Agalia Tan

Sarbanes-Oxley in 2002 turned the CEO letter into a committee document reviewed by Legal, Compliance, IR, and the board. The person who held the belief couldn’t sign the document. The person who signed the document didn’t hold the belief.

Economist Karl Polanyi might call this “disembeddedness”: the condition of economic life abstracted away from... See more

Digital platforms are largely devoted to making users consume more, faster—think of TikTok’s frenetic “For You” feed or Spotify’s automated playlists. Curators slow down the unending scroll and provide their followers with a way of savoring culture, rather than just inhaling it, developing a sense of appreciation.

To me, the key to keeping taste is to be true to yourself. While I recognize that that sentiment would be more appropriate on a wine mom’s wall hanging, it is surprisingly hard. When no one cares about you and you make objects for the simple joy of creation, you’re under no pressure to conform your taste to anyone. When your audience grows—when... See more

Mind-expanding surprises rather than gap-closing surprises.

Resonance is radically non-instrumental, Rosa stresses, so it cannot be used to maximize an outcome. It has no goal. Unlike harmony, it allows space for dissonance. In fact, resonance requires a certain friction. Paradoxically, when two people entirely agree on a point, when their experiences are fully congruent, or when an idea doesn’t encounter... See more

Life is short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future

Successful Brand Universes are those that when come in contact with, we as consumers instantly react, “Wow, thats SO [insert brand here].”