Did I Say That Out Loud?

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Happy Friday, Future Party. How rough is it out there for employees right now? EY America says they’re moving from “quiet quitting” to “quiet cracking.” The accounting firm’s chief well-being officer, Frank Giampietro, defines quiet cracking as when people “show up, do their job, but struggle in silence while they do it.” The result, according to Insider, is higher employee “disengagement and dissatisfaction” with their jobs.

Multi-hyphenate artist and designer Pharrell Williams announced the launch of VIRGINIA — a destination for all his creative endeavors.

The Big Picture: It’s possible Pharrell either doesn’t sleep or has several clones. He’s a working rapper, prolific producer, Men’s Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, and the head of several businesses. VIRGINIA shows the tinkering is only just getting started.

Behind The Curtain: VIRGINIA — a “destination where music, fashion, design, and community converge” — is a love letter to Pharrell’s home state that inspired his creativity.

Last Looks: Pharrell is really leaning into the intersection of community and culture these days, recently expanding his celebrity-memento auction house JOOPITER after several successful tests. With VIRGINIA, he can now bring all his disciplines under one roof, giving himself a space to play and experiment… and for fans to find him easily. It can be hard to keep track of all the things Pharrell is working on.

Next Season: While VIRGINIA will primarily be Pharrell’s playground, we wouldn’t be surprised if he uses it as a springboard to launch other artists of various types from the state.

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Researchers at Stanford University and MIT have developed a computer program that can accurately interpret and voice what people are thinking.

Why It Hits: The computer-brain interface market is heating up, with companies like Neuralink, Merge Labs, and Synchron all attracting major funding. These startups primarily focus on interpreting thoughts to control devices — but giving voice to our “inner voice” could be a multi-billion-dollar game-changer.

Behind The Code: The researchers shared findings from their long-running clinical trial, BrainGate2, in the science journal, Cell.

Some highlights:

The Future: Of course, the tech raised questions about whether it could capture more words than participants actually intended to say out loud, since some people’s minds run on a constant monologue of thoughts, ideas, and observations. Spoiler alert: it did.

So, the researchers developed two solutions: blocking “inner speech” so only physically-attempted speech was detected and adding a “thought password” that let participants turn the inner-voice reading on and off. For the study, they chose “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” — and both experiments were successful.

Prediction: One day, we may all be able to type on our phone by simply thinking at it.

BCG research shows that 70% of AI failures stem from people and process issues — not technology.
AI-literate organizations, on the other hand, see a 4–6% EBITDA lift through effective change management.

Here’s how to create an AI culture that wins:

1. Run regular AI-innovation sessions.
Hackathons can double your idea funnel within a year, unlocking breakthrough use cases for content creation and audience engagement.

2. Build AI-champion networks.
Give top performers 10% more time to evangelize AI. Well-run champions programs can boost adoption curves by 30% across creative teams.

3. Embed AI into daily workflows.
Teams using AI assistants in their creative process deliver 15+ measurable improvements each week compared to traditional methods.

Get the complete Fast Tracking AI ROI playbook — plus weekly insights for transformation leaders accelerating AI adoption — by subscribing to Lighthouse’s free newsletter today.

60.4% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Do you ever watch music videos?

“I grew up in the ’90s. Music videos were my life.”

“I wish MTV would bring them back… nothing beats having music videos on in the background. I’d even settle for Pop-Up Video.”

“I used to. Music videos used to be fun to watch (VH1, MTV, BET) because they often told a story you couldn’t get just from listening. I can’t honestly say I watch them now — maybe one here or there if it comes up, but I don’t actively seek them out.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎥 The Duffer Brothers, the creators of the hit show Stranger Things, are plotting to exit their Netflix deal early to set up shop at the new Paramount.

🏀 The NBA has approved the record-breaking $6.1 billion sale of the Boston Celtics to Symphony Technology Group chief investment officer Bill Chisholm.

🏃‍♀️ The LA Olympic committee is preparing to sell temporary naming rights for the Games’ venues across the city.

😬 A leaked Meta memo revealed that the company allowed its chatbots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.” Big yikes.

🚗 Tesla is updating its in-car graphics with Epic’s Unreal Engine.

🏛️ The US government discovered that the US Court’s record system was hacked but remains unsure what data was stolen.

🫰 A new report from Toast found that the average tip at full-service restaurants is down over 19% from last year — the lowest level in seven years.

👟 SZA has joined Vans as its new artistic director, where she’ll reimagine marketing campaigns and design exclusive products.

🏡 Airbnb will now allow US renters to book stays without paying the full amount upfront.