China is "the most competitive market in the world," Cook told analysts on Thursday.

Digital transformation is the most important investment that organizations can make to drive enterprise value. Thats according to 68% of 1,600 business leaders surveyed by Deloitte. And while I largely agree with their thinking, I would take things one very important step further.In my six years as CEO of Argyle, a technology company whose existence hinges on other organizations willingness to digitally transform their income verification process, I have learned this: A transformation that prioritizes the needs, skills, and experiences of the humans operating the technology being adopted is the key to long-term success.Consider the usersSome call it taking a human-centered approach. I call it common sense. The point of automating business processes is to improve performance and drive efficiencies that allow humans to focus on tasks they do best. So it stands to reason that setting a digital transformation strategy in a vacuum and imposing technology on employees will fail at best, and backfire at worst.I say this with experience. In our earliest days at Argyle, we were heads down building out an infrastructure that didnt previously exist. We focused on the functionality of our platform and its output because we had to get to market and prove we had a viable product. In the process, we considered the needs of the businesses that would buy our products, but lacked the resources or bandwidth to prioritize every potential users experience. As a result, we managed to successfully sell our technology, but struggled to attain the adoption rates we considered indicative of true success.As we matured, we learned better and amassed the resources we needed to do something about it. Now we know that widespread digital transformation only happens when people value and trust new technologies enough to change their behavior. And change is hard.Prioritize people in your digital transformationAccording to Accenture research, 80% of organizations intend to implement transformational change in the future. Meanwhile, 95% of organizations have undergone at least two or more transformations in the past three years.At the same time, most organizations arent exactly optimistic about the transformation process or its projected outcomes. Only 30% feel confident about their change capabilities, and 30% anticipate their transformation efforts having a significant impact on performance.Thats depressing. But its not unsolvable.McKinsey research has shown that prioritizing people is one thing organizations that have undergone successful digital transformations have in common. They dont lose sight of the fact that their efforts are in service of their employees performance and that success depends on their enthusiastic adoption of any new technologies introduced.4 ways to put people firstIn practice, putting people first means taking employees into consideration at every stage of a digital transformation journey. Here are four ways to do that.Tedious work: When deciding where to focus your efforts, for example, you could start with the tasks and processes that employees find the most tedious or frustratingthe ones that stand most in the way of them getting to do the work they enjoy or derive value from. It also entails being realistic about the extent of technological change your team can reasonably handle in its current state.Solicit input: When evaluating solutions, a human-centered approach could mean inviting employees to participate in a pilot program and soliciting their input. And it should mean working with technology vendors that proactively anticipate your employees needs in their solutions design. Beyond that, vendors should also be willing, able, and agile enough to customize their solution to further meet your operational demands and team preferences. This goes a long way in eliminating or minimizing the disruptions and frustrations that could breed confusion among employees or trigger their resistance.Communications: At implementation, prioritizing people means devising a concerted rollout strategy that effectively communicates the change being instituted, why its being instituted, and its timelineerring on the side of overcommunication, if theres any doubt. McKinseys research showed that companies that proved successful at their automation efforts were seven times more likely to formally engage their communications team at the implementation stage. Thoughtful, team-wide training is also key and should be deeply supported, if not actively co-managed, by the technology vendor.Track and evaluate: And finally, digital transformation ought not to be a set-it-and-forget-it initiative. You should plan on regularly evaluating technology solutions with employee input in order to quickly identify and fix issues affecting adoption and performance. This will also allow you to successfully absorb, communicate, and provide training on upgrades as they become available.At Argyle, in order for us to lead our own slice of the digital transformation, we now consider and account for the human element of transformation as much as the technology itself. We know that our collective progress depends on the receptivity of the people operating our productsand that depends on our willingness to see them, hear them, and account for them in all of our decisions. We encourage all technology leaders to follow suit.Shmulik Fishman is founder and CEO of Argyle.

Decades of research show the benefits of women in leadership are invaluable. Females embody a more transformational leadership style fostering mission-driven cultures. Female presence also improves team dynamics, with better collaboration and collective intelligence; the greater the ratio of women, the greater equality is seen in conversations, thus capitalizing on the teams full knowledge and skillsets. All this translates into measurable results: meta-analyses link female leadership with improved sales, and their representation on the board of directors is also directly associated with financial performance.The largest study of women in corporate America marked its 10th anniversary and has found gains fragile, especially for women of color. The Women in the Workplace 2024 report from McKinsey and Lean In shows representation of women has improved at every level of management, but equity is still decades away. Despite the gains still to be made, corporate Americas prioritization of gender diversity has declined. Yet there would be a 22% increase in global human capital wealth if there was equal participation of women in just the healthcare industry alone!A trailblazing exampleThe recipient of the nutraceutical industrys first female leadership award, Trailblazing Woman of the Year Yasmeen Nkrumah-Elie, PhD, exemplifies the transformative leadership that women bring to the table. Recognized for pioneering groundbreaking industry-academia collaborations, Nkrumah-Elie was selected by the Council of Responsible Nutrition and my company, Radicle Science, for her passion for advancing science, promoting diversity, and mentoring the next generation of female leaders.The global director for external research at ChromaDex spearheaded the companys industry-leading collaborative research program which has resulted in approximately $100 million in third-party funded research with 300 research collaborations, including Harvard, Mayo Clinic, and National Institute on Aging.When Nkrumah-Elie received her award, she used the moment to celebrate another trailblazer: Chioma Ikonte, PhD, the first Black woman to become a chief scientific officer in the nutraceutical industry. This type of championing and community building also helps address one of the biggest challenges women face in business: limited access to resources and networks.Evidence-based interventionsNkrumah-Elies experiences align closely with the best practices highlighted in McKinseys report surveying 280 organizations, as well as a meta-analysis published in the medical journal The Lancet reviewing 91 studies across six continents.These sources converge on four evidence-backed interventions to advance women in leadership:Structured processes for awareness and engagement Intentional leadership accountability and equitable policies are essential for addressing systemic barriers. McKinsey identifies bias tracking and bias reminders in hiring and performance reviews as among the most effective practices.Nkrumah-Elie reflects on her experiences: I walked into my interview with 100% my authentic self, and Ive been accepted for who I am and what I stand for every single day that Ive been in the company. Its wonderful to be somewhere where Im celebrated, not just tolerated.Mentoring and networkingMentorship is critical for fostering womens leadership. The benefits are not just seen in individual career advancement, but across the entire organization, including better employee retention, engagement, and knowledge-sharing.Nkrumah-Elie emphasizes mentorship as a cornerstone of her philosophy: Being a mentor is one of the greatest gifts, whether it is formal or informalIn our supplement industry, that means we are joining organizations like Women in Nutraceuticals that are helping elevate women in the industry.Leadership development programs Effective programs address systemic barriers while simultaneously building womens leadership skills. Co-designing these initiatives with stakeholders ensures alignment with organizational and individual needs.Nkrumah-Elie shares how she was encouraged to grow as an industry leader: When things were happening around 2020 and I started to present myself as a voice, as a voice for women, for intentionally marginalized groups, I was so worried I would lose my position. My mentor said, You can say this at the NBJ meeting [the nutrition industrys C-suite summit] and have these conversations and be listened to. I think thats unique to our industry. I question how many industries are continuing to take that perspective and hearing that voice, but their employees and consumers are the beauty of that diversity in America.Support toolsWhen integrated within broader strategies, support tools can identify and address gender inequities. Training managers to support employee well-being is among McKinseys best practices. Interventions, such as menopause support, with a strong focus on measurable impact, are also key differentiators in high-performing organizations.Understanding women have different needs, Nkrumah-Elie calls for integrating women into all parts of research and development in her industry: That means we are advancing the science thats studying and including women in all stages of lifewe should not be excluding women because of differences in our biology, which has been done for hundreds of years. Now its time to say there is a right for women to be included in all aspects of this process.Sustaining progressMost importantly, for any intervention to be effective and sustainable, there must be organizational support across all levels. Echoing the Lancet meta-analysis, McKinsey found that commitment and engagement, specifically with gender and racial diversity being a strategic priority, were among the top differentiators for the best performing companies. The science is clear. Companies committed to investing in structured processes, mentorship, leadership development programs, and tailored support tools are not just advancing equity in female leadershiptheyre positioning themselves for better performance and long-term growth.As we celebrate the incredible women who are changing the world, we remember that each of us has a role to play. Whether its through mentorship, allyship, or simply amplifying womens voices, together we can build a future where everyones potential is recognized and celebrated.Jeff Chen, MD, MBA is cofounder and CEO of Radicle Science.

Its crazy that a 1998 movie predicted the surveillance economy in the most casual way possible. If you havent seen The Truman Show, it feels more hard-hitting now than it did back when the movie premiered. In 1998, it was just a strange dystopian film about one man being spied on with multiple cameras shooting reality TV of his life without his knowledge. Now, it feels all too real, with all our devices spying on us 247. The show might be 27 years old, but it painted a rather vivid reality through a great story and wonderful sets now those sets get a LEGO recreation thanks to LEGO builder Trojada.This build is a detailed tribute to the 1998 film, centering on the massive amphitheater-like arc that encases Trumans life. The curved exterior suggests the illusion of an endless sky, but inside, the reality is starkly different. Seven of the movies most memorable scenes are tucked within its walls, turning the structure into both a stage and a prison. At the heart of it all is the climactic momentthe door to the real world, camouflaged against a backdrop of clouds on a sky, waiting for Truman to step through. Its a striking visual that encapsulates the films core message about control, freedom, and the pursuit of truth.Designer: TrojadaBeyond the arc, the build extends into the backstage world of The Truman Show. Christof, the shows omnipotent director, sits perched on his chair, monitoring Trumans every move. The fake elevator scene makes an appearance here as well, reminding fans of that chilling moment when Truman catches a glimpse behind the curtain. These details reinforce the unsettling contrast between the cheerful artifice of Trumans daily life and the cold mechanics of the production controlling him.In front of the main build, a smaller scene pays homage to two of the films most important secondary characters. Sylvia, the woman who tried to warn Truman of the truth, sits alongside the man in the bathtub, one of the millions glued to their screens, living vicariously through Trumans existence. This addition is a clever nod to the films commentary on media consumption, showing both resistance and passive spectatorship in the same space.The minifigure selection brings the films cast to life in LEGO form. Truman himself is the star, and extra pieces allow builders to swap his outfits to match the six different scenes he appears in. Seven minifigures in total populate this build, each representing the key players in Trumans story. The attention to detail ensures that every moment recreated here is instantly recognizable to fans of the film.At 75 x 30 x 12 cm, this set might be a little more expansive than most LEGO builds, but rarely do we ever get an entire diorama of a movie in one LEGO kit. Sadly this ones just a fan-made submission for a LEGO competition on 90s Throwback. Voting for the submission hasnt opened yet, but itll be fun to see such a build actually brought to life. If the diorama trend kicks off, could we see other movies? The Matrix, Inception, or anything from Wes Andersons filmography?The post Iconic Movie The Truman Show Gets Transformed Into an Incredibly Detailed LEGO Diorama first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dubbed the Esch 22 Space Station 04 E22SSPIU with PIU (standing for Pump It Up), this unique towable dwelling can inflate its upper floor to accommodate six people. Tiny homes often adopt unusual and clever approaches to expand their floorspace, while maintaining portability. They often pop out, remove their roof, or even expand upwards. However, the E22SSPIU (yeah, that names a mouthful) has taken an innovative route.This dwelling was designed by Luxembourg-based studio 2001 for the city of Esch, Luxembourg. It is a research project that experiments and researches housing ideas, but these ideas arent necessarily serious plans or propositions. This little home is intended to be food for thought, encouraging us to consider different and unusual housing plans.Designer: 2001This innovative design features a robust stainless steel double-axle trailer, which provides a solid and durable foundation for the entire unit. The exterior is minimalist, with limited glazing except for a large window strategically cut into the rear of the trailer. This window allows natural light to flood the interior while also offering a picturesque view of the surroundings.You can enter the interior through a small metal ramp. The interior has been organized efficiently to maximize functionality. The living area is placed in the downstairs section, and it includes a fully-equipped bathroom as well as a small kitchen area. The kitchen includes a sink, ample storage space, a fridge, and a cozy dining area for meals.Once the dwelling has been safely parked, the roof is opened using pneumatic struts, forming a floor base. Then, a large double-shell dome is inflated with a compressor, building a sleeping quarter for six people. You can access the upstairs area through two different options. A traditional staircase is placed in the kitchen area offering access, while an elevator system is also available, which is great for individuals with reduced mobility.The upstairs area is a single and expansive room, with flooring made from cork. A grated metal section has been integrated into the flooring design, allowing natural light to filter through to the lower level.The room is furnished with inflatable mattresses, offering flexible sleeping arrangements that can be easily adjusted or stored as needed.The E22SSPIU! is equipped with a sophisticated water recycling system. This system repurposes the wastewater from the sink and shower, redirecting it to flush the toilet. This feature aims to promote water conservation and sustainability, which is valuable and essential in environments where resources are limited.The practicality of this inflatable design is subject to debate, and we are unsure whether it could work. It isnt the most conventional solution out there, but it is a pretty creative approach to optimizing and maximizing the functionality of compact living spaces.The post The Upper Floor Of This Ingenious Tiny Home Inflates To Accommodate Six People first appeared on Yanko Design.

Is Barbiecore still a thing? Casio is betting it is.

The need for the burgeoning ADU market in theSouthern Californiamarket is commanding a closer look. As such, heres an interesting project from Michael Matthews Studio, which was just named a Citation Award winner at the AIA Los Angeles Design Awards in December.Image courtesy Michael Matthews StudioWorking for a relocated client on a sloping 0.6-acre parcel in the San Diego area, Matthews Barrel Cactus ADU is a 1-bed/1-bath 1,050-square-foot design attached to a one-story midcentury modern home. As the name suggests, barrel-vaulted ceilings and a reference to endemic Saguaro Cactus plants are its defining characteristics.Image courtesy Michael Matthews StudioA "contemporary response then forms via a rheumatic response between the glass-fiber reinforced roofline and bioretentive cactus planters, allowing for a high thermal mass.Image courtesy Michael Matthews StudioThe introduction of clerestory windows and the possibility of deep overhangs provide the space with further in...

Mother Games, which launched from stealth last year, revealed the teaser trailer for its RPG Le Zoo, which it plans to launch this year.Read More

Google announced Thursday that the Gemini app is getting its Gemini 2.0 Flash AI model. The upgraded model delivers fast responses and stronger performance across a number of key benchmarks, providing everyday help with tasks like brainstorming, learning or writing, the company said in a post.The change is rolling out to Geminis web and mobile apps and will be available to all users. Google also says that youll still be able to use Gemini 1.5 Flash and 1.5 Pro for the next few weeks.The company first introduced Gemini 2.0 in December and promised that it was working quickly to get it in its products. At the time, it launched an experimental version of Gemini Flash 2.0 to Gemini users. On Thursday, Google also said that Geminis image generation capabilities now use the newest version of the companys Imagen 3 AI text-to-image generator. According to Google, the model delivers richer details and textures and follows your instructions with greater accuracy.

Rotating Box Challenge: Why OpenAI GPT Beat DeepSeek and Qwen2.5 Hands Down 0 like January 30, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Tarun Singh Originally published on Towards AI. This member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Imagine a rotating box. Inside it, a ball bounces around, striking the walls, defying gravity, and never stepping out of bounds. Sounds simple, right? Well, not for every AI model.I decided to put three of the most talked-about AI models OpenAI GPT, DeepSeek, and Qwen2.5 to the test. The challenge? A simple physics simulation of a rotating box with a bouncing ball. No technical jargon, no pricing debates, no architecture comparisons just a practical, real-world demonstration of how well these models can execute a given prompt.Heres how it went down.I gave all three models the exact same prompt:Physics Simulation: Ball in a Rotating Box Create a Python program that simulates a ball moving inside a rotating square box. The simulation should: Use Pygame (or Pygame+Pymunk) for physics and graphics Display a square box rotating continuously around its center Show a ball affected by gravity and collisions Ensure the ball stays within the box's boundaries Provide smooth animation and realistic physics behavior Technical Requirements: Python 3.x with Pygame 800800 pixel window 60 FPS target performance Basic collision detection Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post