I’ll be away next Friday as I’ll be embarking on a road trip around California. A trip I’ve wanted to do essentially since I was 15 years old. I really cannot wait and hope you all have a great week.
40 years ago computing made the permanent shift away from the command line to graphical user interfaces (Windows, MacOS). I still remember my first computer, a Windows 95 machine, booted into MS-DOS before it loaded the graphical operating system.
And from then on, it’s felt like GUIs were just the permanent default.
The last week I’ve been increasingly using Wispr Flow. At home, I probably only type half the time I did before. And even in the office, I’m starting to dictate and narrate more than write.
Wispr Flow (Get a month free) is by far most powerful feeding prompts into Claude. Claude feels particularly intuitive at deciphering stream of consciousness. As opposed to using Wispr Flow to dictate emails or Slack messages for example, where often I find I need to add an extra layer for formatting/tone.
Is the future world one where computers are there effectively as command lines and voice commands? Or in reality is computer use actually just going to decrease in general?
I also do worry about the impact this has on using your brain. As I’ve written before, I am a true believer that writing helps you think. And while I’m loving AI’s efficiency gains, if this creates brain rot it’s a serious consideration.
Next week, my colleagues Ryan and Mark will be taking over the reigns. As ever, please share feedback. This is a new format and we want to know. Huge thanks to Maddie and Steve for feedback on the last issue.
We’re currently hiring:
PPC Manager (£50-60k)
Data Engineer & Analyst (£50-60k)
Reply if you want more info.
Have a great weekend,
Josh
Key stat
Signals
Key signals for builders, growers, and operators.
Sydney Sweeney is back at American Eagle reminding us ‘comment sections are not customers’ [Marketing strategy] – amid all the fury, backlash, and counter-backlash last year, American Eagle’s sales rose 6% to $1.4bn in Q3. Every talking ahead said it was a disaster, but the numbers tell a different story. Last week, Sydney Sweeney rang the bell at the NYSE cementing their partnership. A good reminder not to get too swept up in the online if what you’re doing is true your own brand values.
We tested the 103 year old Claude Hopkins theory of specificity [Meta Ads / Psychology / Copywriting] this week – and discovered that it still holds true. If you want one simple edit to do to your ads today: read them back and make any claim or promise hyper specific. You’re not reducing market size, you’re improving CPA.
Protein continues to rise [Health / product strategy] – protein had a great 2025 rising 4.6% in grocery sales, but 2026 looks set to be even greater. The nutrient gap of GLP-1 users is part of the reason, but so too is the new found strength-focused health kick as we reported in our 2026 forecast. In the most elite circles, skinniness is no longer the status single du jour: being strong is.
Podcasts can take 5.5 months to show their full impact if you’re a high consideration product [Measurement] – Haus’ Olivia Kory shared this excellent graphic for how long your incrementality window should run for depending on channel and consideration.
The stack
A shortlist of stuff I recommend you read and listen to this weekend.
🎧 ‘Keely Hodgkinson’s Insane Year’ High Performance Podcast
📝 ‘The Annual Letter | Palantir Technologies’ The Annual Letter
📝 It turns out you can live a Huel-only diet. Book review by Felicity Lawrence, FT (£).
📝 ’Should I dress like my younger co-workers?’ Vanessa Friedman, New York Times (£)
📝 ’Why Ruggable’s Lauren Sherman is focused on resetting the balance of brand and performance marketing’. Anna Hansel, Modern Retail
📝 ’Why AI companies are suddenly worried about theft’ John Hermann. NY Mag (£)
📝 ’The evolution of advertising in China’. Eliza Williams, Creative Review (£)
📝 ’Velocity is the new authority’. Om Malik
📺 ’Meet the student with no teachers, no homework, just AI’ Every Podcast
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What are you reading this weekend?