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Happy Wednesday, Future Party. If you’re struggling to stay focused in the middle of the work week, maybe take a page from The Atlantic and pivot to playing games. That’s right — The Atlantic is the latest news source to try something new in order to distinguish itself in a flooded news environment. And why not? We could all use a break these days…
DAILY TOP TRENDS
YouTube – “MALBORO ROJO”
X
(Twitter)– Brad LanderGoogle – Boston Brahmin
Reddit – Mount Lewotobi
Letterboxd – Sinners
Spotify – “Nice To Each Other”
We Have A 24-Hour Workday
Break’s over! // Illustration by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
Despite legal requirements that limit many workdays to eight hours, most workers today can never really disconnect from their jobs.
The Big Picture: Today’s average worker has a workday that starts before they wake up, continues after they’ve gone to sleep, and even dominates their weekend. Remote workforces and corporate communications apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams have trapped people in a perpetual work loop — a recipe for burnout.
Clocking In: Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report has some troubling findings for employees everywhere.
Jobs that require a computer ping their workers an average of 275 times per day, or once every 1.75 minutes.
Globally distributed workforces require companies to hold 1 in 5 meetings out of their employees’ “regular” work hours, and the average employee either sends or receives over 50 messages outside of those same hours.
More than half of all meetings are held without being scheduled in advance on a calendar, and 10% are booked without prior notice.
(Not) Clocking Out: The pandemic and the rise of remote work triggered this trend, but return-to-office mandates aren’t fixing or counteracting it. The 24-hour workday is the new state of labor, and it’s likely to cause burnout more quickly than the 9-to-5 cycle did.
Prediction: If companies don’t work to solve this problem, expect higher employee turnover to further accelerate AI’s replacement of humans in the workforce.
Together with Babbel
Think You Can’t Learn A Language? Think Again
You’ve seen ads for language apps before — and maybe even tried one.
It felt slow.
Or repetitive.
Or just... didn’t stick.
You’re busy. You’re not trying to become fluent overnight. You just want to feel a little more confident — on your trip, in your career, or even just for yourself.
Babbel gets that. It’s designed by real language experts — not bots — and teaches you how to actually have conversations.
Wherever you are — on the couch, on a flight, between meetings — just 10 minutes a day is all it takes. You could start speaking in as little as three weeks.
So, no, you don’t need to be a language prodigy. You don’t need hours a day. You just need a few minutes — and the right tool.
And right now, Babbel is 55% off.
Let this be the one that finally works.
A Data Center Boom Is Destroying Residential Areas
Big Data has a big cost
Big Tech’s push to build hundreds of data centers has brought economic activity — and massive disruption — to the lives of nearby residents.
The Big Picture: Big Tech companies like Google have recently constructed over a thousand data centers in dense clusters, terraforming the surrounding environment and making it almost impossible to live nearby.
Between the Lines: A hub of data centers in Northern Virginia has drastically altered many Virginians’ quality of life.
People living near data centers complain of deafening round-the-clock jackhammering, explosions that crack home drywall, constant droning from HVAC systems, and noxious diesel fumes in the air.
Thousands of football fields’ worth of forests and green space have been razed to make way for the data centers, destroying habitats and environments that once made the area desirable.
Data centers are often incompatible with residential areas, but state officials, eager for jobs and investment, have offered Big Tech tax breaks and zoning changes to make these problems disappear.
Some residents support the initiative, citing increased community investment, significant tax breaks for homeowners, and major increases in the median sales prices of homes.
Conclusion: Tech’s thirst for data is only growing, and residents near data centers have little choice but to accept the unwelcome changes or move away. And with these data centers razing natural habitats and potentially jeopardizing air and water quality, those who can afford to are often choosing to leave.
Prediction: Expect Big Data and AI to become even more divisive following environmentally destructive initiatives that enrich some while degrading the standard of living and property values of others.
Together with Groupon
Unlock Your City For 70% Less
Ready to make plans you’ll actually brag about?
Groupon is your ticket to unbeatable local experiences — think chef-curated tasting menus, skyline tours, and spa days that melt stress away.
Hand-picked deals drop daily at up to 70% off — so whether you’re craving:
• Sushi
• Salsa lessons
• A surprise staycation
You’ll discover something extraordinary (and shockingly affordable) right in your own backyard.
DEEP DIVES
Watch: BBC explores the question of whether AI therapists are better than human therapists — and why we may not want to use them regardless.
Read: Vox covers how, for the first time in history, parents overwhelmingly want daughters rather than sons.
Listen: Slate interviews eight people on the dating market to track how fast a person’s love life can change over the course of a single summer.
Do you feel like your workday regularly extends beyond eight hours?
67.1% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Have you ever owned a Barbie doll?
“Of course! I was absolutely obsessed with Barbie from childhood all the way to when I was 13, 14 years old!”
“Received one of the first generation for my 8th birthday and passed her on to a grand niece about 10 years ago. There are still a number of collectible versions in my closet. Always loved her fashions and the fact my imagination could take her on adventures I could never dream of with baby dolls. Some people complained about her promoting an unrealistic body image, but for me, she opened doors to possibilities beyond motherhood and playing house.”
“Malibu Barbie and Peaches N Cream Barbie were my favorites among too many to count. My mom collects them, and we have flown as far as Europe to find them. Hers were not to be touched, classic, and very beautiful.”
“No Barbies but plenty of GI Joes!”
Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.
QUICK HITS
→ Entertainment / Media
🇯🇵 Japanese marketing company Dentsu grows its anime initiatives in North America.
🗞️ The Washington Post is considering paying Substack to feature the platform’s journalists and writers.
✂️ Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to reduce its formerly enormous pay package for CEO David Zaslav.
→ Technology
🤖 New York is officially the first US state to force companies to report when mass layoffs are due to AI.
📞 Privacy experts are spooked that WhatsApp’s new ads could jeopardize user confidentiality.
🍕 The Pentagon Pizza Index is a weirdly reliable way to predict global emergencies.
→ Creator Economy
💄 Ulta Beauty is paying its employees to create content with its products while they’re on the clock.
🔎 With major influencers becoming pricier and less “authentic,” brands turn to “micro-influencers” with smaller audiences.
▶️ YouTube is redirecting its expansion efforts towards monetizing content creators on YouTube Shorts.
Let us know how we are doing...
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by Luke Perrotta.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.