FT: “Say what you like about the tenets of populism, it certainly seems to be, well, popular. But what are the tenets of populism? It’s easy enough to say what a centre-left party is likely to stand for, or a libertarian. But a populist? Maybe it is a mistake to describe populism as an ideology at all. The Canadian philosopher Joseph Heath recently published an essay making an intriguing argument: maybe populism isn’t a set of beliefs, or even a set of tactics, but an appeal to a way of thinking. Specifically, populists stand for common sense and in opposition to the pretentious theories of the elites. “People are not rebelling against economic elites,” writes Heath. Instead, this is “a rebellion against [cognitive] executive function”. In this view, populism is a movement that appeals to people who trust their gut, rather than those who rely on some too-clever-by-half argument.”
WSJ: “Large corporations have teams mapping out AI strategies and deploying the new technologies. Small businesses are figuring it out for themselves. An August report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that 58% of some 3,800 small businesses surveyed said they use generative AI. That is up from 40% in 2024 and more than double what it was two years prior. Restaurants are using AI to schedule worker shifts. Event planners use it to make seating arrangements and provide quotes. Interior designers are using image-generation tools to visualize color changes or room layouts.”
BCG Newsletter: “Generative AI is an increasingly important shopping partner. Nearly half of all consumers (48%, up 9 percentage points since 2024) say they’ve already used or plan to use GenAI to research products, compare prices, or identify deals, and adoption is surging across almost every generation and geography. GenAI is turning millions of consumers into expert shoppers, allowing them to make faster, more confident choices.”
Bessemer: “What’s the secret to the operating model that runs one of venture capital’s most tenured institutions? Paradox. Bessemer is highly decentralized, driven by independent thinkers, and yet, remains a close knit partnership that holds intellectual honesty and collaboration as core values in its code of conduct. Because the firm doesn’t have a single owner at the helm, partners can make decisions autonomously while still benefiting from the collective wisdom of peers and mentors, as well as insights from past generations of Bessemer investors. “We work in a highly disaggregated, empowered manner where any partner who puts in the time, effort, and capital can make investments in what they believe will become the next great technological invention, business, or trend,” explains Jeremy Levine, a partner.”
