Matthew Eaton’s Post

My good friend Zach Mulligan just put out a thoroughly sourced and expertly crafted video about the state of the animation industry. Well done Zach! His fifth point about AI reminded me of another revolution, a much older one. In 1900, Frederick W. Taylor revolutionized industry by introducing repeatable and reductionist processes to metallurgy. Such processes were designed around efficiency, boiling down the steel smelting process to a series of steps so easy that anyone off the street could do them. While immensely profitable and popular among the titans of industry, Taylor's doctrine rendered skilled craftsmen, like animators, out of a job. He saw paying a premium for experience as a waste. Animation executives seem to be operating with Taylor's methods of industrial efficiency in mind. After all, Taylor's book is often cited as the most influential management book of the 20th century. They are creating profit by cutting the cost of labor in pursuit of technological advancements that promise greater returns. It would make Taylor proud. Here's why the 21st century is exactly the WRONG time for this kind of thinking: as information moves quicker, and as more data clogs up our collective mental bandwidth, interactions between the connected elements of our society increase in frequency. Where business was once predictable, it is no more. Variations in output are no longer proportional to changes in input. The business environment has become complex beyond all predictability. As a result, business leaders must maintain, not eliminate, a workforce of resilient and robust craftsmen. Especially in the creative realm of animation, this cadre will provide distinction from competing studios. They enhance the flexibility of an organization to adopt subsequent emerging technology and allow it to quickly adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, rather than pigeonholing them into a one-trick studio. This can be seen directly in the corporations that adhered most closely to Taylor's tenets during the Great Recession. Companies like GM struggled to stay afloat because they were stuck in their old ways, too rigid to innovate and thus became uncompetitive. Rivals like Ford, on the other hand, who maintained a looser, more "inefficient" corporate structure remained solvent. This outcome was all but guaranteed by the changes wrought upon us by the information revolution. Certainly, laying off a skilled workforce for technology may be profitable and efficient in the short term. However, by doing so, leaders are making their organizations more brittle to future shock, more vulnerable to competition, and less adaptable to the practically infinite variables of tomorrow.

I've had several fascinating conversations this week about the outsized impact AI will have on society. On more than one occasion, folks have claimed that biotech and medicine will be privy to the largest impact. I don't dispute the benefits these industries will reap, but I'm a firm believer that education will be completely and totally upended by AI. Certainly there are many good things AI will bring to schooling, but no other domain will be disrupted quite so thoroughly. I discuss and defend my position on my blog: https://lnkd.in/ePKP-PXC

I spent yesterday at the first ever AI Expo in Washington DC! It’s no secret that AI is remaking business as we know it. This event offered a privileged look at the role AI will play in the future of tech, government, defense, and geopolitics. As one speaker asserted, “if you knew that the internet or smartphones would reconceptualize our lives before they did, as AI is sure to do, you’d want to get in as early as possible”. This was a perfect chance to do just that. It was a real treat to hear from the brightest minds leading this charge.

Привет друзья! I’m over halfway through the final basic Russian language course at Washington DC’s International Language Institute! I’ve been studying for 2 years, but ILI has helped me take my studies to the next level! I’m often asked “Why Russian?” For one, I find learning a foreign language is a fun and rewarding use of time. But I’m also passionate about international affairs. It’s important that I’m able to read and understand Russian given the conflict in Ukraine and the Russian proclivity for developing ransomware. Understanding those who stand to harm my community, my loved ones, and our national interests will surely provide me with a useful tool.

Today was my first day as a volunteer technology tutor with the Fairfax County Public Library system! I’m excited to help members of the community navigate the digital world. Thanks to the Dolley Madison branch for such an opportunity!

Have you ever been curious about how the CIA processes large amounts of information and turns it into actionable intelligence? It's no state secret - they're open about it! What's even better is that their flexible model can be applied to business analysis just as much as international spying. Follow this link to my blog and we'll explore the Kent Analytic Doctrine! https://lnkd.in/efcgdbV7

Small business strikes back! In data from the start of the new year, there has been an 8% increase in ecommerce retailers charging for returns from 2021 to 2022, bringing the total to a staggering 41%! Here's the great part: this trend presents a remarkable opportunity for the small brick-and-mortar retailers that we serve to leverage a strength over online-only competitors. Unlike their online-only counterparts, small retailers with BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) websites don't need to charge for returns due to the absence of shipping costs. Instead, their customers can conveniently visit the store in person to return merchandise. But that's not all. By processing returns in person, brick-and-mortar businesses also significantly reduce the costs associated with return fraud. Return fraud is more common when shipping is involved, costing online retailers an eye-watering $10.40 per $100 of returned merchandise. In contrast, when businesses handle returns in their physical stores, they effectively minimize the impact of fraud on their bottom line. Considering this emerging trend, small businesses would be wise to capitalize on these advantages. By continuing to offer free returns, they are not only "owning their backyard" by endearing themselves to their local market, but also hedging themselves against the massive online retailers that have posed challenges in the past. Small retailers looking to gain a competitive edge should consider embracing this opportunity to provide hassle-free returns and emphasize the benefits of in-person customer service. Source: https://lnkd.in/g9MGyCiP

Last week, it was leaked that Twitter's subscription product teams are tasked to deliver three to four features per week. This is a prime example of the "feature factory" mindset, one that will hurt the company during a crucial transition to its new structure. Allow me to explain the term and why this will not benefit the organization. As a product manager, you're tasked with delivering the best possible product to your customers. In the pursuit of constant innovation and growth, it's easy to fall into a feature factory mindset. This is where the focus shifts from creating high-quality features that add value and improve UX to pumping out as many new features as possible, regardless of their quality or relevance to the product's overall goals. Success is binary; if the team hits the quota of features released, it's a success. Why is this dangerous? 1. It leads to a bloated, unfocused product that lacks clear value propositions for users. 2. It puts undue pressure on teams to work at a breakneck pace, which can result in burnout, low morale, and turnover. Twitter’s leadership has dismissed these concerns to favor “hardcore” employees, but it’s undeniable that this should be a concern. 3. It diverts resources away from meaningful product improvements, such as UX enhancements and bug fixes, in favor of churning out more features that may not add much value. It’s crucial to resist the temptation to prioritize quantity over quality. Instead, PMs must focus on delivering features that address specific user needs and align with the product's overall vision. A product’s number of features has no bearing whatsoever on whether the product meets a user’s expectations of value. By focusing on delivering high-quality features that address user needs and align with your product's overall vision, you'll create a better, more focused product and a happier, more motivated team. Image credit: ProductPlan.com News source: https://lnkd.in/dkqdrUJX

We've recently started using Confluence for project coordination so I earned the Confluence Fundamentals Badge. It's one of four free learning paths for beginners through Atlassian University. Users can learn the fundamentals of Atlassian tools and earn a badge at no cost. It's a great approach to get your feet under you quickly!