Workplace Trends

Performance Management in the Age of AI: the new 3‑Dimensional Model For decades, the 9‑box grid shaped how organizations assessed talent—mapping individuals along two familiar axes: ✔ Business performance (“what”) ✔ Behaviors or potential (“how”) Over time, many companies moved away from this model, concluding it oversimplified the complexity of human performance and sometimes reinforced bias more than it reduced it. AI is fundamentally reshaping work, shortening the lifecycle of skills and creating new capability demands at a pace conventional frameworks were never designed to keep up with. As a result, a new paradigm for performance management is emerging. Organizations are starting to consider a three‑dimensional approach to performance—one that integrates not just what people deliver and how they behave, but also how they grow. The new 3D model consists of three axis: 1. Business Results: Measures impact, delivery, and contribution to outcomes. 2. Behaviors / Ways of Working: Captures collaboration, leadership etc. and.. 3. Skills Development: Assesses capability building, learning velocity, and readiness for future roles. The third axis reflects a simple reality: In an AI‑driven workforce, continuous skills development is no longer optional—it’s strategic. IBM has begun to formalize this multidimensional view in its talent and rewards model. Their approach includes: 1. Integrating skills into pay: Base pay and equity linked to skill progression. 2. Balancing objectives: Business and skills goals carry equal weight 3. Future skills visibility: Regular communication on evolving skill requirements see: https://lnkd.in/eTDE-XmE Not every organization can replicate this model at scale, but it illustrates where performance management is heading. The central questions are shifting. Not just: “Did someone deliver results?” But also: “Are they developing the skills the organization will need next?” and “Are they learning at the speed the environment requires?” The move from a 2D grid to a 3D, capability‑driven framework may become one of the most consequential shifts in performance management in the age of AI—signaling a future where growth, adaptability, and skill relevance stand on equal footing with results.

This hospital charges ₹1999/year for unlimited doctor visits and tests - for a family of 4. Here's how they're making money while doing it. Most Tier 1 city hospitals in India are stuck in a broken cycle. They spend ₹2 crores per bed just on land and construction. This debt pressures them to overcharge, overcrowd OPDs, and push doctors to generate more revenue. Superhealth in Bangalore is doing something completely different. And I think it could change healthcare for millions of people. Here's what they've built 👇 ▶ 1. The VIP Pass model ₹1999/year gets a family of 4: - Unlimited doctor consultations - All prescribed tests covered (yes, even MRIs) How is this viable? The B2B cost of common tests is incredibly low. By cutting out traditional markups and billing friction, they can offer it at near-cost. ▶ 2. Slashed infrastructure costs by 65% They don't buy land or buildings. They lease old structures - like shopping malls - and convert them into 50-bed facilities. Construction drops from 3-6 years to just 120 days using standardized designs and prefabrication. So cost per bed? ₹70 lakhs instead of ₹2 crores. ▶ 3. Faster patient turnover Traditional hospitals keep patients for 3-5 days on average (often to maximise revenue). Superhealth's procedures are optimised 1-1.5 day length of stay. This means their 50-bed facility matches the patient volume of a 150-bed traditional hospital. ▶ 4. Fixed salaries for doctors No commissions. No referral fees. No pressure to over-prescribe. Doctors get ESOPs instead, aligning them with long-term patient outcomes rather than short-term revenue. ▶ 5. Transparent, fixed pricing Whether you're paying cash or using insurance, the price is fixed. No surprises. No hidden costs. Discharge happens within 15 minutes of the doctor's approval because billing is already settled. So the real innovation isn't just affordability. It's proving you can build profitable, high-quality healthcare without exploiting patients. They're essentially competing with health insurance by removing the friction and anxiety that plague traditional care. Book appointment on the app. Walk in. See the doctor. Get tests done. Walk out. No waiting. No billing hassles. Super easy. And I think that’s incredible. Do you think this model could work in your city? #entrepreneurship #healthtech #innovation

NEW ANALYSIS: Electric vehicles are entering the mid-transition space starting to replace ICE vehicles in more and more markets. The transition is already underway. Global EV numbers have grown from 1.2 million in 2015 to nearly 60 million today. History shows that shifts like this can happen faster than expected: in the early 20th-century US, horses and mules virtually vanished from roads in under 30 years. As with the rise of the car, today’s transition is shaped as much by policy and politics as by technology. ICE vehicles didn’t dominate through technical superiority alone—they were supported by massive public investment in roads, urban design, and highways funded by fuel taxes. EVs are well placed to move even faster. They directly replace ICE vehicles while being cleaner, cheaper, and quieter to operate. And past transitions suggest that like-for-like replacements—think black-and-white to colour TV—tend to spread far more quickly than entirely new products. Our new report by the Centre for Net Zero (Octopus Energy Group)'s excellent Andy Hackett, Izzy Woolgar, RMI's Yuki Numata and Laurens Speelman and me at Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford describe how EVs are posed to enter a next phase in it's adoption curve. This is the phase of 'system integration', where integration of EVs into the broader energy and transport system (think vehicle to grid, flexible charging, widespread and equitable charging, battery recycling) becomes more and more important, alongside reducing costs, intense competition, increasing quality and efficiency, and increasing supporting technologies. This new phase represents new opportunities and new challenges both for policy makers and business which we unpack in this report. You can read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eRNdpMj6

If someone told me in the 90s that some day people would pay to count their steps and track their sleep, I would have laughed. Back then, fitness in India was very simple. Some basic gyms. Morning walks. A few public playgrounds. No business models. No content. No communities. I started training because I loved it. I did it for my body, my mind and my work. Somewhere along the way, it became who I am. Over the years, I’ve watched fitness slowly turn into an industry. First came the big shiny gyms. Then the boutique studios. Then the apps & watches, the challenges, the programs. Today, fitness is no longer just workouts. It is a full ecosystem. Trainers, physios, nutrition coaches. Sports academies for kids. Senior citizen programs. Group classes, local leagues, communities. Wellness tourism too! There are businesses being built around fitness and wellness now. When you build it right, a fitness business does 2 things. It makes people healthier. And it money earned with a clean conscience. The hard part is doing it right. I’ve seen gyms open with big launches and shut down quietly a year later. Apps that spent on downloads & influencers, only to see users disappear in weeks. The real problem in fitness is not getting people to start. It is making them stay. The businesses I like are the ones that understand this. They invest in good coaches. Their pricing allows them to survive for years, not just months. They’re honest about what’s possible in 3 months, and what will take 2 years. It may not look very exciting in a pitch deck. But that is the only way any fitness business truly wins. I see a huge opportunity in India for those who understand this. Parents who want their children to move more. Professionals who sit long hours and need strength, not just looks. Seniors who want to stay independent for as long as they can. If you can build for these people with patience and realism, you will not run out of work. I also feel the next big wave in fitness will be about community, not weight loss or abs. Local sports leagues. Small group training. Like this group of runners I see regularly, training for a marathon. I love seeing young adults spend their Saturday nights playing football or cricket on the turf with their friends. Ahan tells me these turfs are always booked. At least in the big cities, padel and pickleball are a part of almost every second conversation. That tells me people are looking for movement that is fun, not just serious. People do not only want a six pack. They want to feel like they belong somewhere. I say this as someone who’s been training for years. Workouts matter. But the people around the workout matter just as much. If you are building in fitness or wellness today, do not just ask how many people signed up this month. Ask how many came back. Ask how many feel stronger and safer in their own body because of you. If you can keep that number growing, you’re building something that is built to last.

Visa & Mastercard are moving faster into stablecoins than anyone expected. And the scale is already massive… Stablecoins are no longer a side experiment, they’re becoming a core payments rail for the card networks. Here are numbers that matter: ► Visa’s stablecoin-linked card spend is up 4x YoY ► 130+ stablecoin card programs live in 40+ countries ► Mastercard: 100+ crypto card programs globally ► Rain’s stablecoin cards → $2B+ annualized spend ► Mastercard is reportedly in talks to acquire Zerohash for $2B: https://lnkd.in/d9Txg3Eb ► Visa already invested in stablecoin startup BVNK and custodian Anchorage What’s driving this? In markets like LATAM and Africa, banks struggle to access USD liquidity. Stablecoins fix that — instantly. And stablecoin-backed prepaid cards let users hold dollars and spend locally, with fintech apps doing the behind-the-scenes conversion. For merchants, the value is even clearer: Funds settle faster while interchange remains the same. Both networks are also quietly enabling banks to issue their own stablecoins, rather than competing with them, a strategic move to stay indispensable. Credit cards won’t be replaced anytime soon (on-chain credit isn’t there yet), but Visa is already studying crypto-backed credit products for the next wave. What’s also interesting: Visa & Mastercard aren’t launching their own stablecoins, they’re becoming the infrastructure helping banks launch theirs. A strategic move to stay indispensable without competing directly with issuers. At the same time, merchants love stablecoin settlement because funds arrive faster, even if interchange stays the same. And while stablecoins won’t replace credit yet (no on-chain credit model exists at scale), Visa is openly exploring crypto-backed credit cards, which they believe could be a “massive opportunity.” My take: This is no longer “crypto payments.” This is a new USD distribution model for the developing world, and the card networks are positioning themselves as the global rails for it. Five years from now, stablecoin-backed cards may be one of Visa’s and Mastercard’s biggest growth engines. What do you think? Find this helpful? [ 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 ] Anything to add about this subject? [𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁] Nice story, Marcel. Next! [ 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 ] (It’s free, but means a lot to me 👍)  

🚨 BREAKING: Revolut Just Got MiCA licence to Sell Crypto to 450 Million Europeans Revolut has announced it secured a MiCA license & launches 1:1 stablecoin redemption at zero spread Coinbase got their MiCA license in June. OKX, Bybit, Crypto.com all have theirs. But Revolut just did something none of them can. --- They're launching "Crypto 2.0" across 30 EEA countries, which includes: → 280+ tokens → Zero-fee staking up to 22% APY (you keep 100% of yields) → RevolutX—their pro trading platform with 0% maker / 0.09% taker fees → **Direct 1:1 stablecoin-to-USD conversion with zero spread** That last line is the killshot. Most platforms bury 0.5-2% in the spread when you exit stablecoins. It's invisible profit on every conversion. Revolut just made it free. $1 in = $1 out. Every single time. --- MiCA demands this: full 1:1 backing, transparent reserves, monthly audits, real redemption rights at par value. But here's what makes Revolut different from every crypto exchange scrambling for compliance: They have 65 million customers globally. 14 million already trade crypto on their platform. Their wealth division grew 298% YoY on crypto activity alone. --- And now they have infrastructure no pure-play exchange can match: → European banking license (via Lithuania, ECB-supervised) → SEPA rails for instant settlement → KYC already complete on tens of millions → Regulatory clearance to scale crypto like a bank product The competition explains why their stablecoin reserves sit in offshore entities with quarterly attestations from firms nobody's heard of. Revolut's reserves will be in European banks. Audited by top-tier firms. Disclosed monthly. With EU banking supervision. --- This is what the crypto product looks like when it's built by people who've been planning for this since 2017. 450 million Europeans need to move between fiat and stablecoins without friction, without spread, without regulatory risk. Revolut now is best placed to be that rail. --- MiCA was supposed to slow everyone down. Instead, it just separated the fintechs who were building compliance into their infrastructure from the exchanges who thought they could add it later. Revolut was ready.

There has been much handwringing about the increasing credit problems of subprime borrowers and the fallout on the financial system and economy. Subprime borrowers are indeed suffering serious financial stress. The delinquency rate on #subprime loans (loans to borrowers with below a 660 Vantage score) jumped to 8.3% in September. This is the highest delinquency rate in September since 2010 in the immediate wake of the Global Financial Crisis. And the direction of travel is disconcerting. It is just more evidence of how hard-pressed lower and middle-income Americans are. However, worries that losses on subprime loans will be a big blow to banks and other financial institutions are overdone. Subprime loans outstanding as of this September total $2.63 trillion, equal to 15.3% of all household debt outstanding. At their peak in 2007, they totaled $3.38 trillion, equal to 28.2% of outstanding debt. Outstanding subprime first mortgage loans are a shadow of what they were in the lead-up to the GFC, and there is about the same amount of subprime bank cards outstanding. Consistent with the recent bankruptcies in the auto sector, there are more subprime auto loans outstanding than prior to the GFC. Still, even so, they amount to just over $400 billion in outstanding. Not enough to do the financial system or the economy in. At least not yet.

US$27.6 trillion moved through stablecoins last year - more than Visa and Mastercard combined. Regulators are stepping in - but their approaches are very different. Still, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 are emerging: ·      Reserves: stablecoins must be fully backed 1:1 by safe, liquid assets - typically cash or short-term government bonds - to preserve value and ensure redemption. ·      Redemption rights: users must be able to cash out at face value, within timelines set by law - ranging from same-day (UAE, Hong Kong) to five days (Singapore). ·      Independent custody: backing assets must be held separately from the issuer’s own funds, often by regulated custodians or in trust, to protect users in case of failure. These shared principles reflect regulatory alignment on the minimum requirements for trust and stability in issuing and using stablecoins. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘆: ·      Who can issue: some jurisdictions restrict this to banks (Japan, South Korea), while others permit non-bank fintechs (US, EU). ·      Reserve rules: the US allows only cash and Treasuries; others like Japan and the UK permit a broader mix of safe assets. ·      Redemption timelines: these differ significantly - affecting liquidity and user expectations. ·      Cross-border limits: Some regimes block foreign-issued stablecoins unless they meet local regulatory standards (e.g. EU, UAE). 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: ·      The US push is accelerating adoption - but puts pressure on non-US issuers to either comply with US rules or exit the market. ·      Asia’s bank-led models favour control and stability but may limit openness and cross-border scale. ·      UK–EU regulatory alignment will determine whether stablecoins can move freely between key markets - or remain siloed. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁: ·     Stablecoin regulation is unfolding much like the early days of card networks - built jurisdiction by jurisdiction, with each market defining its own rules on issuance, custody, reserves, and redemption. ·     Alignment may come, but not soon. Meanwhile, adoption is accelerating. Trillions are already flowing through stablecoins, and regulators are shifting from drafting rules to enforcing them. ·     For issuers and infrastructure providers, waiting for harmonisation is a risk. Competing in this space means navigating a complex patchwork of rules, or losing access to key markets. Opinions: my own, Graphic source and data points: EY 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫: https://lnkd.in/dkqhnxdg

I just watched a brilliant young mind quit after his first performance review.  The system didn't fail, it worked exactly as designed. And that's the problem. A close friend's son called me yesterday asking for advice. This kid has always been exceptional - top of his class, and one of the most hardworking young minds I know. He joined a company last year, excited to prove himself. His first performance review just happened. They put him on a PIP for "team collaboration issues." Here's what actually happened that past year: + On-time, flawless project delivery. + Zero complaints from stakeholders. + Often stayed late to get things right. But he wasn’t loud. He didn’t hang around in Slack threads and coffee chats or networked just for the sake of being visible. He focused on the work. And that somehow became a problem. When he called me, his voice was shaking. "I keep questioning myself. Maybe I really am terrible at my job." Just imagine an A-player, now doubting his entire future because our review systems punish introverts, misfit metrics, and non-traditional brilliance. I told him what I'm telling you: You're not the problem, kid. The system is. Four decades in this industry, and this still breaks my heart every time.  We're crushing exceptional talent with processes designed for a different era. We measure yesterday's activities instead of tomorrow's potential. The best leaders understand that real performance happens in real-time, not annual reviews. They coach continuously, celebrate wins immediately, and address challenges before they destroy confidence. ✅ Netflix eliminated performance reviews entirely.  ✅ Adobe replaced them with ongoing conversations.  ✅ Google shifted to quarterly goals with continuous feedback. These aren't experiments, they're competitive advantages. While traditional companies waste months on review documents nobody reads, smart organisations invest that time in actual development conversations that drive results. We need to replace annual reviews with monthly check-ins that matter. And most importantly, replace the assumption that people need to be "reviewed" like products with the understanding they need to be supported, challenged, and trusted to grow. That young man will find a company that values his work ethic over his small talk skills. His former employer will keep wondering why they can't retain talent while using the same broken processes. The difference will transform one organisation and devastate the other. So, stop managing performance like it's a quarterly report. Start enabling it like it's a human being's career and dreams. #performancereviews #thoughtleadership

How tech workers really feel about work right now With insights from over 8,000 of you (possibly the largest survey of its kind), Noam Segal and I are excited to share the results of our first-ever large-scale tech worker sentiment survey. What we discovered is that tech professionals are experiencing a fascinating mix of emotions about their careers in 2025. Our biggest takeaways: 1. Burnout is at critical levels: Almost half of our respondents are experiencing significant burnout. 2. Tech workers are more optimistic than we expected—but optimism is declining: 58.5% of tech workers remain optimistic about their roles, and 54.8% remain optimistic about their careers. However, there has been a significant negative sentiment shift over the past year. 3. Startup founders are the happiest people in tech: They’re the only group growing more optimistic while consistently outranking everyone else in workplace well-being. 4. Managers need help: Only 26% of tech workers consider their managers highly effective, while over 40% view them as ineffective. 5. Where people work makes little difference in how they feel about work—on the surface. But dig deeper, and hybrid workers are the happiest, remote workers are doing well, and in-office workers are experiencing hidden frustrations. 6. Small-company employees are doing the best: They outperform their large-company counterparts on nearly every work sentiment measure, from job enjoyment to sense of belonging. 7. The mid-career slump: Mid-career workers are struggling the most with burnout, lower job enjoyment, and the most pessimism about the future. 8. A widespread gap in career clarity: Many tech workers don’t know what they should be doing to continue developing in their careers. Two bonus takeaways you'll find at the end of the report: 1. Women are more burned-out (but more engaged) than men 2. AI is keeping tech workers up at night Don't miss the full report: https://lnkd.in/g8RZeFja