Omar Yacoubi
@omaryak.net
What I’m reading about the news, #urbanism, #tech & the zeitgeist. UX designer / strategist @omyk.co and 2x Big 5, Cisco alum thinking globally 🌐 posting locally in the
📍SF Bay Area, CA
┃ Opinions mine (not shared at work)
🔗 linktr.ee/omaryak
📍SF Bay Area, CA
┃ Opinions mine (not shared at work)
🔗 linktr.ee/omaryak
Pinned
Omar Yacoubi
@omaryak.net
· 26d
The value of the AI is not its ability to create product for us, but to engage with us in our process
AI doesn't have to replace our competencies or even our employees.
www.fastcompany.com
The value of #humanity in the AI era is finally explicitly labeled in a #business article: because AI is not yet AGI, it’s not yet ready to replace us for complex endeavors like work in #tech
www.fastcompany.com/91422738/ai-...
www.fastcompany.com/91422738/ai-...
There is a debate now about the nature of truth itself, in a post-truth society. My view? Truth is subjective because humans are flawed, but we can make an effort to reach objective truth, to get as close as we can over time. Waiting out that process can be a form of wisdom
iai.tv/articles/why...
iai.tv/articles/why...
Why giving up truth could save democracy | George Scialabba on Richard Rorty
Explore how Richard Rorty’s pragmatism challenges philosophy’s search for moral truth—and why George Scialabba argues that rebuilding democratic solidarity, not pursuing timeless principles, is key to...
iai.tv
November 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM
There is a debate now about the nature of truth itself, in a post-truth society. My view? Truth is subjective because humans are flawed, but we can make an effort to reach objective truth, to get as close as we can over time. Waiting out that process can be a form of wisdom
iai.tv/articles/why...
iai.tv/articles/why...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The #productivity benefit of cleaner air isn’t just clearer thinking; it’s more time spent working and less time spent being sick
Putting air filters in classrooms seems to reduce student sick days by more than 10 per cent.
Air filters in classrooms reduce sick days by more than 10 per cent
Putting air filters in classrooms seems to boost student attendance, which may be due to them reducing levels of air pollution, pollen, pathogens or all three
www.newscientist.com
May 7, 2025 at 6:28 PM
The #productivity benefit of cleaner air isn’t just clearer thinking; it’s more time spent working and less time spent being sick
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The World Bank has sounded the alarm on air pollution’s effects on the broader #economy; it’s not just an #environment issue anymore. Pollution reductions worked until 2012, when it started rising again, partially due to the rise of Uber, Doordash et al.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
World Bank urges fresh push on economic threat of pollution
Degraded land, polluted air and water stress pose a direct global economic threat but using natural resources more efficiently could cut pollution by half, one of the World Bank's senior managing directors told Reuters.
www.reuters.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:39 AM
The World Bank has sounded the alarm on air pollution’s effects on the broader #economy; it’s not just an #environment issue anymore. Pollution reductions worked until 2012, when it started rising again, partially due to the rise of Uber, Doordash et al.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Even though you can’t see it, fine particulate matter from woodsmoke and industrial pollution can cause everything from heart attacks and diabetes to brain damage. www.wired.com/story/one-of...
Bad Air Is One of the Biggest Threats to Your Health. Here’s How to Protect Yourself
Even though you can’t see it, fine particulate matter from woodsmoke and industrial pollution can cause everything from heart attacks and diabetes to brain damage.
www.wired.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Even though you can’t see it, fine particulate matter from woodsmoke and industrial pollution can cause everything from heart attacks and diabetes to brain damage. www.wired.com/story/one-of...
Urbanists have been talking up #carbrain as a figure of speech, but it’s quite literal too. Benzene in car exhaust is carcinogenic (as we wonder where higher cancer rates came from), and NO2 damages lungs, further limiting the oxygen your brain needs to work properly
www.unep.org/news-and-sto...
www.unep.org/news-and-sto...
November 14, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Urbanists have been talking up #carbrain as a figure of speech, but it’s quite literal too. Benzene in car exhaust is carcinogenic (as we wonder where higher cancer rates came from), and NO2 damages lungs, further limiting the oxygen your brain needs to work properly
www.unep.org/news-and-sto...
www.unep.org/news-and-sto...
“The war on cars” is what Republicans call #urbanism, but really it’s about freedom: transportation choice. Hostile architecture, speeding cars & poor bike #infrastructure make being out in public harder, forcing car reliance
… and car-free areas boost #business
www.fastcompany.com/91119919/how...
… and car-free areas boost #business
www.fastcompany.com/91119919/how...
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 AM
“The war on cars” is what Republicans call #urbanism, but really it’s about freedom: transportation choice. Hostile architecture, speeding cars & poor bike #infrastructure make being out in public harder, forcing car reliance
… and car-free areas boost #business
www.fastcompany.com/91119919/how...
… and car-free areas boost #business
www.fastcompany.com/91119919/how...
It would help if politicians “cleared the air” on conspiracy theories by addressing them directly instead of running from what their consultants tell them not to talk about. I talked directly with voters in conservative America: they want honesty, not triangulation
www.instagram.com/reel/DCcS9A1...
www.instagram.com/reel/DCcS9A1...
November 14, 2025 at 5:17 AM
It would help if politicians “cleared the air” on conspiracy theories by addressing them directly instead of running from what their consultants tell them not to talk about. I talked directly with voters in conservative America: they want honesty, not triangulation
www.instagram.com/reel/DCcS9A1...
www.instagram.com/reel/DCcS9A1...
This is the intellectual heft that the #abundance movement was lacking. In addition to helping solve the #climatecrisis, we can solve the #housingcrisis at the same time by building housing and commercial development near existing #transit #infrastructure
www.fastcompany.com/91441298/tra...
www.fastcompany.com/91441298/tra...
November 14, 2025 at 4:23 AM
This is the intellectual heft that the #abundance movement was lacking. In addition to helping solve the #climatecrisis, we can solve the #housingcrisis at the same time by building housing and commercial development near existing #transit #infrastructure
www.fastcompany.com/91441298/tra...
www.fastcompany.com/91441298/tra...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The United States’ pivot away from foreign aid and democracy-related programs has “given China an opportunity to portray itself as a more stable and pragmatic—and less judgmental—partner,” writes Jane Harman.
Can Democracy Still Make a Comeback?
Hope for a freer future is dimmed but not lost.
www.foreignaffairs.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:55 PM
The United States’ pivot away from foreign aid and democracy-related programs has “given China an opportunity to portray itself as a more stable and pragmatic—and less judgmental—partner,” writes Jane Harman.
The latest sign of #latecapitalism: companies winning the right to decline your card based on what profit margin it brings them
It’s not about customer service anymore; it’s maximum profit and naked exploitation. You will bear the cost, literally, for this one. There is no excuse
It’s not about customer service anymore; it’s maximum profit and naked exploitation. You will bear the cost, literally, for this one. There is no excuse
Premium credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X could soon face higher surcharges—or be outright rejected—as a new deal could reshape swipe fees. trib.al/rFZLoAG
Credit card tier discrimination may be coming: New Visa-Mastercard swipe settlement could reshape rewards—and surcharges | Fortune
Premium credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X could soon face higher surcharges—or be outright rejected—as a new deal could reshape swipe fees.
trib.al
November 13, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The latest sign of #latecapitalism: companies winning the right to decline your card based on what profit margin it brings them
It’s not about customer service anymore; it’s maximum profit and naked exploitation. You will bear the cost, literally, for this one. There is no excuse
It’s not about customer service anymore; it’s maximum profit and naked exploitation. You will bear the cost, literally, for this one. There is no excuse
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
“Transit-oriented development should be one of, if not the biggest solution that we’re looking at for housing development." f-st.co/yoODRt6
The two-in-one solution to the housing crisis and climate change: transit housing
Metro areas from Los Angeles to Boston have taken the lead in tying new housing developments to their proximity to public transit.
f-st.co
November 13, 2025 at 6:17 PM
“Transit-oriented development should be one of, if not the biggest solution that we’re looking at for housing development." f-st.co/yoODRt6
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Transit-oriented development (TOD) has a 3rd knock-on benefit I didn’t even get to mention in my lengthy LinkedIn post :) —more money for cash-strapped transit agencies and local governments
www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectura...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectura...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Lessons from TOD in Tokyo
Urban planning is essential to our everyday lives. Data suggests that populations worldwide prefer living in cities over suburban areas...
www.re-thinkingthefuture.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Transit-oriented development (TOD) has a 3rd knock-on benefit I didn’t even get to mention in my lengthy LinkedIn post :) —more money for cash-strapped transit agencies and local governments
www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectura...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectura...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The ResiClub team ran the numbers to better understand the math on 50-year mortgages. Here’s what we learned. f-st.co/lUnF0jX
Housing affordability is so strained that Trump is considering a 50-year mortgage. Here are 11 things to know
The 'ResiClub' team ran the numbers to better understand the math on 50-year mortgages. Here’s what we learned.
f-st.co
November 13, 2025 at 4:47 AM
The ResiClub team ran the numbers to better understand the math on 50-year mortgages. Here’s what we learned. f-st.co/lUnF0jX
#resilience, shorter, in 5️⃣ brief concepts. And framed as emotional inelligence instead of using the commonly misunderstood buzzword
(One of these used to be called design thinking, but shh …)
www.fastcompany.com/91431652/emo...
(One of these used to be called design thinking, but shh …)
www.fastcompany.com/91431652/emo...
Emotionally intelligent people use 5 short phrases to strengthen relationships
Use these five phrases to restore balance to your emotions, so you can think more clearly.
www.fastcompany.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:53 AM
#resilience, shorter, in 5️⃣ brief concepts. And framed as emotional inelligence instead of using the commonly misunderstood buzzword
(One of these used to be called design thinking, but shh …)
www.fastcompany.com/91431652/emo...
(One of these used to be called design thinking, but shh …)
www.fastcompany.com/91431652/emo...
On my future reading list lately since I learned about the concept of “aporia,” something in between a paradox and oxymoron; philosophers use it to explore #ethics
Philosophy is another way to explore #humanity often left on the shelf
www.sup.org/books/theory...
mitpress.mit.edu/978097268064...
Philosophy is another way to explore #humanity often left on the shelf
www.sup.org/books/theory...
mitpress.mit.edu/978097268064...
What Would Be Different | Stanford University Press
Possibility is a concept central to both philosophy and social theory. But in what philosophical soil, if any, does the possibility of a better society grow? At the intersection of metaphysics and soc...
www.sup.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
On my future reading list lately since I learned about the concept of “aporia,” something in between a paradox and oxymoron; philosophers use it to explore #ethics
Philosophy is another way to explore #humanity often left on the shelf
www.sup.org/books/theory...
mitpress.mit.edu/978097268064...
Philosophy is another way to explore #humanity often left on the shelf
www.sup.org/books/theory...
mitpress.mit.edu/978097268064...
Posting about #humanity and your subconscious might seem “woo woo” or hippie, but it actually works
America’s overemphasis on STEM, or #STEMphasis, means that we forgot that there are other areas of life worth knowing about and exploring
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
hbr.org/2019/01/how-...
America’s overemphasis on STEM, or #STEMphasis, means that we forgot that there are other areas of life worth knowing about and exploring
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
hbr.org/2019/01/how-...
Your subconscious is smarter than you might think
We feel that we are in control, but a new experiment shows just how much work is going on underneath the surface of our conscious minds.
www.bbc.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Posting about #humanity and your subconscious might seem “woo woo” or hippie, but it actually works
America’s overemphasis on STEM, or #STEMphasis, means that we forgot that there are other areas of life worth knowing about and exploring
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
hbr.org/2019/01/how-...
America’s overemphasis on STEM, or #STEMphasis, means that we forgot that there are other areas of life worth knowing about and exploring
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
hbr.org/2019/01/how-...
Months of hype about the technology, and I still haven’t heard of anything anyone has accomplished using GenAI—no impact in the marketplace
It seems more like a parlor trick for #tech bros
www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-ceo...
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
It seems more like a parlor trick for #tech bros
www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-ceo...
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
LinkedIn CEO says fancy degrees will matter less than having these 4 qualities in the future workforce
LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said that the future of work belongs to employees who are adaptable and ready to embrace AI tools.
www.businessinsider.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Months of hype about the technology, and I still haven’t heard of anything anyone has accomplished using GenAI—no impact in the marketplace
It seems more like a parlor trick for #tech bros
www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-ceo...
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
It seems more like a parlor trick for #tech bros
www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-ceo...
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
For all of the attention being paid to #AI, there’s still a lot of work to be done in UI.
Firms that invest in #ux and keep their eye on the ball can expect a bounce in adoption —that’s the value of #design, for AI too
#firstprinciples
fortune.com/2025/10/21/n...
hbr.org/2025/09/how-...
Firms that invest in #ux and keep their eye on the ball can expect a bounce in adoption —that’s the value of #design, for AI too
#firstprinciples
fortune.com/2025/10/21/n...
hbr.org/2025/09/how-...
$50B fintech CEO says stop selling AI. Customers don’t care and ‘just want their problem solved’ | Fortune
The CEO of the largest digital bank says stop peddling new technology as your selling point.
fortune.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:20 AM
For all of the attention being paid to #AI, there’s still a lot of work to be done in UI.
Firms that invest in #ux and keep their eye on the ball can expect a bounce in adoption —that’s the value of #design, for AI too
#firstprinciples
fortune.com/2025/10/21/n...
hbr.org/2025/09/how-...
Firms that invest in #ux and keep their eye on the ball can expect a bounce in adoption —that’s the value of #design, for AI too
#firstprinciples
fortune.com/2025/10/21/n...
hbr.org/2025/09/how-...
I enjoyed this think piece on how #ai could possibly disrupt #orgdesign and other corporate planning and strategy. I am skeptical of some of the buzzwords within, but it’s always good to think beyond our frame of reference about what’s possible
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/stop...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/stop...
Stop Deploying AI. Start Designing Intelligence
The next frontier for AI leaders is learning to design AI-powered intelligence environments.
sloanreview.mit.edu
November 12, 2025 at 6:19 AM
I enjoyed this think piece on how #ai could possibly disrupt #orgdesign and other corporate planning and strategy. I am skeptical of some of the buzzwords within, but it’s always good to think beyond our frame of reference about what’s possible
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/stop...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/stop...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Creativity isn’t always brand-new; ingenuity doesn’t need to mean being a genius. Optimizing #music & songs for joy—or the feeling they create—instead of addictiveness, can restore “the soul of a nation”
#humanity
winstonchurchill.org/publications...
winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/the-arts-wha...
#humanity
winstonchurchill.org/publications...
winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/the-arts-wha...
“Between Tradition and Innovation”
Winston Churchill’s Speech to the Royal Academy, Burlington House, London, 30 April 1953 - “Between Tradition and Innovation”
winstonchurchill.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Creativity isn’t always brand-new; ingenuity doesn’t need to mean being a genius. Optimizing #music & songs for joy—or the feeling they create—instead of addictiveness, can restore “the soul of a nation”
#humanity
winstonchurchill.org/publications...
winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/the-arts-wha...
#humanity
winstonchurchill.org/publications...
winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu/the-arts-wha...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Critics couldn’t fathom why Democrats would abandon a seemingly winning hand in the government shutdown, but “this is how the government shutdown was always going to end,” Russell Berman and Jonathan Lemire report. https://theatln.tc/cvMG3bbQ
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Critics couldn’t fathom why Democrats would abandon a seemingly winning hand in the government shutdown, but “this is how the government shutdown was always going to end,” Russell Berman and Jonathan Lemire report. https://theatln.tc/cvMG3bbQ
Since Gen Z is all about vibes, maybe they could use this lesson in song from the 1990s about #resilience
“I ain’t gonna go blind, when the vibration’s reflected” (avoiding fragility)
Make sure you’re connected 🤙🏼 (“if your mind’s neglected, stumble you might fall”) 🎶 #music
youtu.be/aatK_l9Yuyk
“I ain’t gonna go blind, when the vibration’s reflected” (avoiding fragility)
Make sure you’re connected 🤙🏼 (“if your mind’s neglected, stumble you might fall”) 🎶 #music
youtu.be/aatK_l9Yuyk
Stereo MC's - Connected (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by StereoMCsVEVO
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Since Gen Z is all about vibes, maybe they could use this lesson in song from the 1990s about #resilience
“I ain’t gonna go blind, when the vibration’s reflected” (avoiding fragility)
Make sure you’re connected 🤙🏼 (“if your mind’s neglected, stumble you might fall”) 🎶 #music
youtu.be/aatK_l9Yuyk
“I ain’t gonna go blind, when the vibration’s reflected” (avoiding fragility)
Make sure you’re connected 🤙🏼 (“if your mind’s neglected, stumble you might fall”) 🎶 #music
youtu.be/aatK_l9Yuyk
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
ICE is sending a chill through the construction industry
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
n.pr
November 11, 2025 at 3:52 AM
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective
Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccination
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective
www.newscientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective