought-provoking post this on cognitive offloading substack.nomoremarking.com/p/are-we-liv...
Are we living in a stupidogenic society?
The cognitive muscles we no longer exercise
substack.nomoremarking.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Properly thought-provoking post this on cognitive offloading substack.nomoremarking.com/p/are-we-liv...
Fascinating study which shows that when a broader set of psychological dimensions are considered overall mental functioning peaks between the ages of 55 and 60. There's hope for me yet theconversation.com/worried-abou...
Worried about turning 60? Science says that’s when many of us actually peak
Perhaps it’s time we stopped treating midlife as a countdown and started recognising it as a peak.
theconversation.com
October 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Fascinating study which shows that when a broader set of psychological dimensions are considered overall mental functioning peaks between the ages of 55 and 60. There's hope for me yet theconversation.com/worried-abou...
Almost a decade ago I wrote a report for the IPA on the Future of Agencies, and used a framework to define a key dynamic for the future: systems and empathy. I've found myself thinking a lot about this now we're truly in the age of AI. onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
October 17, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Almost a decade ago I wrote a report for the IPA on the Future of Agencies, and used a framework to define a key dynamic for the future: systems and empathy. I've found myself thinking a lot about this now we're truly in the age of AI. onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Off the back of the latest WARC Future of Strategy survey I did some scenario planning for the future role of the strategist. Interested to know what you think onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
Fish Food 664: The Future of Strategists and Planners
Scenarios for the future role of strategists in the age of AI, peak social media, the 'enshittification' of Amazon, and learn your own way
onlydeadfish.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Off the back of the latest WARC Future of Strategy survey I did some scenario planning for the future role of the strategist. Interested to know what you think onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-...
A powerful piece from Cory Doctorow about the ongoing enshittification of the internet, using Amazon as a 'Prime' example (see what I did there) www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?
Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...
www.theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:24 AM
A powerful piece from Cory Doctorow about the ongoing enshittification of the internet, using Amazon as a 'Prime' example (see what I did there) www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
OH: 'Every time I go to a meeting there are four pillars and they're different from the last four pillars' 🤣
October 7, 2025 at 9:28 AM
OH: 'Every time I go to a meeting there are four pillars and they're different from the last four pillars' 🤣
I truly believe that intellectual humility and curiosity will be a key differentiator in the era of AI. So this week I've written about the paradox of information abundance, Virginia Woolf, and why we need more institutionalised doubt in business. open.substack.com/pub/onlydead...
Fish Food 662: How to be interested (Part One)
Swimming against the information tide, a 90/10 model for learning, OpenAI ads, the future of social media algorithms, and virtual hot air ballooning
open.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I truly believe that intellectual humility and curiosity will be a key differentiator in the era of AI. So this week I've written about the paradox of information abundance, Virginia Woolf, and why we need more institutionalised doubt in business. open.substack.com/pub/onlydead...
I've been working with the BBC this week on how they use AI. I love the BBC. What it does and how it does it is needed more than ever and the licence fee is exceptionally good value for what we get and what it does for the country
October 2, 2025 at 8:14 AM
I've been working with the BBC this week on how they use AI. I love the BBC. What it does and how it does it is needed more than ever and the licence fee is exceptionally good value for what we get and what it does for the country
Did some teaching today at Venice International University. Such an amazing place. History + great architecture + lovely food
September 25, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Did some teaching today at Venice International University. Such an amazing place. History + great architecture + lovely food