If youve been in the workplace for a while, youve probably had your share of bad bosses. Maybe youve worked for someone who frequently went MIA, ignoring your emails or requests for information. Or perhaps youve had to report to someone who changed their mind on a dime and expected you to drop everything and follow along.
If these scenarios sound familiar, its because bad management styles often fall into one of several archetypes, says Eric Charran, author of Have You Ever Had a Boss That . . .: Succeeding in a Dysfunctional Workplace.
Sometimes the tools in a managers leadership toolbox make it difficultand almost impossibleto want to work for them, he says. The first thing to do is to try to overcome an overwhelming urge to say Why are they doing this to me? It must be that I’m deficient in some way. It’s not necessarily that individual’s personality is a mismatch [for yours] or that they don’t like you. It’s just that they’re using a hammer when they really need a screwdriver.
Whether you have a difficult boss right now or one lurking in your future, its possible to thrive under their leadership by understanding their motivations. Here are four of the common boss archetypes that Charran identifies in his book, and how you can deal with their behavior.
The Attack Sub
An Attack Sub manager is someone who operates stealthily for an extended period with minimal interaction or feedback. Suddenly, they surface with a flood of information and demands, launching figurative bombs and missiles. They catch employees off guard, shifting priorities and directives and leaving everyone wondering what just happened as they return beneath the water
The Attack Sub Manager can be extremely difficult to deal with, Charran says. They run silent and deep. You’re trying to send them Slacks, or emails, or texts, and it just bounces off them. On the surface, they appear to have a poor capability to manage communication and to give guidance.
If you are comfortable with putting out fires, you may work well with this type of boss. But if youre someone who is detail-oriented, a manager who shoots from the hip will be frustrating. To best work with an Attack Sub manager, Charran recommends reaching out to them first thing in the morning, before they become distracted. Keep messages concise and focused on short, tactical items. It can also help to switch your channels of communication; breaking everyday patterns can draw their attention.
The Order Taker
The Order Taker boss values harmony, hierarchy, and compliance. Their goal is to prove their value to the organization, and the best way to do that is to get you to do what they ask. While this sounds reasonable, demands can quickly turn into commands that put current workloads at jeopardy.
If youre constantly switching from one thing to the other, you’re never going to finish anything, says Charran. Your results at the end of the year from a performance perspective will look abysmal. You will have failed the organization because you are not working on important thingsyou keep stopping them to follow new commands.
The way to work with the Order Taker boss is by managing up, says Charran. Their expectation is that youll say yes to everything, adding, Do you want fries with that? he says. They need to be educated and not saluted. They’re looking for somebody to say, Hey, if we do this, here’s what we could jeopardize. They’re looking for more of a partner, rather than somebody that says, Got it, boss.
The Raw Nerve
The Raw Nerve boss is highly emotional, often reacting in the moment. This archetype often develops in an environment where quick decision-making is valued, says Charran. They equate immediate action with effectiveness. However, it can come at the expense of thoroughness or the well-being of team members if they ignore or dont explore possible consequences.
Their decisions are not entirely relationship based and not entirely data based, Charran says. Theyre a confluence of all those things. They utilize their cred for quick decision making unilaterally, which can be harmful in many situations.
The best way to thrive with this type of boss is to turn to your support networks that extend beyond your team before any final decisions are made. Leverage the power of a group by talking to customers, higher management, and peers. The key, though, is that you dont do it behind your bosss back.
It has to be done completely above board, Charran says. If done correctly, you can make the communication innocuous enough that it will seen by your manager as stakeholder management.
The Complainer
As the name implies, the Complainer is the boss who is constantly complaining. For example, their team isnt big enough, they dont have the correct resources, or theyve been giving unrealistic goals by their superiors. What they don’t realize is that their venting is bringing down the team and poisoning the well.
Off-the-cuff remarks have a cognitive impact on team morale, Charran says. The things may be true, but it ends up coming off negative. What the team sees is a person in a downward spiral of jadedness. This archetype usually results from a deep-seated insecurity.
The human brain is wired to look for threats, and, whether theyre a danger or not, the brain will find them. To work for a Complainer, Charran says you need the intellect and drive to make positive mental choices instead of getting dragged into their storm.
Coexisting with the Complainer begins with empathy, he says. This doesnt mean condoning endless negativity but rather recognizing it as a cry for help or a sign of deeper issues. Empathy must be balanced with the establishment of positive boundaries to protect your own mental and emotional well-being.
While it can be frustrating to work for someone with an outlook and behavior that clashes with your own, Charran says youre ultimately responsible for your own happiness and have tools within your own reach.
A fundmental principle in maintaining a positive mental attitude is understanding the emotions of others and how they express them, Charran says. Their attitudes and reactions are not contagious and do not have to be internalized. Empathize with others and understand their emotions, but dont be sucked into a collective negative spiral. Knowing your worth is important and so is choice.
Every year, I tell my students in my business analytics class the same thing: Dont just apply for a job. Audition for it.
This advice seems particularly relevant this year. In todays turbulent economy, companies are still hiring, but theyre doing it a bit more carefully. More places are offering candidates short-term work experiences like internships and co-op programs in order to evaluate them before making them full-time offers.
This is just one of the findings of the 2025 College Hiring Outlook Report. This annual report tracks trends in the job market and offers valuable insights for both job seekers and employers. It is based on a national survey conducted in September 2024, with responses from 1,322 employers spanning all major industries and company sizes, from small firms to large enterprises. The survey looks at employer perspectives on entry-level hiring trends, skills demand, and talent development strategies.
I am a professor of information systems at Drexel Universitys LeBow College of Business in Philadelphia, and I coauthored this report along with a team of colleagues at the Center for Career Readiness.
Heres what we found:
Employers are rethinking talent pipelines
Only 21% of the 1,322 employers we surveyed rated the current college hiring market as excellent or very good, which is a dramatic drop from 61% in 2023. This indicates that companies are becoming increasingly cautious about how they recruit and select new talent.
While confidence in full-time hiring has declined, employers are not stepping away from hiring altogether. Instead, theyre shifting to paid and unpaid internships, co-ops, and contract-to-hire roles as a less risky route to identify talent and de-risk full-time hiring.
Employers we surveyed described internships as a cost-effective talent pipeline, and 70% told us they plan to maintain or increase their co-op and intern hiring in 2025. At a time when many companies are tightening their belts, hiring someone whos already proved themselves saves on onboarding reduces turnover and minimizes potentially costly mishires.
For job seekers, this makes every internship or short-term role more than a foot in the door. Its an extended audition. Even with the general market looking unstable, interest in co-op and internship programs appears steady, especially among recent graduates facing fewer full-time opportunities.
These programs arent just about trying out a job. They let employers see if a candidate shows initiative, good judgment, and the ability to work well on a team, which we found are traits employers value even more than technical skills.
What employers want
We found that employers increasingly prioritize self-management skills like adaptability, ethical reasoning, and communication over technical skills such as digital literacy and cybersecurity. Employers are paying attention to how candidates behave during internships, how they take feedback, and whether they bring the mindset needed to grow with the company.
This reflects what I have observed in classrooms and in conversations with hiring managers: Credentials matter, but what truly sets candidates apart is how they present themselves and what they contribute to a company.
Based on co-op and internship data weve collected at Drexel, however, many students continue to believe that technical proficiency is the key to getting a job.
In my opinion, this disconnect reveals a critical gap in expectations: While students focus on hard skills to differentiate themselves, employers are looking for the human skills that indicate long-term potential, resilience, and professionalism. This is especially true in the face of economic uncertainty and the ambiguous, fast-changing nature of todays workplace.
Technology is changing how hiring happens
Employers also told us that artificial intelligence is now central to how both applicants and employers navigate the hiring process.
Some companies are increasingly using AI-powered platforms to transform their hiring processes. For example, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia uses platforms like HireVue to conduct asynchronous video interviews. HR-focused firms like Phenom and JJ Staffing Services also leverage technologies such as AI-based resume ranking, automated interview scheduling, and one-way video assessments.
Not only do these tools speed up the hiring process, but they also reshape how employers and candidates interact. In our survey, large employers said they are increasingly relying on AI tools like resume screeners and one-way video interviews to manage large numbers of job applicants. As a result, the candidates presence, clarity in communication, and authenticity are being evaluated even before a human recruiter becomes involved.
At the same time, job seekers are using generative AI tools to write cover letters, practice interviews, or reformat résumés. These tools can help with preparation, but overreliance on them can backfire. Employers want authenticity, and many employers we surveyed mentioned they notice when applications seem overly robotic.
In my experience as a professor, the key is teaching students to use AI to enhance their effort, not to replace it. I encourage them to leverage AI tools but always emphasize that the final output and the impression it makes should reflect their own thinking and professionalism. The bottom line is that hiring is still a human decision, and the personal impression you make matters.
This isnt just about new grads
While our research focuses on early-career hiring, these findings apply to other audiences as well, such as career changers, returning professionals, and even mid-career workers. These workers are increasingly being evaluated on their adaptability, behavior, and collaborative abilitynot just their experience.
Many companies now offer project-based assignments and trial roles that let them evaluate performance before making a permanent hire.
At the same time, employers are investing in internal reskilling and upskilling programs. Reskilling refers to training workers for entirely new oles, often in response to job changes or automation, while upskilling means helping employees deepen their current skills to stay effective and advance in their existing roles. Our report indicates that approximately 88% of large companies now offer structured upskilling and reskilling programs. For job seekers and workers alike, staying competitive means taking the initiative and demonstrating a commitment to learning and growth.
Show up early, and show up well
So what can students, or anyone entering or reentering the workforce, do to prepare?
Start early. Dont wait until senior year. First- and second-year internships are growing in importance.
Sharpen soft skills. Communication, time management, problem-solving, and ethical behavior are top priorities for employers.
Understand where work is happening. More than 50% of entry-level jobs are fully in person. Only 4% are fully remote. Show up ready to engage.
Use AI strategically. Its a useful tool for research and practice, not a shortcut to connection or clarity.
Stay curious. Most large employers now offer reskilling or upskilling opportunities, and they expect employees to take initiative.
One of the clearest takeaways from this years report is that hiring is no longer a onetime decision. Its a performance process that often begins before an interview is even scheduled.
Whether youre still in school, transitioning in your career, or returning to the workforce after a break, the same principle applies: Every opportunity is an audition. Treat it like one.
Murugan Anandarajan is a professor of decision sciences and management information systems at Drexel University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Christopher Pelkey was shot and killed in a road range incident in 2021. On May 8, 2025, at the sentencing hearing for his killer, an AI video reconstruction of Pelkey delivered a victim impact statement. The trial judge reported being deeply moved by this performance and issued the maximum sentence for manslaughter.
As part of the ceremonies to mark Israels 77th year of independence on April 30, 2025, officials had planned to host a concert featuring four iconic Israeli singers. All four had died years earlier. The plan was to conjure them using AI-generated sound and video. The dead performers were supposed to sing alongside Yardena Arazi, a famous and still very much alive artist. In the end Arazi pulled out, citing the political atmosphere, and the event didnt happen.
In April, the BBC created a deepfake version of the famous mystery writer Agatha Christie to teach a maestro course on writing. Fake Agatha would instruct aspiring murder mystery authors and inspire their writing journey.
The use of artificial intelligence to reanimate the dead for a variety of purposes is quickly gaining traction. Over the past few years, weve been studying the moral implications of AI at the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and we find these AI reanimations to be morally problematic.
Before we address the moral challenges the technology raises, its important to distinguish AI reanimations, or deepfakes, from so-called griefbots. Griefbots are chatbots trained on large swaths of data the dead leave behindsocial media posts, texts, emails, videos. These chatbots mimic how the departed used to communicate and are meant to make life easier for surviving relations. The deepfakes we are discussing here have other aims; they are meant to promote legal, political, and educational causes.
Moral quandaries
The first moral quandary the technology raises has to do with consent: Would the deceased have agreed to do what their likeness is doing? Would the dead Israeli singers have wanted to sing at an Independence ceremony organized by the nations current government? Would Pelkey, the road-rage victim, be comfortable with the script his family wrote for his avatar to recite? What would Christie think about her AI double teaching that class?
The answers to these questions can only be deduced circumstantially, from examining the kinds of things the dead did and the views they expressed when alive. And one could ask if the answers even matter. If those in charge of the estates agree to the reanimations, isnt the question settled? After all, such trustees are the legal representatives of the departed.
But putting aside the question of consent, a more fundamental question remains.
What do these reanimations do to the legacy and reputation of the dead? Doesnt their reputation depend, to some extent, on the scarcity of appearance, on the fact that the dead cant show up anymore? Dying can have a salutary effect on the reputation of prominent people; it was good for John F. Kennedy, and it was good for Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The fifth-century BC Athenian leader Pericles understood this well. In his famous Funeral Oration, delivered at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, he asserts that a noble death can elevate ones reputation and wash away their petty misdeeds. That is because the dead are beyond reach and their mystique grows postmortem. Even extreme virtue will scarcely win you a reputation equal to that of the dead, he insists.
Do AI reanimations devalue the currency of the dead by forcing them to keep popping up? Do they cheapen and destabilize their reputation by having them comment on events that happened long after their demise?
In addition, these AI representations can be a powerful tool to influence audiences for political or legal purposes. Bringing back a popular dead singer to legitimize a political event and reanimating a dead victim to offer testimony are acts intended to sway an audiences judgment.
Its one thing to channel a Churchill or a Roosevelt during a political speech by quoting them or even trying to sound like them. Its another thing to have them speak alongside you. The potential of harnessing nostalgia is supercharged by this technology. Imagine, for example, what the Soviets, who literally worshipped Lenins dead body, would have done with a deepfake of their old icon.
Good intentions
You could argue that because these reanimations are uniquely engaging, they can be used for virtuous purposes. Consider a reanimated Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to our currently polarized and divided nation, urging moderation and unity. Wouldnt that be grand? Or what about a reanimated Mordechai Anielewicz, the commander of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, speaking at the trial of a Holocaust denier like David Irving?
But do we know what MLK would have thought about our current political divisions? Do we know what Anielewicz would have thought about restrictions on pernicious speech? Does bravely campaigning for civil rights mean we should call upon the digital ghost of King to comment on the impact of populism? Does fearlessly fighting the Nazis mean we should dredge up the AI shadow of an old hero to comment on free speech in the digital age?
Even if the political projects these AI avatars served were consistent with the deceaseds views, the problem of manipulationof using the psychological power of deepfakes to appeal to emotionsremains.
But what about enlisting AI Agatha Christie to teach a writing class? Deepfakes may indeed have salutary uses in educational settings. The likeness of Christie could make students more enthusiastic about writing. Fake Aristotle could improve the chances that students engage with his austere Nicomachean Ethics. AI Einstein could help those who ant to study physics get their heads around general relativity.
But producing these fakes comes with a great deal of responsibility. After all, given how engaging they can be, its possible that the interactions with these representations will be all that students pay attention to, rather than serving as a gateway to exploring the subject further.
Living on in the living
In a poem written in memory of W.B. Yeats, W.H. Auden tells us that after the poets death Yeats became his admirers. His memory was scattered among a hundred cities, and his work subject to endless interpretation: The words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living.
The dead live on in the many ways we reinterpret their words and works. Auden did that to Yeats, and were doing it to Auden right here. Thats how people stay in touch with those who are gone. In the end, we believe that using technological prowess to concretely bring them back disrespects them and, perhaps more importantly, is an act of disrespect to ourselvesto our capacity to abstract, think, and imagine.
Nir Eisikovits is a professor of philosophy and director of the Applied Ethics Center at UMass Boston.
Daniel J. Feldman is a senior research fellow at the Applied Ethics Center at UMass Boston.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Difficult conversations are something we tend to avoid at all costs. Whether its about underperformance, conflict, a personal issue, or an unsuccessful job application, entering any difficult conversation triggers fear within ourselves and the person on the other end. Our brains flight or fight mechanism is triggered, with emotions taking the lead, and we frequently find ourselves in defensive mode looking for a win.
Whether it be after a keynote at a conference or in a workplace emotional intelligence program, Im often approached by people who are struggling with difficult conversations. Theyre gripped with frustration, fear, and exhaustion when they need to initiate a conversation and address an issue (or, on the other end, when they feel the repercussions of a poorly handled situation).
Dealing with emotions in difficult conversations
While weve become more focused on emotional intelligence in recent years, we still have a long way to go when we initiate difficult conversations.
The language and emotional undertone of the words we use can exacerbate the emotions a person is feelingor help them own it, process it, and move forward. Heres how to have an emotionally intelligent response to the feelings that you may encounter when you begin a difficult conversation with another person, along with what to avoid.
1. Upset
Being upset is no different from any other emotion in that it has appropriate and severe levels.
We have higher severity levels when fear is driving our emotions, or its something that means a lot to us. Sometimes, our hormones can also be out of whack, meaning that we cry more easily than others. Heres how to receive upset.
Your best approach: Getting upset in front of others (especially at work) tends to be embarrassing. Respond to the emotion, rather than the message delivered.
Ask: Would you like to take a break, go to the bathroom or get a support person? How can I best support you through this?
Avoid: Saying I know how you must be feeling, I know this cant be easy, or I am not loving delivering this message either. Avoid any sentence that starts with I or is related to you. You dont know how your companion is feeling, nor should you assume you do. Its not about you at all.
2. Anger
Anger is an intense emotion. Our mind is being driven by our emotional brain, so there is no logic in play. Quite often we cant (or wont) hear anything people are saying until the intensity decreases, or we have finished saying what we have to say. Heres how to receive anger.
Your best approach: Listen and pause; let them get it off their chest. Once they have aired their frustrations, use the same approach as you would with upset: ask them if they would like to take a break or how you can best support them through this. If their anger becomes inappropriate, pause the conversation and let everyone take a break and regain control of their emotions.
Avoid: Our fight or flight response is often triggered at this point, so our natural defense mechanism is ready for battle or protection. Dont defend or try to justify your reasoning or message: this will only make their anger response even more intense. Avoid responding with anger, too.
3. Denial
When our mind doesnt like what we are hearing, we can sometimes go into total denial to avoid the emotions being faced and felt. We put up barriers in our mind to block emotions and truly convince ourselves that this isnt happening. Heres how to receive denial.
Your best approach: Reiterate the facts and reality of the situation clearly and explain the next steps.
Ask: Does what I told you make sense? Do you understand what this means and what comes next?
Avoid: Some people take time to process and accept information. Trying to force them to do it instantly is never wiseand is likely to lead to more denial. Avoid getting frustrated, telling someone how to accept the conversation or making statements. Ask questions instead to help them process it in their head.
4. Meh
When the care factor or emotional response is low, it can be very confusing. People tend to be meh: the expression that they couldnt care less about what is happening. They might seem disinterested, or even like they arent listening. Heres how to receive it.
Ask: Do you have all the information you need? Do you understand the outcome, next steps, and expectations? How can I best support you from here? After this, it is best to end the meeting but keep an eye on them and revisit the conversation if required.
Avoid: Dont try to make it a big deal if they seem unfazed. This might be a cover for a deeper emotion, or they might not have processed the conversation yet. Or it may simply not be a big deal to them. Dont keep them there and continue to talk until you get the reaction you want or expected.
5. Curiosity
Tough conversations can spark many unanswered questions. Questions arent a bad thing and are a part of effective communication. Heres how to actively listen to curiosity and answer questions.
Ask: Are there any other questions or thoughts you would like to share? How are you feeling about the information? Do you want to talk about it?
Avoid: This shouldnt be a one-way conversation. Dont end the conversation before they have finished or have enough answers and information. Avoid laughing at any questions or comments.
6. Positivity
Sometimes, something we believe will be a tough conversation isnt one. For some people, its a relief to have the conversation or to have the issue out in the open. For others, its an actual win aligned to their priorities.
Ask: Are you happy to share more about what you are feeling and why? Is there anything more I can do to support you? Keep an eye on them and revisit the conversation if required, especially if their emotions change.
Avoid: A positive response can catch you off-guard, so its important to manage your own emotions both visually and verbally. Avoid cutting the conversation short or assuming this positive response will stay positive. It may be a protective front, or other emotions may follow.
Following the emotion through the conversation brings the human factor back into communication. While it can seem a drawn-out process or distraction, it will get us a better interaction, understanding and outcome.
Adapted from The Emotional Intelligence Advantage by Amy Jacobson, available at all leading retailers. Visit www.amyjacobson.com.au for more.
Ever dream about work? Have nightmares? According to a survey by the mattress review site EachNight.com, nearly two-thirds of us have job-related dreams that cause us to wake up stressed out and worried. Instead of shrugging them off, you might want to take note.
While no definitive answer exists on the meaning of dreams, notable scientists, including Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, believed they hold messages. Freud, for example, considered dreaming to be an expression of repressed or unconscious conflicts or desires, while Jung explained dreams as thoughts released by the subconscious, creating an internal dialogue. Modern research recently concluded that dreams are part of the brains data-dumping function, consolidating information it deems to be important.
Dream interpreter Inbaal Honigman believes there is meaning in the dreams that you remember. It could be something super benign, or it could be more than that, she says.
Honigman teamed up with JobLeads, an online job search platform, analyzing search data to find the most popular work-related dreams. Here are some of the most common, along with Honigmans take on what they could be trying to tell you.
Being Late for Work
Getting to work late is the most common work-related dream, according to the JobLeads research. This theme falls into the anxiety dream category. While being late for work isnt as high stakes as a dream about being late for a flight or wedding, Honigman says it still suggests that stress and pressure have entered your subconscious, creating feelings of being overwhelmed. To decipher this dream, you must get to its root.
It could be that you feel insecure at work, because work is very harsh, Honigman says. It could be that you feel insecure due to low self-esteem. Its from the same dream school as being naked in the classroom. Anxiety is firing up your brain and sending you to the worst-case scenario.
Losing Your Job
The next most common work-related dream involves losing your job or being fired. Honigman says you need to consider the emotion to understand the meaning. Were you on any level relieved, because that would be very telling, she says. Or did you feel like you wouldn’t be able to manage afterwards?
Dreaming about losing your job doesnt usually come out of the blue. Honigman says it could be related to surviving a recent layoff, knowing that the organization is facing difficulties, or experiencing difficult interactions with other staff members.
This dream can arise if you feel unsupported at work or in your personal life, she says. While it doesn’t necessarily predict an actual firing, heed it as a warning. Its a subconscious signal urging you to address the pressures youre facing and seek clarity or support in your job.
Getting a New Job
Not all work-related dreams are stressful. The most common positive work dream involves getting a new job. According to Honigman, this can indicate a subconscious craving for change. While you dont necessarily need to leave your work environment, it could mean youre ready to seek out a fresh challenge or shift in responsibilities.
[Positive dreams are] less common, not because people hate their jobs, but because theyre less notable and life changing, Honigman says. A happy work dream can create a ripple effect, though, boosting your mood and leaving you feeling more motivated, confident, and energized.
Romance with a Coworker
If you have a romantic dream that involves a coworker, you might wake up puzzled. Honigman says it doesnt necessarily mean that youre attracted to the person physically or romantically. Instead, it could indicate that you feel at home when youre at work, or that you admire the persons confidence, creativity, and work ethic.
This dream can mean youre feeling very at ease, appreciated, and have some kind of excitement about going into work, Honigman explains. Or the dream could also signal a desire for greater harmony and cooperation within your professional relationships.
What to Do With Your Dreams
As much as possible, Honigman recommends journaling about your dreams each morning. If thats too difficult, share your dream with someone else. Writing it down or sharing it with someone makes you more likely to remember the story.
Then, look at the emotions youre feeling in the dream. For example, if you dream about getting a new job because you started your own business, how did you feel when you woke up? For some people, it’s a sign of something they should be doing because they felt excited or proud, Honigman says. Someone else may wake up from that dream in abject horror.
While the dream doesnt have to be identical, look for patterns that might indicate a situation that you haven’t resolved. Dreaming about being late to work again and again could mean that you have a work anxiety that needs to be addressed. How you fix it can have many different answers.
Dreams are not instructions. Honigman says you should consider them to be more like indications, especially in the case of anxiety work dreams.
They’re not there to tell you stuff you don’t know, she says. Look at dreams as food for thought and very precious insight into what goes on in your mind. It’s valuable information, part of a jigsaw puzzle, and not the whole picture.
If nothing else, looking for meaning in dreams can be fun, like solving a riddle or connecting the dots. Any thoughts on what a dream about riding a giant cat to work might mean? (Asking for a friend.)
The world envies Swiss chocolate, army knives, and now . . . interest rates?
Swiss National Bank, Switzerlands central bank, moved interest rates to zero this week, a reduction of 25 basis points, and a notable detraction from other central banks around the world, such as the Federal Reserve in the U.S. and the Bank of England in the U.K.
In a statement, the Swiss National Bank said that the move was made in relation to declining inflation worriesand that its expecting the economies to buckle under the volatility created, in part, due to the Trump administrations trade policies.
With today’s easing of monetary policy, the SNB is countering the lower inflationary pressure. The SNB will continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust its monetary policy if necessary, to ensure that inflation remains within the range consistent with price stability over the medium term, the statement read.
The global economic outlook for the coming quarters has deteriorated due to the increase in trade tensions. In its baseline scenario, the SNB anticipates that growth in the global economy will weaken over the coming quarters. Inflation in the U.S. is likely to rise over the coming quarters. In Europe, by contrast, a further decrease in inflationary pressure is to be expected.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Federal Reserves latest meeting wrapped up this week with no change in interest rates, despite pressure from the White House and others to lower them. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed governors have been reluctant to do so, as inflation data still has not gotten close enough to its 2% target, and employment data has remained positive.
Across the Atlantic, however, another European country, Norway, also cut rates this week. And some experts think that the Swiss could go even further, instituting negative interest rates at some point this year.
There are risks that the SNB will go further in the future if inflationary pressures dont start to increase, and the lowest the policy rate could go is -0.75%, the rate it reached in the 2010s, Swiss National Banks Chairman Martin Schlegel told CNBC on Thursday. But what I can say is that going negative, we would not take this decision lightly.
An unlikely body byproduct may be able to help doctors diagnose Parkinson’s Disease early.
According to a new Chinese study, which was published in Analytical Chemistry, ear canal secretion, or ear wax, contain chemical compounds which can be telltale signs of Parkinson’s.
During the study, researchers examined ear canal secretions from 209 people. About half (108 of the participants) had Parkinson’s. In their examinations, scientists were able to identify four volatile organic compounds (VOC) that were notably different in those with the disease. Those compounds, or biomarkers, were ethylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, pentanal, and 2-pentadecyl-1,3-dioxolane.
The scientists then trained an artificial intelligence olfactory (AIO) system on the biomarker data. And once training was complete, the AIO system was able to successfully determine which patients had Parkinson’s and which did not. The system was accurate 94% of the time.
Currently, Parkinson’s is a tough disease to diagnose. According to Mayo Clinic, it requires expensive imaging, neurological tests, blood tests, genetic testing, and more. And often, a diagnosis is still often not conclusive. Likewise, treatment is a work-in-progress, with current therapies aimed at slowing progression rather than curing it. Therefore, ear wax testing could be a breakthrough first-step screening tool that’s inexpensive, noninvasive, and accessible.
The researchers who worked on the study say the findings are a major step in Parkinson’s early detection, which currently, doesn’t exist, but that more research is needed. This method is a small-scale single-center experiment in China, study coauthor Hao Dong said in a press release.Hoa Dong continued, The next step is to conduct further research at different stages of the disease, in multiple research centers and among multiple ethnic groups, in order to determine whether this method has greater practical application value.
Not long ago, a client of minelets call her Mayashared something that struck me.
I had a rare Sunday with nothing urgent on my plate. My kids were with their grandparents. My inbox was quiet. I could have done anything. Instead of feeling relaxed, I panicked. I literally didnt know what to do with myself.
She laughed softly but tears were in her eyes. I realized . . . I dont know how to exist without a task list. If Im not accomplishing something, I feel like I dont matter.
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Maya isnt alone. In my coaching work, Ive heard this story many timeswomen who have full, meaningful lives yet feel theyre only as good as what they checked off today.
In a culture that rewards output and treats busyness like a badge of honor, its easy to confuse productivity with worth. But what happens when you slow downor are forced to? Who are you without the to-do list, the perfect calendar, and the high performance?
This article invites you to pause and honestly examine where your worth may be tied to how much you get done. Its about recognizing patterns that keep you in constant motionand beginning to loosen their grip so your value is rooted in something more lasting.
Warning signs you might be outsourcing your self-worth to productivity
You dont have to be burned out or in crisis to be stuck in this trap. Often, its invisibleespecially when things seem to be going well.
Here are some subtle signs:
You feel anxious or restless when youre not actively getting something done.
You judge your days success by accomplishments, not feelings.
You feel guilty or uncomfortable during downtime.
You struggle to enjoy activities unless theyre productive (reading must educate, exercise must burn calories).
You only feel good about yourself when exceeding expectationsat work or home.
Another client, Elenaa physician and mom of threesaid, I know rationally that Im a good mom and doctor. But the only time I feel that way is when Im accomplishing something measurablepublishing, presenting, finishing charts. Otherwise, I feel like Im failing.
Elena wasnt asking to do less. She wanted to feel enough even when she wasnt at full throttle.
That distinction matters. Reclaiming your self-worth doesnt mean abandoning ambition. It means building a foundation where your identity isnt tied to output highs and lows.
Why this runs so deep
Tying worth to productivity isnt a personal flawits shaped by powerful cultural forces. We live in a society that prizes output, where worth is measured by results, not relationships or inner experience. Women are socialized to be competent, accommodating, and endlessly availableto anticipate needs, keep things running, and never drop the ball.
Add motherhood, with its endless work and little feedback, and its easy to internalize that your value depends on how much you handle without breaking.
The pandemic intensified this. With work, school, and home merging, many working moms became the nerve centermanaging logistics, meals, meetings, and everyones emotions. The doing never stopped. And when people praised our resilience and ability to keep it together, we absorbed the message that being useful was what made us worthy.
The costs of outsourcing your worth
This isnt sustainable. Even if it works temporarily, it erodes well-being. Your sense of self rises and falls with accomplishment. Burnout looms as rest feels like failure. Disconnection creeps inyou struggle to be present with loved ones unless everything is tied up.
When things go off script, disappointment turns to shame, as if falling short means youre fundamentally flawed.
Most damagingly, this mindset convinces you rest, joy, and self-compassion are rewards to be earned, not essential parts of being human. When worth is always up for reevaluation, peace remains out of reach.
What reclaiming your worth looks like
This work is slow and layerednot a quick fix or a slogan. Its a recalibration of how you relate to yourself.
Start here:
1. Notice the NarrativesPay attention to thoughts that arise when youre not productive: I should be doing more, Im falling behind, I dont deserve to rest yet. Notice whose voice this echoesa parent, boss, or cultural script? Naming these is the first step to disarming them.
2. Redefine SuccessCreate space for a fuller definition of success: being present for bedtime without planning tomorrow, holding a boundary at work, or letting something be good enough. Reflect daily: What felt aligned? When did I feel like myself? Where did I honor my values?
3. Practice Being, Not Just DoingChoose small moments to simply be: sit with coffee without scrolling, walk without exercising, and rest without earning it. Your nervous system may resist at firstthats normal. Over time, youll build capacity to sit with yourself without judgment.
4. Anchor to Identity, Not OutputAsk: Who am I when Im not performing or producing? This can feel scary but also freeing. You are more than a multitasking manageryou are a person with humor, intuition, creativity, and resilience. Begin rooting your worth in being human, not heroic.
One client, a lawyer and mom of two, shared: I still work hard, but now I can pause during the day to breathe. I let dishes wait without calling myself lazy. And strangely, I feel more powerfulnot lessbecause my worth isnt riding on every task.
Being enough
High-achieving moms are admired for how much they handlebut that admiration can come at a cost. Beneath competence and reliability often lies a quiet desire: to feel whole even when nothing is getting done.
You dont need to give up your drive or goals. But you deserve a life where worth isnt constantly measured: a life where rest is allowed, not earned; where joy has space without justification; where being enough isnt something you proveits something you simply trust.
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Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Companys weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. You can sign up to receive this newsletter every week here.
Exclusive Interview With Ciscos Jeetu Patel
Data centers are popping up all over the world to support the quickly growing demand for all kinds of AI apps and services. Cisco, of course, is no stranger to the data center, and its been working hard over the past few years to make itself a vital part of the AI technology stack. I asked Cisco EVP and chief product officer Jeetu Patel how he sees the current situation in generative AI, and about how his company fits into the picture. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you give me your 30,000-foot view of the transition to generative AI?
Were now moving from this mode of chatbots intelligently answering questions for us to us now moving into a mode where agents are conducting tasks and jobs almost fully autonomously on behalf of humans. As that happens, theres going to be an augmentation of the capacity of billions and billions of agents thatll actually get added on over the course of the next few years. But the requirements that you have around low-latency, high-performance, high-energy-efficiency infrastructure, as well as around safety and security so that the user can establish trust with these AI systems, is going to have to be fully reimagined.
Can you describe in simple terms how Cisco plays in the AI tech stack?
At the very baseline, we build our own silicon and ASICs [application-specific integrated circuits] for the network itself. I think were the only non-Nvidia silicon provider that is part of Nvidias reference architecture where our networking is tied with their GPUs and we actually make sure that those work together in a reference architecture that an enterprise can deploy. We then have our own systems, which are the physical boxes for the networks and the servers on the compute side, and the optics and the optical systems that actually can do ultra-long haul data center interconnect, as well as interconnect between clusters. We then provide the safety and security platform thats needed to secure AI as wellwere one of the largest security players in the market. We provide a data platform in Splunk. Were actually building our own bespoke custom models for security and networking.
You mentioned latency as a key challenge. How critical is response time for AI applications?
If it takes three seconds for an AI voice agent to respond to you, you know its a robot and you dont want to talk to it. But if you do it within 500 milliseconds, you have a very different kind of behavior from the human. In our user testing, outside of efficacy, latency is one of the most important things. It has to be interruptible and it has to have enough training on EQ [emotional intelligence] and sentiment analysis, so that if youre sounding annoyed, it doesnt say, Hows the weather today?
How do you handle the security challenges with multiple AI models?
Most of these models are putting their own safety and security guardrails in the models. But models can get tricked through jailbreaking techniques. Weve built a product that not only does the visibility of what data is flowing through the model and when the model is getting fine-tuned, so you can do a continuous validation. . . . We validate the model within a matter of minutes through an algorithmic red-teaming exercise rather than it taking weeks or months for companies to validate the model. We jailbroke DeepSeek within 48 hours. We can take that model and then create runtime enforcement guardrails for every application developer. The end outcome is that no developer has to rebuild the security stack every time they build an application, and no model provider needs to be responsible for every single way that a model can be jailbroken.
So every app developer building on top of DeepSeek will benefit from this pool of knowledge that Cisco knows about how to jailbreak the model and how to protect against that?
Thats exactly right. We believe that you need a neutral party that provides a common substrate of security for every app developer, every model builder, every agent developer, so that the developer can innovate fearlessly.
Are AI companies putting big data centers in the Middle East because they have plenty of power and room to grow, or is it to better service customers in that region?
Its literally both. You dont have enough power to fuel all the demand for AI right now. The amount of usage that OpenAI is getting right now is literally like breaking the internet. They came up with $20 a usertheyre losing money on $20 a user, from what the industry says. So they added a plan for $200 a user. My guess is theyre going to lose money at $200 a user. They have a plan for $2,000 a user. They will lose money for $2,000 a user. Tha’s not a bad thing. It tells you that there is intrinsic demand. The demand for data centers is going to be insatiable for a very long time. As models get more efficient over time, youll have small models with very large context windowsyou might have a million-token context window, very small model, very small data set with a very small footprint to be able to get the inference done. But were not quite there yet.
Is it because of inference costs that they cant make money? Whats the big cost driver?
Right now its the usage and the cost of GPUs. Its expensive. But the beauty about this is its the wrong thing to focus on to get a company to profitability at this stage. What they should focus on is the acquisition of as many users as possible so that they can have the daily workflow fusion of ChatGPT for both consumers and enterprises. Once that happens, they can figure out a way to optimize later. But right now, starting to optimize would be putting cycles in the wrong thing.
There are two dimensions that are a really good signal for the AI industry: Nvidia is wildly profitable, and ChatGPT is losing money. Both those things tell you the future of AItheres such insatiable demand that even at a very high cost, people are buying GPUs and theyre willing to lose money because the adoption is so high.
More AI coverage from Fast Company:
Why OpenAI and Microsofts AI partnership might be headed for a breakup
AI is supercharging war. Could it also help broker peace?
AI tools collect your data across devices. Here’s how to be selective about what you share
The debate over state-level AI bans misses the point
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Research on misinformation and disinformation has become the latest casualty of the Trump administrations restructuring of federal research priorities.
Following President Donald Trumps executive order on ending federal censorship, the National Science Foundation canceled hundreds of grants that supported research on misinformation and disinformation.
Misinformation refers to misleading narratives shared by people unaware that content is false. Disinformation is deliberately generated and shared misleading content, when the sharer knows the narrative is suspect.
The overwhelming majority of Americans95%believe misinformations misleading narratives are a problem.
Americans also believe that consumers, the government and social media companies need to do something about it. Defunding research on misinformation and disinformation is, thus, the opposite of what Americans want. Without research, the ability to combat misleading narratives will be impaired.
The attack on misleading narrative research
Trumps executive order claims that the Biden administration used research on misleading narratives to limit social media companies free speech.
The Supreme Court had already rejected this claim in a 2024 case.
Still, Trump and GOP politicians continue to demand disinformation researchers defend themselves, including in the March 2025 censorship industrial complex hearings, which explored alleged government censorship under the Biden administration.
The U.S. State Department, additionally, is soliciting all communications between government offices and disinformation researchers for evidence of censorship.
Trumps executive order to restore free speech, the hearings and the State Department decision all imply that those conducting misleading narrative research are enemies of the First Amendments guarantee of free speech.
These actions have already led to significant problemsdeath threats and harassment includedfor disinformation researchers, particularly women.
So lets tackle what research on misinformation and disinformation is and isnt.
Misleading content
Misinformation and disinformation researchers examine the sources of misleading content. They also study the spread of that content. And they investigate ways to reduce its harmful impacts.
For instance, as a social psychologist who studies disinformation and misinformation, I examine the nature of misleading content. I study and then share information about the manipulation tactics used by people who spread disinformation to influence others. My aim is to better inform the public about how to protect themselves from deception.
Sharing this information is free speech, not barring free speech.
Yet, some think this research leads to censorship when platforms choose to use the knowledge to label or remove suspect content or ban its primary spreaders. Thats what U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan argued in launching investigations in 2023 into disinformation research.
It is important to note, however, that the constitutional definition of censorship establishes that only the governmentnot citizens or businessescan be censors.
So private companies have the right to make their own decisions about the content they put on their platforms.
Trumps own platform, Truth Social, bans certain material such as sexual content and explicit language, but also anything moderators deem as trying to trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users. Yet, 75% of the conspiracy theories shared on the platform come from Trumps account.
Further, both Trump and Elon Musk, self-proclaimed free-speech advocates, have been accused of squelching content on their platforms that is critical of them.
Musk claimed the suppression of accounts on X was a result of the sites algorithm reducing the reach of a user if theyre frequently blocked or muted by other, credible users. Truth Social representatives claim accounts were banned due to bot mitigation procedures, and authentic accounts may be reinstated if their classification as inauthentic was invalid.
Is it censorship?
Republicans say social media companies have been biased against their content, censoring it or banning conservatives unfairly.
The censorship industrial complex hearings held by the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee were based on the premise that not only was misleading narrative research part of the alleged censorship industrial complex, but that it was focused on conservative voices.
But there isnt evidence to support this assertion.
Research from 2020 shows that conservative voices are amplified on social media networks.
When research does show that conservative authors have posts labeled or removed, or that their accounts are suspended at higher rates than liberal content, it also reveals that it is because conservative posts are significantly more likely to share misinformation than liberal posts.
This was found in a recent study of X users. Researchers tracked whose posts got tagged as false or misleading more in community notesXs alternative and Metas proposed alternative to fact checkingand it was conservative posts, because they were more likely to include false content than liberal posts.
Furthermore, an April 2025 study shows conservatives are more susceptible to misleading content and more likely to be targeted by it than liberals.
Misleading America
Those accusing misleading narrative researchers of censorship misrepresent the nature and intent of the research and researchers. And they are using disinformation tactics to do so.
Heres how.
The misleading information about censorship and bias has been repeated so much through the media and from political leaders, as evident in Trumps executive order, that many Republicans believe its true. This repetition produces what psychologists call the illusory truth effect, where as few as three repetitions convince the human mind something is true.
Researchers have also identified a tactic known as accusation in a mirror. Thats when someone falsely accuses ones perceived opponents of conducting, plotting or desiring to commit the same transgressions that one plans to commit or is already committing.
So censorship accusations from an administration that is removing books from libraries, erasing history from monuments and websites, and deleting data archives constitute accusations in a mirror.
Other tactics include accusation by anecdote. When strong evidence is in short supply, people who spread disinformation point repeatedly to individual stories (sometimes completely fabricated) that are exceptions to, and not representative of, the larger reality.
Facts on fact-checking
Similar anecdotal attacks are used to try to dismiss fact-checkers, whose conclusions can identify and discredit disinformation, leading to its tagging or removal from social media. This is done by highlighting an incident where fact-checkers got it wrong.
These attacks on fact-checking come despite the fact that many of those most controversial decisions were made by platforms, not fact-checkers.
Indeed, fact-checking does work to reduce the transmission of misleading content.
In studies of the perceived effectiveness of professional fact-checkers versus algorithms and everyday users, fact-checkers are rated the most effective.
When Republicans do report distrust of fact-checkers, its because they perceive the fact-checkers are biased. Yet research shows little bias in choice of who is fact-checked, just that prominent and prolific speakers get checked more.
When shown fact-checking results of specific posts, even conservatives often agree the right decision was made.
Seeking solutions
Account bans or threats of account suspensions may be more effective than fact-checks at stopping the flow of misinformation, but they are also more controversial. They are considered more akin to censorship than fact-check labels.
Misinformation research would benefit from identifying solutions that conservatives and liberals agree on.
Examples include giving people the option, like on social media platform Bluesky, to turn misinformation moderation on or off.
But Trumps executive order seeks to ban that research. Thus, instead of providing protections, the order will likely weaken Americans defenses.
H. Colleen Sinclair is an associate research professor of social psychology at Louisiana State University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
