Larry Fabbroni is an architect, strategic advisor, and Chief Innovation Officer for Practice of Architecture. Throughout his career, he has led efforts to reform studio culture and innovate practice. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. In 2017, as leaders in the AIA’s Young Architects Forum (YAF), we led the launch of the Practice Innovation Lab (PIL) and hosted a symposium that imagined new architectural practice models. At that time, we already felt that practice innovation was overdue in a profession that has not seen scaled disruption to its business model in over a century. Today, we are confident that there has never been a more critical time for the profession to embrace innovation. Redefining Innovation Henley Hall: Institute for Energy Efficiency by KieranTimberlake, Santa Barbara, California | KieranTimberlake’s research expertise creates value beyond a baseline labor model.  Currently, artificial intelligence dominates strategy conversations, but just as we saw back in 2017, larger patterns prompt calls for innovation. Talent attraction is increasingly challenging, disruptive technology continues to emerge, and actors from outside our industry show growing interest in the space. While incremental innovation has long been a part of the profession, relatively few firms have adopted new practices that create value beyond a baseline labor model. Firms such as KieranTimberlake have shown that research expertise can do this. MASS Design has pioneered a mission-driven approach. BIG has taken on the role of architect-as-developer. Snøhetta houses a product design division. We could continue to list great firms that have pushed the boundaries of practice, but they represent exceptions that have yet to be recognized as new standards. Indeed, the confluence of those factors that led to the original PIL continues to make the case that the time for scaled innovation is now. A Melting Iceberg: Incremental Changes Depleting the Profession Powerhouse Telemark by Snøhetta, Vestfold og Telemark, Norway | Photo by Ivar Kvaal | Snøhetta houses a product design division, innovatively presenting a alternative business model for firms.  One of the dangers of operating in a slow-moving industry is that change is difficult to detect and even more challenging to comprehend. If an iceberg loses 1% of mass per year, it’s tough to take notice, but the end result is catastrophic. This is what is happening to our profession. For newcomers, if it feels like there are increasingly more attractive opportunities elsewhere, that’s because there are. For seasoned professionals, if it feels like it’s become more challenging to maintain the same levels of prosperity, that’s because it has. Less(er) Talent In some ways, the shift towards companies recognizing “talent” as their most excellent resource has bewildered architects: we have always relied on talent. However, the patterns of talent leaving our profession are concerning. We say “feel” because there is no significant data. We spoke to Kendall A. Nicholson, Senior Director of Research at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), who confirmed that aggregated data on graduate placement does not exist. So we inquired about what placement looks like at several programs around the country. Omar Khan, Head of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture, informed us that approximately 90% of students pursue a minor to expand their horizons, and that in 2022, nearly one in three graduates entered the tech sector. Khan stated that these opportunities aren’t just student-driven — large innovative companies increasingly seek the value that graduates of architecture schools will provide. This increasing difficulty in capturing the talent that architecture schools are producing results in a shrinking and diluted talent pool. For a profession so reliant on human resources, this presents extreme risk. Pay Gaps In an increasingly expensive world, we are not able to compete for the best talent with emerging industries. It’s easy to understand why a popular career pivot for architects has become UX design. Designing user experience for websites pays significantly better than designing the same for the built environment. According to Glassdoor, 2023 entry-level UX designers earned an average of $78K, while the AIA salary calculator suggests architecture grads can expect to earn an average of $59 K. The talent we do attract into the profession often loses interest when they experience low pay and long hours, all while most firms lack clear paths and criteria for advancement or compensation increases. A Smaller Piece of the Pie Examining data in isolation, one might conclude that the profession continues to grow; the number of architects has increased substantially over the last century, and this trend has persisted in recent years. The problem with this growth is that the estimated share of the US GDP for Architectural Services has shrunk over time. This is not a manageable number to measure before 1999, when NCARB first aggregated local jurisdictional data. Due to limitations in industry economic data, we’re only showing data since 2011 for the purposes of this article. In that time, the number of architects has grown, the market size for services has grown, but the share those services represent as a portion of the US GDP has declined — by 15% if we use US Census data to almost 30% if we use industry research data (we used IbisWorld.com, however we found data that suggested a worse and others that offered a slightly better picture). To put it another way, architecture is a stagnant industry with a shrinking share of the economy. It’s challenging to examine this data and emerge feeling confident about the profession, but there is a silver lining. The biggest impediment to innovation for architects is not a lack of talent, but rather the business model. Design thinking has been widely adopted throughout the world as a key component of innovation processes; however, the problem is that we operate in the realm of professional services, which inherently is not well-suited to promoting innovation. Reliance on that formula is causing our iceberg to melt. The Tsunami: The AI Tidal Wave is Here The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture by MASS Design Group, Rwanda | MASS Design has pioneered a mission-driven approach that creates value beyond a baseline labor model.  As we confront the exodus of talent, it is easy for both firm owners and clients to imagine AI bringing efficiencies and replacing “CAD-monkeys” with machines. However, any firm that wants to operate — and win — as anything more than a low-cost provider will need a strategy to increase value, not just cut costs. AI is merely part of the toolbox required to confront a perfect storm of forces. Jobs will Disappear Goldman Sachs predicts that as much as 37% of our industry tasks will be replaced by AI. Many see this as a pathway to lower costs and increased profits. However, that is short-sighted. Markets will adjust quickly and demand lower costs for services; additional new value will need to be articulated and proven, and this will only happen through innovation. New Jobs will Emerge (but fewer of them) AI prophets often emphasize that technological innovation has historically led to net employment gains. Previous World Economic Forum estimates predicted losses of up to 85 million existing jobs worldwide, with parallel gains of as many as 97 million new jobs. However, these estimates were revised in the WEF 2023 Economic Outlook, which now anticipates a net loss of 14 million jobs. This stark outlook signals an even greater need for architects to become more innovative. The 2024 RIBA AI Report indicates that 41% of architecture firms were already utilizing AI, though current tools are indeed just the beginning. Marketing, business development and content creation will be standard areas of AI deployment moving forward. Still, revolutionary changes will come in how we learn, not only to use new tools, but also to collaborate with digital agents. How will this happen? We can theorize, but it is not possible to know for sure until it arrives, so we need to have a plan before we can see the tidal wave from land. The Alien Invasion: Outsiders Are Entering Our Orbit VIA 57 West by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, New York City, New York | BIG has pioneered a new model for practice by taking on the role of architect-as-developer. For years, we’ve heard cries that “architects gave away the role of master builder.” But how much did architects actually give, and how much was taken by innovative competition? This distinction is critical because the wagons are circling, and the AEC space has become ever more attractive to investors. Venture Capital and Private Equity Investment The numbers are often difficult to parse because architecture can impact so many verticals and does not operate as its own sector in the investment realm; however, the trends suggest a groundswell is underway. A 2023 McKinsey report shows that construction tech deals nearly doubled from 2019 to 2022, growing by 85%. At the same period, the number of deals increased by 30%, indicating that interest continues to grow. An increasing size of deals also suggests a maturity of the market. As interest in infrastructure investments has declined from its high in 2020, and along with real estate, has been blunted by high interest rates, institutional investors continue to see opportunities in the AEC space. Firm Acquisitions AEC firms that deliver predictable returns have proven to be attractive targets for PE firms. In the second quarter of 2024, private equity firms accounted for over one-third of AEC firm mergers and acquisitions. For M&A deals, the industry has seen an increase in attractiveness with expanded infrastructure spending as a catalyst. However, this interest can also be tied to the lack of innovation that has resulted in an industry ripe for consolidation. M&A orchestrators generate large amounts of profit by streamlining operations, eliminating redundancies, and then stamping out competition. An entire community has been built around this, with AEC Advisors hosting an annual “Private Equity Summit” that brings together CEOs of AEC firms with PE investors. Startups As an extension of the growing interest from venture capital in the space, there is an upward trend in the AEC space being targeted for disruption by entrepreneurs who see an industry that represents a significant portion of the global GDP. AEC Works, a project of e-verse that catalogs AEC startups and investors, lists nearly 800 startups from around the world, with almost 200 identified as “architecture-focused.” The signal is clear: startups are looking to figure out how to do what you do cheaper, better, or perhaps both. Combining this environment with depleted talent pools, a declining share of GDP, and revolutionary technology, it is a correct response to be alarmed. Significant change is inevitable. It is time for architects to see the same opportunities that investors and entrepreneurs see, and learn to navigate within these spaces. The Great Opportunity Throughout history, new actors have enjoyed a “leap-frog” effect and been able to surpass established incumbents to reshape industries, markets and economies. From climate change to pandemic ripple effects, to the housing crisis, to generational shifts in the workforce, there are many forces that directly impact the work of architects and call for innovation. The need for new ways of designing and delivering different components of the built environment is ever-present and will be solved by teams that either include — and might be led by — architects, or those that do not. Most end users will only care if the resulting product is superior. This time of tension is indeed a time of great opportunity. Architects who embrace innovation in pursuing new iterations of our dated business models may actually achieve what many of us have dreamed of from the start: to leave a positive mark on the world. We think the future of the profession depends on it. Top image: Powerhouse Telemark by Snøhetta, Vestfold og Telemark, Norway The post Architects, Your Real Competition Isn’t AI — It’s Business Complacency appeared first on Journal.

After the celebration ends, college graduates typically face numerous transitions, from moving to a new city and/or starting a new job to taking on student loan payments and other financial responsibilities. College students are often targeted for job scams, but the Better Business Bureau is alerting recent grads about schemes being employed specifically to steal their personal information and money during this transition period. Unpaid tuition scamImagine getting a call after graduation that you have an outstanding tuition payment, and unless you pay the bill immediately, your diploma will be rescinded. Scammers are using this threat to con recent grads—who have, in fact, paid their full tuition—into sending money via wire transfer or prepaid debit card, which cannot be tracked or recovered. Another version of this scam attempts to convince college students (and/or their parents) that they owe tuition and need to pay immediately to ensure they remain enrolled. If you receive an email, text, or call about an unpaid bill, do not engage—instead, contact your school's bursar or financial services office directly. You will typically receive communication from higher education institutions by mail or via a secure student portal—not as an urgent message demanding money.Student loan scamsStudent loans have been targets for scammers for years—made easier by the starting and stopping of loan forgiveness programs—and recent college grads who are getting ready to make their first payments are common victims. You may get an unsolicited call, text, or email from a company offering debt relief or debt forgiveness services for a fee. In some cases, the company is legit but making false claims, and in others, the whole thing is a scam. They may ask for upfront payment, usually via gift card or wire transfer, and never deliver, or gather a bunch of personal information that can be used to steal your identity. While the status of loan forgiveness can be difficult to follow, you should know the details of your loan, including when payments are due to begin, and look for official sources regarding loan forgiveness options. Job scamsEmployment scams range from fake job listings to unsolicited texts from "recruiters" offering a position while demanding personal information and payment for "training." Recent grads may be promised an entry-level remote role at a completely unrealistic salary, and scammers collect everything from your Social Security number to your bank account information in exchange for the offer. Other schemes have you pay upfront for training or equipment you never receive (because the job isn't real) or pay you too much with a fake check and ask for reimbursement via app or wire transfer. No one is getting too-good-to-be-true jobs in this market. Always do your due diligence on companies before applying for a position or accepting an offer: Review the official website for contact information and job postings, and consider reaching out to HR or employees you locate independently to confirm that a position is legit. Don't ever pay for anything up front. Moving scamsThe moving industry seems to be rife with scams, and recent grads who need to move across town or out of state are not immune. Moving companies may charge more money than was quoted and, in the worst cases, hold your stuff hostage unless you pay. Or they may simply not show after you've paid a deposit for the move. Red flags for moving companies include estimates delivered quickly and with little information collected about your move, full payments demanded before the move, and non-refundable deposits paid via peer-to-peer apps and bank transfers (negating the protection of credit cards). Thoroughly research the company to understand how moving brokers operate, and make sure you get everything in writing.Rental scamsIf you make it through the actual move unscathed, you could still encounter a rental scam. As with job scams, these involve listings that sound too good to be true, with lots of amenities in a desired location at an affordable price. (Like job scams, most renters aren't getting these deals in this market.) Fraudsters may even use real properties in their listings to lure you in. Once they have you, they collect a deposit, first month's rent, and a bunch of personal information while leaving you with nowhere to live. While you may pay your actual rent via Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo, you shouldn't use these services to send a deposit for a rental you haven't seen to a landlord you haven't met. Search the listing on Zillow, Redfin, and other rental sites to look for inconsistencies that could indicate a scam. Verify the address, look at Google street view, and visit (or send someone you trust in your place) before paying any money if you can.

College graduates were left speechlessA video that has since gone viral on social media shows students having a QR on their smartphone scanned, only to have an AI read their name out loud — an irritating use of the tech that turned what should've otherwise been a proud moment in their academic career into what commenters likened to using the self-checkout counter at the supermarket.It's especially galling for an institution that charges north of $50,000 a year in tuition alone."So even public event speakers are getting replaced," one Reddit user wrote. As the New York Post points out, Pace University ostensibly performed the stunt for the sake of accuracy. Well ahead of the event, officials directed students to visit a website where they could phonetically spell their names and confirm how they were pronounced."To ensure your name is pronounced correctly, you must register to attend Commencement through Tassel by Wednesday, April 23," reads an FAQ on the university's website.Tassel is a private company that claims to have helped more than 600 schools "deliver the perfect moment for millions of students over 20+ years."The company offers "live ceremony stage-crossing software" designed to streamline convocation events and ensure "accurate pronunciation" of graduate names."With AI and our proprietary multilingual models — powered by a growing database of over 2 million names, phonemes, and linguistic patterns across multiple languages — our platform allows students to hear exactly how their names will be pronounced as they cross the stage," Tassel boasts on its website.If the AI butchers their name even after it was coached by the student, graduates can "submit an audio recording of their name" instead.The software raises some thorny questions about when it's truly appropriate to deploy an AI, particularly concerning jobs that could've easily been taken care of by a human."When I graduated, the person reading out the names had done a run through, just to check they were getting it right," one user wrote in a post on Threads. "It didn't take that long, and was less weird than showing your phone for them to scan."Worst of all, despite all those technical bells and whistles, Tassel reportedly still managed to butcher some names."They told us to write our names phonetically so it's said correctly, and they still said my name wrong, which is forever documented in videos," one user commented on Instagram.The use of AI to read student names has been met with significant blowback from college grads across the country.Student journalists at Northeastern University, which also deployed Tassel, published an op-ed arguing that the institution should "read our names at graduation, it’s the least you can do.""To many students like myself, a small switch from an AI voice bot to a physical person would mean the world," reads the op-ed, penned by student Henry Bova and published in The Huntington News. "A human can reciprocate our sense of joy and can understand the gravity of the moment and the academic rigor that we endured to get to this point.""All the AI voice does is reduce the recognition of our accomplishments as a menial task to push through with brute computations," Bova wrote.An online petition by students at the University of North Georgia called on the university to stop "using an AI speaker for graduation," garnering over 2,000 signatures.The backlash was so fierce in some parts of the country that West Chester University in Pennsylvania ditched the AI altogether, as Axios reported earlier this month.Other onlookers pointed out the irony of AI coming for the jobs of recent college graduates in particular."A whole lifetime of studies and 100k in debt just to have your name announced by the very entity that's going to make your studies useless," one Reddit user joked.However, not everybody was opposed to the use of the tech."I appreciate that everyone had the chance to hear their name pronounced correctly," one Reddit user argued. "Imagine being an international student and worried that someone will butcher your name. I'm ok with the solution the university gave here."Share This Article

What just happened? Hearing people warn about the danger that generative AI presents to the global job market is concerning enough, but it's especially worrying when these ominous predictions come from those behind the technology. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, believes that AI could wipe out about half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next five years, leading to unemployment spikes up to 20%. Amodei made his comments during an interview with Axios. He said that AI companies and the government needed to stop "sugar-coating" the potential mass elimination of jobs across technology, finance, law, consulting and other white-collar professions, with entry-level jobs most at risk. Amodei said he was making this warning public in the hope that the government and other AI giants such as OpenAI will start preparing ways to protect the nation from a situation that could get out of hand. "Most of them are unaware that this is about to happen," Amodei said. "It sounds crazy, and people just don't believe it." The CEO's comments are backed up by reports into the state of the jobs market. The US IT job market declined for the second year in a row in 2024. There was also a report from SignalFire that found Big Tech's hiring of new graduates is down by over 50% compared to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. Startups, meanwhile, have seen their hiring of new grads fall by over 30% during the same period. We're also seeing huge layoffs across multiple tech companies, a large part of which can be attributed to AI replacing workers' duties. The one bit of good news for workers is that some firms, including Klarna and Duolingo, are finding that the subpar performance of these bots and the public's negative feelings toward their use are forcing companies to start hiring humans again. // Related Stories Amodei's Anthropic AI firm is playing its own part in all this, of course. The company's latest Claude 4 AI model can code at a proficiency level close to that of humans – it's also very good at lying and blackmail. "We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming," Amodei said. "I don't think this is on people's radar." The AI arms race in this billion-dollar industry is resulting in LLMs improving all the time. And with the US in a battle to stay ahead of China, regulation is rarely high on the government's agenda. AI companies tend to claim that the technology will augment jobs, helping people become more productive. That might be true right now, but it won't be long before the systems are able to replace the people they are helping. Amodei says the first step in addressing the problem is to make people more aware of what jobs are vulnerable to AI replacement. Helping workers better understand how AI can augment their jobs could also mitigate job losses, as would more government action. Or there's always OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's solution: universal basic income, though that will come with plenty of issues of its own. Masthead: kate.sade

If and when AI will start replacing human labor has been the subject of numerous debates.   While it’s still hard to say with certainty if AI is beginning to take over roles previously done by humans, a recent survey from the World Economic Forum found that 40% of employers intend to cut staff where AI can automate tasks. Researchers at SignalFire, a data-driven VC firm that tracks job movements of over 600 million employees and 80 million companies on LinkedIn, believe they may be seeing first signs of AI’s impact on hiring. When analyzing hiring trends, SignalFire noticed that tech companies recruited fewer recent college graduates in 2024 than they did in 2023. However, tech companies, especially the top 15 big tech businesses, ramped up their hiring of experienced professionals. Specifically, SignalFire found that big tech companies reduced the hiring of new graduates by 25% in 2024 compared to 2023. Meanwhile, graduate recruitment at startups decreased by 11% compared to the prior year. Although SignalFire wouldn’t reveal exactly how many fewer grads were hired according to their data, a spokesperson told us it was thousands. True, adoption of new AI tools might not fully explain the dip in recent grad hiring but Asher Bantock, SignalFire’s head of research, says there’s “convincing evidence” that AI is a significant contributing factor. Entry-level jobs are susceptible to automation because they often involve routine, low-risk tasks that generative AI handles well. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW AI’s new coding, debugging, financial research, and software installation abilities could mean companies need fewer people to do that type of work. AI’s ability to handle certain entry-level tasks means some jobs for new graduates could soon be obsolete. Gabe Stengel, the founder of AI financial analyst startup Rogo, started his career at Lazard investment bank where he helped large pharma companies buy biotech startups. Rogo’s tool “can do almost all the work I did in the analysis of those companies,” Stengel said on stage at Newcomer’s financial technology summit last week, “We can put together the materials, diligence the company, look through their financials.” While most large investment banks haven’t explicitly reduced analyst hiring due to AI yet, executives at firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley previously considered cutting junior staff hires by up to two-thirds and lowering the pay of those they hire because the work with AI is not as demanding as before, the New York Times reported last year. Although AI’s threat to low-skilled jobs is real, tech companies’ need for experienced professionals is still rising. According to SignalFire’s report, big tech companies increased hiring by 27% for professionals with two to five years of experience, while startups hired 14% more individuals in that same seniority range. A frustrating paradox emerges for recent graduates: they can’t get hired without experience, but they can’t get experience without being hired. While this dilemma is not new, Heather Doshay, SignaFire’s people and talent partner, says it is considerably exacerbated by AI. Dashay’s advice to new grads: master AI tools. “AI won’t take your job if you’re the one who’s best at using it,” she said.

With under three years of mass-market artificial intelligence available to consumers, businesses in nearly every industry have flocked to the tech like antivaxxers to a multi-level marketing scheme.By 2024, more than 50 percent of companies with more than 5,000 employees were using AI. For the penny-pinching boss, AI represents the promise of rising productivity and lower overhead cost — also known as wages, which were traditionally paid to pesky human employees.Now, though, as workers around the world grow anxious at the idea of an AI future dominated by a few massive tech monopolies, the race to AI adoption is already having a noticeable effect on job markets.Thanks to AI, the number of young college grads entering the workforce hit an all-time low, full-time salary jobs are becoming gigified, and lying on resumes is now the norm as the job search becomes a nightmarish hell.Though rich tech tycoons like Marc Andreessen would have you believe that tech gadgetry has a magical power to free us all, history has shown us that technological development often sharpens existing inequalities instead of the other way around. (That trend has been observed by scholars ranging from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking, well before mass-market AI hit the scene.)Indeed, AI has already shown a surprising amount of gender and race bias thanks to the data it's trained on, and experts warn that this combination of prejudiced software with a massive global rollout is already driving exploitation.As such, it's no surprise that AI is likely to increase the gender gap in employment, according to an updated report from the United Nations' International Labour Organisation (ILO.)The report builds on estimates made in 2023 on the automation risk facing different jobs thanks to AI. The new analysis found that in high-income countries like the US, women's risk for "high automation potential" rose to 9.6 percent, up from 7.8 just two years ago.That's three times the risk faced by men today at 3.5 percent, which also rose from 2.9 percent in 2023.Interestingly, the study also found that one in three workers in rich countries face "some degree of exposure" to automation, compared to the world average of one in four.The ILO report also points out that the nature of jobs frequently held by women in wealthy nations — like administrative, clerical, and data entry roles — are primed for automation by AI.Sociologists have noted that the gender gap in labor hours worked has narrowed significantly in recent years — meaning men and women work close to the same quantity of hours. However, the gender pay gap still persists as women's share of work goes less toward jobs and more into household tasks compared to men.With AI supposedly poised to "revolutionize work," it will take substantial change in our current labor environment to safeguard women from AI-driven austerity.Share This Article

QUALIFICATIONSThis is a technology job that accommodates humanities people and relies more fully on your competencies than your formal experience––making it a rare opportunity that’s perfect for at least sophomores, new grads, career transitioners, and those seeking an exciting remote career.You’re the sort of person who is exceptional at generating copy intuitively.You’ve also got the metacognitive awareness to “show your work.” In addition, you’re the sort of person with a deep interest in linguistics.RESPONSIBILITIES:As a Remote AI Content Evaluator, you will be working closely with a team of other trainers, within protocols developed by the world’s leading AI researchers— training the AI to read, write, summarize knowledge, and interpret meaning.Your job is to train, evaluate, and test the AI’s conversation skills, continuously equipping it to fulfill that purpose.You’ll spend the bulk of your time generating examples of ideal conversations, acting as both the User and the AI for the AI to learn from, collecting sources helping it read large swaths of humanity’s documented knowledge and distinguish between what is presented as fact vs. context vs. patterns of behavior.For example, you will be discerning the accuracy of the facts that the AI is outputting, but also the accuracy with which they interpret them.As the project grows over time, you’ll spend time actively trying to “break” the AI by “forcing” mistakes and improving the way these AI models recover.This is absolutely critical to its safety, accuracy, and use.You’ll document breaks and have the opportunity to recommend improvements to the training methods themselves to both our team and our client.Earnings:Hourly rate: US$ 22-32/hour, depending on your level of expertise

Nanoleaf Expo Smart LED Display Case Smarter Kit$270$30010% off$270A proper collection deserves a proper showcase, which is where Nanoleaf’s smart LED cases come in. Each reactive, stackable box can display tunable white lighting and up to 16 million hues, allowing you to bathe your shoes, figurines, and other items in whatever colors you see fit. And because it’s Nanoleaf, you’ll even be able to access the same smart features as the company’s bulbs.$270 at Amazon$270 at Nanoleaf$35Who needs a Ruggable or a pricey Tibetan rug when you can get one emblazoned with Sora, Sonic, or a dual-wielding Master Chief? RugsRat’s circular rugs are soft, durable, and pay homage to video game series new and old. That includes classics like Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well as newer releases such as Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Hell, you can even design your own.$35 at RugsRat$60Whether they’re outfitting their dorm room or an apartment, Ikea’s Skådis Pegboard Combination offers grads a sleek, space-saving way to stay organized. The spacious board comes with a set of containers, hooks, clips, and a shelf, all of which are perfect for neatly displaying everything from keys and sticky notes to cables, pens, and other accessories.$60 at Ikea$100Now that the school year is officially over, your giftee likely has a lot more time to binge. For that, we recommend the Google TV Streamer 4K, which boasts onboard Google Assistant, easy-to-use smart home controls, and the best interface of any streaming device available. The set-top box even features a handy button for pinging the remote, giving it an edge over your couch.Apple iPad (11th-gen)$299$34914% off$299With its spacious 11-inch display, Apple’s latest iPad makes it easy to dive into studying or unwind with your favorite TV shows. It delivers snappy performance courtesy of Apple’s A16 chip, letting you off emails, take notes, or binge-watch to your heart’s content. Plus, it has a solid front-facing camera this time, ensuring you can video call and stay in touch with loved ones back home with ease.Beats Pill speaker$100$15033% off$100Portable and powerful, the latest Beats Pill offers good sound and IP67 dust and water resistance, making it ideal for beach days or study sessions. It’s also packed with features geared toward grads on the go, including a speakerphone for hands-free calls and a USB-C port for charging other devices. It even supports Find My / Find My Device support on both iOS and Android, so they won’t have to worry about losing it.Looking Glass Go$299$299If they’re feeling homesick, the 6-inch Looking Glass Go can bring photos of family and friends to life like no ordinary picture frame can. Just upload an image from any iOS or Android device, and the app will transform it into a high-resolution hologram with the help of AI. You can even share your 3D pictures with loved ones, making it a meaningful way to stay connected from afar.$299 at Looking Glass$46A personalized hometown puzzle is the kind of gift that hits the sweet spot in terms of nostalgia. The 400-piece jigsaw puzzles encapsulate a 6 x 4-mile coverage area with a given address at the center, and because they’re based on USGS mapping, each shows roads, waterways, vegetation, transit, and other geographical tidbits your giftee should be all too familiar with.$46 at AmazonAway The Carry-On$234$27515% off$234Whether you intend to use it for work trips or weekend getaways with friends, the Carry-On is a sleek, durable suitcase that makes travel easier. It’s packed with thoughtful touches — including a TSA-approved lock, 360-degree wheels, and a separate laundry bag — and it’s small enough to fit in most overhead bins yet spacious enough that you should have no trouble stowing everything you need for a three-day jaunt.$234 at Away$275 at AmazonAnker Charging Station (7-in-1, 100W)$40$5020% off$40A cluttered desk can make it hard to concentrate, which is why Anker’s 7-in-1 charging station is a great gift for grads. The 100W hub features a pair of USB-C and USB-A ports on the front and three AC outlets on the back, making it easy to power a 16-inch MacBook Pro, table lamp, phone, and other gadgets while keeping a tidy workspace.$40 at Amazon$40 at Anker (with code WS7DV2FFTMLH)Hoto Hand Tool Set$50$6017% off$50Hoto’s electric screwdrivers are a mainstay at The Verge, and the company’s Hand Tool Set is just as eye-catching. All of the included components, from the needlenose pliers and claw hammer to the textured carrying case, showcase a handsome minimalist design that’s far more attractive than the usual white-label fare. It makes for an attractive starter kit, if nothing else.$20Classic team-based games like Codenames offer a good opportunity to break the ice with new schoolmates, whether you’re living with them or just linking up on the quad. The collaborative game charges two so-called “spymasters” with connecting a series of seemingly unrelated cards via a one-word clue, which their teammates must then uncover before the opposing team. It’s simple to learn but tough to master.13-inch MacBook Air (2025)$892$99911% off$892Many high school grads don’t have the budget for a new laptop, which is why gifting them one of the best is something they’ll appreciate. Apple’s M4 MacBook Air deftly balances performance and battery life, culminating in a 13-inch machine that’s as suitable for streaming as it is banging out that first-year composition paper.Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle$100$13023% off$100Cuisinart’s cordless, 1,500W electric kettle lets you dial in the right temperature for whatever you’re drinking, be it coffee, a nice oolong, or a dorm room staple like instant ramen (no judgment here). The speedy stainless-steel kettle is loaded with six preset temps and an auto-shutoff timer, too, rendering it ideal for busy grads who always have to jet.The Last Lecture$11$11The Last Lecture captures the moving wisdom that Randy Pausch, a professor and former computer scientist, shared with his students following his cancer diagnosis cancer in ’06. His inspiring words encourage readers to reflect on what truly matters and the kind of legacy they hope to leave behind, making it a thoughtful guide for any graduate trying to figure out their next steps in life.Anker Laptop Power Bank$115$13515% off$115The Anker Laptop Power Bank is a lifesaver for anyone who works or studies on the go. With an impressive 25,000mAh capacity and 165W total output, it can quickly charge a beefy MacBook Pro to 50 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. Plus, with three USB-C ports and a USB-A port, you can power multiple devices at once, including phones, tablets, and handheld consoles.Apple AirTag$25$2914% off$25Whether they’re planning to take a well-earned vacation or just prone to losing things, an AirTag is a smart, stress-saving gift for any grad. The UWB Bluetooth trackers tap into Apple’s vast Find My network, letting you keep an eye out and quickly recover lost luggage, keys, passports, and other items using little more than a quick glance at your iPhone.Pantone Ceramic Bowls$116$12910% off$116Pantone’s vibrant, color-coded ceramic bowls provide a simple way to brighten up any kitchen cabinet… or bowl of Cap’n Crunch. The six sturdy, 5.75-inch bowls are also dishwasher-safe, making them suitable for everything from soup to messy study snacks.$116 at MoMA Design Store (members)$129 at MoMA Design Store (non-members)Kalita Wave 185 Dripper$21$3946% off$21The Kalita Wave 185 Dripper might be the only thing that gets your college-bound grad through linguistics or ochem. It brews a rich, full cup of pour-over coffee using wave filters and a flat-bottom, three-hold design, which makes it the perfect companion for pulling all-nighters when the nearest cafe is closed.Kobo Elipsa 2E$389$4003% off$389The Kobo Elipsa 2E isn’t just an e-reader — it’s the ideal study companion for grads heading to college or grad school. Its sizable 10.3-inch screen and included stylus makes annotating a breeze, while its ability to convert handwritten notes into typed text and solve math equations renders it an even more valuable tool for studying.$389 at Amazon$400 at Rakuten KoboNintendo Switch 2$449$449The Switch 2 could make for a stellar gift for any grad — that is, if you can manage to preorder one ahead of the console’s arrival on June 5th. Nintendo’s latest hybrid console packs a larger 7.9-inch 1080p display, magnetic Joy-Con controllers, and a host of other minor but welcome improvements that build upon what was already a winning formula.$15If you want to gift your grad a less traditional bouquet, Lovepop’s latest Black-Eyed Susan Bouquet could be a great alternative. The vibrant laser-cut flowers can add a pop of color to any new space and come packaged with a tuck-away card, which you can either fill out at home or personalize at checkout.$15 at Amazon$15 at LovepopSkullcandy Method 360 ANC$100$13023% off$100The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC are basically a pair of Bose earbuds in disguise, which isn’t a bad thing. They offer well-balanced sound, great features, and a comfortable fit that effectively blocks out unwanted noise, much more so than previous Skullcandy offerings. I guess that’s what you get when you license technology and audio tuning from Bose.Lodge Cast Iron Skillet (12-inch)$25$3017% off$25Everyone could use a good pan to cook their meals. With a Lodge skillet, your graduate can sear, sauté, bake, broil, braise, and fry all kinds of foods for years to come. Not only does the hardy 12-inch pan offer terrific heat distribution and retention, but it’s also safe to use in the oven or over an open fire. The included silicone handle is just an added plus that lets you ditch the oven mitts.Cotopaxi Nido Accessory Bag$34$4524% off$34Cotopaxi’s Nido Accessory Bag pairs wonderfully with work trips, road trips, and trips to a shared bathroom (hello, dorm life). The durable Dopp kit is great for holding both toiletries and tech accessories thanks to its zippered pocket and a bevy of small storage compartments, all of which let you store your essentials neatly in place.Circa Leather Discbound Notebook$99$13024% off$99Circa’s leather notebook offers a level of customization few journals can match. Given the pages are secured via a series of discs along the spine, your grad can easily add or remove sheets and organize sections in a way that fits their unique lifestyle and needs. That means they can reorient their thoughts for class, their next job interview, and a variety of other situations.$99 at LevengerF*cking Planner Stickers$6$6F*cking Planner Stickers can provide any grad who is trying to keep their life together (or at least look like they are) with a much-needed dose of humor. Bold, irreverent, and hilariously honest, they turn even the most mundane adulting tasks — from scheduling meetings to paying bills — into something a little less boring and a lot more fun.Black & Decker Furbuster$93$1007% off$93High-end robovacs with auto-empty docks and AI obstacle avoidance are great and all, but sometimes a classic handheld is all you need. Black & Decker’s rechargeable Furbuster is a great option for picking up fur, dirt, and other debris, especially since it offers a surprising amount of suction and an extra-long crevice tool for hitting those hard-to-reach areas.Songmics Bamboo Bed Desk with Tilting Top$36$5028% off$36The Songmics Bamboo Bed Desk is great for sick days, late-night study sessions, and a formidable breakfast in bed. It’s equipped with an adjustable top and legs, along with a small side drawer for storing pens, snacks, and everything needed to stay productive — or unwind — without leaving bed.$36 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)$46 at SongmicsFujifilm Instax Mini 99$180$19910% off$180The Instax Mini 99 is the perfect instant camera for budding photogs who crave a little more control over their shots. It quickly prints credit card-sized photos and features dual shutter buttons, along with a multitude of brightness settings and color effects. It even offers a Sports Mode, allowing you to effortlessly capture shots of subjects who refuse to sit still.RTIC Ultra-Tough Soft Cooler$76$8915% off$76If they plan on celebrating graduation on the road, RTIC’s rugged cooler can keep the La Croix flowing. The cooler’s insulated, waterproof design can keep drinks and other contents cold for up to two days, while a comfortable shoulder strap and end handles help ensure it’s never too difficult to lug from one hang to the next.Glocusent LED Neck Reading Light$20$2931% off$20If your grad is about to move in with a roommate or partner, Glocusent’s LED Neck Reading Light is a particularly useful gift. With adjustable brightness and warmth settings, the wearable neck lamp can help them comfortably pore over textbooks late into the night. It’s also not insanely bright, or at least not enough that it’ll keep their roommate awake.$20 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)

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