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• Over the past year, I listened to more than 50 tech leaders speak about AI.
• Here are the biggest takeaways on how AI is reshaping work — and what's next.
• AI fluency and strong soft skills are becoming table stakes at work.

I've listened to and interviewed more

• An OpenAI engineer breaks down OpenAI's fast, "no-nonsense" hiring process.
• Jerene Yang said a recruiter reached out to her on a Monday. She signed the offer on Friday.
• The team lead for synthetic data generation at OpenAI said there is one skill candidates must master.

An engineer at OpenAI says the co

• Mark Cuban said new graduates should set their sights on working in small to medium businesses.
• The billionaire said new grads can help SMBs adopt AI agents, something big companies don't need them for.
• Agentic AI has been one of the biggest topics in tech this year.

Mark Cuban has advice for new graduates: Aim for the small companies.

In an X

• Kiana Mei was 15 when she started her business, selling origami artwork in markets in Melbourne.
• Now, at age 20, she works for herself instead of going to college and is financially independent.
• There are three things she wishes she had known about running a

• Ed Lopez and Ben Van Der Fluit were one of the first three executives Critical Role had on its team.
• They've been with the eight cofounders for a decade, helping to build the business and ink partnerships.
• The duo told Business Insider about their roadmap

• The US economy looks strong, but job growth remains slow — creating a "jobless boom."
• AI investment and consumer spending drove GDP gains, even as layoffs and hiring freezes persist.
• Unemployment is at the highest rate since 2021 as job seekers face a tough market and dwindling sentiment.

The US economy

• Social Security tax rules will change in 2026 at the state and federal level.
• West Virginia will stop taxing Social Security benefits, leaving seven states that tax benefits.
• Older Americans will also see expanded federal tax breaks through 2028.

Americans on Social Security could see new federal tax breaks in 2026 — and some

• Gemma Bonham-Carter and her husband had lived abroad and wanted the same for their two kids.
• They rented out their house in Canada, lived in an apartment in France for a year, and sent their kids to a local school

• Gen Z movie theater attendance jumped 25% in 2025; I was one of those Gen Zers at the movies.
• AMC A-List and similar programs offer affordable, frequent moviegoing for younger audiences.
• Gen Z is craving in-person experiences and phone-free third spaces, fueling a resurgence in moviegoing.

I love going to the movies.

It's

• Nineteen states will raise their minimum wages in January, affecting over 8 million workers.
• Six states will reach at least a $15 minimum wage for the first time, over double the federal $7.25 minimum.
• For the first time, more workers will live in states with at least a $15

• Over 800,000 student-loan borrowers are waiting for their income-driven repayment plans to be processed.
• The Education Department said in a court filing that 170 borrowers on IDR were approved for relief in November.
• It leaves thousands of borrowers in repayment limbo as