The Observatory Newsletter

Ellen McGirt

Pope Leo XIV weighed in on the AI conversation

And we asked the design community to respond

Ellen McGirt

If the joy of achievement is fleeting, what sticks? Debbie Millman shares insights in her latest TED Talk.

Ellen McGirt

The line, now drawn

I spent last week watching redistricting in action In his recent oral arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts described Louisiana’s newly defunct 6th Congressional District as a snake, a caustic nod to the way it wound across the state, …

Rachel Paese

“The world needs what you’re making,” and the deadline is May 29.

Ellen McGirt

The Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act

Ellen McGirt

New technology always forges a new creative path

Some of it revolutionary, some of it mundane.

Ellen McGirt

The failed promise of big tech might be prompting a cultural revival

For brands, it's an opportunity to strategize

Ellen McGirt

"The future does not need more speed; it needs more meaning"

Ashley Lukasik on the impact of meaningful convening ͏ ‌ ͏

Ellen McGirt

The man who built the $7 billion Jordan Brand had a secret

Ellen McGirt

Protestors at "No Kings" rallies are making their mark.

The crown joins a long history of resistance symbols

Ellen McGirt

Systems are failing. Just ask airport staff.

When a major tech platform goes down for any reason, a meme typically circulates as the online masses gleefully imagine the panic of the incompetents as they rush to find the problem.

Ellen McGirt

If you have good taste and excellent discernment, this is your time to shine.

Last month OpenAI president Greg Brockman wrote on X that "Taste is a new core skill." Sam Altman, posting before both OpenAI’s latest $110 billion funding round and controversial Pentagon contract, agreed. "We believe the best …