Omar Yacoubi
@omaryak.net
What I’m reading about the news, #urbanism, #tech & the zeitgeist. UX designer / strategist @omyk.co and 2x Big 5, Cisco alum thinking globally 🌐 posting locally in the
📍SF Bay Area, CA
┃ Opinions mine (not shared at work)
🔗 linktr.ee/omaryak
📍SF Bay Area, CA
┃ Opinions mine (not shared at work)
🔗 linktr.ee/omaryak
Pinned
Omar Yacoubi
@omaryak.net
· Oct 19
The value of the AI is not its ability to create product for us, but to engage with us in our process
AI doesn't have to replace our competencies or even our employees.
www.fastcompany.com
The value of #humanity in the AI era is finally explicitly labeled in a #business article: because AI is not yet AGI, it’s not yet ready to replace us for complex endeavors like work in #tech
www.fastcompany.com/91422738/ai-...
www.fastcompany.com/91422738/ai-...
Ancient #tech was visible from space 😆
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
www.newscientist.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Ancient #tech was visible from space 😆
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Here are three steps that leaders can take to encourage the moments that spark big ideas.
To Drive Innovation, Create the Conditions for Serendipity
Serendipity has led to many scientific breakthroughs. For instance, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while doing research on influenza. But unlike scientists, business leaders and managers are…
buff.ly
May 13, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Here are three steps that leaders can take to encourage the moments that spark big ideas.
Strategic procrastination is an underrated value-generating tool in the workplace
“[It] provides time to consider divergent ideas and enable insights to surface, and can result in increased creativity, #innovation, and a better final product”
hbr.org/2023/10/5-ta...
#culture #strategy
“[It] provides time to consider divergent ideas and enable insights to surface, and can result in increased creativity, #innovation, and a better final product”
hbr.org/2023/10/5-ta...
#culture #strategy
November 22, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Strategic procrastination is an underrated value-generating tool in the workplace
“[It] provides time to consider divergent ideas and enable insights to surface, and can result in increased creativity, #innovation, and a better final product”
hbr.org/2023/10/5-ta...
#culture #strategy
“[It] provides time to consider divergent ideas and enable insights to surface, and can result in increased creativity, #innovation, and a better final product”
hbr.org/2023/10/5-ta...
#culture #strategy
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
World Brief: COP30 struggles to find consensus on limiting fossil fuels, Israeli settler violence escalates in the West Bank, and gunmen kidnap at least 52 students and staff in Nigeria. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/21/c...
COP30 Seeks to Tackle Climate Change but Won’t Go After Its Source
A revised draft agreement omits any mention of fossil fuels, the leading cause of global warming.
foreignpolicy.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 AM
World Brief: COP30 struggles to find consensus on limiting fossil fuels, Israeli settler violence escalates in the West Bank, and gunmen kidnap at least 52 students and staff in Nigeria. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/21/c...
What’s good for the gander in Gaza … and we hope Zelensky’s goose isn’t cooked
#geopolitics #Trump
econ.st/48a2R1z
#geopolitics #Trump
econ.st/48a2R1z
America has dumped a messy, sordid “peace plan” on Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky has no choice but to play along and try to improve it
econ.st
November 22, 2025 at 2:45 AM
What’s good for the gander in Gaza … and we hope Zelensky’s goose isn’t cooked
#geopolitics #Trump
econ.st/48a2R1z
#geopolitics #Trump
econ.st/48a2R1z
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Is there a jaw dropping to the floor emoji?
Trump on Mamdani: “This is a man that right now I think is focused on New York City. I really think there's a chance to do a great job. We're going to help them, but I really think he has a chance to do a great job.”
November 21, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Is there a jaw dropping to the floor emoji?
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The Atlantic’s website went live during the days of dial-up and flash art. In Time Travel Thursdays, Jake Lundberg looks back at a time when the internet was full of possibilities:
The Earliest Days of The Atlantic Online
The year 1995 was full of flash art and wild optimism about the internet.
bit.ly
November 21, 2025 at 3:45 AM
The Atlantic’s website went live during the days of dial-up and flash art. In Time Travel Thursdays, Jake Lundberg looks back at a time when the internet was full of possibilities:
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
“There can be no better summing up of the reordering of our politics in this era than the scene on Thursday in that lovely church where Washington marks the passing of ages.” @sbg1.bsky.social writes about Dick Cheney’s funeral and this “bizarre” time in politics.
Dick Cheney’s Long, Strange Goodbye
On seeing Rachel Maddow at the former Vice-President’s funeral, while Donald Trump threatened Democrats on social media with death by hanging.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 21, 2025 at 12:31 AM
“There can be no better summing up of the reordering of our politics in this era than the scene on Thursday in that lovely church where Washington marks the passing of ages.” @sbg1.bsky.social writes about Dick Cheney’s funeral and this “bizarre” time in politics.
#designthinking is showing up as #business #strategy advice in new forms—mainly #systemsthinking, which includes “analogic thinking,” finding similarities between related parts of a system
#leadership can design a better path forward
hbr.org/2025/09/why-...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
#leadership can design a better path forward
hbr.org/2025/09/why-...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
Why You Need Systems Thinking Now
Traditional innovation approaches—breakthrough and design thinking—often ignore the complex ripple effects they produce in interconnected systems. In a world facing multifaceted challenges like climat...
hbr.org
November 20, 2025 at 11:27 PM
#designthinking is showing up as #business #strategy advice in new forms—mainly #systemsthinking, which includes “analogic thinking,” finding similarities between related parts of a system
#leadership can design a better path forward
hbr.org/2025/09/why-...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
#leadership can design a better path forward
hbr.org/2025/09/why-...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
#groupthink isn’t the only psychological phenomenon that comes from “collaborative overload,” which @hbr.org first wrote about in 2018. @nymag.com has this in their current issue about the Flynn Effect
nymag.com/intelligence...
… Impolitic to point out, but a needed conversation to raise awareness
nymag.com/intelligence...
… Impolitic to point out, but a needed conversation to raise awareness
November 20, 2025 at 7:19 PM
#groupthink isn’t the only psychological phenomenon that comes from “collaborative overload,” which @hbr.org first wrote about in 2018. @nymag.com has this in their current issue about the Flynn Effect
nymag.com/intelligence...
… Impolitic to point out, but a needed conversation to raise awareness
nymag.com/intelligence...
… Impolitic to point out, but a needed conversation to raise awareness
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
A San Francisco designer fell in love with the typeface on an old Muni streetcar. She tracked down the man who created it to build the city’s newest font.
San Francisco has a new font. It was inspired by an old Muni streetcar
A San Francisco designer fell in love with the typeface on an old Muni streetcar. She tracked down the man who created it to build the city’s newest font.
bit.ly
November 20, 2025 at 5:20 PM
A San Francisco designer fell in love with the typeface on an old Muni streetcar. She tracked down the man who created it to build the city’s newest font.
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
It‘s not just outdoor air pollution that poses a threat—as CO2 goes up over time from global warming, poor ventilation in offices will pose an even greater threat to cognitive performance there. The #climatecrisis is not just about temperatures and weather
www.businessinsider.com/carbon-dioxi...
www.businessinsider.com/carbon-dioxi...
Our ability to complete complex, strategic tasks could drop 50% by 2100, scientists warn. Indoor carbon dioxide is to blame.
Even basic cognitive performance could drop by 25% with higher levels of carbon dioxide. A growing body of research shows how CO2 affects the brain.
www.businessinsider.com
April 30, 2025 at 6:25 PM
It‘s not just outdoor air pollution that poses a threat—as CO2 goes up over time from global warming, poor ventilation in offices will pose an even greater threat to cognitive performance there. The #climatecrisis is not just about temperatures and weather
www.businessinsider.com/carbon-dioxi...
www.businessinsider.com/carbon-dioxi...
To avoid blowback, knowing when to shut up is an underrated skill in the US.
“I’m entitled to my opinion,” you’ll hear here. We tend to reward overconfident extraverts. But the quiet people are more likely to think and act strategically
“Now that I understand this right”:
youtu.be/7tm9TxBxE5U
“I’m entitled to my opinion,” you’ll hear here. We tend to reward overconfident extraverts. But the quiet people are more likely to think and act strategically
“Now that I understand this right”:
youtu.be/7tm9TxBxE5U
Evolution Revolution Love
YouTube video by Tricky - Topic
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 8:35 AM
To avoid blowback, knowing when to shut up is an underrated skill in the US.
“I’m entitled to my opinion,” you’ll hear here. We tend to reward overconfident extraverts. But the quiet people are more likely to think and act strategically
“Now that I understand this right”:
youtu.be/7tm9TxBxE5U
“I’m entitled to my opinion,” you’ll hear here. We tend to reward overconfident extraverts. But the quiet people are more likely to think and act strategically
“Now that I understand this right”:
youtu.be/7tm9TxBxE5U
I was saddened to read that Elon Musk doesn’t believe in reasoning using analogy or metaphor. I know he likes to use his autism as a shield, but autistic people aren’t that disabled. Elon isn’t competing in the Special Olympics; he never left the starting line
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
November 20, 2025 at 3:33 AM
I was saddened to read that Elon Musk doesn’t believe in reasoning using analogy or metaphor. I know he likes to use his autism as a shield, but autistic people aren’t that disabled. Elon isn’t competing in the Special Olympics; he never left the starting line
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
sloanreview.mit.edu/article/unlo...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Gen Z talent rank work-life balance far above pay, more than any other generation of workers. Meanwhile, CEOs are split on whether it’s possible to have the best of both worlds. trib.al/rELGGbs
Work-life balance finally outranks pay as a top motivator for job seekers, but CEOs aren’t sold | Fortune
Gen Z talent rank work-life balance far above pay, more than any other generation of workers. Meanwhile, CEOs are split on whether it’s possible to have the best of both worlds.
trib.al
November 20, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Gen Z talent rank work-life balance far above pay, more than any other generation of workers. Meanwhile, CEOs are split on whether it’s possible to have the best of both worlds. trib.al/rELGGbs
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
What if we extended the concept of an infrastructure bank to provide funds to end the #housingcrisis? Public-private partnerships with sensible rules on the funds would prevent abuse, and could incentivize states & cities to waive zoning laws at the same time
www.barrons.com/articles/ame...
www.barrons.com/articles/ame...
When $600 Billion Isn't Enough: The U.S. Needs More to Fix Its Infrastructure
Senators are proposing to spend $600 billion. It won't be nearly enough to modernize U.S. infrastructure, writes Sadek Wahba.
www.barrons.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:44 AM
What if we extended the concept of an infrastructure bank to provide funds to end the #housingcrisis? Public-private partnerships with sensible rules on the funds would prevent abuse, and could incentivize states & cities to waive zoning laws at the same time
www.barrons.com/articles/ame...
www.barrons.com/articles/ame...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Power & Place: A Film Series on Housing, Power & Collective Action is coming soon. Stream 3 groundbreaking docs Dec 1–14 + join the Dec 3 Filmmaker Roundtable. RSVP →
watch.eventive.org/powerplace/p...
#HousingJustice #Urbanism
watch.eventive.org/powerplace/p...
#HousingJustice #Urbanism
November 19, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Power & Place: A Film Series on Housing, Power & Collective Action is coming soon. Stream 3 groundbreaking docs Dec 1–14 + join the Dec 3 Filmmaker Roundtable. RSVP →
watch.eventive.org/powerplace/p...
#HousingJustice #Urbanism
watch.eventive.org/powerplace/p...
#HousingJustice #Urbanism
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), whose brands include MAC, Clinique, Aveda, and Le Labo, is gaining momentum in its multi-year turnaround. trib.al/3WREeFt
Estée Lauder CFO on driving a turnaround led by consumer-first innovation | Fortune
Akhil Shrivastava discusses strategy and leadership lessons.
trib.al
November 19, 2025 at 10:46 PM
The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), whose brands include MAC, Clinique, Aveda, and Le Labo, is gaining momentum in its multi-year turnaround. trib.al/3WREeFt
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
That warm, damp shower your loofah lives in is essentially a microbial hotel. That makes your loofah “basically a petri dish hanging in your shower.” nyti.ms/48c0M5k
November 19, 2025 at 7:42 PM
That warm, damp shower your loofah lives in is essentially a microbial hotel. That makes your loofah “basically a petri dish hanging in your shower.” nyti.ms/48c0M5k
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Being a “snail” girl is the antidote to years of perpetually hustling under the influence of the girlboss era—and it’s not the death knell to ambition. trib.al/7WFBgM2
Gen Z is over the 'girlboss' era, now it’s all about the 'snail girl'—and career experts approve | Fortune
"It all comes back to the fact that people are getting burnt out… They're asking themselves, 'I'm running myself into the ground, and I'm not actually sure why?'"
trib.al
November 18, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Being a “snail” girl is the antidote to years of perpetually hustling under the influence of the girlboss era—and it’s not the death knell to ambition. trib.al/7WFBgM2
Bipartisan support for #abundance is out there if Democrats can thread that needle 🪡 and talk to more voters about dinner-table issues
Let’s bring home the bacon 🥓 for more Americans —We used to talk about cheddar 🧀, but now Gen Z can only get that bread 🍞
#election2026 #election2028
Let’s bring home the bacon 🥓 for more Americans —We used to talk about cheddar 🧀, but now Gen Z can only get that bread 🍞
#election2026 #election2028
There are Americans who don’t yet know the connection between the #housingcrisis and rising homelessness
Politicians should use their platforms to educate, not just for campaign slogans and policy proposals
news.umich.edu/survey-finds...
endhomelessness.org/media/news-r...
Politicians should use their platforms to educate, not just for campaign slogans and policy proposals
news.umich.edu/survey-finds...
endhomelessness.org/media/news-r...
Survey finds rare bipartisan agreement on housing issues among US voters
A new poll conducted for the Financial Times and University of Michigan's Ross School of Business finds neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have a clear advantage on housing affordability.
Bria...
news.umich.edu
November 18, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Bipartisan support for #abundance is out there if Democrats can thread that needle 🪡 and talk to more voters about dinner-table issues
Let’s bring home the bacon 🥓 for more Americans —We used to talk about cheddar 🧀, but now Gen Z can only get that bread 🍞
#election2026 #election2028
Let’s bring home the bacon 🥓 for more Americans —We used to talk about cheddar 🧀, but now Gen Z can only get that bread 🍞
#election2026 #election2028
At a time when Americans are already facing record high costs, President Trump’s 50-year mortgage proposal may double the amount of interest being paid to banks
The #inequalitycrisis is already here, and it can get a lot worse
www.newsweek.com/50-year-mort...
The #inequalitycrisis is already here, and it can get a lot worse
www.newsweek.com/50-year-mort...
November 18, 2025 at 2:53 AM
At a time when Americans are already facing record high costs, President Trump’s 50-year mortgage proposal may double the amount of interest being paid to banks
The #inequalitycrisis is already here, and it can get a lot worse
www.newsweek.com/50-year-mort...
The #inequalitycrisis is already here, and it can get a lot worse
www.newsweek.com/50-year-mort...
Reposted by Omar Yacoubi
Trump's coffee tariff change helps US roasters, hurts Brazil reut.rs/3LIuWW9
Trump's coffee tariff change helps US roasters, hurts Brazil
The Trump administration's decision to eliminate tariffs on most coffee bean imports will be a boon for coffee roasters and importers in the U.S., but top global grower Brazil will suffer because its coffee remains subject to a steep tariff.
reut.rs
November 17, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Trump's coffee tariff change helps US roasters, hurts Brazil reut.rs/3LIuWW9