Matt Kane
@realmattkane.bsky.social
Ad exec by day, Substack prognosticator by night, dad all the time.
Like somewhat sarcastic business writing? Subscribe here: tdnbw.com.
BOS->NY
Like somewhat sarcastic business writing? Subscribe here: tdnbw.com.
BOS->NY
AI implementation across corporations may seem like it's in the fast lane, but taking a deeper look gives a slightly different view. They may not be your nan in the right lane, but they're certainly not flying down the motorway.
#ai #writingcommunity #substack
#ai #writingcommunity #substack
A Tale of Two Cities, AI Redux
It might seem like AI is taking over the corporate world. A deeper look shows something a little more middling.
www.tdnbw.com
September 16, 2025 at 1:20 PM
AI implementation across corporations may seem like it's in the fast lane, but taking a deeper look gives a slightly different view. They may not be your nan in the right lane, but they're certainly not flying down the motorway.
#ai #writingcommunity #substack
#ai #writingcommunity #substack
AI will be an efficiency game change for overworked white collar employees. The larger question is, when?
AI May Be the Answer to Overwork, But When?
It's pointed to as a solution for many professional ills, but today these solves feel more hypothetical than empirical.
www.tdnbw.com
August 19, 2025 at 3:23 PM
AI will be an efficiency game change for overworked white collar employees. The larger question is, when?
Agentic AI is being pointed to as the new junior employee. While this may be a far ways off, the implications for existing corporate hierarchy and structures are massive.
www.tdnbw.com/p/will-ai-ag...
www.tdnbw.com/p/will-ai-ag...
Will AI Agents Replace Junior Employees?
The move to agentic AI could flip the corporate hierarchy on its head.
www.tdnbw.com
August 5, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Agentic AI is being pointed to as the new junior employee. While this may be a far ways off, the implications for existing corporate hierarchy and structures are massive.
www.tdnbw.com/p/will-ai-ag...
www.tdnbw.com/p/will-ai-ag...
It’s always a good idea to be deliberate with what you put in writing at work. With the rise of AI and an increasing potential to be involved in litigation, it’s more important than ever.
www.tdnbw.com/p/business-c...
www.tdnbw.com/p/business-c...
Business Communications 101: Get Ready for the Deposition
Don't put it in writing if you don't want it dissected by a group of lawyers at a yet-to-be-determined time.
www.tdnbw.com
July 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
It’s always a good idea to be deliberate with what you put in writing at work. With the rise of AI and an increasing potential to be involved in litigation, it’s more important than ever.
www.tdnbw.com/p/business-c...
www.tdnbw.com/p/business-c...
Use AI to complement your work, not replace your thinking. www.tdnbw.com/p/dont-let-a...
Don't Let AI Take Away Your Gut
Wholly replacing critical thought with machine learning models defeats the purpose of efficiency-driven LLM use
www.tdnbw.com
July 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Use AI to complement your work, not replace your thinking. www.tdnbw.com/p/dont-let-a...
The Kids Are Not All Right
www.tdnbw.com/p/the-kids-a...
www.tdnbw.com/p/the-kids-a...
The Kids Are Not All Right
Is Gen Z the most jaded generation in history to enter the workforce?
www.tdnbw.com
June 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
The Kids Are Not All Right
www.tdnbw.com/p/the-kids-a...
www.tdnbw.com/p/the-kids-a...
There is a wide gap between AI usage between businesses and consumers. Is that a problem?
The AI Adoption Gap Between Businesses and Consumers
Almost all business are using AI in some respect, but only a third of consumers are. Is that a problem?
www.tdnbw.com
May 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
There is a wide gap between AI usage between businesses and consumers. Is that a problem?
There's costs to saying "please" and "thank you" to LLMs, as Sam Altman pointed out last week. But the fiscal one is the least concerning.
www.tdnbw.com/p/stop-thank...
www.tdnbw.com/p/stop-thank...
Stop Thanking Your AI Agents
It seems like a common courtesy, but the downsides outweigh the benefits.
www.tdnbw.com
April 29, 2025 at 12:31 PM
There's costs to saying "please" and "thank you" to LLMs, as Sam Altman pointed out last week. But the fiscal one is the least concerning.
www.tdnbw.com/p/stop-thank...
www.tdnbw.com/p/stop-thank...
Are you asking the right questions, or are you being held back by the fear of looking uninformed? At a time when the world needs a lot more intellectual curiosity, ask the right questions.
www.tdnbw.com/p/ask-the-ri...
www.tdnbw.com/p/ask-the-ri...
Ask the Right Questions
Some think asking questions make them look less intelligent - it's the opposite.
www.tdnbw.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Are you asking the right questions, or are you being held back by the fear of looking uninformed? At a time when the world needs a lot more intellectual curiosity, ask the right questions.
www.tdnbw.com/p/ask-the-ri...
www.tdnbw.com/p/ask-the-ri...
Books are the perfect escape from a dystopian hellscape, but Claire Keegan's SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE makes us question how far we're willing to go to help others against oppressive powers. And the book was much better than the movie. #booksky
Book Review: Small Things Like These
By Claire Keegan
www.tdnbw.com
April 8, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Books are the perfect escape from a dystopian hellscape, but Claire Keegan's SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE makes us question how far we're willing to go to help others against oppressive powers. And the book was much better than the movie. #booksky
Late-stage capitalism and the push for infinite growth have a lot of downsides - one of them is workers pushing themselves beyond their limits with the help of stimulants.
With eery parallels to the opioid epidemic, we take a look at stimulant use by office workers.
www.tdnbw.com/p/stimulants...
With eery parallels to the opioid epidemic, we take a look at stimulant use by office workers.
www.tdnbw.com/p/stimulants...
Stimulants and the Cost of Infinite Growth
Recent deaths of white-collar workers shine a light on an uncomfortable trend with parallels to the opiod epidemic.
www.tdnbw.com
February 11, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Late-stage capitalism and the push for infinite growth have a lot of downsides - one of them is workers pushing themselves beyond their limits with the help of stimulants.
With eery parallels to the opioid epidemic, we take a look at stimulant use by office workers.
www.tdnbw.com/p/stimulants...
With eery parallels to the opioid epidemic, we take a look at stimulant use by office workers.
www.tdnbw.com/p/stimulants...
RTO mandates are frustrating to begin with, but at some companies, a tiered enforcement has emerged, allowing some favored workers to flout the rules we were all told we had to follow to keep our jobs.
When that happens, resentment builds and productivity falls.
When that happens, resentment builds and productivity falls.
Is RTO a Mandate or a Perk?
Uneven enforcement of what is supposed to be a rule can breed resentment amongst your workforce.
www.tdnbw.com
February 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
RTO mandates are frustrating to begin with, but at some companies, a tiered enforcement has emerged, allowing some favored workers to flout the rules we were all told we had to follow to keep our jobs.
When that happens, resentment builds and productivity falls.
When that happens, resentment builds and productivity falls.
In a post-truth world managing perception becomes critical. We might think that this is typically reserved for the realm of politics, but the shift has been permeating into other areas of life, including the workplace.
Don't Just Manage Reality - Manage Perception
If facts aren't as important as they once were, we need a different way to work.
www.tdnbw.com
January 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
In a post-truth world managing perception becomes critical. We might think that this is typically reserved for the realm of politics, but the shift has been permeating into other areas of life, including the workplace.
Removing the politicization of the TikTok ban for a moment, the reality is that it's a platform that has immense potential for harm for vulnerable young Americans. Add in the fact that a foreign adversary has their fingerprints all over it and a ban actually makes sense.
Tik Tok is Dead. Long Live Tik Tok.
While not a huge proponent of a ban, an America without Tik Tok isn't the worst idea.
www.tdnbw.com
January 21, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Removing the politicization of the TikTok ban for a moment, the reality is that it's a platform that has immense potential for harm for vulnerable young Americans. Add in the fact that a foreign adversary has their fingerprints all over it and a ban actually makes sense.
Net neutrality - as we've known it for the past 20 years - is dead after the Loper Bright ruling removed decades of precedent for executive branch discretion in regulation via bodies like the FCC. What does that mean for the ISP industry and end-consumers?
Net Neutrality Is Dead
An incoming anti-net neutrality administration, recent overturning of decades-long legal precedence, and a family-owned fishery have all played a role in the downfall of a free and open internet.
substack.com
January 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Net neutrality - as we've known it for the past 20 years - is dead after the Loper Bright ruling removed decades of precedent for executive branch discretion in regulation via bodies like the FCC. What does that mean for the ISP industry and end-consumers?
Anecdotally seeing fewer cars in lower Manhattan (though the same amount of trucks) and a lot more cars in my suburban train parking lot this morning, especially for a Monday.
January 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Anecdotally seeing fewer cars in lower Manhattan (though the same amount of trucks) and a lot more cars in my suburban train parking lot this morning, especially for a Monday.
The final newsletter of the year is live - grading the predictions made for 2024, how they actually shook out, and looking forward to 2025. We round out the issue with Rust Cohle's assertion that time is a flat circle, and end with a reader survey.
Happy new year!
Happy new year!
2024 Year In Review
Grading last year's predictions and looking ahead to 2025.
substack.com
December 31, 2024 at 2:21 PM
The final newsletter of the year is live - grading the predictions made for 2024, how they actually shook out, and looking forward to 2025. We round out the issue with Rust Cohle's assertion that time is a flat circle, and end with a reader survey.
Happy new year!
Happy new year!
It may not be Tuesday morning, but a special edition of This Does Not Bode Well dropped at 8am anyway, breaking down the Omnicom acquisition of IPG and what it could mean for the advertising industry at large.
What Does the Omnicom IPG Acquisition Mean for Advertising?
While it may seem colossal, the forces it will accelerate have been speeding up regardless of blockbuster deals like this.
www.tdnbw.com
December 11, 2024 at 2:20 PM
It may not be Tuesday morning, but a special edition of This Does Not Bode Well dropped at 8am anyway, breaking down the Omnicom acquisition of IPG and what it could mean for the advertising industry at large.
The definitive This Does Not Bode Well holiday movie list, in its second annual issuance. Enjoy!
www.tdnbw.com/p/its-the-mo...
www.tdnbw.com/p/its-the-mo...
It's the Most Cinematic Time of the Year II
A re-issue of the (now) annual holiday movie rundown.
www.tdnbw.com
December 10, 2024 at 2:02 PM
The definitive This Does Not Bode Well holiday movie list, in its second annual issuance. Enjoy!
www.tdnbw.com/p/its-the-mo...
www.tdnbw.com/p/its-the-mo...
The DOJ wants to break up Google by forcing it to spin off its Chrome browser. While there's no obvious consumer harm, the government's move heralds back to the Brandeis theory of civic health in the antitrust sphere. It's a welcome move as we seem to be fully engulfed in a second Gilded Age.
Go(ogle) Your Own Way
The DOJ wants to break Google up - what would that look like?
www.tdnbw.com
December 3, 2024 at 1:57 PM
The DOJ wants to break up Google by forcing it to spin off its Chrome browser. While there's no obvious consumer harm, the government's move heralds back to the Brandeis theory of civic health in the antitrust sphere. It's a welcome move as we seem to be fully engulfed in a second Gilded Age.
Everyone absolutely miserable on the commute into the city this morning. Brighten up folks, it'll get worse before it gets worse.
December 2, 2024 at 1:36 PM
Everyone absolutely miserable on the commute into the city this morning. Brighten up folks, it'll get worse before it gets worse.
Annual reviews suck, sure. Both anecdotally and in the research.
But there's value in them if you know where to look. Like anything in life, you get out what you put in.
But there's value in them if you know where to look. Like anything in life, you get out what you put in.
Annual Reviews 101: Get Value from the Feedback
It's annual review season, and while many see it as an administrative chore, there's value in it if you look hard enough.
www.tdnbw.com
November 26, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Annual reviews suck, sure. Both anecdotally and in the research.
But there's value in them if you know where to look. Like anything in life, you get out what you put in.
But there's value in them if you know where to look. Like anything in life, you get out what you put in.