The most important leadership strategies are often the ones you dont see. The quiet, behind-the-scenes work that truly drives success might not make the headlines, but it makes all the difference. We spoke to 10 experienced leaders who opened up about the practical, everyday practices they use to transform team dynamics and boost business outcomes. From creating space for honest conversations to fine-tuning how work gets done, these insights show that small, thoughtful changes can have a big impact.
Create space for vulnerability and open dialog
One of the most impactful but often invisible aspects of leadership is creating space for vulnerability and open dialog within the team. As leaders, we’re often expected to be solutions-oriented, decisive, and forward-focused. While these traits are critical, the behind-the-scenes work of fostering trust and ensuring everyone feels heard is just as vital, though it rarely makes the highlight reel.
A real-life example comes from my time leading marketing at a private company. The team was incredibly talented but stretched thin as we took on a large-scale branding initiative. It was clear that the surface-level team updates weren’t addressing the underlying stress and misalignment. So, I introduced a weekly stand up meeting. It was a simple concept: every team member anonymously submitted one thing they felt was working well and one thing causing frustration.
The key wasn’t just collecting feedback, it was addressing it transparently. Each week, I’d share a summary of the submissions and collaborate with the team to find actionable solutions. This process wasn’t glamorous, and it required consistency and vulnerability. I had to acknowledge blind spots, accept critique, and, sometimes, admit we didn’t have an immediate fix. Also, that it would take all of us to solve.
Over time, this practice reshaped our team dynamics. People felt safe to speak up and trust grew stronger. Productivity soared because the hidden obstacles were brought to light and resolved. The importance of this kind of invisible work lies in the ripple effect. When team members feel heard and supported, they don’t just work harder, they work smarter and with greater collaboration.
Leadership isn’t always about big wins or public recognition; it’s about the small, consistent actions that cultivate an environment where people can thrive. That effort to foster a culture of trust continues to influence how I lead today with clients. It’s the foundation for building stronger teams, which is ultimately the backbone of any organization’s success.
Renae Scott, founder and CEO, Bee Collaborative LLC
Revise and adjust treatment plans
As a leader in physical therapy and sports medicine, I consider one of the most vital back-office tasks to be the careful revising and adjusting of treatment plans for each specific patient. Often, this requires staying late to evaluate patient progress based on data accumulation, researching new techniques, and communicating with other professionals so that the provided care is not only effective but also at the forefront of the latest developments in the field.
This may not always be work that’s directly visible to my team, but it does set the bar for the quality of care we provide. By doing so, I model for them what thoroughness and continuous learning look like; this has cultivated a culture of dedication and excellence in the team. Over time, this invisible effort has engendered trust, inspired others to go the extra mile, and strengthened our collective commitment to the success of our patients.
Amir Majidi, physiotherapist, CEO Sports Medicine Clinic, Push Pounds
Review team workloads weekly
I’ve learned that one of the most crucial behind-the-scenes tasks is something surprisingly simple: I spend two hours every Sunday reviewing each team member’s workload for the upcoming week.
This habit started after I noticed our best analyst getting burned out from uneven task distribution.
Looking deeper, I found that different client projects had similar deadlines, creating hidden pressure points nobody could see from their individual view.
The impact of this weekly review surprised me.
By redistributing work and adjusting timelines before the week started, our team’s stress levels dropped significantly.
Our internal surveys showed a 20% decrease in reported overtime hours, and our project completion rate improved.
One specific win stands out the most.
Last month, I spotted three major reports due on the same day for different clients.
By shifting one deadline earlier and one later, our team delivered higher quality work on all three projects.
This invisible work of load balancing might not always show up in metrics directly, but it’s transformed how smoothly our projects flow.
Vukasin Ilic, SEO consultant and CEO, Linkter
Observe and shape communication styles
As a 25-year veteran behavior analyst and subject matter expert in neurodiversity, it’s part of my involuntary operating system that I am constantly observing and shaping communication styles to elicit the best thinking in my team. Understanding that context and lived experience has shaped individual preferences and communication styles helps reduce friction and problem solve faster than continually trying to force all individuals into one communication style.
For example, individuals from the boomer generation often tend to prefer a quick phone call to discuss a matter rather than texting or email, whereas individuals from Gen X and younger tend to prefer quick written communication. I think this may be in part due to the education and training of older generations to have a far more formal written style.
Also, as a female leader of an all male team I am acutely aware of communication differences between genders. I use humor to point out disparities to a group of individuals who obviously are open to such feedback by way of joining a queer, female CEO in a company called NonBinary Solutions.
Modeling authenticity invites others to be authentic and understanding that different individuals have different communication styles fosters trust in an organization.
Allowing all individuals to be authentically themselves invites collaboration, innovation, and builds psychological safety. And you can still create healthy boundaries and call out bias when you see it to foster growth. It’s not binary.
By acknowledging that each team member thinks differently, we create space to appreciate creative collaboration to problem-solving. Things are not black and whitesolutions often live in the gray.
Amanda Ralston, founder and CEO, NonBinary Solutions
Develop and maintain emotional regulation/h2>
One critical piece of behind-the-scenes work I prioritize as a leader is developing and maintaining my emotional regulation. Leadership can be demanding, and in a world that often feels increasingly chaotic, I recognize that how I manage my emotions has a profound ripple effect on the people I serve.
Each day, I carve out at least 30 minutes for practices that help me stay centered. Meditation and affirmations are a staple of this routine. These practices allow me to connect deeply with my inner self, align my thoughts with my values, and set a positive tone for the day.
Breathwork has also become an invaluable tool for me. It’s a simple yet profound way to regulate my nervous system, helping me stay calm and focused, especially when I’m navigating high-stress situations. I’ve recently been learning HeartMath’s approach to building heart-brain coherence. This practice is about harmonizing my emotions and thoughts to strengthen emotional resilience and promote a sense of calm clarity. It not only enhances my ability to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively but also fosters a deep sense of emotional balance.
This work is invisible to others, but its importance cannot be overstated. By showing up grounded, I create a sense of safety and stability for my community. When people know they’re interacting with someone who listens deeply, responds thoughtfully, and doesn’t let external chaos dictate their energy, it encourages trust and openness. This emotional consistency allows for more authentic communication and collaboration, which are the cornerstones of healthy relationships and effective leadership.
The people I serve feel empowered to bring their whole selves to the table because they see it modeled in me. It has also fostered a culture of calm confidence within my community. By prioritizing my emotional regulation, I not only strengthen my ability to lead but also inspire others to embrace their own emotional resilience. This, in turn, equips them to navigate challenges with greater clarity, courage, and composure.
The unseen work of emotional regulation may never make headlines, but it’s the steady undercurrent that allows me to lead with intention and more grace, even amidst the most challenging times. This commitment to grounding myself daily ensures I can show up as the leader my community deserves.
Natalie Jobity, leadership elevation strategist, keynote speaker, best-selling author, The Unveiled Way
Design strategic icebreakers for meetings
One simple example of my behind-the-scenes work as a leader is strategically designing the first five minutes of our team meetings to promote skill-building and relationship-building in the areas my team needs. I call them “strategic icebreakers.”
While it may seem like a simple icebreaker, I carefully choose questions or activities that align with the challenges or goals the team will face in the near future. For instance, if collaboration with another department is upcoming, I’ll use a question like, “What’s one skill you admire in a colleague?” to foster a mindset of mutual respect. If the team is presenting at a conference, I might ask, “What’s a story in our industry that has inspired you recently?” to get them thinking about compelling narratives. When stress is high, we might start with a quick breathing exercise or, “What’s one thing you do to recharge during a busy week?”
This invisible work matters because it sets the tone for the meeting and primes the team for the tasks ahead. It also consistently builds relationships and trust, even in virtual and hybrid environments. Over time, this intentional approach has positively impacted our team dynamics by fostering a sense of connection, purpose, and alignment that extends far beyond the icebreakers themselves.
Bailey Parnell, founder and CEO, SkillsCamp
Curate Personalized Growth Roadmaps
One of the most unique and often unseen aspects of my leadership is curating personalized “growth roadmaps” for every team member.
This isn’t just about job responsibilitiesit’s about understanding what drives each person, what they’re passionate about, and how they want to grow both professionally and personally. Some want more 1:1 meetings for guidance, others prefer fewer meetings to focus, some are looking for tips on growing their LinkedIn presence, while others need accountability partners to stay on track.
By getting to the heart of what each individual needs, I can tailor my approach, offering support where it’s most needed. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s about aligning their role with their personal goals.
This level of personalization is crucial because everyone on the team is motivated by different factors. By understanding what they need to succeed and feel fulfilled, I can provide the right kind of environment for them to thrive. Whether it’s a space to be creative, the opportunity for deeper mentorship, or the chance to grow their personal brand, this approach ensures that people feel empowered and engaged in what they do.
For example, one team member wanted more frequent feedback and strategic input, so I set up regular 1:1s with them. Another person needed fewer meetings to stay in a creative flow, so I gave them more flexibility in their schedule. Some were eager to build their LinkedIn presence, so I offered tips and coaching, while others needed a push to stay accountable, so I paired them with accountability partners.
AJ Eckstein, founder and CEO, Creator Match
Foster cross-team communication and alignment
One example of behind-the-scenes work I do is fostering cross-team communication and alignment. It’s not something that’s immediately visible, but it’s crucial for keeping everyone on the same page, especially as the organization grows. I spend a significant amount of time in one-on-one conversations with team leads, understanding their challenges, and finding ways to bridge gaps between departments.
This work is important because miscommunication or misalignment can slow progress and create frustration among teams. By staying proactive, I ensure that everyone understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture and where they can support each other.
The impact? It’s created a more collaborative environment where teams feel supported and empowered to work together. This invisible effort has strengthened our team dynamics, leading to faster problem-solving, smoother project execution, and a stronger sense of shared purpose.
Yuying Deng, CEO, Esevel
Reflect before making decisions
One of the most impactful, yet often invisible, aspects of my role as a leader is the time I spend in quiet reflection before making decisions that affect our company. Whether it’s choosing a strategic direction or addressing operational challenges, I take a step back to evluate how these choices will impact every stakeholderour employees, vendors, clients, and the broader ecosystem of our business.
This approach is deeply rooted in my military experience, where I learned that every decision has cascading effects on the mission, the team, and the larger operation. That same principle applies in business leadershipevery choice I make must be thoughtful and precise, with a clear understanding of how it will ripple through the organization.
This intentional process requires me to disconnect and think deeply about long-term implications. While it might look like I’m “off the grid,” I’m actually mapping out how a single decision could affect every layer of the business. This ensures that when I communicate a decision with my team, I’m prepared to address follow-up questions and explain the rationale clearly.
Not everyone sees the full picturethey may only focus on how a decision affects their specific role or department. By taking the time to consider how my choices impact everyone, I help align our team around a shared vision, reduce friction, and create a culture where people trust that their perspectives have been factored into the bigger picture. It’s invisible work, but it’s essential for fostering trust, cohesion, and long-term success within the company.
Tabatha Turman, CEO, Integrated Finance and Accounting Solutions
Embed values in every business aspect
Much of the behind-the-scenes work I do revolves around ensuring our values are embedded in every aspect of the business. Sustainability isn’t just a marketing messageit’s a guiding principle that requires ongoing decisions around materials, supply chain processes, and product innovation. I dedicate significant time to conversations with suppliers, auditing production methods, and improving our B Corp scores to ensure we remain true to our mission of creating a more sustainable world. It’s not glamorous, but it’s vital to maintaining authenticity and building trust with our customers.
Embedding values into the core of our business is crucial for three reasons:
Building trust and reputation: Stakeholdersincluding customers, partners, and investorsengage more deeply with companies that consistently uphold their values, enhancing our integrity and reputation.
Improving employee engagement and retention: A company that practices what it preaches fosters a positive work environment, reduces turnover, and attracts talent aligned with its mission.
Enhancing customer loyalty: Authenticity and ethical principles resonate with customers, creating stronger emotional connections and driving long-term loyalty.
A strong team culture is equally important. Investing in people ensures they feel valued and see a clear connection between their aspirations and the company’s success. This drives engagement and motivation, creating a ripple effect of positivity and collaboration.
This approach has fostered a culture of trust, psychological safety, and empowerment, allowing team members to bring their authentic selves to work and take ownership of their roles. It strengthens our resilience in high-pressure situations and deepens the sense of community that fuels collaboration and innovation.
Phoebe Yu, founder and CEO, ettitude
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.
Inside the new Grok 3 model
In just two years, Elon Musks xAI has become one of a dozen or so labs capable of developing state-of-the-art AI models. Now xAI is out with its Grok 3 large language model, which beats state-of-the-art frontier models, such as OpenAIs GPT-4o and DeepSeeks V3, in common mathematics, science, and coding benchmarks by a wide margin. Meanwhile, the smaller Grok 3-mini performs at par with the larger competing models.
The new Grok model reportedly was trained using unprecedented computing powerfirst with a cluster of 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs. A small group of rival developers have been testing an early version of Grok 3, and most say theyre impressed, with some caveats. OpenAI cofounder Andrej Karpathy posted on X that Grok 3 exhibited sharp reasoning skills and was able to resolve some complex problems. He estimates that the model is on par with OpenAIs o1-Pro reasoning model and slightly better than DeepSeek-R1 and Googles Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking.
However, he did find that Grok 3 choked on some prompts commonly known to give large transformer models trouble, such as determining how many Ls are in Lollapalooza, for example. Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang posted on X that Grok 3 is a state-of-the-art model and gives it props for achieving the top spot on the Chatbot Arena benchmark. Whereas AI skeptic Gary Marcus, who also posted on X, said that while Grok 3 shows real progress, it doesnt represent a significant leap beyond existing models.
More benchmark test scores will surface in the coming days and weeks to provide a fuller picture of how Grok 3 stacks up against the competition. Impressive as that is, the development of new thinking models is now moving so fast that Grok 3 could disappear back into the pack of benchmark performers three months from now. AI labs are only now learning how to scale up the computing power that thinking models use after being presented with a problem. Upcoming models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, and others will show the fruits of that research.
Brookings: The AI revolutions winners and losers wont be who or where youd think
A new Brookings Institution analysis of AIs effects on jobs and job losses suggests highly educated urban workers will be most at risk of losing their jobs.
The last industrial revolution mainly affected lower-wage manufacturing and service jobs in smaller towns and rural areas. This time around, itll be knowledge workers in tech hubs and financial centers who will face the greatest exposure to AI-driven change.
In San Jose’s Santa Clara County, Brookings found that nearly 43% of workers could see half or more of their tasks transformed by AI tools including OpenAIs ChatGPT and Anthropics Claude. Meanwhile, workers in less tech-oriented regions like Las Vegas would see less than a third of their tasks altered by AI tools. This pattern holds true across the nation, with major disparities even within states: California’s exposure rates range from 42.8% in tech-heavy Santa Clara County to just 26.7% in rural Mono County.
Its not so surprising when one looks at the technology itself, according to Brookingss report. Factory-floor machinery was meant to replace repetitive physical tasks, while generative AI specializes in cognitive work: writing, analysis, coding, and other knowledge-based tasks. The more education and higher wages a job requires, the more likely it is to be touched by AI capabilities.
Brookings, a D.C.-based policy think tank, says lawmakers should be thinking about ways of protecting the jobs of urban-knowledge workers, and reskilling them, while ensuring that rural areas aren’t left behind in accessing AI’s productivity benefits. The geography of technological disruption has been rewritten, the think tank says, and the implications for workforce development and economic inequality are only just beginning to emerge.
Ex-OpenAI Mira Murati unveils AI startup, but its focus remains vague
Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has unveiled her new AI company, Thinking Machines Lab. While the product the startup intends to build remains unclear, Murati apparently intends to build AI in a very different way than her former companyout in the open.
The AI research community used to be a fairly chatty place, but the research breakthroughs that led to ChatGPT soon attracted a lot of moneyand with big money comes more secrecy. So, while companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic closely guard their training methods, Murati said in a blog post that Thinking Machines will regularly publish its technical insights, research papers, and code. If DeepSeek is any guide (it open-sourced its models and published its research methods), this practice could intensify the race toward the industrys goal of creating artificial general intelligence (that is, AI thats generally smarter than humans).
Muratis blog post also expresses an intent to create models that can be more easily steered toward specific applications in specific subject areas. AI systems remain difficult for people to customize to their specific needs and values, Murati wrote. She said her company will build systems that are more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable.
The Information reports that more than two-thirds of the researchers at Muratis company come from OpenAI, including OpenAI cofounder John Schulman and former head of safety Lilian Weng. The startup intends to build systems that assist humans, not replace them. Instead of focusing solely on making fully autonomous AI systems, we are excited to build multimodal systems that work with people collaboratively, Murati wrote. We see enormous potential for AI to help in every field of work.
Beyond that, little is known about what Thinking Machines Lab will build. Based on Muratis background and statements, it seems likely that the company will focus on very large foundation models that can be trained or adapted to many different specialized tasks.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that another OpenAI alum, cofounder Ilya Sutskever, is in talks to raise more than $1 billion in funding in a round that could value his AI startup, Safe Superintelligence, at more than $30 billion.
More AI coverage from Fast Company:
In the about 1,000 days between her drunken-driving crash in May 2022 and her death, South Korean mainstream news organizations published at least around 2,000 stories on film actor Kim Sae-ron.They illustrate how the local media often cover a celebrity’s fall from grace. Previously one of the brightest young stars in South Korean cinema, Kim was condemned and ridiculed for driving drunk; for talking about her financial struggles after losing roles; for taking a job at a coffee shop; for attempting a comeback in theater; for going out with friends instead of “showing remorse”; and for being seen smiling on set while shooting an indie movie.After the 24-year-old actor was found dead at her home Sunday, the headlines predictably swung to calling for changes to the way celebrities are treated in the public arena.Kim’s death, which police consider a suicide, adds to a growing list of high-profile celebrity deaths in the country, which some experts attribute to the enormous pressure celebrities face under the gaze of a relentlessly unforgiving media that seizes on every misstep.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In South Korea, callers can receive 24-hour counseling through the suicide prevention hotline 1577-0199, the “Life Line” service at 1588-9191, the “Hope Phone” at 129 and the “Youth Phone” at 1388.
Here’s a look at the intense pressure faced by South Korean celebrities who fall from grace.
A sudden fall from grace
South Korea is notoriously harsh on its celebrities, particularly women.Kim rose to stardom as a child actor with the 2010 hit crime thriller The Man from Nowhere and garnered acclaim and popularity for her acting in movies and TV dramas for years.But that changed after May 18, 2022, when Kim crashed a vehicle into a tree and an electrical transformer while driving drunk in southern Seoul. She posted a handwritten apology on Instagram and reportedly compensated around 60 shops that lost power temporarily because of the crash, but that did little to defuse negative coverage and she struggled to find acting work.When a Seoul court issued a 200 million won ($139,000) fine over the crash in April 2023, Kim expressed her fears about the media to reporters, saying many articles about her private life were untrue.“I’m too scared to say anything about them,” she said.
Relentless negative coverage
In the wake of Kim’s drunken-driving crash, celebrity gossip channels on YouTube began posting negative videos about her private life, suggesting without providing evidence that she was exaggerating her financial straits by working at coffee shops, and arguing that social media posts showing her socializing with friends meant she wasn’t showing enough remorse.Other entertainers, especially female, have struggled to find work after run-ins with the law, including drunken driving or substance abuse, and experts say many of them are reluctant to seek treatment for mental health problems like depression, fearing further negative coverage.Kwon Young-chan, a comedian-turned-scholar who leads a group helping celebrities with mental health issues, said celebrities often feel helpless when the coverage turns negative after spending years carefully cultivating their public image. Kwon, who stayed with Kim’s relatives during a traditional three-day funeral process, said her family is considering legal action against a YouTube creator with hundreds of thousands of subscribers for what they describe as groundless attacks on Kim’s private life.Peter Jongho Na, a professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, lamented on Facebook that South Korean society had become a giant version of “Squid Game,” the brutal Netflix survival drama, “abandoning people who make mistakes or fall behind, acting as though nothing happened.”
Media blamed for celebrity deaths
The National Police Agency said officers found no signs of foul play at Kim’s home and that she left no note.But a spate of high-profile deaths has sparked discussions about how news organizations cover the private lives of celebrities and whether floods of critical online comments are harming their mental health. Similar conversations happened after the 2008 death of mega movie star Choi Jin-sil; the death of her former baseball star husband, Cho Sung-min, in 2013; the deaths of K-Pop singers Sulli and Goo Hara in 2019; and the death of “Parasite” actor Lee Sun-kyun in 2023.Sensational but unsubstantiated claims like from social media are widely recycled and amplified by traditional media outlets as they compete for audience attention, said Hyun-jae Yu, a communications professor at Seoul’s Sogang University.Struggling with a sharp decline in traditional media readership, he said, media turn to covering YouTube drama as the easiest way to drive up traffic, often skipping the work of reporting and verifying facts.Following the 2019 deaths of Sulli and Goo Hara, which were widely attributed to cyberbullying and sexual harassment both in the public and media, lawmakers proposed various measures to discourage harsh online comments. These included expanding real-name requirements and strengthening websites’ requirements to weed out hate speech and false information, but none of these proposed laws passed.
Reforms remain elusive
South Korean management agencies are getting increasingly active in taking legal action to protect their entertainers from online bullying. Hybe, which manages several K-Pop groups including BTS, publishes regular updates about lawsuits it’s filing against social media commentators it deems malicious.But Yu said it’s crucial for mainstream media companies to strengthen self-regulation and limit their use of YouTube content as news sources. Government authorities could also compel YouTube and other social media platforms to take greater responsibility for content created by their users, he said, including actively removing problematic videos and preventing creators from monetizing them.The South Korean office of Google, YouTube’s parent company, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.Heo Chanhaeng, an executive director at the Center for Media Responsibility and Human Rights, said news organizations and websites should consider shutting down the comments sections on entertainment stories entirely.“Her private life was indiscriminately reported beyond what was necessary,” Heo said. “That’s not a legitimate matter of public interest.”
Kim Tong-Hyung, Associated Press
A TikTok trend claims giving your baby a tablespoon or two of butter before bed will help them sleep better at night.
What if I told you my toddler was still waking up every 2 hours at almost 2 years old until I started giving her real grass fed butter before bed, reads one TikTok post by creator @bridgette_.gray. Since then, her child has experienced a week straight of sleeping almost 8 hours every night.
@bridgette_.gray We will be trying double the amount next week and aiming for 12 hours a night! #fyp #buttermagic #toddlerlife #toddlermom #hack #lifesecret #momcheatcode Save My Soul – noahrinker
Another TikTok user @abbyexplainsitall calls butter (importantly, not margarine) the best sleep hack for kids and she lets hers eat as much as they want. The video currently has 279.8K views. In the caption she adds, The fats help keep them satiated and that helps with sleeping! My kids sleep from 6:30pm – 6:30am and still take amazing naps throughout the day.
@abbyexplainsitall The best sleep hack for kids – butter – (not margarine) my kids love butter and I let them eat as much as they want. The fats help keep them satiated and that helps with sleeping! My kids sleep from 6:30p – 6:30a and still take amazing naps throughout the day. We also use avocados – Healthy fats are great for brain development and cognitive function. #sleeptraining #motherhood #babyhacks #toddlersoftiktok original sound – Abby
But experts are pumping the brakes on the trend.
According to pediatric consultant Niamh Lynch, there is actually no scientific evidence that giving babies butter before bed makes them sleep longer.
Unfortunately butter is not going to make babies sleep better, she said in a video posted to Instagram. It might upset their tummy. It might cause diarrhoea. Its a choking hazard obviously to give them a big chunk of butter. So, park the butter idea. Instead she suggests a list of foods that do actually help with sleep, including kiwi, cherries, milk, fatty fish, nuts, and rice (although beware of allergies).
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr Niamh Lynch (@dr_niamh_lynch)
Giving babies any solid food before they are around 6 months old is also not recommended. From about 6 months old, babies can begin to be offered nutritious solid foods. Even then, butter is not the best option as it is high in salt and saturated fat, which are not recommended in large amounts.
Butter is not the only sleep-hack tried and tested by desperate parents. It was once thought that adding cereal in a bottle of milk before bedtime would also help babies sleep through the night (research found this did not increase sleep in the slightest). More recently, the viral lime hack, where parents cut a lime in half, place it in a dish, and position it next to their childs bed for better sleep, has been doing the rounds online.
The truth is, it is perfectly normal for babies to wake during the night. Not even a stick of Kerrygold or half a lime can come to parents’ rescue.
Alphabet Inc’s Google is close to deciding on locations in its key market of India where it will open its first physical retail stores outside the United States, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Google counts India as a key growth market, where it has committed to investing $10 billion. It currently has only five physical stores, all in the United States, which sell its products such as Pixel phones, watches, and earbuds.
It is aiming to mirror a retail approach that helped Apple Inc. rake in billions of dollars in the past two decades by showcasing its own products. Apple has 500 plus stores worldwide.
Google is in advanced stages of finalising locations in or around the capital of New Delhi, and the financial capital Mumbai, said three sources, who declined to be named as the process is confidential.
Google declined to comment on the matter.
The first source said the stores are likely to be around 15,000 square feet, and will take at least another six months to open, though the timeline could change.
The IT hub of Bengaluru in south India was also considered, but New Delhi and Mumbai are the frontrunners, the person added.
“The idea is to compete with Apple . . . especially to target the luxury segment,” said the person, adding more stores will be considered if the initial ones do well.
Google currently sells it products in India through authorised retailers, as does Apple. But in 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited India to open its first company-run stores in Mumbai, and then in New Delhi.
Pixel phones in India cost from about $370 to $2,000 for top-end models. Apple’s iPhones cost from about $520$2,130. Google has also started making Pixel smartphones in India.
In 2024, Apple dominated the local market for premium phones, priced above $520, with a roughly 55% share, compared with Pixel’s 2% share, research group Counterpoint said. The fast-growing Indian market has about 712 million smartphone users currently.
Google’s plan to open the stores is firm and will be executed soon, there are some standard regulatory and compliance processes to clear before the stores can be set up, said the second source, without elaborating on the issues.
A third source said one of the possible locations Google is considering near New Delhi is in the satellite city of Gurugram, where many global corporations such as Uber and Meta have offices and the likes of Uniqlo have retail outlets.
In India, Google is battling many regulatory and legal challenges. Among them are ongoing antitrust cases related to its in-app billing system and abuse of market position in the market for smart TVs.
In a top-level departure, Google lost its India head of public policy this month, marking the second departure in around two years from the critical role which is key to government engagement.
Aditya Kalra, Reuters
Lithium and other elements that the U.S. needs for vital defense, energy, and other applications could become harder to obtain if the Trump administration goes ahead with tariffs and other protectionist policies aimed at China.China refines more than 90% of the global supply of so-called “rare earth elements,” which include neodymium and dysprosium. Not actually rare, these 17 elements are difficult to mine and refine because they’re not often found in concentrated deposits. Some elements, like lithium, are usually mentioned along with rare earth elements, because they are also critical for the tech sector.Without them, cellphones wouldn’t vibrate and computer hard drives wouldn’t operate. They’re used in wind turbines, electric cars, and other industries the U.S. has sought to develop.The U.S. imports more than 80% of its rare earth elements, with most of those imports coming from China. A trade war impacts cellphone and other tech companies making their products in China when they have to ship those products to the U.S. and pay an import tariff.President Donald Trump imposed 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports to the U.S. earlier in February. That was on top of existing tariffs on specific Chinese goods dating back to Trump’s first term. China has since retaliated with up to 15% tariffs on a range of U.S. goods and more export controls on elements critical to the production of modern high-tech products.Development and growth plans for smartphone makers, renewable energy companies, and the broader technology sector all depend in part on access to rare earth elements. Apple has been increasing its use of recycled materials for its batteries and devices to help lower its need for newly mined and refined materials.Demand is only expected to grow over the next few decades, especially with advances in computing power and artificial intelligence technology.The International Energy Agency expects total demand for rare earth elements to surge 72% to 134 kilotons between 2021 and 2030. Supply requirements are expected to rise at roughly the same rate, but the total amount would lag demand at 98 kilotons.Rare earth metals have been behind some recent geopolitical issues as the U.S. and other nations try to access sources outside of China. The U.S. is the world’s second biggest producer of rare earth metals, with about 12% of the global total.President Donald Trump’s pitch to acquire Greenland comes amid climate change that is expected to make more of the Arctic island’s resources available. Melting ice is expected to make rich deposits of rare earth elements, lithium, and other natural resources more accessible.Trump has also mentioned future aid deals with Ukraine, another source of rare earth elements.
Damian J. Troise, AP Business Writer
There are plenty of questionable examples of companies shoehorning useless artificial intelligence features into their products (Meta’s AI-powered profiles say hello!), but finally, Crocs has found one that actually makes sense. The casual footwear brand has partnered with ABLO, an AI fashion design platform, to let people use AI to design their own Jibbitz charms.
Crocs are already all about customization, a strategy that’s helped the brand grow its revenue 4% over last year. Jibbitz charms, which can be plugged into the holes on the shoes’ upper and heel strap, add an extra layer of personalization, and AI takes that to the next level.
“We have Jibbitz for everyonefrom teachers to gamers to healthcare workersand we are now giving our fans the option to design one-of-a-kind charms using ABLOs AI technology, taking customization to the next level,” Crocs brand president Anne Mehlman tells Fast Company.
[Photo: courtesy of Ablo]
ABLO’s platform lets users either upload a photo or enter a text prompt and then choose from different art styles to create their custom Jibbitz design before proceeding to the Crocs website for purchase. ABLO’s platform is built on Story Layer-1 blockchain, which was designed to tokenize and automatically add attribution to intellectual property. That allows creators to protect and profit off their work even while making it free to remix, and it means IP owners can sell their own Jibbitz designs with licensing terms and provenance already embedded.
Crocs says Jibbitz consumers are among their most valuable, and on the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Andrew Rees says introducing fresh new Jibbitz products and getting them to market faster are among their strategic priorities for 2025. AI-generated Jibbitz certainly fits within that plan.
“Jibbitz have always been a fun way for everyone to express their personality,” Michael Scarpellini, head of partnerships at Space Runners, which operates ABLO, said in a statement. “With ABLO, were giving them the freedom to take personalization to the next level, letting their creativity shine on every pair of Crocs.”
While Jibbitz charms come in all shapes and sizes, ABLO’s AI-generated charms are currently limited to circles, like a button maker. Unfortunately, that means that custom fried chicken Jibbitz aren’t on the menu.
President Donald Trump said that he likes the idea of giving some of the savings from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency back to U.S. citizens as a kind of dividend.He said at an investment conference in Miami on Wednesday that the administration is considering a concept in which 20% of the savings produced by DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts goes to American citizens and another 20% goes to paying down the national debt.Trump also said the potential for dividend payments would incentivize people to report wasteful spending.“They’ll be reporting it themselves,” Trump said. “They participate in the process of saving us money.”Later, as he flew back to Washington aboard Air Force One, he was asked by a reporter about the plan floated by Musk.“I love it,” the Republican president told reporters on the plane.A day earlier, Musk wrote on his social media platform that he “will check with the President” in response to a suggestion that Trump and Musk should announce a “DOGE Dividend” that would send a refund to taxpayers from part of the savings created by DOGE. Its efforts have already led to thousands of federal government employees being fired or laid off.
Chris Megerian, Associated Press
Birkenstock, the renowned German footwear brand, posted stronger-than-expected sales for its fiscal first quarter, fueled by strong holiday demand and the growing popularity of its closed-toe clogs.
However, the companys U.S.-listed shares (NYSE: BIRK) were down about 3% in premarket trading Thursday as of the time of this writing.
Strong demand meets investor skepticism
The company reported quarterly revenue of 361.7 million, exceeding analyst expectations of 356.2 million. However, it maintained its annual margin forecast, as Reuters reported.
The drop in share price is likely related to a cautious outlook on profit margins for fiscal 2025, with investors also concerned about the long-term impact of Birkenstock’s expansion strategyespecially the rising costs associated with new retail locations and manufacturing facilities.
Expansion costs weigh on margins
The footwear brand has been aggressively expanding, particularly in Asia. In October 2024, Birkenstock launched a dedicated e-commerce platform in South Korea and announced plans to open brick-and-mortar stores in the region by spring 2025.
The companys gross margins fell by 330 basis points in fiscal 2024, as the Wall Street Journal reported, largely due to increased spending on new retail locations and manufacturing facilities, including a new production plant in Pasewalk, Germany.
Investors may be wary of how long these expenditures will continue to pressure profits before yielding meaningful returns.
Market expectations and profit misses
Birkenstocks revenue forecast for fiscal 2025between 15% and 17% growthfell slightly below expectations. Analysts had anticipated a more aggressive outlook, especially given the companys recent momentum.
Additionally, while sales have been strong, profits have not kept pace. Birkenstocks earnings report showed that despite higher revenues, net income was lower than analysts had projected. This discrepancy suggests that rising operational costs, supply-chain expenses, and promotional spending may be eating into profitability.
Brand strength vs. market concerns
Birkenstock remains a strong brand with cultural relevance, thanks in part to high-profile collaborations and celebrity endorsements. However, the stocks decline reflects broader market concerns about whether the company can translate its current sales momentum into sustained long-term profitability.
This isn’t the first time investors have reacted negatively to Birkenstock’s financial performance. In August 2024, the companys stock plummeted 15% after missing profit estimates. While the latest dip isn’t as severe, it signals continued skepticism about the company’s ability to balance growth with profitability.
