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Thursday, January 29, 2026
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Digest for 1/29/2026

Explore trending topics with matching TED talks and AI insights

3 Topics • 9 Talks

Trending Topics

Featured TED Talks

The AI Revolution: Transforming Business Models for the Future
The key to growth? Race with the machines by Erik Brynjolfsson

The key to growth? Race with the machines

by Erik Brynjolfsson

As machines take on more jobs, many find themselves out of work or with raises indefinitely postponed. Is this the end of growth? No, says Erik Brynjolfsson -- it's simply the growing pains of a radically reorganized economy.

Summary

Erik Brynjolfsson's TED talk 'The key to growth? Race with the machines' aligns with the AI Revolution by emphasizing that businesses should integrate AI to complement human skills, fostering innovation and growth rather than fearing automation's disruption to traditional models.

"The most successful strategy is to reinvent the way we work and organize, to race with the machines."

Discuss: In what ways can businesses redesign their models to 'race with' AI for sustainable growth?

The AI Revolution: Transforming Business Models for the Future
How AI Can Save Our Humanity by Kai-Fu Lee

How AI Can Save Our Humanity

by Kai-Fu Lee

AI is massively transforming our world, but what should we do about the jobs it displaces? AI investor Kai-Fu Lee shares a blueprint for rethinking work in the age of intelligent machines.

Summary

Kai-Fu Lee's TED Talk 'How AI Can Save Our Humanity' links to the AI revolution by arguing that while AI transforms business models through automation and efficiency, it can preserve human essence by freeing us for creative, compassionate work, redefining value in future economies.

"AI is going to take away a lot of routine jobs, but it will also create jobs that are more human."

Discuss: In what ways can businesses leverage AI to enhance human-centric roles and ensure ethical transformation?

The AI Revolution: Transforming Business Models for the Future
What will future jobs look like? by Andrew McAfee

What will future jobs look like?

by Andrew McAfee

Economist Andrew McAfee suggests that, yes, probably, droids will take our jobs -- or at least the kinds of jobs we know now. In this far-seeing talk, he thinks through what future jobs might look like, and how to educate coming generations to hold them.

Summary

Andrew McAfee's TED talk 'What will future jobs look like?' examines how rapid technological progress, including AI and automation, will disrupt traditional employment while creating new opportunities, mirroring the AI Revolution's role in transforming business models by shifting from human labor to intelligent systems and fostering innovative economic structures.

"We're heading into an era that won't just be different; it will be better."

Discuss: How might AI-driven automation redefine job roles in your industry, and what skills will be essential for future success?

Sustainable Leadership: Building Resilient Companies in a Climate-Changed World
The business logic of sustainability by Ray Anderson

The business logic of sustainability

by Ray Anderson

At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional 'take / make / waste' industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce.

Summary

Ray Anderson's TED talk 'The business logic of sustainability' demonstrates how his company Interface achieved profitability through eco-friendly innovations, aligning perfectly with sustainable leadership by showing how businesses can build resilience and thrive in a climate-changed world through zero-waste models and renewable practices.

"Someday people like me will end up in jail... because we take from the Earth and don't give back."

Discuss: How can modern leaders apply Anderson's 'Mount Sustainability' framework to foster resilient companies amid climate challenges?

Sustainable Leadership: Building Resilient Companies in a Climate-Changed World
How big brands can help save biodiversity by Jason Clay

How big brands can help save biodiversity

by Jason Clay

Convince just 100 key companies to go sustainable, and WWF's Jason Clay says global markets will shift to protect the planet our consumption has already outstripped. Clay lays out how.

Summary

Jason Clay's TED talk on how big brands can drive biodiversity conservation through supply chain influence directly supports sustainable leadership, showing how companies can build resilience by prioritizing eco-friendly practices in a climate-changed world.

"The top 100 companies control 25% of the trade of all 15 of the most significant commodities on the planet."

Discuss: How can business leaders leverage their company's market power to promote biodiversity and enhance corporate resilience against climate change?

Sustainable Leadership: Building Resilient Companies in a Climate-Changed World
The Earth is full by Paul Gilding

The Earth is full

by Paul Gilding

Have we used up all our resources? Have we filled up all the livable space on Earth? Paul Gilding suggests we have, and the possibility of devastating consequences, in a talk that's equal parts terrifying and, oddly, hopeful.

Summary

Paul Gilding's TED Talk 'The Earth is Full' argues that our planet's resources are exhausted, calling for innovative sustainable leadership to build resilient companies that can thrive in a climate-changed world by transitioning from growth-at-all-costs to regenerative economies.

"The Earth is full."

Discuss: How can corporate leaders apply Gilding's warning about planetary limits to foster sustainable practices and resilience in their organizations amid ongoing climate challenges?

The Hybrid Work Era: Redefining Productivity and Culture
Why working from home is good for business by Matt Mullenweg

Why working from home is good for business

by Matt Mullenweg

As the popularity of remote working continues to spread, workers today can collaborate across cities, countries and even multiple time zones. How do companies ensure that remote employees are productive and that a separation of space doesn't lead to a separation of company goals and vision? Matt Mullenweg, the founder of Automattic (the company behind WordPress), shares his secrets.

Summary

Matt Mullenweg's TED talk 'Why working from home is good for business' highlights how remote work enhances productivity, fosters innovation, and builds a global talent pool, directly tying into the hybrid work era's transformation of workplace culture and efficiency by emphasizing flexibility over traditional office norms.

"The real advantage of distributed work is that it allows you to access talent from anywhere in the world."

Discuss: In what ways can hybrid work models, as discussed by Mullenweg, help redefine productivity and company culture in your organization?

The Hybrid Work Era: Redefining Productivity and Culture
Why work doesn't happen at work by Jason Fried

Why work doesn't happen at work

by Jason Fried

Jason Fried has a radical theory of working: that the office isn't a good place to do it. He calls out the two main offenders (call them the M&Ms) and offers three suggestions to make the workplace actually work.

Summary

Jason Fried's TED talk 'Why work doesn't happen at work' argues that offices are filled with interruptions like meetings and managers, preventing deep work. This ties into the hybrid work era by emphasizing flexible remote options that reduce distractions, redefine productivity, and foster a culture of focused, autonomous work.

"The real problems are the M&Ms: managers and meetings."

Discuss: In the hybrid work era, how can companies apply Jason Fried's insights to minimize office interruptions and enhance employee productivity?

The Hybrid Work Era: Redefining Productivity and Culture
The puzzle of motivation by Dan Pink

The puzzle of motivation

by Dan Pink

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

Summary

Dan Pink's TED Talk 'The Puzzle of Motivation' explores how intrinsic motivators—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—drive better performance in cognitive tasks than traditional rewards. This aligns with the hybrid work era, where flexible remote-office setups enhance autonomy, potentially redefining productivity by fostering self-directed work and strengthening organizational culture through purpose-driven engagement.

"The secret to high performance isn't our biological drive or our reward-and-punishment drive, but our third drive—to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world."

Discuss: In what ways can hybrid work models incorporate autonomy and purpose to improve employee motivation and productivity, according to Dan Pink's insights?