The Columns

The sound of Bill Hornbuckle admitting to the press that the pricing strategy was a mistake, that the $26 water and the $12 coffee were a “shame on us” moment,…

“There is only one truly serious philosophical problem: suicide,” wrote Camus. For me—half philosopher, half techie—this problem has never been abstract. It has always walked beside me. I’ve seen it…

Monday night, 9:32 PM. An email lands in my inbox.Sender: “WB-827 Assistant Исаев” (that alone should’ve been a clue).Subject: We need your response within 24 hours – Laura Thomas. Inside,…

What happens when no one can travel anymore? Let’s talk about it. The global tourism economy is a juggernaut. It’s an undisputed growth story, expected to grow by 10% this…

I don’t see any future for e-commerce that isn’t conversational or agent-driven — and what OpenAI is building might finally push us into what I’ve been calling for years “the…

The state of dining service in the USA has become a fascinating, if infuriating, contradiction. Just the other night, I watched this whole dysfunction play out in real time. A…

During a client call, they show me a competitor’s website.“We want something like this,” they say.I click, I scroll… and there it is — the moment the Force trembles. (If…

The air in this town always feels different when the wind shifts. Not the dry desert wind that kicks up dust, but the subtle, corporate wind that changes the vibe…

Hilton’s got another five “brands” on the way; Radisson’s got an explainer for their own explainer. This desperate pursuit of another name for a building – another “bed block” –…

Today’s personal rant: let’s finally clear up my complicated relationship with WhatsApp voice notes.Here’s my theory — voice messages are like Schrödinger’s cat. Until you open them, the person on…