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It has taken a little over five months and has been anticipated for several weeks, but it now appears increasingly likely that the bromance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is nearing its end. Musk is reportedly planning to step down from his role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). During Teslas latest earnings call this week, Musk said, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly next monththough he noted that he still intends to dedicate some time to government issues going forward. The announcement came as Tesla reported surprisingly poor results, and Musks pivot appeared to serve as a parachute for a business in freefall. Following his remarks and amid expectations that he would now refocus on Tesla, the companys share price rose. This was an off-ramp for Musk out of the Trump White House, says Dan Ives, managing director and senior equity research analyst at Wedbush Securities. The global brand damage, political firestorm, and perfect storm chaos over the past few months will now end this volatile political chapter for Musk. What Musks departure means for the quasi-governmental agency hes leaving behind remains uncertain. Trump has heavily promoted the potential cost savings DOGE would deliver to U.S. taxpayersthough it’s unclear whether Musks actions have genuinely produced the savings touted by the administration. If Trump hasn’t got bored with DOGE, theres still a chance that he might send a check to voters with a nominal saving, says Bruce Daisley, a former Twitter executive. He’s never expressed much interest in the midterms, so its possible this won’t be of interest by then. Cary Cooper, professor of organizational psychology at the University of Manchester, believes Trump will continue DOGEs work by appointing another entrepreneur or business titan to lead the agency. Hell appoint another business guy, no question about it, he says. Any new head of DOGE may not feel bound by Musks infamous five things email, which demanded government workers justify their roles by reporting five achievements from the past week. Still, Cooper believes the mission will carry on. It may have been Musk who led the way, but I think Trump wants that to happen as well, because he perceives the civil service to be left of center, Cooper says. DOGE remains Trumps tool for pushing that agenda. As for the businesses Musk is returning to, opinions are divided. Teslas reputationand share pricehave suffered amid sweeping layoffs and controversial decisions that have impacted many American families. Ives and Wedbush Securities believe Musks stint in government and his perceived callousness will reduce long-term demand for Teslas electric vehicles by as much as 10%. (Musk did not respond to Fast Company‘s request for comment.) Still, despite Tesla’s recent financial setbacksincluding a near-10% drop in revenueIves remains optimistic about the company’s future. This was the time to close one dark chapter and open a brighter one for the Tesla story, with autonomous and robotics front and center, he says. Some view Musks exit from government and return to the private sector as a strategic move to salvage his personal brand. His brand is damaged, Cooper says. He is seen as an extreme right-wing person who cares nothing except about helping the wealthy like him to survive. While Musk may have held such views for years, it was his highly visible government role that solidified them in the public eye. Because of that, the challenges facing the entrepreneur and worlds richest man are only growing. But Musk has faced crises beforeand is likely to try everything to turn things around. Musk is almost certain to try to pull a rabbit out of a hat of merging xAI with Tesla to position Tesla as an AI business, Daisley says. There’s a much bigger multiple [there], and his talk of robotics gives another horizon to chase rather than the EV one that he’s currently losing ground on.
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E-Commerce
The AI revolution is redefining business and tech leadershipand no one is standing more squarely on the front lines than product leaders. Once seen as a behind-the-scenes role, the CPO is now one of the most powerful voices in the executive suite. In 2020, only 4% of the Fortune 1000 had a CPO, a number that has since ballooned to almost 50%. In the next few years, we expect to see that figure grow to 70%. At Products That Count, the nonprofit for product managers I chair, weve spent the past year talking to almost 1,000 CPOs at companies ranging from startup unicorns to Fortune 100 giants like Salesforce, Walmart, and Microsoft. What weve heard is clear: The organizations that are winning with AI arent just using it to move faster. Theyre rethinking how product is fundamentally built, who builds itand who leads the charge. Heres what the top product leaders are doing differently to get and stay ahead in the AI era. 1. They see AI as acceleration, not just automation While headlines focus on job replacement, leading CPOs are focused on capability expansion. Theyre not asking, How can we do the same work with fewer people? Theyre asking, How can we build something completely new and disruptive in a fraction of the time it used to take? One CPO at a global retailer told us that PMs using their internal generative AI platform are almost doubling their efficiency. These AI-powered product managers are running competitive research, generating specs, mocking up interfaces, and even writing basic codewithout waiting for a 10-person engineering team to get looped in. This shift is also reshaping org charts. The once-standard 10-to-1 engineer-to-PM ratio is giving way to a new reality where PMs are full-stack strategists. AI isnt replacing the workforceits supercharging it. 2. Theyre hiring business builders, not tech nerds Todays most effective PMs arent former engineers. Theyre high-context thinkers who know how to ask the right questions, not necessarily write the code themselves. A computer science background was pretty important 20 years ago, one B2B SaaS CPO told us. Now? Only one of my PMs has one. This new breed of generalist Super PM blends product instinct, customer obsession, and AI fluency. Theyre cross-functional by design and comfortable leading without a road map. And theyre rising fast because they can adapt fast and they deliver business value right off the bat. 3. M&A is central to their strategy Product velocity has become the currency of innovationand most CPOs know they cant build everything in-house. More than 75% of the CPOs we surveyed say M&A will be a critical growth driver in the next one to three years. But unlike in the past, product leaders arent just involved after the deal closestheyre often the ones scouting, evaluating, and sponsoring acquisitions. As one healthcare CPO put it, AI and data are fast becoming the central focus. M&A will be critical to assembling that solution suite. Another said, As CPO, Im the sponsor of acquisitions. That shiftfrom M&A as a finance function to M&A as product accelerationmarks a massive evolution in how CPOs are expected to operate. 4. Theyre obsessively focused on success metrics Revenue still matters. As Checkr CPO Ilan Frank told us, At the end of the day, most of us are working for a for-profit company. If that’s the case, then the metric is profit. That’s what we’re here to drive. Particularly when assessing how to implement and leverage AI, product leaders are keenly aware of the bottom line. And they know that revenue and profit are not the only numbers that tell the story. Todays top CPOs are expanding their focus to include metrics like time-to-value, customer retention, and long-term engagement. Theyre not just looking at quarterly ARRtheyre looking at how quickly customers see value, and how long they stick around once they do. That shift isnt just philosophical. Its structural. It encourages smaller, faster product experiments, tighter feedback loops, and stronger cross-functional alignment. As Frank put it, NPS wont tell me if we have the right pricing or packaging, but time-to-value will. Defining the AI Era All told, product leaders are winning the AI era by working smarter, not harder. Theyre moving fastbut not just by working more. Theyre reimagining what the product function can be: a strategic growth engine, a talent magnet, and a seat at the very top of the company. Theyre prioritizing adaptability over pedigree, collaboration over control, and outcomes over ownership. Rather than stripping down head counts, theyre doubling down by investing in more generalists and product professionals to keep their feet on the accelerators. Theyre blending human instinct with AI horsepowerand building teams that can ship smarter, not just faster. The companies that empower this kind of leadership arent just navigating the AI era. Theyre defining it.
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E-Commerce
Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. This week Chipotle Mexican Grill announced plans to crack a market that already has plenty of Mexican-food options: Mexico. Specifically, the Colorado-founded, California-based burrito concern said it would work with Mexican firm Alseawhich operates Latin American and European locations of various chains, including Starbucks, Dominos Pizza, and Burger Kingto begin opening Chipotle restaurants in Mexico by early 2026. Its a confident move at a time when many fast-casual chains are struggling, and businesses in general are scrambling to game the fallout from the Trump administrations ever-evolving tariff regime. On Wednesday Chipotle posted mixed results for the first quarter of 2025 that it attributed mostly to economic headwinds as consumers remain cautious about spending in the volatile trade atmosphere: Comparable-store sales are slightly down, and the revenue of $2.88 billion fell slightly short of analyst estimates. Still, the chains quarterly revenue was up 6.4% over last year, thanks mostly to opening new locationsand expansion abroad is one way it says it will continue that strategy. Chipotle currently has more than 3,700 locations, and while most are in the U.S., it also has a presence in Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, and the Middle East. In short, the chain clearly seems focused on international growth. [Photo: Chipotle] Still, while plenty of U.S. restaurant brands have gone global, selling an Americanized version of local cuisines hasnt always played out well. Dominos Pizza spent several years trying to hook Italians on its speedily delivered pies before concluding that infiltrating one of the worlds proudest culinary cultures wasnt going to happen. And in a more direct comparison to Chipotles plans, Taco Bell has made two attempts to sell an American version of Mexican food to actual Mexicans. Both fizzled. Taco Bells first venture into Mexico began in 1992, when it already had thousands of U.S. locations but relatively few abroad. The problems, according to a Vice timeline of the chains Mexican forays from 2017, included a mismatch between its menu offerings and the expectations of Mexican diners: Crisp-shelled tacos were an anomaly there, for instance, and had to be rebranded as tacostadas in an attempt to reference tostada crunch. The bigger problem may have been a lack of demandlike bringing ice to Antarctica as one Mexican cultural critic put it at the time. Within two years, the chain withdrew. It tried again in 2007, this time opening in a higher-end shopping mall (next to a Dairy Queen) near Monterrey and making no particular attempt to be authentic, even keeping french fries on the menu. As one Taco Bell marketing executive put it, the chain would not pretend to be Mexican food. It would simply be Taco Bell food, with an emphasis on value and convenience. Foolish gringos, one Monterrey food writer commented dismissively at the time. Taco Bell withdrew again. Chipotle hasnt addressed this comparison directly (and declined to comment to Fast Company), but its statement about the Mexico venture alludes to an emphasis on authenticity in its appeal to the Mexican palette, promising its offerings will resonate with guests in Mexico,” according to Nate Lawton, chief business development officer at Chipotle. “The country’s familiarity with our ingredients and affinity for fresh food make it an attractive growth market for our company.” Alsea CEO Armando Torrado added that his firm would leverage its vast knowledge of the Mexican consumer. Chipotles menu doesnt seem to have tacostada-level issues, but some Mexican-food experts have questioned the chains authenticity in the past, complaining that its burritos are a mass-market take on the form, emphasizing heft over variety. And its current hit offering, a honey chicken burrito, sounds suspiciously tailored to American palettes. Still, its worth acknowledging that, Mexico aside, Taco Bell today has more than 8,000 locations around the world, including hundreds in Central and South America. And U.S. chains have of course spread across the planet, sometimes adjusting their menus market by market (McDonalds famously tweaks its menu in different markets to add local flavor, like teriyaki chicken sandwiches in Japan and a dosa masala burger in India). Chipotle has reportedly worked for years to diversify its ingredient and farming supply chain across the Caribbean and Latin America as well as the U.S., but still sources roughly half its avocados from Mexico, making them tariff vulnerable. Given how unpredictable global trade rules are becoming, and Chipotles stated growth goals and strategy, it makes sense that the chain would try to diversify its customer base beyond the United States. Whats less certain is whether Mexican diners are looking to add Chipotles burritos to their diet.
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E-Commerce
Leaders of todays workplace recognize coaching as a core leadership skill. More and more companies are expecting managers to actively develop their employees and support their growth through regular development conversations. For leaders who embrace this responsibility, coaching can be incredibly rewarding. But its not always clear how to do it well. Most managers feel comfortable helping employees build technical skills or prepare them for their next role. But when it comes to coaching social and emotional skills, leadership qualities, or behavioral changes, many leaders get stuck. Because the path to success is less clear-cut, more complex, and requires sustained effort over time. How to coach for behavioral change As companies increasingly expect managers to step up as coaches, were seeing more and more resources that help leaders build their coaching skills. Doing that requires leaders to learn how to build trust, ask open-ended questions, actively listen, and provide constructive feedback. Frameworks like the GROW model provide a structured approach to coaching conversations. But when it comes to coaching employees on behavioral changes and social-emotional skills, many managers hit a wall. Traditional coaching methods dont always work. Thats where an evidence-based frameworkoriginally used by executive coachescan help. The Development Pipeline The Development Pipeline, created by David Peterson and Mary Dee Hicks, breaks down the often complex process of personal growth into five essential conditions for lasting development. Its a game-changer for managers because it helps them diagnose and address where employees might be stuck in their development process. This method relies on five key elements to facilitate behavioral development: Insight, Motivation, Capability, Practice, and Accountability. Think of them as interconnected pipelineseach one needs to stay open and balanced for growth to happen. If one element is blocked, progress can stall. As a manager, keeping these five conditions in mind will help you guide your direct reports through meaningful conversations. Heres how you can help facilitate the presence of these conditions in your regular coaching chats as part of your one-on-ones 1. Insight: Do they understand what to develop and why it matters? Development starts with awareness. Employees must recognize the gap between their current behaviors and desired outcomes. Sabina, a Customer Success Director, wanted to help one of her team members exude more confidence in high-stakes meetings. In their one-on-one, Sabina highlighted specific moments where this happened and discussed the impact. This helped her direct report see why building confidence was crucialnot just for herself, but not to undermine her credibility and influence. They made it a specific development goal. 2. Motivation: Are they motivated and committed to making a change? Even with insight, change wont happen without motivation. Employees need to see personal value in their development goals. One way to gauge motivation is to ask, On a scale from 1 to 10, how motivated do you feel to work on this?. Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal responses to gain a greater understanding of how motivated your employee feels to put in the time and effort it takes to change. The key is ensuring the goal aligns with what matters most to them. That means their values, career aspirations, and measurement of success in their role. 3. Capability: Do they know how to improve? Employees need clear, practical ways to develop a skill or shift a behavior. Without knowing how to improve, insight and motivation alone wont lead to progress. Naomi, a Product VP, needed to coach an employee on receiving feedback without shutting down. The employee wanted to handle feedback more gracefully but didnt know where to start. Together, they broke down the goal into small actionable steps: proactively asking for feedback, deeply breathing while listening, taking notes, visualizing feedback landing in front of her, and looking at it more neutrally from a distance. Doing this allowed the employee to move from awareness to action. 4. Practice: Are they actively experimenting and refining? New behaviors require practice and repetition. Employees need opportunities to test, tweak, and refine their skills in real situations. Michael, an Engineering VP, wanted to support his direct report in being more positive and encouraging in team discussions. So they worked on being more positive in meetings. First, he focused on recognizing team contributions. Later, he practiced framing ideas more constructivelyacknowledging a colleagues perspective before sharing his own. Over time, this intentional practice made positivity more of a habit. 5. Accountability: Are they following through? Progress stalls without follow-ups. You need to conduct regular check-ins to keep the momentum going. Simple questions like How is it going with [goal]? Whats getting easier? Whats still challenging? What do you want to focus on next? help reinforce commitment. The importance of keeping development on track At any given time, your employee may be stuck in different parts of their development. As their manager, your job is to identify the bottleneck and provide specific support. Are they lacking insight? Do they need a clearer action plan? Do they require more practice opportunities? By focusing your coaching conversations on the specific condition that needs reinforcement, you can help them sustain progress. You dont need to know this ahead of your conversation, but you can explore this together by asking open-ended questions and fully listening to what emerges. Remember, meaningful development doesnt happen overnight. It requires your support along the way. Regular, short coaching conversationsrooted in curiosity and attentive presencecan make a significant impact over time.
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E-Commerce
Last week, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington shocked the internet by announcing they’ve discovered a new color that can be experienced only when firing a laser into your retinas. Only five people have seen this color, a blue-green shade called olo. But over the weekend, artist-provocateur Stuart Semple decided to widen the pool by synthesizing olo into an acrylic paint color he named Yolo. Ironically, Yolo is a color you cannot seeat least not accuratelyunless you buy a bottle of the acrylic paint and see it with your own eyes. A 150-milliliter bottle costs $10,000 ($35 if you’re an artist) and is decidedly more accessible than olo. But can it ever be the same? [Photo: courtesy Culture Hustle] Liberating color This isn’t Semple’s first foray into the superlative world of colors. Over the past few years (fueled by various feuds with the artist Anish Kapoor) Semple has created the world’s pinkest pink, followed by the world’s blackest black. In 2021, he hacked Tiffany’s trademarked blue and made his own version, Tiff Blue, which everyone could buy. [Photo: courtesy CultureHustle] A self-described color nerd, Semple has been on a mission to liberate color, as he puts it. If olo really is a new colora claim that’s been contestedhe believes more than five people should be able to experience it. Can’t everyone have a go? Apparently, theyd like to. Within minutes, my DMs were crazy, he says of the requests that poured in from artists and friends alike. Semple spent all night developing Yolo and put it up on his website on Saturday. My sister messaged me about it the following day, and I was like, already done it, he says with a laugh. Within 48 hours of launching Yolo, Semple had sold close to 500 bottles. [Photo: courtesy Culture Hustle] From lasers to pigments The human eye can perceive about 10 million colors known as the visible light spectrum. We see these colors thanks to three kinds of cone cells in our retinas that respond to three specific bands of light: long (red), medium (green), and short (blue). But we dont just see the world in RGB. Our brains blend signals from these cones to fill in the gaps, conjuring colors like oranges, teals, and purples. To re-create olo, Stuart pored over the recent study, which was published in the scientific journal Science Advances, and pulled the color’s chromatic coordinates. These told him where on the visible light spectrum his own color should sit. Then, he set out on a surprisingly low-tech journey of mixing bases and pigments until he landed on the right formula. It’s like baking a cake and tasting it, he says, except instead of his taste buds, he used a spectrometer to see how close each swatch came to olo’s coordinates. But Semple didnt focus only on pigmentshe also looked at texture. In the world of paint, a glossy finish reflects more light than a matte finish, which scatters light in all directions. If you shine a light on a smooth snooker ball, it will bounce off a very small point; but if you shine that same light on a fuzzy tennis ball, the light will get diffused, flattened. Semple’s Black 3.0 paintthe blackest, flattest acrylic paint available on the planetabsorbs 99% of all the visible spectrum. Yolo does the opposite. It reflects 96% of light, but only in the narrow green-blue slice of the spectrum. The other wavelengths are absorbed by the paint. Thats why it looks like its glowing, Semple says. [Photo: courtesy Culture Hustle] You have to see it to believe it The color you see on this screen comes close, but you can’t fully experience it here, or even in a book, because neither can reproduce the exact wavelength the paint captures: Screens use red, green, and blue pixels; printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. To truly experience Yolo, you have to see it in person, which suits Semple just fine: I make things for people with eyes, not computers, he says. Still, the artist claims Yolo is the closest we can get to olo without having a laser fired into our eyeballs. He acknowledges that the litmus test would be to show Yolo to one of those five people, but the scientists did not respond to our requests for comment. If a screen cant fully capture Yolo, then what kind of color can we expect? Over the course of a 30-minute phone call, Semple used the word weird four times until, finally, he landed on a weird luminous teal.
Category:
E-Commerce
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