Ask a millennial, and theyll tell you all about the Great Recession. Many of them, fresh out of school, resorted to taking any job they could findwaiting tables, parking carsand many simply returned to school to earn another degree, and wait for more favorable economic climes. Unemployment topped out at 10%. It stunted their career growth and earnings for years.
Thats why many members of older generations may roll their eyes at young people who have been convinced that, despite all evidence, the U.S. has been mired in a recession over the last couple of years. While economic issues dominated the headlines, mostly related to inflation and rising prices, unemployment remained low, average earnings increased, and GDP numbers were on the up and up.
But nearing the mid-point of 2025, the ground has shifted. The second Trump administration, brandishing tariffs and other questionable economic policies, has many experts believing were on the cusp of an actual recessionthe first since the brief recession caused by the pandemic, and the second since the Great Recession more than a decade-and-a-half ago. The data points in that direction, too: The most recent GDP numbers show a contracting economy, forecasts suggest that unemployment could continue to rise, the stock market is as volatile as ever, and consumers are feeling pessimistic.
Though things seem to be tilting in the direction of a recession, its not a sure thing; many experts were convinced a recession would hit in 2022, though it never materialized. Accordingly, some younger people may have been lulled into a false sense of security, despite their concerns over the past few years, thinking that the experts, again, were mistaken. And the experts say that were not quite feeling the full effects of the Trump administrations new policies, either.
Everyones scrambling to find evidence of economic impact right now, says George Eckerd, Research Director at JP Morgan Chase Institute. But these things take time to evolve, and the datas going to be much slower to come in than the rhetoric. Things are going to be fairly inertial for the time being.
But when and if the economic screws start to tighten, Gen Z and younger Americans could feel the pressure more acutely than any other generationeven millennials.
Market exposure, low liquidity, and little experience
Gen Z is coming of age in a different world than previous generations, with access to a slew of smartphone applications, AI-powered tools, and more that can help them not only find jobs, but manage their money. But those apps and tools may be one of the primary reasons Gen Z could find a recession particularly jarring.
Gen Z is way more likely to have real, concrete engagement in the financial markets, says Eckerd. Thats because many of them were able to download investing apps on their phones and start playing around with crypto with a sense of ease like no generation before them. Eckerd notes that the data hes seen shows that there was marked growth in young people sending money out of their after-tax income, which fueled the pandemic-era investing boom.
So, if a recession and market downturn slam investors, Gen Z will have a front row seat to the carnage, and will see their own assets decline in value, which may make their collective stomachs turn. They got started on their financial journey a lot faster and earlier, so theyll have a tangible, visible thing where they can log in and see how the markets and economy are behaving.
Seeing red lines, instead of green ones, may evoke some emotional, knee-jerk reactions, especially from young people who have, by and large, only lived through periods of economic expansionagain, with the exception of the chaos wrought by the pandemic. So, inexperience with a large-scale economic downturn, and thus, having developed a sort of thicker skin to deal with it, could also affect Gen Z more so than their older counterparts.
On top of it all, Eckerd says that young people generally have less liquidity and wealth built up, so their buffers are thinner. Thats to say that if a recession does arrive, Gen Z has less of a safety net, and could struggle in the short term, much like the millennials did in the wake of the Great Recession.
Thats also not to say that millennials or other generations wont suffer or struggle, but they just experience it a bit differently than members of Gen Z, who, again, have come up in perhaps historically atypical economic circumstances. The question, assuming we are in for a recession, is what young people can do to prepareand the answer, experts say, doesnt differ much from what their predecessors should have done, too.
How Gen Z can prepare for a recession
As of early May, many Americans do seem to be steeling themselves for more difficult economic conditions ahead. Recent data from Intuits 2025 Prosperity Index finds that 75% of Gen Z and millennials are finding it difficult to make financial plans due to economic uncertainty, and that 30% can only afford basic necessitiesa number that would likely swell during a recession.
Cameron Rufus, an investment advisor at Ritholtz Wealth Management in New York City, says that he advises younger people to always be prepared for a recessionits more or less the same strategy as preparing for a change in personal circumstances. What I tell younger people is to always be prepared. Just do the basics. Have some cash, save more, he says. We don’t know whats going to happen in the markets, he says, and things could change in the blink of an eye.
Rufus, who himself is a member of the Gen Z cohort, has a final piece of advice for younger people: Take everything youre hearing on social media with an asteroid-sized grain of salt.
Youve got to be careful about who youre listening to, and whos in your ear, be it personally or on social media, he says, adding that many influencers and content creators who discuss finances and the economy may have an agenda, and are also trying to increase engagement. Freaking people out about an impending recession is a fairly easy way to do that. To make his point, he refers back to the “VIX” market index, which tracks market volatility.
Remember, says Rufus, the higher the VIX, the higher the clicks.
If youve ever been to the Vatican or watched for a puff of white smoke on live TV, you probably noticed something colorful. Or rather, something wholly mind-blowing in the modern era of tactical military designa troop of tri-color pantalooned papal protectors wielding halberds, seemingly straight out of a Raphael painting.
But these are not hired cosplayers. This is the Swiss Guard, the popes personal security teamand today theyre protecting the college of cardinals as they vote on the next Catholic leader, decked out in what Encyclopedia Britannica has dubbed among the oldest uniforms in continuous use.
Its more Met Gala than military. Heres how this bold anachronism came to be.
Pope Francis walks past a Swiss guard, June 1, 2024. [Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images]
SWISS ARMY LIFE
Of course, theres another anomaly at play here: Why the mini army is dubbed the Swiss Guard despite being located within the worlds smallest country (Vatican City), which is nestled within Rome.
As it turns out, rather than being a false eponym, the name is quite literal. In the late Middle Ages, Swiss mercenary forces were revered for their highly effective (read: deadly/terrifying) tactical fighting. Other countries in the region hired them to great effectso in 1506, Pope Julius II brought 150 of them to the Vatican.
It was a fortuitous decision, and one that would save Pope Clements VIIs life in 1527. On May 6the day in which new Swiss Guard members are now traditionally sworn in every year, though that has been postponed in 2025 due to the conclaveCharles Vs soldiers sacked Rome. Of the Guards 189 members, 147 were killed, and they saved the popes life by ferrying him to safety through a secret passage.
Today, the Vatican has a police force, which handles general security and law enforcement in the city. But the Swiss Guard exclusively protects the pope and his residence, and also travels abroad with him, in addition to safeguarding conclaves. And they do it with more than just those halberdsall members of the Guard must be between 19 and 30, Catholic, unmarried, and have already completed basic training with the Swiss Army, giving the 135-strong force proficiency with military tactics and modern firearms, which they are indeed equipped with.
Theres more than meets the eye in those pantaloons. And not everyone is wearing themsome guards are in plain clothes and may appear to be tourists walking next to you.
A painting of a Swiss Guard by Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot, ca. 1810. [Image: Wiki Commons
THE MOST PICTURESQUE UNIFORM OF ALL
If you were to Google just what the heck, exactly, the Swiss Guard are wearing, youd quickly discover that the uniforms were designed by Michelangelo, who Julius II also commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel. And that would be a myth, which everyone from The New York Times in the 19th century to Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown has perpetuated. Rather, as the Vatican has detailed, when the mercenaries first rolled into the city, they were dressed like any other soldier of the 1500s, donning doublets and stockings. Its believed that Julius II gifted them with the beginnings of their signature stylistic flair when he incorporated yellow and bluecolors from his family coat of armsinto their uniforms.
According to the Vatican, clothing had become finer and more colorful during the Renaissance, and red was in vogue. So Julius IIs successor, Leo X, took the opportunity to incorporate it into the uniforms as a nod to the colors of his family, the powerful Medici, during his reign from 1513 to 1521. Tweaks and revisions were made over time, with history intervening at various points. For example, as the Vatican details, there was no money to make updates to the uniforms during Napoleons rule, but some years later, under Leo XII, various attempts were made to copy Napoleonic uniforms, but fortunately without success; otherwise the splendid old uniforms would have been lost forever.
[Photo: Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images]
The current incarnation of the uniforms came in the early 20th century when a man named Jules Repond refined their form as we know it today (and who the Vatican notes was gifted with an exceptionally fine taste for colors and shapes”). Pope Pius X appointed him as commander of the Swiss Guard in 1910and he immediately managed to rankle the ranks. The Swiss Guard had become largely ceremonial, so he brought back rigorous military exercises and rifle practice. He mandated that only true Swiss natives could enroll. And he studied Raphaels frescoes and refined the uniform, drawing inspiration from its Renaissance-era appearance. Over the years the uniforms had been variations on a theme, and by 1914, Repond brought them to their final form. Today, 11 years on, theyre nearly the exact same design.
[Photo: Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu/Getty Images]
TAILOR-MADE
There are a medley of variations to the uniform for different occasions, and even a subdued blue exercise uniform that is worn by the Guard during night operations and when working, say, the gate at the St. Annes entrance. (The Guard politely declined to comment for this story, given, you know, the whole conclave at handbut as they detail on their website: The main roads are also located there, and the colorful Gala uniform would cause too much distraction for the motorists.)
No matter which uniform a member of the Guard sports, theres a good chance it was made by Ety Cicioni, the Vaticans chief tailor since 1997. As the CBC reported, the biggest challenge is keeping the uniform the same as Reponds vision despite the passage of time, and its impact on materials and techniques. Still, he and a team of seven manage to churn out 120 a year using prized wool from the Italian city of Biella. Per the CBC, every outfit is made from 154 pieces of fabricand Cicioni has also designed costumes for Vatican-adjacent films, such as 2019’s The Two Popes and 2023’s The Popes Exorcist.
[Photo: Vasily Krestyaninov/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images]
The one thing that has changed in the overall design of the uniformthe Swiss Guard got a helmet glow-up in 2019 when their scorching metal morions were replaced with breathable 3D-printed PVC counterparts.
Ultimately, being a guard isnt all halberds and Renaissance history. In their off-time, they play on the FC Guardia soccer team, and compete against museum attendants and other groups in the Vatican Championship. They can join the Vatican band. They get to dine on Swiss and Italian cuisine cooked by Albertine nuns from Poland.
What they cant do is play fast and loose with those wild uniforms. Theyre allowed to keep them for five years after they leave the Guard, or they can be buried in them. But they are explicitly banned from selling them. Still, if youve got $47,500, you could always try eBay.
Bible designs tend to be variations on a themetissue-thin paper and unforgiving font sizes, owing to the 783,000 words crammed into a single normal-sized book (the average novel, by comparison, clocks in at 70,000100,000 words). Cheap faux-leather covers. A bookmark ribbon, maybe.
If youre a person of faith, its perhaps not the most fitting frame for what is defined as the literal word of God. If youre a design zealot, its heretical object quality. If youre both, wellprayers.
The Bible is a book utterly ripe for a redesign. So Dylan Da Silva did just that with his Byble project, which released a bespoke hypermodern 11.5-pound edition of Genesis (the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament) last fall, and this week is launching its next volume, Matthew (the first book of the Christian New Testament).
Our mission, I guess, is simplecraftsmanship beyond words, Da Silva says. Crafting products so beautiful, they elevate the experience of reading the most powerful book ever written.
The Genesis
Da Silva is not a designer, nor does he work in publishing. Rather, he comes from a property development background. Around 2022, the Sydney-based Da Silva was pondering how he could build a business around something of great meaning to him. He realized that while many people own a Bible, they generally dont display it. And given that we live in a consumer society driven by aesthetics, he saw an opportunity to craft something new in that blank space.
While he lacks visual design creds, he has experience with architectural design, and the Bible is very much a structural design challenge owing to its system of numbered verses and chapters. Da Silva wanted to keep the focus exclusively on the text (here, the King James Versionthe word is beautiful enough as it is), so he decided not to feature any illustration or photography, and instead offer a solution that was purely typographic, which he developed with a partner in Greece over the course of two years.
Another key goal was to design a system that would allow for a deeper reading of the Bible. To that end, he is breaking the Bibles many books out of the larger whole and into single volumes, starting, naturally, with Genesis, which dominates the spine and cover of the first release in a debossed Grotesk. Da Silva drew inspiration from the Gutenberg Bible, with its distinct columns and margins and occasional typographic flair, and also sought to home in on particular moments for readers in pull quotes, translucent overlays, and bold all-caps spreads (the brand dubs these yield moments, thus the Y in Byble). It has the effect of slowing the books down and allowing text to breathe in an otherwise daunting 783,000-word experience.
We obsess over every detail, every page, every layout, he says. Ultimately, we are accessible to the reader.
OPENING A DOOR
In addition to the new text presentation, Da Silva went wild on the production specs for the 13×10-inch volumes. Rather than fragile gossamer pages, he brought in a hefty 220 gsm stock. Hardcovers with silkscreened fabric. Typographic edge painting. Each book is available in two colorwaysin the case of Genesis, black or green, the latter being a tip of the hat to the Garden of Eden. And for Matthew, white and red, the latter signifying the blood of Christ.
All this production value comes at a cost: Currently the Byble costs $149, which has rankled some commenters on social media.
Our cost to produce is quite expensive, Da Silva says. The margin is not massive; it’s a standard margin for a business. I think we’re reasonably priced. I knew there was always going to be a pushback.
Following Matthew, Da Silva is focusing on eight of the other most popular books of the BiblePsalms, Proverbs, Exodus, Romans, Mark, Paul, John and Revelation. He wants to have five or six out by the end of the year, and then keep launching more from there, with special editions mixed in.
His target audience? The devout, of course, but also design lovers and those who the Byble aesthetic could resonate with in new ways.
The goal for us is really reaching that younger generation who might be curious to learn more, who might think that the Bible is boring, or religion is boring, Da Silva says. We’re trying to open up a door for them.
BROOKWOOD, Ala.The Trump administration has announced it will aim to fast-track the permitting and environmental review of a major coal mine expansion in central Alabama as part of a larger effort to accelerate the construction of what the government has labeled critical mineral infrastructure.
While administration officials said the change is aimed at significantly reduc[ing] our reliance on foreign nations, coal produced as part of Warrior Mets expansion in Alabama is almost entirely exported overseas to support foreign steelmaking markets, according to the company.
Warrior Mets Blue Creek mine expansion, set to be one of the largest coal build-outs in Alabama history, is one of 20 planned developments deemed transparency projects by the administration over the last two months. The mine expansion will be placed on the federal governments permitting dashboard as it moves its way through the regulatory and permitting process.
The projects inclusion on the dashboard authorized under the 2015 Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act (FAST) will, according to the Trump administration, make the environmental review and authorizations schedule for these vital mineral production projects publicly available and allow all of these projects to benefit from increased transparency.
The public nature of the dashboard ensures that all stakeholders, from project sponsors and community members to federal agency leaders, have up-to-date accounting of where each project stands in the review process, the administration said in its announcement. This transparency leads to greater accountability, ensuring a more efficient process.
During the Biden administration, the so-called FAST-41 dashboard was used to fast-track projects aimed at benefiting tribal nations, as well as various projects advancing renewable energy, coastal restoration, broadband, and electricity transmission sectors. The program was created as a means to enhance transparency and increase the efficiency of the permitting process, the Biden administration said at the time. With a new president, though, the programs designated to participateand the policy priorities they representhave now changed.
The Trump administration has already signaled its support of the Alabama project. In April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited an existing Warrior Met mine outside Tuscaloosa and took a windshield tour of the Blue Creek facility currently under construction.
During that visit, Burgum emphasized the administrations stated commitment to fossil fuel production and said that its actions would unleash American energy. He did not acknowledge Warrior Mets checkered safety and environmental record or that nearly all of its productmetallurgical coalis shipped overseas for foreign steelmaking operations, not used in the U.S.
We sell substantially all of our steelmaking coal production to steel producers outside of the United States, a recent Warrior Met corporate filing said. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, our geographic customer mix was 37% in Europe, 43% in Asia, and 20% in South America.
The planned expansion of Blue Creek involves a major build-out of Warrior Mets ability to mine for underground coal using the longwall method, a particularly destructive form of mining in which large machines shear walls of coal, leaving vast, empty expanses in their wake. Land above those empty caverns sinks, causing what is often permanent damage to the surface and structures there.
Longwall mining has devastated communities in Alabama and beyond. In March 2024, an Alabama home exploded above a longwall mine with a different owner after methanea gas released during miningseeped into the residence and ignited. The resulting blast killed an Alabama grandfather and seriously injured his grandson. Since then, the community above the Oak Grove mine in western Jefferson County has continued to crumble, with homes foundations cracking as the longwall mine expands below.
Earlier this year, just as President Donald Trump was announcing efforts to promote clean, beautiful coal, a West Virginia woman was hospitalized after a methane explosion in her home atop a longwall mine left her seriously injured. Workers from the mine beneath her home had stood behind Trump during his White House announcement.
Once completed, Warrior Mets Blue Creek expansion will increase the companys coal production by 60%, providing additional supply for overseas steelmaking markets hungry for metallurgical coal that can meet production needs. Taxpayer-funded support for the facility may top $400 million.
The company has also asked the federal government to allow it to mine publicly owned coal as part of the Blue Creek project. The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced last year that it would conduct an environmental assessment related to Warrior Mets Blue Creek project and, specifically, its proposal to mine 14,040 acres of federal minerals underlying privately owned land in Tuscaloosa County. Warrior Mets applications to lease the coal rights propose the extraction of approximately 57.5 million tons of recoverable public coal reserves.
Initial government scoping documents indicated that any environmental assessment of the Blue Creek project would include an analysis of its impact on climate change, both direct and indirect. Since those initial documents were released, however, federal guidance on the inclusion of climate change considerations in government decision-making has been in flux.
A day-one executive order by Trump, for example, disbanded the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases, which was established pursuant to a Biden executive order. The order said any guidance, instruction, recommendation, or document issued by the IWG is withdrawn as no longer representative of governmental policy.
That guidance had emphasized the importance of government analysis of the social cost of carbon, a way of putting a dollar figure on the economic damage that comes from emitting a ton of carbon dioxide. The Trump White House has said without evidence that the concept is marked by logical deficiencies, a poor basis in empirical science, politicization, and the absence of a foundation in legislation.
Public comments on the project already submitted to BLM included concerns aroundgreenhouse gas emissions and Warrior Mets contribution to the climate crisis.
Please do not approve any new or expanded coal mining, one commenter wrote. The climate crisis is already deadly and rapidly getting worse. There is an overwhelming international consensus on the severity of this crisis and the urgent need to phase out the use of harmful fossil fuels.
The draft environmental impact statement for the Blue Creek project, originally set to be released sometime in the fall, is now scheduled to be published on May 30, according to BLM.
Lee Hedgepeth, Inside Climate News
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here.
Ambition is one of the most defining forces in human affairsa psychological engine that propels individuals beyond the realm of survival into the arena of creation, disruption, and transformation, and significantly predicts educational attainment, career success, job performance, and income.
At its core, ambition is the refusal to accept the status quo, the internal pressure to stretch personal limits and societal boundaries. In a way, the best way to understand ambition is as the inability to be satisfied with ones accomplishments. Ambition fuels leadership by pushing individuals to take responsibility, imagine alternatives, and mobilize others toward a vision. Ambition underwrites entrepreneurship as the catalyst for risk-taking, persistence, and the stubborn belief that a better way is not only possible but necessary. Without ambition, innovation stalls; with it, people challenge orthodoxy, break conventions, and solve problems that others resign to fate. Across disciplines, from science to art to politics, historys breakthroughs are seldom the product of complacencythey are the residue of restless, ambitious minds.
The world, to a large extent, is the output of ambitious people. It is shaped by those who couldnt sit still, who werent content with inherited limitations, and who felt compelled to act on their ideas, no matter how unlikely or unpopular. From the first controlled fire to the latest generative AI models, progress has never been evenly distributedit has been driven by individuals and groups with an outsized appetite to leave a mark. Ambition transforms dissatisfaction into momentum, and imagination into infrastructure. It explains not just who rises to lead or invent, but why civilizations expand, technologies leap forward, and cultures evolve. While it must be tempered by ethics and collective concern, ambition remains an irreplaceable force in the story of human progress.
Everything in moderation
And yet, like all powerful traits, ambition is best expressed in moderation. Too little, and individuals driftuntethered from purpose, passive in the face of opportunity. Too much, and ambition can metastasize into obsession, crowding out humility, collaboration, and even moral judgment. When ambition becomes unbounded, it stops serving the individual and begins demanding sacrificeof relationships, values, and long-term well-being. It can distort self-perception, encouraging people to see themselves not as contributors to a shared cause, but as lone heroes in a zero-sum contest. Teams suffer when ambition eclipses empathy: the pursuit of personal achievement starts to undermine trust, cooperation, and psychological safety. A competitive drive that ignores others needs doesnt just alienate colleaguesit weakens the very foundation of high-functioning organizations.
Unchecked ambition often bleeds into greed, an insatiable hunger not just to succeed, but to dominate. As Gordon Gekko infamously said, Greed is gooda provocative mantra for the high-octane world of finance, but a dangerous philosophy when applied indiscriminately. Greed erodes the social contract. It justifies exploitation, tolerates unethical shortcuts, and treats people as a means to an end. In leadership, this can result in toxic cultures, short-term thinking, and spectacular failures. Companies driven solely by ambition without constraint may grow fast, but they often implode fastertoppling under the weight of hubris, burnout, and scandal.
The WeWork Case
Adam Neumann, cofounder and former CEO of WeWork, is a textbook example of how unbridled ambition can lead to spectacular collapse. Neumann started with a compelling vision: to elevate the worlds consciousness through a coworking space company that promised to redefine the way people live and work. His charisma and relentless ambition helped WeWork grow at breakneck speed, attracting billions in venture capital and inflating its valuation to nearly $47 billion at its peak. But Neumanns ambition quickly outpaced operational reality. He expanded into housing (WeLive), education (WeGrow), and other ventures with little strategic coherence. Reports surfaced of erratic behavior, conflicts of interest, and a corporate culture driven more by Neumanns personal mythos than sound governance.
In 2019, when WeWork attempted to go public, its financial inconsistencies and Neumanns questionable leadership style came under scrutiny. The IPO failed, Neumann was forced to resign, and the companys valuation plummeted. His ambition wasnt the problem in itselfit was that it became delusional, detached from execution, and ultimately corrosive to the companys sustainability. Neumann exemplifies how visionary drive, without discipline or humility, can become a liability rather than an asset.
In short, the healthiest ambition is grounded in purpose, tempered by self-awareness, and balanced by a commitment to collective success. It lifts everyone, not just the one climbing the fastest.
So, while it’s generally better to have than to lack ambition, here are three proven ways in which an excess of drive or motivation can harm your career and negatively impact others.
1. Ambition can inhibit peoples prosocial drive
When the desire to get ahead outweighs the instinct to get along, ambition can corrode social cohesion. In team environments, overly ambitious individuals may hoard credit, prioritize visibility over contribution, and treat colleagues as competitors rather than collaborators. This undermines trust and psychological safetytwo bedrocks of effective teamwork. For example, a rising executive who constantly angles for the spotlight may alienate peers and demoralize subordinates, even if their individual output is impressive. Over time, the cost of such interpersonal friction outweighs the benefits of raw performance. In the long run, organizations thrive not on lone stars but on networks of mutual respect and cooperationboth of which ambition can quietly erode if left unchecked.
2. Ambition can amplify antisocial traits like narcissism, aggression, and entitlement
While a healthy dose of drive can motivate people to aim high, excessive ambition can inflate the ego and distort moral reasoning. Narcissistic leaders, for instance, often begin their ascent with impressive confidence and visionbut as their ambition grows, so does their sense of superiority and disregard for others. This can lead to toxic behaviors like manipulation, bullying, or a refusal to accept criticism. Take the case of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos: her ambition to revolutionize healthcare was laudable, but her unwillingness to admit failure or accept limits led to deception and collapse. When ambition aligns with antisocial traits, it stops being a virtue and becomes a liabilityboth for the individual and the system theyre part of.
3. Ambition can harm personal relationships, wellbeing, and life outside work
Ambition often demands trade-offs, but when those trade-offs become sacrifices, the consequences can be severe. People driven by intense professional goals may neglect family, friends, and self-carebelieving that success justifies the costs.
This mindset is especially common in high-stakes environments like consulting, finance, or tech startups, where long hours and relentless competition are normalized. Over time, the neglect accumulates: relationships fray, health deteriorates, and a creeping sense of emptiness can set ineven after major achievements. A partner who misses birthdays for business trips or skips vacations for product launches may eventually find the corner office far lonelier than expected. True success requires integration, not imbalancesomething ambition doesnt always encourage.
Research consistently shows that moderate levels of ambitionas opposed to extremely high or low levelsare most beneficial for long-term well-being, work-life balance, and sustainable career success. In the famous words of Seneca, It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
A more sustainable strategy
Indeed, people with a healthy dose of ambition tend to have clear goals, a sense of purpose, and enough drive to stay engaged and motivated. But unlike the hyper-ambitious, they are less likely to sacrifice personal relationships, sleep, or mental health in pursuit of constant advancement. They are also more likely to value balance, practice self-care, and define success in broader terms than just titles or paychecks. This makes them not only happier individuals but often better colleagues and leaders.
Moderately ambitious individuals are also more likely to stay grounded in reality. They can be ambitious without being delusional, motivated without being obsessive, and confident without being overbearing. As a result, they tend to make better long-term decisionsfor themselves and others. Rather than chasing every opportunity or competing with everyone around them, they focus on meaningful progress, both professionally and personally. In a world that often glamorizes extreme ambition, it’s worth remembering that the good life is rarely lived on the edge of burnoutand that sometimes, aiming for enough is the smartest and most sustainable strategy of all.It is also clear that de-emphasizing ambitionor the importance we give to itcould help in many areas of life, including business. For example:
1. We tend to overrate ambition, especially when selecting leaders
In many organizations, leadership potential is judged through the lens of visibility, assertiveness, and a hunger for advancementclassic signals of ambition. We rarely pause to ask whether that ambition serves the group, or merely the individual. As a result, we often confuse confidence for competence, and ambition for ability. Research consistently shows that traits like humility, integrity, and emotional intelligence are more predictive of effective leadership than raw drive or self-promotion. Yet job interviews and promotion processes still reward those who lean in, speak up, and outperform peersoften selecting the loudest rather than the wisest. This opens the door to narcissistic leaders who crave power for its own sake. As Plato warned, a person who wants to govern should not.
2. Ambition is frequently mistaken for talent, even in roles that demand competence over charisma
Think of professions where precision, reliability, and expertise are paramountpilots, surgeons, financial advisers. In these roles, would you rather entrust your life or money to someone highly ambitious, or someone quietly excellent? In reality, you often cant have both. The most ambitious professionals may focus more on personal brand-building and career climbing than on mastering their craft. Yet our hiring and evaluation systems tend to reward the ambitious candidate: the confident speaker, the impressive résumé, the person with a five-year plan to reach the top. This obsession with upward momentum blinds us to quiet competence. Ironically, many of the best performers are not those obsessed with being someone, but with doing something well.
3. Finally, ambition is often directed at the wrong goalsthose that serve ego more than others
Many high achievers are not driven to make things better, but to be seen as better than others. Their goals are status-enhancing, not impact-driven: more power, more wealth, more recognition. This kind of ambition justifies any meanscutting corners, sidelining colleagues, or exploiting loopholesso long as the outcome advances their image.
In this light, ambition becomes less a force for progress and more a zero-sum race for supremacy. Organizations and societies pay the price: innovation stalls when energy is spent on internal jockeying, teams fracture under self-serving leadership, and trust erodes. True ambition should be oriented toward contribution, not domination. But too often, we reward the latter and wonder why so many leaders fail to elevate anyone but themselves.
When Enough is Enough
Ambition is a powerful tool, but like any tool, it can become dangerous when misused or overvalued. In a world that equates relentless drive with virtue, we risk promoting the wrong people, building the wrong cultures, and pursuing the wrong goals. We forget that ambition is not inherently nobleit simply magnifies what already exists. In the right hands, it catalyzes innovation, service, and progress. In the wrong ones, it fuels ego, exploitation, and eventual collapse.
The challenge, then, is not to reject ambition, but to recalibrate our relationship with it: to stop treating it as an end in itself, and start seeing it as a means to something greater. This requires a collective shift in how we define successnot as the ability to outshine others, but as the capacity to uplift them. We need to stop conflating ambition with leadership potential, charisma with competence, and visibility with value. Its time to reward the quietly excellent, the others-focused, and the impact-driven. The future will not belong to those who climb the fastest, but to those who climb with purposeand bring others with them. As my colleague and friend Amy Edmondson and I have argued, ambition may drive history, but only wisdom, humility, and interity ensure that it drives us somewhere worth going.
Continuing from the year of yeehaw, professional bull riding is having a moment on TikTok.
Since the beginning of this year, Professional Bull Riding (PBR)the largest bull riding league in the worldhas gained 650,000 followers across its social media platforms, Mashable recently reported. Thats just 200,000 fewer than they gained throughout all of 2024. Mitch Ladner, PBRs social media lead, told Mashables Christianna Silva that most of this growth comes from followers between the ages of 18 and 35.
On PBRs TikTok, which is nearing 3 million followers, many recent videos tap into viral trends and audiowith a cowboy twist. Aligning our chakras, one caption reads, but instead of a sound bowl, its a can of Monster Energy and a meat stick. Whoever is in charge of your page is so Gen Z chronically online coded, and I LOVE IT, reads a comment beneath a recent video.
The sport itselfwith rides lasting a maximum of eight secondswas practically built for short-form video. The goal is simple: Stay on the bull using just one hand and both legs (touching the bull with the second hand means disqualification). Now its finding fresh traction with a new TikTok audience.
Cowboy culture, too, is enjoying a broader resurgence. From fashion trends like coastal cowgirl and cowboy core to Beyoncés Grammy-winning Cowboy Carter album and tour, 2024 earned its year of yeehaw nickname.
Today, cowboy hats and boots are everywhere. Pinterest reported an 8,700% spike in searches for country glam in 2024, while searches for Western style outfits rose 418%. A RealReal report also showed searches for vintage Levis denim and fringed leather up nearly 70%.
Still, we may not have hit peak cowboy. In January, a PBR event sold out Madison Square Garden for three consecutive daysthe first time in nearly 20 years, according to Mashable.
Founded in 1992, PBR is leaning into its Gen Z moment. “Our mantra is: Be cowboy,” PBR CEO and Commissioner Sean Gleason told Mashable. “It doesn’t matter where you live, what you drive, how you dress, the color of your skin, or your gender. If you live honestly with integrity, hard work, and an appreciation for the history and heritage of America, you’re a cowboy.”
The average person changes jobs every two years and nine months, according to a survey by the career advice website Career Sidekick. If you work for 40 years, that translates to about 15 jobsand 15 resignations. While the conversation can feel difficult, its important to be thoughtful about how you say goodbye, says Melody Wilding, author of Managing Up: How to Get What you Need from the People in Charge and human behavior professor at Hunter College in New York City.
A lot of people boomerang back to a company, team, or manager in a fairly short time, says Wilding, who is also a contributor to Fast Company. Having strong relationships with leaders and colleagues could also be a good for getting a reference, LinkedIn recommendation, or referrals to new roles.
Delivering a resignation, however, can involve heightened emotions. Resentment, frustration, burnout, and fatigue may have caused you to seek a new role or company, yet you likely have a desire for civil, diplomatic, and tactful conversation, says Wilding.
Sometimes those two things can be at odds, she says. You’re not only dealing with your own emotions, but you’re also trying to project other people’s reactions. Is my boss going to be upset or ask that I leave right away? The desire to get [the conversation] right and secure your future can put pressure on you.
Do the pre-work
Wilding advises doing some pre-work before you deliver the news that you’re quitting. Be ready that the reaction may not be positive, especially if youre involved in sensitive work, she says. They may say, Thanks for your two-week notice, but actually you can be done today, she says.
Before you exit a team and possibly lose access to your work, Wilding recommends taking stock of what youve achieved in your role. This isnt about stealing anything that’s company IP or proprietary, she says. Its updating your résumé, putting together a case study that you may want to reference in the future, updating your LinkedIn profile, and writing some posts based on what you did while you still have access to all of it.
Next, put together a transition plan. While it sounds intimidating, it simply needs to be a rundown of your projects and their stages. You could also put together a guide for standard operating procedures, about how you do certain things. Wilding suggests including contact information or different stakeholders so the person who assumes the job can easily take over.
Putting together a transition plan is valuable because it shows that youre thoughtful and solution-oriented, says Wilding.
Prepare for the conversation
After youve done the pre-work, prepare for the conversation, which should be done in person and not through a written platform, says Wilding. Virtual can be fine over Zoom, but you want it to be in real time so the person can hear your tone of voice, and your sincerity can come through, she says. Too much can be lost over email or messenger.
A good rule for managing up is to not let the people above you be negatively surprised, and it applies to leaving, too. Wilding says if you go into your one-on-one and the news completely sideswipes your manager because they didn’t see this coming, they’re probably going to have a much stronger negative reaction. Instead, set the stage by saying, Today in our one-on-one, I’d like to put aside five or 10 minutes to give you an important update that I have.
At least they know something’s coming, says Wilding. You don’t have to disclose I’m telling you that I’m leaving, but you can say, I wanted to discuss my trajectory here or I want to talk about my next steps in the organization. It gives them a heads up that can be crucial.
Skip to the chase
Most people feel some nerves when they share news that theyre leaving. While it can be tempting to make small talk, Wilding recommends fighting that tendency and jumping to the chase.
Frame it from your perspective, she says. You can say, I’ve made the hard choice that it’s time for me to move on. [This date] will be my last day in this role. You can be honest and say, This wasn’t an easy decision for me or I thought about this a lot. I know it will be hard for the team. You don’t have to apologize. Keep it focused on your situation and what is right for you and your career.
This isnt time to have a feedback conversation about the difficulties in the role, adds Wilding. Break the news and focus on moving forward, she says.
Next, talk about how you will transition out of the role and leave the team in a good place. Having your transition plan ready provides the perfect tool for refocusing the conversation if it starts to get emotional.
If they say, How could you do this? This is such terrible timing, you can say, I understand, and that is not my intention. What I think would be helpful is if we focus on how we implement this plan, says Wilding. It gives you something tangible to keep circling back to.
Its important that you feel emotionally grounded going into this conversation, adds Wilding. This is not the type of conversation you want to squeeze between two other meetings, when you may be rushing from one thing to the next, she says.
Also, dont feel like you need to keep talking. When we get uncomfortable, we tend to over explain, says Wilding. If you’ve had a good experience, you can say, I’ve enjoyed my time here. If it wasnt the greatest experience, you can say, I’ve learned a lot from my experience here, which is true even if you work somewhere where it’s been difficult. Then say, On this date, I’ll be moving to this company or this new team and then be quiet. When we inject strategic silence into a conversation, it projects more confidence than just rambling.
Think about external communications
It’s also important that you shape the narrative that’s being told about why you’re leaving and make sure its an accurate story instead of letting people fill in the gaps. Ask to be part of the communication roll out, especially if you have clients, vendors, or cross-functional partners that need to be notified, says Wilding.
Ideally, hand over a transition message, says Wilding. Or, at the very least, be proactive about saying to your manager and HR that you want to be part of that communication.
Wilding also recommends writing a post aout what you learned during your time there or gratitude for your team. You can use that as a jumping off point to share what you’re doing next.
Throughout the process, keep your interactions healthy and strong, says Wilding. In most industries, it’s a very small world, she says. Dont bad mouth anyone. Even if you don’t end up working directly with the same people, you may have shared colleagues who come up in conversation. Put things in the past and move on. You want to be able to have a network of weak ties for the future so you can reach out for a referral, expand your network, and provide references or recommendations for others.
Scam calls are turning the world on its head. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that scammers stole a staggering $1.03 trillion globally in 2023, including losses from online fraud and scam calls. Robocalls and phone scams have long been a frustratingand often dangerousproblem for consumers. Now, artificial intelligence is elevating the threat, making scams more deceptive, efficient, and harder to detect.
While Eric Priezkalns, an analyst and editor at Commsrisk, believes the impact of AI on scam calls is currently exaggerated, he notes that the use of AI by scammers is focused on producing fake content, which looks real or on varying the content in messages designed to lure potential victims into malicious conversations. Varying the content makes it much more difficult to identify and block scams using traditional anti-scam controls, he tells Fast Company.
From AI-generated deepfake voices that mimic loved ones to large-scale fraud operations that use machine learning to evade detection, bad actors are exploiting AI to supercharge these scam calls. The big question is: How can the telecom industry combat this problem head-on before fraudsters wreak even more havoc?
SCAMMERS ARE UPGRADING THEIR PLAYBOOK WITH AI
Until recently, phone scams mostly relied on crude robocallsprerecorded messages warning recipients about an urgent financial issue or a supposed problem with their Social Security number. These tactics, while persistent, were often easy to recognize. But todays AI-powered scams are far more convincing.
One of the most alarming developments is the use of AI-generated voices, which make scams feel disturbingly personal. In a chilling case from April 2023, a mother in Arizona received a desperate call from what sounded exactly like her daughter, sobbing and pleading for help. A scammer, posing as a kidnapper, demanded ransom money. In reality, the daughter was safethe criminals had used AI to clone her voice from a social media video.
These scams, known as voice cloning fraud, have surged in recent months. With just a few seconds of audio, AI tools can now create an eerily realistic digital clone of a persons voice, enabling fraudsters to impersonate friends, family members, or even executives in corporate scams.
Scammers are also using AI to analyze vast amounts of data and fine-tune their schemes with chilling precision. Machine learning algorithms can sift through public informationsocial media posts, online forums, and data breachesto craft hyper-personalized scam calls. Instead of a generic IRS or tech support hoax, fraudsters can now target victims with specific details about their purchases, travel history, or even medical conditions.
AI is also enhancing caller ID spoofing, allowing scammers to manipulate phone numbers to appear as if they are coming from local businesses, government agencies, or even a victims own contacts. This increases the likelihood that people will pick up, making scam calls harder to ignore.
TELECOMS COUNTEROFFENSIVE: AI VS. AI
As fraudsters sharpen their AI tools, telecom companies and regulators are fighting back with artificial intelligence of their owndeploying advanced systems to detect, trace, and block malicious calls before they ever reach consumers.
1. Call authentication and AI-based fraud detection
To combat spoofing, telecom carriers are leveraging AI-powered voice analysis and authentication technologies. In the U.S., the STIR/SHAKEN framework uses cryptographic signatures to verify that calls originate from legitimate sources. But as scammers quickly adapt, AI-driven fraud detection is becoming essential.
Machine learning models trained on billions of call patterns can analyze real-time metadata to flag anomaliessuch as sudden spikes in calls from specific regions or numbers linked to known scams. These AI systems can even detect subtle acoustic markers typical of deepfake-generated voices, helping stop fraudulent calls before they connect.
2. Carrier-level call filtering and blocking
Major telecom providers are embedding AI-powered call filtering directly into their networks. AT&Ts Call Protect, T-Mobiles Scam Shield, and Verizons Call Filter all use AI to spot suspicious patterns and block high-risk calls before they reach users. The GSMAs Call Check and International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF) solutions also provide real-time call protection by verifying legitimacy and combating calling line identity spoofing.
For context, GSMAs IRSF Prevention leverages first-party International Premium Rate Numbers (IPRN) data and an advanced OSINT (open-source intelligence) platform to deliver real-time, actionable fraud intelligence. It tracks over 20 million IPRNs, hijacked routes, and targeted networkshelping telecoms proactively combat IRSF and Wangiri fraud.
3. AI-powered voice biometrics for caller verification
Another promising line of defense against AI-generated fraud is voice biometrics. Some financial institutions and telecom providers are deploying voice authentication systems that analyze more than 1,000 unique vocal characteristics to verify a callers identity. Unlike basic voice recognition, these advanced systems can detect when an AI-generated voice is being usedeffectively preventing fraudsters from impersonating legitimate customers.
REGULATORS ARE CRACKING DOWN, BUT IS IT ENOUGH?
Its one thing to tighten regulations and stiffen penaltiessomething many government agencies around the world are already doingbut effectively enforcing those regulations is a different ball game altogether. In the U.S., for example, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has ramped up penalties for illegal robocalls and is pushing carriers to adopt stricter AI-powered defenses. The TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) Act, signed into law in 2019, gives regulators more power to fine scammers and mandates stronger anti-spoofing measures.
Internationally, regulators in the U.K., Canada, and Australia are working on similar AI-driven frameworks to protect consumers from rising fraud. The European Union has introduced stricter data privacy laws, limiting how AI can be used to harvest personal data for scam operations.
However, enforcement struggles to keep pace with the speed of AI innovation. Scammers operate globally, often beyond the jurisdiction of any single regulator. Many fraud rings are based in countries where legal action is dificultif not nearly impossible.
Take, for example, countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, where organized crime groups have established cyber scam centers that use AI-powered deepfakes to deceive victims worldwide. Operators in these scam centers frequently relocate or shift tactics to stay ahead of law enforcement. They also operate in regions with complex jurisdictional challenges, further complicating enforcement.
Scammers thrive on fragmentation and exploit vulnerabilitieswhether thats a lack of industry coordination or differing regulatory approaches across borders. These regulatory bottlenecks underscore why telecom providers must take a more proactive role in combating AI-driven fraud, rather than relying solely on traditional frameworks whichwhile helpfulare not always efficient. Thats where the GSMA Call Check technology, developed by German telecom solutions provider Oculeus, could play a vital role.
The GSMAs Call Check services provide a simple, fast and low-cost mechanism for the exchange of information about scam phone calls as they occur. This technology is rooted in the cloud, making it future-proof and global in a way that other methods being contemplated by some nations will never be, Commsrisk‘s Priezkalns says.
FAR FROM OVER
Without question, the battle against AI-powered scams is far from over. As former FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel noted last year: We know that AI technologies will make it cheap and easy to flood our networks with deepfakes used to mislead and betray trust.
The good news is that the telecom industry isnt backing down. While scammers are using AI to deceive unsuspecting individuals, the industry is also leveraging AI to protect customers and their sensitive datathrough automated call screening, real-time fraud detection, and enhanced authentication measures.
But according to Priezkalns, technology alone isnt enough to protect people. For him, deterrencedriven by the legal prosecution of scammersis just as important as technological solutions. It needs to be used in conjunction with law enforcement agencies that proactively arrest scammers and legal systems that ensure scammers are punished for their crimes, he says.
One thing is certain: Scammers and scams arent going away anytime soon. As Priezkalns points out, people will continue to fall for scams even with high-intensity public awareness training. But as AI continues to evolve, the telecom industry must stay a step aheadensuring it becomes a force for protection, not deception. And with tools like the GSMAs Call Check, that future is within reach.
In Texas, parts of Houston are sinking at a rate faster than 10 millimetersor about two-fifths of an inchper year. Parts of Dallas and Fort Worth are sinking more than 5 millimeters per year. While that may sound small, it adds up: Every few millimeters that a city sinks can cause cracks in roads or tilt building foundations, and make that region more vulnerable to extreme flooding.
And those Texas cities arent alone: Twenty-five other major citiesfrom New York and San Francisco to Boston and Oklahoma Cityare also sinking, according to a new study, putting more than 34 million people at risk.
Cities can sink for a few reasons. Buildings are heavy, and so sometimes the ground below them can settle and constrict, especially if theyre built on top of sand. Erosion or natural land and tectonic movements can come into play, too. But the most common cause for cities sinking lower and lowera process known as subsidenceis groundwater extraction.
Across the county, half of the U.S. population relies on groundwater for drinking, irrigation, or industrial uses. When cities pump that water from the ground below, the land then compacts and settles down, bringing the city, and the structural integrity of its buildings roads, and bridges, with it.
Land subsidence is often invisibleuntil it isnt, says Manoochehr Shirzaei, a geophysicist at Virginia Tech and coauthor of the study, published today in the journal Nature Cities. It undermines building foundations, damages roads and pipelines, and compromises flood defenses. . . . It’s a quiet hazard, but its effects accumulate, potentially amplifying damage during storms or earthquakes.
All 28 major U.S. cities are shrinking
For their study, Shirzaei and his team focused on the 28 most populous U.S. cities, which cover nearly 12% of the countrys population. Previous studies about subsidence often focused just on coastal regions or individual cities, ignoring the widespread urban risk. Researchers used satellite-based radar measurements to create high-resolution maps of those cities sinking land.
The researchers expected to see subsidence in places like Houston and New Orleans. Houston has long been one of the fastest-sinking cities because of groundwater mining and oil and gas extraction; and New Orleans is built on top of soft, marshy land, with a drainage system that runs through the city. But they found subsidence in all 28 cities they examinedincluding Chicago, Columbus, Seattle, and Denver. The widespread nature of the hazard was striking, Shirzaei says.
In 25 out of the 28 cities, at least 65% of the urban area is sinking. In some cities, thats even greater: Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Detroit, Fort Worth, Denver, New York, Indianapolis, Houston, and Charlotte saw the most widespread subsidence, with about 98% of their areas affected. Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston saw the highest rates of subsidence, from about 5 millimeters to as much as 10 millimeters per year.
Climate change, subsidence, and what cities can do
Subsidence comes with a range of risks. In cities that are already prone to flooding, like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., it can make floods even worse because more land is closer to sea level.
That means when cities sink, theyre more vulnerable to climate changes impacts. Our study found that the cities with the highest rates of subsidence have also experienced numerous major flood events in the past two decades, Shirzaei says. But at the same time, climate change can exacerbate subsidence, by increasing droughts and also the demand for groundwater.
Cities still have time to act, Shirzaei says. They can slow this rate of sinking, or even reverse subsidence, by enacting regulations around groundwater use, managing aquifers better, and updating building codes to take soil movement into account. Cities should also adopt monitoring systems, integrate this risk into their urban planning, and retrofit any infrastructure that may be vulnerable.
The key is that these responses must be tailored to a specific cityits ground makeup, its infrastructure, and its subsidence causes. What works in San Diego wont work in Memphis, Shirzaei says.
Greg Creed spent 25 years at Yum Brands, including more than a decade in leadership roles at Taco Bell, before he retired from the company in 2020. He offered this unsolicited advice after a rough quarter for McDonalds, in which same-store sales fell over 3%, the companys worst drop since the pandemic.
The problem, Creed asserts, is that McDonalds isnt chasing menu options that its customers will crave. And without a menu that elicits a strong reactioneither positive or negativefrom diners, McDonald’s is just being beige.
Nothing as a brand is worse than being beige, Creed wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. It upsets no one, but lets be honest: No one loves beige.
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In the companys first-quarter earnings report, McDonalds CEO Chris Kempczinski cited uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions as reasons for the sales slump. Traffic to McDonalds fell more than expected, even as the company leaned into its value messaging. Still, McDonalds has raised prices as inflation persists.
Were not immune to the volatility in the industry or the pressures that our consumers are facing, Kempczinski said.
Comparatively, though, Taco Bell is killing it. In the first three months of the year, sales are up 9%. Traffic is up too, regardless of customer income. These numbers were a bright spot for Yum Brands, also the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, which reported mixed results in the first quarter.
I know this is a tough operating environment for everybody else in the industry, Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs said during his companys recent earnings call. It just is probably an environment that favors Taco Bell, and thats what youre seeing there, firing on all cylinders.
From his position on the outside, Creed can only speculate on whats happening. But his hunch is Taco Bells success comes from its willingness to aggressively push new menu items, like its crispy chicken nuggets, a former limited-time offering that just made it onto the menu for good. Its not that McDonalds cant innovate, Creed says, its that the companys structurewhere he guesses operators have more input on menu items than the marketing departmentis slowing it down.
I always thought of McDonalds as an operating company, Creed said via email. Whereas I used to say when I ran Taco Bell, that we are a marketing company that just happens to sell Mexican-inspired food.
Process aside, Kempczinski expects McDonalds fortune to turn. Like Taco Bell, its adding more fried chicken to the menu with this weeks nationwide launch of fried chicken tenders called McCrispy Strips, and plans to lean hard on its value offerings to reach a stretched consumer.
The biggest co-sign of Creeds analysis, though, comes from current Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant. In response to Creeds LinkedIn screed, he wrote:
Nuggets (pun intended) of gold, Greg.
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