Theres something incredibly compelling about a brand-new year. A fresh start beckons, with each day untroubled by your past decisions. Whatever mistakes you made in 2025 are old news. They were sooo last year. Youre a new person now with new priorities, new habits, and new strategies. Its in this spirit of new-leaf-turning-over that nearly a third of American adultsand almost half of 18- to 29-year-oldsdecide to make New Years resolutions for the coming year.
Unfortunately, making resolutions doesnt work. Baylor College of Medicine reported in January 2024 that 88% of people who make resolutions abandon them within two weeks.
That doesnt mean change or improvement is impossible. It just means were going about it wrong each year on January 1 by declaring, This year will be different!
If youd like to improve your finances, your health, your relationships, or any other aspect of your life in 2026, try some anti-resolution strategies for making the year greatsince your resolutions probably wont live to see Groundhog Day.
Why resolutions dont work
Before choosing the best anti-resolution strategy for 2026, its a good idea to understand the psychological reasons why resolutions just dont work.
One of the problems has to do with the fresh start the new calendar year offers to us. We are anticipating a “new year, new you” moment for ourselves, which often leads to unrealistic and overambitious goals. We love to tell ourselves the story that we could go from broke and couch potato on December 31 to frugal and running 5Ks on January 1 through willpower alone. This story doesnt give us room for struggle, frustration, or failure.
Additionally, a New Years resolution is an external motivation. That decision to change comes about because the calendar is changing and not because of an internal push to change. This means that when the external motivation has disappearedat about the same time Planet Fitness has stopped airing New Years membership deals 24/7weve usually moved on, too.
Finally, we often make resolutions that require us to give something up. Financial resolutions ask you to deprive yourself of luxuries or conveniences, like streaming services or DoorDash when youve had a rough day. Health resolutions expect you to live without ice cream or fried foods indefinitely. While the intention behind these deprivation resolutions is goodsaving money or improving your cholesterol levelsyou cant expect to white-knuckle your way through these losses for an entire year.
Humans are wired to be loss-averse, which means the pain of giving up things we like feels more intense than the pleasure we enjoy when we receive the same treats.
Unresolved in 2026
Looking at the start of a brand-new year makes me want to harness the excitement and enthusiasm of starting over with brand-new behavior. But Ive learned over the years that I need actual strategies that will help me change my habits if I want to make lasting improvements to different areas of my life.
The strategies that work tend to have these things in common:
The changes are bite-size. Rather than changing your entire life, you should focus on little habits you can adopt one day at a time.
You leave room for imperfection. Pobodys nerfect! And you will not pick up your new habit without mistakes, setbacks, and failures. Plan for them.
You want to make the change. We often make resolutions that dont really reflect our actual wants or motivations. But change happens only when we want it to.
The change adds something to your life. Rather than making you feel deprived, habit change should offer some kind of benefit that you can name.
Here are the anti-resolution strategies that will make 2026 your best year ever.
2026 Bingo
In December 2024, instead of setting resolutions, I created a “2025 Bingo” board, after seeing several individuals on social media posting about the trend. For this gamified goal-setting exercise, come up with 25 different aspirations you would like to achieve in 2026 and fill a 5-square-by-5-square poster board with them.
Setting your 2026 intentions this way offers a number of benefits. First, it allows you to keep thinking about your goals throughout the year. For example, I ran a 5K in October of 2025, filling in that square of my bingo board very late in the year. Had I simply resolved to run a 5K in January, I would certainly have forgotten about it by fall.
[Photo: Emily Guy Birkin]
In addition, by giving yourself 25 spaces, you have room for audacious, silly, unrealistic, and embarrassing goals. While some of my goals were entirely within my control, such as running the race, going to the theater, and visiting a new state, there were other goals that I only had some control over, such as my goal for a certain level of income and my long-term goal to get a Wikipedia page. (Did I mention you can put embarrassing goals on here?)
If you decide to create a “2026 Bingo” card, consider giving yourself a free space in the middle, and aim for five in a row by the end of the year. Whether or not you make it, youll set yourself up to think about what you want and how you can get itand you’ll have some fun with it.
Set monthly resolutions
Part of what makes a New Years resolution so daunting is the fact that youre trying to make a change that will last for the entirety of 2026. But committing to a change for a single month is much more doableand it can lead to long-lasting behavior change.
For example, studies show that people who take part in the annual Dry January sobriety challenge do not return to their former drinking habits after the month ends. Additionally, they tend to make long-term changes to their drinking habits and see sustained health benefits after takng part in just one Dry January challenge.
Start thinking about what you would like to tackle each month. Perhaps you might focus on paying down debt in January. February could be when you focus on your taxes. March might be about getting your retirement planning started.
Another benefit of this strategy is that you dont have to decide all at once what your resolution will be for each month. As the year progresses, you can make new resolutions for each month as you reach them. And even though your focus may change from one month to the next, you can feel confident that youll reap benefits from each months focus long after it ends.
Find your 2026 mantra
You may have seen people talk about choosing a word for the year (often in the same corners of the internet where you might find people with unironic “Live, Laugh, Love” decor). The idea behind a word for the year is to choose a guiding ideasuch as abundance, grace, or explorationthat you will use to focus your mindset for the year.
Health writer Tara Parker-Pope describes these as nudge words and says choosing one will nudge you toward positive change whenever you think of it.
But rather than a single word, you may find it even more helpful to adopt a phrase for the year that embodies the change you want to make. For example, if you are hoping to pay off debt, the mantra “Slow and steady wins the race” could be a regular reminder to keep making payments whenever you can.
Alternatively, the phrase “Progress, not perfection” could be a good mantra for someone who puts off contributing to their retirement account for fear of making suboptimal investment decisions.
And someone who is trying to save up for a down payment might adopt the mantra “Any amount of money I can set aside today is better than none.” Because even saving a couple of bucks consistently will add up over time.
Plan for all of 2026, not just January
New Years resolutions may feel good on January 1, but they dont last. Not only do we make unrealistic and ambitious plans for ourselves with traditional resolutions, but we are also trying to make changes based on external motivation. No wonder the vast majority of resolutions fail before February.
To make changes that will really stick in 2026, your strategy needs to rely on bite-size changes that dont require perfection and that add something beneficial to your life.
Creating a 2026 bingo card allows you to choose 25 goalsfrom the sublime to the ridiculousand will keep you invested in your goals all year long. Setting monthly resolutionssimilar to the annual Dry January sobriety challengemakes it less intimidating to adopt new habits while reaping the long-term rewards. And choosing a mantra for 2026 can help nudge you to make the positive changes you want to see in your life.
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During its earnings call on Wednesday, executives at Lennara giant homebuilder with a market capitalization of $27 billionsaid the federal government is working on a plan to help alleviate strained housing affordability.
Lennar executives said federal officials are actively engaging with homebuilders and industry groups to better understand constraintsand to avoid policies that could unintentionally damage supply. While no specific program was outlined, management suggested it would be surprising if no meaningful action emerged in 2026, given current discussions.
Here’s what Stuart Miller, co-CEO of Lennar, said on its December 17, 2025, earnings call:
I think the crystal ball around government activity is really complicated, but I can tell you that a number of homebuilders have gone in to see critical officials within the [federal] government. We have received a lot of attention. There’s a lot of thought process going on. You’ve seen trial balloons put out around various types of programs. What’s interesting is that the government has been very tuned in to the industry to make sure that they’re not walking into unintended consequences. So whatever is done, that it be constructed properly, is important. And to your question of you know, do I think that something will come out in 2026? I’d be surprised if something isn’t done. I think affordability is very much on the table. It’s a political issue right now, and I think across the country, you’re hearing the drumbeat of that being a primary focal point, and politically it’s important that someone pick up the mantle and do something to address it, rather than just throw money at it. So it’ll be interesting, and we’ll have to sit back and wait and see what comes out.
This week, Americas second-largest homebuilder, Lennar, reported additional gross margin compression in the past quarter, as it had to spend more on incentives to maintain sales volume amid the soft housing market environment.
To maintain sales in this softer market, Lennar spent an average of 14% of the final sales price on incentivessuch as mortgage rate buydownsin Q4 2025, up from 10% in Q4 2024. In normal times, Lennars sales incentive rate is around 5% to 6%.
On its typical sale, Lennar spent $62,837 on incentives last quarter, according to ResiClubs analysis published on December 18.
Whats interesting is that Lennar appeared to suggest to analysts on December 17 that whatever the federal government is cooking up could be enough to improve housing market conditions and reduce Lennars currently elevated incentive spending/improve margins.
According to Miller:
The strategy is: Let us [Lennar] build the volume that the country and the consumers need. Let’s make it affordable at this time where affordability is so strained, and let’s find ways to make ourselves more efficient, and let’s expect that something is going to come through the governmental ranks to support that affordability and enable the market to enter the housing market, and the reduction in incentives is going to flow through to our margin.
What kind of action does Lennar think the federal government could take that would be meaningful enough to reduce incentive spending and expand margins?
Lennar didnt say.
Back on November 8, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte and President Donald Trump announced that the administration was exploring a 50-year mortgage option to help lower some homebuyers monthly payments. Within minutes of the announcement, a sizable backlash erupted on social media, and Pulte began walking back the idea.
Amid that 50-year mortgage backlash, Pulte also floated the idea of portable mortgages. It remains unclear what he meant by portable (for example, an expansion of assumable mortgages?), whether such a policy would be legal, or how seriously the idea was being considered.
The Trump administration previously discussed the idea of Freedom Citiesselling off more federal land that could be used to build housing and new communities.
The tech industry has endured another turbulent year, buffeted by the continued rise of artificial intelligence and the economic threats posed by President Donald Trumps tariffs. Even the most prominent companies encountered challenges they never imagined theyd have to face. As 2025 comes to a close, here are Apple’s biggest wins and greatest failures of the year.
Apples biggest wins of 2025
iPhone 17 series
Without a doubt, Apples biggest win of 2025 is the iPhone 17 series, which includes the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Myriad reports suggest that iPhone 17 series sales have exceeded both Apples and investors expectations.
Apple redesigned the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro this year, giving the former a much-improved display, a vastly better camera system, and longer battery life. The Pro versions got an all-new unibody design, the best cameras in an iPhone ever, and up to 39 hours of battery life.
While these improvements are mainly iterative, they ticked the boxes that consumers care most about in their phones: camera and battery life. And those consumers have rewarded Apple for it. iPhone 17 sales have surged in the U.S. and, more importantly, in China, the worlds largest smartphone market after the USA. Apples iPhone sales were a key factor in the recovery of the company’s stock, after it got hammered earlier this year due to its possible exposure to Trumps tariffs.
Liquid Glass
After the iPhone, Apples next most important product is iOS, the operating system that powers its handsets. This year, Apple made the rare move of completely revamping the look of that operating system with the introduction of the Liquid Glass design language in iOS 26. It was the first time the company had radically changed iOS’s look since 2013.
While iOS 26s Liquid Glass faced early criticism, as most visual overhauls do, Apple has continued to tweak the look and feel of the new design language. As a result, much of the online furor over the changes seems to have died down. More importantly, iOS 26’s new design gives Apples smartphone software a distinct look that immediately distinguishes it from Android. In the end, the softwares ability to mimic the way light bands and warps through glass has brought a level of fun and playfulness to Apples flagship product not seen since the days of Steve Jobs.
Apples simplified branding
The final big win for Apple in 2025 is not a product or feature, but a branding strategy. As Apples product lineup has grown in recent years, its product names have become confusing, particularly when it comes to software and services. But this year, Apple decided to simplify things.
Previously, Apple’s operating systems were branded with different version numbers (iOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, etc). Now they’re named after the upcoming year: iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26. This streamlined naming structure makes it easy for users to determine whether their device is running the latest software.
And Apple didnt stop there. The company also mercifully decided to drop the overused plus sign from its streaming services name, too.
Apples greatest failures of 2025
iPhone Air
While the iPhone 17 series may have been full of iterative updates this year (which consumers seem to have loved), Apple swung for the fences with another 2025 iPhone: the all-new iPhone Air. At just 5.6 millimeters, it is Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever. Yet multiple reports say that there has been hardly any demand for the companys newest smartphone.
The main problems with the iPhone Air seem to be its subpar camera system and relatively short battery life. As the success of the iPhone 17 series teaches us, those are the two things customers care about most. Demand for the new device is so weak that Apple has reportedly cut production by more than 80%. Still, Apple may have already gotten what it really wanted: proof of concept that it could make an iPhone so thin that it could join two together to create the first dual-screen iPhone foldable.
Apple Intelligence
2025 may have been a year of continued artificial intelligence progression across the tech industry, but Apples AI system, Apple Intelligence, hardly added any new AI featuresnot worthwhile ones, anyway. The company added some useful Live Translation features, but other than that, it mainly just enhanced Apple Intelligence with gimmicks that other AI systems have long been capable of, such as on-screen image recognition and new AI slop filters.
Those hoping to see a revamped Siri that could compete with the likes of OpenAIs ChatGPT and Googles Gemini will have to wait until 2026or later. Yet I question how much consumers care about Apple lagging in the AI space, given that they can already run nearly any third-party AI app on their iPhone. Still, the lack of innovative AI advancements is a bad look for the company, which is otherwise the de facto innovation leader in the industry.
Apple Vision Pro M5
One area in which Applehas undoubtedly innovated in recent years is augmented reality, thanks to its groundbreaking Apple Vision Pro headset. In 2025, Apple announced the successor to the original Vision Pro, updated with the M5 Apple Silicon chip, which enables higher resolution and other display enhancements.
Yet Apple didnt address the myriad other issues with the technologically impressive device, notably its heavy weight and eye-watering $3,499 price point. Because of this, the headset remains a niche product that is unappealing or financially out of reach to the average user.
Have you ever tried quickly looking something up on Wikipediajust because youre curious or maybe for workonly to, a half an hour later, wonder why youre reading about the history of the European Space Agency?
In my opinion, Wikipedia is one of the last good websites on the internet. Outside of the occasional fundraiser, there are no ads, no dark patterns, and no clickbaitits just information. Which leaves no doubt in my mind that falling into a Wikipedia rabbit hole is healthier than scrolling on social media.
Even so, it can be addictive, and links are the reason why. Every Wikipedia article is jam packed with links to other Wikipedia articles, which is exactly why you end up down rabbit holes. Often, though, you dont understand how you wound up where you didso what if you could visualize exactly that?
This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures!
Your new digital cork board
To create a visualization of how you got from point A to point B on Wikipedia, head to Wikiboard.
Wikiboard creates a mind mapwhich allows you to see how various concepts are connectedas you browse Wikipedia.
You can start browsing immediately.
To get started, open Wikiboard and enter your search termit will pull up the corresponding Wikipedia page.
The first article you select opens in its own box on Wikiboard, and as you browse, the site creates new boxes for every link you click, drawing lines from one article to another as they open.
Once your board is created, you can scroll and zoom as much as you like. You can also rearrange the boxes and add sticky notes, allowing you to organize and add a bit of context to everything as you browse.
~wikiboard.pngThis isn’t your father’s Wikipedia.~
One note: Wikiboard is currently only for larger screens, so you wont be able to use it on your phone.
This could be a useful research tool, enabling you to see how concepts relate to each other as youre learning. You can even save separate boards in your browser so you to come back to them later.
And while I could spin this as purely a research tool, its also just plain fun. Theres something amazing about visualizing your Wikipedia rabbit holes.
Next time you feel like going on a deep dive, give Wikiboard a go. Going back and seeing the steps you took on your Wikipedia rabbit hole is endless entertaining, and can teach you a lot about your interests as well.
You can open Wikiboard in your browser on any desktop-sized device.
Wikiboard is free to use. You can opt to make a donation to support the developer if you like, but its not required.
You dont need to create an account to use Wikiboard, and the site has no ads.
Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletterstarting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app thatll tune up your days in truly delightful ways.
Planning to hit the road this holiday season? Or maybe just thinking about an extended drive of some sort for sometime in the new year?
The next time youve got a driving adventure ahead of you, todays Cool Tools discovery is exactly the new virtual companion you need. Its a truly cool app I encountered recently that enhances your standard navigation setup and offers some really smart extras thatll make whatever trip youre taking infinitely more interestingand enjoyable.
Lemme show ya what its all about.
This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures!
Next-level navigation
So, weve all got our standard navigation go-tobe it Google Maps, Waze, or (maybe?) even (gasp!) Apple Maps (hiccough).
But in addition to those basic getting-you-where-you-need-to-go basics is an opportunity to inject some extra entertainment into your journey along the way.
And thats precisely what an app called Roadtrippers is all about.
Roadtrippers is a service that helps you find worthwhile stops and sights along whatever route youre taking. Whether youre looking for parks and monuments, activities and experiences, or even just especially interesting or commendable hotels and restaurants, its a spiffy supplement to your standard mapping setup and a welcome way to enhance an adventure.
Depending on the nature of your trip and how deeply you want to explore your options, youll need anywhere from three to 15 minutes to poke around a route and unearth something useful.
To start, either pull up the Roadtrippers website in any browser youre using or grab the official Android app or iOS app for a phone or tabletand then:
Click inside the Starting point field within the Create a route box on the web or tap the Start planning your trip field in the mobile app.
Fill in where youre starting and where youre going. You can use a specific address, if you want, or just stick to a broad city name for either piece of the puzzle.
At some point along the way, Roadtrippers will prompt you to sign in or create a free account. You can either use an email address or follow the options to sign in via Google, Apple, or Facebook, if youd like.
Make sure you pick the Quick Launch option, then click or tap through to get your trip a-goin.
Roadtrippers may prompt you to upgrade to a free trial of a premium plan somewhere in this process, but you can just X out of that prompt and continue with the free version. It has plenty of info to keep you busy.
Once you see the map view, just tap any icon along the route to look at it more closely and optionally add it into your trip.
Roadtrippers surfaces interesting spots all along your route.
Be sure to zoom in to specific parts of the route, toousing either the standard two-finger pinching gesture on mobile or the plus and minus icons (or, alternatively, a mouse scroll wheel) on desktopto reveal even more detail and specific suggestions for different parts of your drive.
The more you zoom in, the more possibilities you’ll see.
You can also click or tap the Explore tab to browse through the available suggestions. There, you can filter by the specific type of attraction, as well as its distance from your route, and also choose to sort by popularity, distance, rating, or number of reviews.
The “Explore” tab is a fantastic way to filter and find the exact types of attractions you want.
And, once more, anytime you find something interesting, you can add it directly onto your route with a single click or tap.
Anything you discover can be added into an trip with a quick click or tap.
Now, a note: Sooner or later, youll almost certainly encounter limitations and additional nudges to upgrade to a paid subscription. Those plans do offer some intriguing extras, and if you use Roadtrippers enough over the long haul, they might be worthwhile to considerif youre so inspired.
BUT, you realy can make the most of the app and its drive-enhancing intelligence even with just the free base version. Keep in mind:
Even though Roadtrippers wont let you add more than three total destinations to any trip youre planning, you can still use it to look along a route and find interesting placesthen simply add em into your plans in Google Maps or whatever regular navigation app youre already using.
While Roadtrippers allows for only a single saved trip at a time in its free level, you can easily delete any trip youve already planned and then reset that limitation so you can start again.
And if you really get into the Roadtrippers thing and want to go all in with one of its premium plan options, you can find coupon codes thatll bring the cost down by a good amount right on the Roadtrippers website.
Whether you end up taking one of the premium plans out for a test-drive or just stickin with the simpler free version, Roadtrippers is a tremendous resource to add into your trip-planning toolbox.
All thats left is to plan out the perfect road trip playlist and secure some salty snacks.
Roadtrippers is available on the web or in native apps for both Android and iOS.
Its free to use, at its base level, with optional subscriptions that lift limitations and unlock extra features. Those range from $36 to $60 a year, though coupon codes can lower those costs considerably.
The site does require you to create an account to do much, but promises not to send you any upsells or other marketing info if you opt out of those options. And it doesnt share or sell any information.
Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletterstarting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app thatll tune up your days in truly delightful ways.
In the Star Trek universe, the audience occasionally gets a glimpse inside schools on the planet Vulcan. Young children stand alone in pods surrounded by 360-degree digital screens. Adults wander among the pods but do not talk to the students. Instead, each child interacts only with a sophisticated artificial intelligence, which peppers them with questions about everything from mathematics to philosophy.
This is not the reality in todays classrooms on Earth. For many technology leaders building modern AI, however, a vision of AI-driven personalized learning holds considerable appeal. Outspoken venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, for example, imagines that the AI tutor will be by each childs side every step of their development.
Years ago, I studied computer science and interned in Silicon Valley. Later, as a public school teacher, I was often the first to bring technology into my classroom. I was dazzled by the promise of a digital future in education.
Now, as a social scientist who studies how people learn, I believe K-12 schools need to question predominant visions of AI for education.
Individualized learning has its place. But decades of educational research are also clear that learning is a social endeavor at its core. Classrooms that privilege personalized AI chatbots overlook that fact.
School districts under pressure
Generative AI is coming to K-12 classrooms. Some of the largest school districts in the country, such as Houston and Miami, have signed expensive contracts to bring AI to thousands of students. Amid declining enrollment, perhaps AI offers a way for districts to both cut costs and seem cutting edge.
Pressure is also coming from both industry and the federal government. Tech companies have spent billions of dollars building generative AI and see a potential market in public schools. Republican and Democratic administrations have been enthusiastic about AIs potential for education.
Decades ago, educators promoted the benefits of One Laptop per Child. Today, it seems we may be on the cusp of one chatbot per child. What does educational research tell us about what this model could mean for childrens learning and well-being?
Learning is a social process
During much of the 20th century, learning was understood mainly as a matter of individual cognition. In contrast, the latest science on learning paints a more multidimensional picture.
Scientists now understand that seemingly individual processessuch as building new knowledgeare actually deeply rooted in social interactions with the world around us.
Neuroscience research has shown that even from a young age, peoples social relationships influence which of our genes turn on and off. This matters because gene expression affects how our brains develop and our capacity to learn.
In classrooms, this suggests that opportunities for social interactionfor instance, children listening to their classmates ideas and haggling over what is true and whycan support brain health and academic learning.
Research in the social sciences has long since proved the value of high-quality classroom discourse. For example, in a well-cited 1991 study involving over 1,000 middle school students across more than 50 English classrooms, researchers Martin Nystrand and Adam Gamoran found that children performed significantly better in classes exhibiting more uptake, more authenticity of questions, more contiguity of reading, and more discussion time.
In short, research tells us that rich learning happens when students have opportunities to interact with other people in meaningful ways.
AI in classrooms lacks research evidence
What does all of this mean for AI in education?
Introducing any new technology into a classroom, especially one as alien as generative AI, is a major change. It seems reasonable that high-stakes decisions should be based on solid research evidence.
But theres one problem: The studies that school leaders need just arent there yet. No one really knows how generative AI in K-12 classrooms will affect childrens learning and social development.
Current research on generative AIs impact on student learning is limited, inconclusive, and tends to focus on older studentsnot K-12 children. Studies of AI use thus far have tended to focus on either learning outcomes or individual cognitive activity.
Although standardized test scores and critical thinking skills matter, they represent a small piece of the educational experience. It is also important to understand generative AIs real-life impact on students.
For example: How does it feel to learn from a chatbot, day after day? What is the longer-term impact on childrens mental health? How does AI use affect childrens relationships with each other and with their teachers? What kinds of relationships might children form with the chatbots themselves? What will AI mean for educational inequities related to social forces such as race and disability?
More broadly, I think now is the time to ask: What is the purpose of K-12 education? What do we, as a society, actually want children to learn?
Of course, every child should learn how to write essays and do basic arithmetic. But beyond academic outcomes, I believe schools can also teach students how to become thoughtful citizens in their communities.
To prepare young people to grapple with complex societal issues, the National Academy of Education has called for classrooms where students learn to engage in civic discourse across subject areas. That kind of learning happens best through messy discussions with people who dont think alike.
To be clear, not everything in a classroom needs to involve discussions among classmates. And research does indicate that individualized instruction can also enhance social forms of learning.
So I dont want to rule out the possibility that classroom-based generative AI might augment learning or the quality of students social interactions. However, the tech industrys deep investments in individualized forms of AIas well as the disappointing history of technology in classroomsshould give schools pause.
Good teaching blends social and individual processes. My concern about personalized AI tutors is how they might crowd out already infrequent opportunities for social interaction, further isolating children in classrooms.
Center childrens learning and development
Education is a relational enterprise. Technology may play a role, but as students spend more and more class time on laptops and tablets, I dont think screens should displace the human-to-human interactions at the heart of education.
I see the beneficial application of any new technology in the classroomAI or otherwiseas a way to build upon the social fabric of human learning. At its best, it facilitates, rather than impedes, childrens development as people. As schools consider how and whether to use generative AI, the years of research on how children learn offer a way to move forward.
Niral Shah is an associate professor of learning sciences & human development at the University of Washington.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In todays corporate landscape, optics often precede outcomes, especially in technology-led transformations. Announcements of new platforms, AI-powered strategies, or digital-first pledges frequently come long before the underlying infrastructure to support them. That was Teds reality as the chief growth officer at a global bank when his CEO unveiled a high-profile AI-Powered Growth Strategy positioned as a bold leap forward.
The announcement made headlines and thrilled investors, but behind the scenes, the organization wasnt prepared. Ted was given a skeletal team of two direct reports, a patchwork of third-party tools, and the mandate to partner with five global banking divisions serving more than 500 employees. He was expected to turn the AI vision into reality with little structural support.
This tension is commonand survivable. Leaders who maintain credibility dont scrap such pledges or decry them. Instead, they manage the gap between promise and proof. A well-intentioned CEO may launch an initiative to signal innovation, but when systems or skills lag, ambition can outpace execution.
WeJenny, as an executive adviser and learning & development expert, and Kathryn, as an executive coach and keynote speakerhave identified five strategies to help executive teams navigate these moments with integrity and strategic foresight, especially when the initiative is more symbolic than substantive in its early stages.
1. Balance bold aspiration with candid honesty
In the early stages of transformation, perception often outpaces progress. Stakeholders want visible proof that change is real. McKinsey found that 70% of digital transformations fail to meet their intended outcomes because senior executives either overpromise or disengage when early wins dont materialize.
Those charged with execution must balance bold aspiration with candid honesty, communicating both the vision (Heres where were heading) and gap (Heres what it will take to get there) to maintain trust and momentum.
Behind the scenes, Ted allocated 20% of the budget to data cleanup and capability-building, unseen but essential work such as strengthening data quality and governance, building the pipelines and quality controls that support mission-critical AI, and elevating the organizations baseline AI literacy. Within a year, three pilots validated the transformation narrative and quieted early skeptics. Edelmans Trust Barometer shows that stakeholders extend grace when leaders communicate with clarity and consistency, not performative certainty. Credibility, not charisma, sustains momentum through uncertainty.
Try this: Balance vision with transparency. Use confident yet realistic language, such as Were learning in real time or This is a multi-year capability build.
2. Map Whats Performative vs. Whats Possible
Not every element of a high-visibility initiative will yield immediate results. The key is distinguishing symbolic actions that signal intent from those that build lasting capability.
Theresa, chief digital officer at a consumer goods firm, launched a public digital transformation week with town halls and press coverage. She brought in her AI agency partners and major retail customers to show alignment and signal momentum, partnership, and focus. The event created attention, but she knew the real work would happen out of sight.
She used a short-horizon/long-horizon approach. The short horizon created urgency and rallied stakeholders, while the longer horizon anchored on execution. She reassigned 30% of her team to integrate legacy systems, clean priority datasets, and run joint sprints with her AI partners. That groundwork created a technical foundation strong enough to support advanced modeling. Within nine months, they delivered a demand-forecasting model that reduced inventory outages by 18%, transforming a performative launch into measurable operational value.
When mapping an initiative, clarify two horizons:
Short horizon (06 months): What signals matter? (e.g., visible executive sponsorship, internal messaging, external storytelling)
Mid / long horizon (624+ months): What structural enablers must be built? (e.g., data platforms, technology partnerships, governance, skills)
Visibility matters, but only when its paired with substance.
Try this: Separate the symbolic from the structural. Create a two-horizon map to test balance: Which actions build momentum? and Which build capability? Then ensure both are visible.
3. Leverage Visibility as Currency
When a high-profile initiative captures attention, use that spotlight to build political capital and secure future resources. Leaders who link early symbolic wins to longer-term learning sustain engagement and trust.
Julie, a chief marketing officer we advised, leveraged her companys Digital Reinvention campaign to secure additional funding for employee upskilling, positioning it as the bridge between aspiration and execution.
Try this: Treat visibility not as validation, but as leverage. Ask, What can this attention buy us: credibility, talent, or momentum? That perspective turns optics from vanity to value.
4. Build Small Wins that Prove Real Value
Symbolic gestures lose power without substance. Once the spotlight fades, stakeholders want proof. Anchor your narrative in small, visible wins: projects, pilots, or behaviors that validate early promises.
Start with pilots that address real pain points: automate a reporting process, improve data access for a critical team, or integrate AI into a single workflow. For Ted, that meant delivering credible proof pointsan AI-powered lead scoring model that lifted conversion rates by 12%, a unified customer insights dashboard, and a monthly What Were Learning series to build internal momentum.
Small, visible progress converts skepticism into trust and gradually shifts perception from Its all optics to Its starting to work.
Try this: Start small, but make progress visible. Choose one pilot that solves a visible pain point within 90 days. Publicize lessons learned, not just the result, to show that momentum is real, even if imperfect.
5. Reframe the Narrative: From Optics to Opportunity
The best leaders dont deny the optics, they reframe them as stepping stones to a larger transformation.
Gary, a nonprofit CEO we coached, introduced his first AI pilot as symbolic but necessary. It wasnt yet transformative, but it sparked a mindset shift: leaders began talking about data ethics, digital fluency, and decision-making transparency. As he put it, The project wasnt about the tool. It was about changing how we think.
Reframing is essential. Deloitte and BCG both show that real value emerges when strategy, technology, and human systems align. Symbolic gestures only matter if they lead to lasting capability and behavior change.
When leaders treat optics as openings rather than distractions, they turn visibility into belief. Stakeholders who see learning, transparency, and follow-through extend trust, and grant the runway needed for real transformation.
Try this: Name the signal and the shift. Say, This initiative signals where were headed. Then ask, What new conversations or capabilities did this open up?
In complex transformations, optics are not the enemy. Theyre a catalyst for belief. What matters is how leaders use those moments to align teams, secure investment, and guide the narrative from promise to proof.
Integrity isnt about rejecting optics; its about ensuring they serve a larger purpose. The most effective leaders turn visibility into accountability and symbolic beginnings into lasting systems.
UnitedHealth Group has laid off dozens of remote employees in healthcare technology and services marketing from its Optum unit, who were given two weeks notice in November, sources told Health Payer Specialist.
Fast Company has reached out to UnitedHealth for confirmation.
Those employees were based in “multiple states on the East coast and in the Midwest,” according to that report, and are among UnitedHealth’s roughly 400,000 employees across the U.S. (It is the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest healthcare insurer.)
The healthcare giant is just the latest company in a string of industries to announce layoffs, which have hit almost every sector of the American economy in 2025. The layoffs come amid fierce criticism of the company’s healthcare and insurance practices.
UnitedHealth Group and UnitedHealthcare have received backlash and widespread criticism over consumer allegations of costly insurance, overbilling, denial of necessary care, and patient privacy violations, among other complaints. (UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder in December 2024 was met with little sympathy by some Americans, as Fast Company previously reported.)
On Friday, the company released the first round of results of an independent audit of its business, saying it was committed “to setting a new standard of transparency for the health care marketplace,” and vowing to make improvements through “23 action plans”with 65% to be completed by the end of 2025, and all 100% by the end of the first quarter of next year in March 2026.
Those include: enhancing policy governance and maintenance, strengthening processes for ongoing monitoring and tracking progress of corrective actions, enhancing risk, and optimizing manufacturer discount processes.
“We hope that you see these assessments as a commitment to setting a new standard of transparency for the health care marketplace, as we believe that you and every person who engages with our health system deserves to understand how we go about our work,” CEO Steve Hemsley said in the statement.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the stock market, which may be headed for a “Santa Claus Rally,” according to analysts, including at Goldman Sachs and Citadel Securities.
Barring any major shocks, it will be hard to fight the overwhelmingly positive seasonal period we are entering and the cleaner positioning set-up, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.s trading desk team said in a client note, as reported by Bloomberg. While we dont necessarily see a dramatic rally, we do think there is room to go up from here into year end.”
Scott Rubner of Citadel Securities agreed, noting: “Following a year of strong portfolio returns and record household wealth, retail participants enter 2026 with both conviction and balance-sheet capacity to increase market participation.”
Markets saw a pickup in volatility between November and mid-December, but that volatility appears to be easing, stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research Ethan Feller told Fast Company.
“At the same time, major indexes are consolidating just below record highs. Taken together, those conditions tilt the odds toward a Santa Claus rally this year,” he added.
Here’s what to know about the so-called “Santa Claus Rally.”
What is a Santa Claus Rally, anyway?
A so-called “Santa Claus Rally” refers to a rally in the last five trading days of the year, and the first two of the next year. On those days, the S&P 500 Index has gained an average of 1.3% about 79% of the time since 1950, according to Investopedia.
With those odds of nearly 80%, the likelihood is pretty good, but not guaranteed. On Wall Street, the saying goes, “If Santa Claus should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall.” Meaning, if there is no rally, that can be a bad sign for the year ahead.
Why does the Santa rally occur?
There are a few general theories about why this year-end rally exists, including: holiday spending, year-end bonuses that get recirculated into the market, general holiday optimism, and end-of-tax-year considerations.
How is the S&P 500 Index performing now?
At the close of afternoon trading on Friday, the S&P 500 Index was up nearly 1% at 6,834.50, well above the 6,000 threshold. It closed up 0.8% on Thursday, after four straight days of losses.
What are some risk factors this year?
There are some reasons for concern. Some analysts told Barron’s it is too early to tell if there will be a “Santa Claus rally” before those five days start on December 24, as they are still assessing how inflation, the labor market, consumer spending, and future Fed rate cuts could pave the way for Santa’s return.
Much like how the character Jack Dawson proudly proclaims to be king of the world after boarding the Titanic, film director James Cameron could claim to be king of the box office.
Cameron chooses to take a mellower approach, letting the numbers do the talking. His latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, hits theaters this Friday and is primed to break even more box office records.
Lets take a look at the history of this franchise before we discuss industry projections.
A brief history of the ‘Avatar’ films
The first Avatar film came out in 2009 and received generally positive reviews. Cameron and his artists have so lovingly imagined the moon of Pandora that every shot of the film contains new wonders. One can lose oneself in this world, gushed Vultures Bilge Ebiri.On both the domestic and world stages, Avatar became the highest grossing film of all time.
Domestically, Star Wars: Episode VIIThe Force Awakens dethroned it in 2015, and similarly, Avengers: Endgame took the No. 1 spot worldwide in 2019.
However, Avatar fought back in 2021 and retook the title of worldwide highest grossing film of all time thanks to a re-release.
Beyond box office records, the first Avatar film also introduced the industry and audiences to new technology.
Cameron and his team developed the Fusion Camera System, which shot in 3D. Additionally, the team utilized virtual cinematography to aid in the motion-captured sequences.
The release of Avatar: The Way of Water, the second film in the series, was delayed, in part, so even more technology could catch up with Camerons vision.
This time around, Cameron created new ways to film underwater to introduce a new group of Navi, the moon-dwelling species at the heart of the franchise.
The 2022 release also marked an expansion of the scope of the project. Camerons original idea was to make a trilogy. After establishing a writers’ room in 2013, three movies became five.
Camerons gamble paid off as the sequel became the third highest-grossing film of all time globally.
[Image: 20th Century Studios]
What are critics saying about ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ so far?
Ahead of its theatrical release, critics have given Avatar: Fire and Ash mixed reviews. Most praise the films visuals, but lament the thin repetitive storyline.
Fire and Ash is sound and fury signifying nothing. Or at least nothing excitingly new, wrote David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety agreed and even posed a hard question. Its fine, but do we actually care about it?
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie had a 67% Tomatometer rating and a 93% Popcornmeter rating as of Friday.
What are the box office predictions?
Despite the mixed reviews, Avatar: Fire and Ash is still expected to perform well at the box office.
Variety predicts the film will make $90 million to $105 million domestically on its opening weekend and an additional $250 million to $275 million around the world. (Deadline makes a similar forecast with a combined global box office of $340 million to $380 million.)
The previous Avatar films, Variety further notes, become record breakers not only because of impressive opening weekends but also because of long-running box office dominance.
Fire and Ash is expected to follow the same pattern. If it does, the potential is huge. Combined, the previous two films have already generated more than $5 billion at the global box office.
Either way, the movie is expected to be a boon for Twentieth Century Studios and parent the Walt Disney Company.
