Insights

June 26, 2025

Each year, we ask the sharpest people in our orbit what’s on their nightstands, in their earbuds and queued up on their TVs. The responses never fail to impress and inspire us (this year: UFO docs, next to 19th century grief politics, next to Hannah Berner). We hope this summer roundup does the same for you.

ICYMI: Corporate reputation is under pressure as AI, geopolitics, economic uncertainty and shifting audience expectations reshape trust and support. We spoke with Lyndsey Tierney, vice president, advisory at RepTrak, about why reputation can no longer be treated as just a communications function. Read it here.

• Feed Me by Emily Sundberg: A daily newsletter about the spirit of enterprise.
• Girlboss Daily: Career advice and inspiration, sprinkled with pop culture and hot takes. 
• Lenny’s Newsletter: Product, growth and career advice. 
• Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert: An industry publication covering the digital economy.
• News Items by John Ellis: A daily newsletter focused on four topics: The world in disarray, the financialization of everything, advances in science and technology and electoral politics: foreign and domestic.
• Prof G Media: Scott Galloway shares analysis of the forces transforming business, power and society.
• StoryWorlds with Junot Díaz: An interactive literary space where the Pulitzer Prize-winning author shares personal essays, practical lessons on the craft of writing and reflections on diasporic life and culture.
• Tech: NYC Daily Digest: Stories, funding news and job intel driving New York’s innovation economy.
• The Deep View: A daily guide to the fast-moving world of AI.
• The Sheconomist: Career advice, wealth-building and economic insights through a women’s leadership lens.

BOOKS

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans was a terrific read. It touched on how deeply we can connect with people we never actually meet. It also brought back an appreciation for the beauty of letter writing and in response, I purchased a new stationary set! (We’ll see if I use it) — Devan Gallagher, policy analyst to the NYC deputy mayor for operations 

Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World by Victoria Johnson — Thread of art and society and politics set against the country’s approach to and through and recovery beyond the Civil War, with a family story for one of America’s first globally recognized artists. — Matthew Doering, founder + CEO, Global Gateway Advisors

What else?

• Central Park: An Anthology: Celebrates New York City’s most iconic park through a collection of essays, stories and poems.
• Driven by Susie Wolff: Reflects on resilience, leadership and breaking barriers in motorsport.
• Famesick by Lena Dunham: Explores celebrity, obsession and the cost of modern fame.
• Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin: A coming-of-age classic exploring faith, family and identity in Harlem.
• God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Blends family secrets, privilege and a missing child into a gripping literary mystery.
• Heart the Lover by Lily King: Examines love, intimacy and human connection.
• Human Acts by Han Kang: Explores the enduring human cost of political violence through interconnected lives.
• I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally: Reflects on a life spent building some of New York’s most iconic restaurants.
• Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain: The late chef’s bestselling memoir pulls back the curtain on restaurant kitchens with wit, candor and unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories.
• London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe: A gripping work of nonfiction that untangles crime, wealth and Russian oligarchs through the story of an ordinary Londoner swept into an extraordinary world.
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: Chronicles the author’s experiences surviving Nazi concentration camps while exploring how purpose can sustain people through unimaginable suffering.
• Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan: Explores how one of music’s most enduring bands built a fiercely loyal fan base, and what today’s brands can learn from it.
• Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy: A deeply personal memoir exploring the complexities of family, identity and the mother-daughter bond.
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: The story of an unlikely friendship between a grieving widow, Tova Sullivan, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus at the Sowell Bay Aquarium where she works.
• Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now by Sharon Blackie: Explore how fairy tales can help women navigate life’s transitions and reclaim a sense of purpose.
• Strong Ground by Brené Brown: A field guide for courageous leadership in turbulent times.
• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker: An incredible resource on how to meaningfully attend and host any type of gathering, from Zoom call to family holiday.
• The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova: Chronicles the psychologist-turned-author’s journey into professional poker, revealing lessons about decision-making, luck and human behavior.
• The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad: A guide to the art of journaling — and a meditation on the central questions of life.
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: A sweeping family mystery that begins with an abandoned child and unravels generations of secrets spanning Australia and England.
• The Loneliness of Sunny and Sonia by Kiran Desai: Explores belonging, identity and family across New York and New Delhi.
• The Possible Human by Jean Houston: Draws on psychology, philosophy and practical exercises to help readers unlock creativity, expand consciousness and realize their full potential.
• The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin: A coming-of-age story about grief, friendship and scientific curiosity.
• What We Mourn: Child Death and the Politics of Grief in 19th Century Britain by Lydia Murdoch: Explores both the power and the limitations of a new politics founded on grief and the protection of child life.
• Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: A sharp satire of the publishing industry, authorship and cultural appropriation.

MOVIES + TV

The movie Mercy on Prime. A terrifyingly real thriller about when AI is now the judicial system. It is always good to consume AI content to remember just how powerful it is. — Liz Kamal, associate director, media + content strategy, Global Gateway Advisors

The Age of Disclosure — a timely and eye-opening doc about UFOs and Widow’s Bay, an excellent genre-bender! Unique and twisty. — Ali Feinstein, director of marketing, Netflix

What else?

• The American Revolution: Ken Burns’ documentary series examining the people, events and lasting legacy of America’s fight for independence.
• The Bear: A series about food, family and the relentless pace of the restaurant industry.
• The Capture: A British thriller exploring surveillance, deepfakes and the blurred line between truth and manipulation.
• Color Theories: Comedian Julio Torres’ surreal stand-up special blending absurd humor with his signature visual storytelling.
• The Crash: A true-crime documentary revisiting the mysterious Ohio car crash that killed two teens and sparked years of speculation.
• Disclosure Day: A documentary examining the people and events behind the growing movement to reveal government knowledge of UFOs.
• Eleanor the Great: June Squibb stars in this heartwarming comedy-drama about friendship, reinvention and aging on your own terms.
• Fleabag: Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s acclaimed comedy-drama follows a sharp-witted woman navigating grief, relationships and modern life.
• FROM: A horror series in which residents of a mysterious town struggle to escape while surviving terrifying creatures that emerge after dark.
• Hacks: An award-winning comedy following the evolving relationship between a legendary comedian and her young writer.
• House of the Dragon: The Game of Thrones prequel chronicling the Targaryen dynasty’s descent into civil war.
• It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley: A documentary exploring the life, music and lasting legacy of the late singer-songwriter.
• Lord of the Flies: A modern reimagining of William Golding’s classic novel about survival and the collapse of civilization.
• Marty: A documentary celebrating comedian and actor Martin Short’s life, career and enduring friendships.
• Mr. Scorsese: A documentary tracing Martin Scorsese’s extraordinary filmmaking career and cultural impact.
• My Favorite Shapes: Julio Torres’ inventive comedy special built around sentimental objects and imaginative storytelling.
• Obsession: A psychological thriller exploring desire, betrayal and dangerous relationships.
• The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated adaptation of Homer’s epic poem.
• One Battle After Another: A political thriller from Paul Thomas Anderson starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Out of Body: Noah Kahan’s documentary reflecting on mental health, creativity and the inspiration behind The Busyhead Project.
• Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii: The legendary 1972 concert film captures Pink Floyd performing in the ancient Roman amphitheater before an audience of none.
• Project Hail Mary: A sci-fi adventure following a lone astronaut on a mission to save humanity.
• Running Point: A comedy about family, leadership and navigating the high-pressure world of professional basketball ownership.
• Thelma: June Squibb stars as a determined grandmother who sets out to reclaim what was stolen from her after falling victim to a scam.
• Untold UK: Liverpool’s Miracle of Istanbul: A documentary revisiting Liverpool FC’s unforgettable comeback in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
• U.S. Against the World: A documentary following the U.S. men’s national soccer team as it prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Your Friends & Neighbors: Jon Hamm stars in this dark comedy about a disgraced financier who turns to robbing his wealthy neighbors.

CORPORATE NEWSROOMS

As more people turn to AI for answers, the corporate newsroom is growing in importance as timely, relevant content is surfaced by LLMs. In this year’s Summer Edit survey, we asked which companies are getting it right.

The best examples are companies that create content people would read even if they weren’t customers. Microsoft and Stripe are good examples of that approach. — Erica Kless, senior vice president & senior partner, FleishmanHillard

Anthropic, for better or worse, seems to address hot-button AI trends + issues before other major model builders. As such, their positions are often fodder for many of the subsequent articles from top business media and tech trades. — Nick Punzi, senior account executive, Global Gateway Advisors

• Deloitte
• Edelman
• GM
• Shein
• Shopify
• Spotify

What’s keeping you entertained — books, shows, movies, podcasts? Tell us what you’re loving here.

Key upcoming events

Leadership + Ideas 

• Semafor World of Work (Washington, D.C., July 22) In partnership with Gallup, this invitation-only gathering explores how AI, economic uncertainty and shifting employee expectations are reshaping organizations, with discussions focused on workforce trust, employee engagement, talent strategy, AI adoption and organizational resilience. Speakers include Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup; Katy George, corporate vice president of workforce transformation at Microsoft; and Claire MacIntyre, chief people officer at Sam’s Club.

Sports Business 

• WSJ Sports (New York City, July 15-16) Join investors, team owners and senior executives to explore the transformation of sports into a trillion-dollar asset class, with discussion on rising team valuations, media rights, sports betting, performance technology and emerging investment opportunities across the sports ecosystem. Speakers include Michele Kang, CEO of Kynisca; Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners; and Mark Shapiro, president and COO of TKO.
• CNBC Game Plan (New York City, July 16) Held during Fanatics Fest, this annual gathering brings together athletes, team owners, investors and executives to explore the future of sports, media and entertainment, with conversations focused on the trends, technologies and business models shaping the industry’s next chapter. Speakers include LeBron James, NBA player and philanthropist; Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA; and Lindsey Vonn, Olympic gold medalist and entrepreneur.

AI + Tech

• Raise Summit (Paris, France, July 7-8) One of the world’s largest AI leadership gatherings, this summit brings together 9,000 executives, investors, founders and policymakers to explore how organizations can move from AI ambition to implementation at scale, with discussions focused on enterprise adoption, workforce transformation, governance, regulation and the practical challenges of deploying AI across industries. Speakers include Yann LeCun, executive chairman of AMI; Carolina Parada, head of robotics at Google DeepMind; and Guillaume Princen, head of international at Anthropic.
  

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news

• Penske acquires remaining Vox Media brands. The company has picked up the titles left over after James Murdoch’s earlier $300 million purchase of New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and Vox.com, including The Verge, Eater, SB Nation, Popsugar, and Thrillist.
• Polymarket gets into podcasts. The prediction market is teaming up with Dear Media to launch “What Are the Odds?,” a weekly podcast that’s part pop culture and part real-time prediction data, with rotating hosts from Dear Media’s roster.
• The Atlantic doubles down on video. The magazine is expanding Radio Atlantic to twice-weekly episodes, adding a Monday show hosted by Adam Harris alongside Hanna Rosin’s existing Thursday edition. The company says podcast revenue is up 104% year-over-year and has nearly doubled its video team, with a new David Brooks video podcast planned later this year.
• Substack launches sponsorship program. The platform is partnering with Yahoo Scout, Whatnot, Granola, Balenciaga, T-Mobile, Polymarket, and Uber to launch a native sponsorships framework that streamlines how creators connect with brands. As part of the rollout, top creators can now publish a “Creator Kit,” a media kit signaling their interest in brand partnerships. The company also hired Dan Robbins, formerly of Roku and PayPal, as its first head of brand sponsorships.
• Wired debuts forum-style app for subscribers. The new app will let paying subscribers interact directly with Wired journalists in topic-based forums, part of a broader push to keep readers on owned platforms rather than social media.
• Forbes tries AI-powered podcasting. The publisher’s new “Daily Brief” uses Forbes’ internal AI tool, Bertie, to summarize and voice a five-minute daily podcast based on its top three stories, with a human reviewing each episode before it goes live.
• Yahoo Finance launches media and advertising hub. The new vertical pulls content from MediaPost, Adweek, Marketing Brew, Axios, and Marketing Drive into a single destination aimed at investors and industry professionals tracking the ad business. 
• A new CEO interview show from TIME. Each month, editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs sits down with CEOs to discuss leadership, the priorities shaping their organizations, and the societal shifts reshaping business.
• LabX Media group acquires Scientific American. The acquisition adds the 180-year-old science magazine to LabX’s portfolio of science and laboratory media brands, with Chairman Bob Kafato calling it a chance to “steward this important brand into its next chapter.”
• Link in Bio’s “Very Online Survey” of 834 social media professionals found:
  • 59% would choose Instagram if they could only post on one platform for the rest of the year, with LinkedIn (15%) and Facebook (10%) trailing.
  • Reddit, YouTube Shorts, and Substack all rose year-over-year as “priority platforms.” Reddit nearly doubled but remains a priority for just 8% of respondents, while YouTube Shorts rose 11 points and Substack grew from 4% to 5%.
  • 56% are actively moving away from certain platforms, with X/Twitter cited most often (32%), driven by brand safety and moderation concerns.
  • 26% launched a new account in the last six months, most often on TikTok.
  • Carousels slightly edged out short-form video as the best-performing post format, with single-image posts falling to 9% (from 13% last year).
  • 44% feel their boss doesn’t understand social media. Read the full results here.

Media moves

• Kevin Roose, New York Times tech columnist and host of the “Hard Fork” podcast, is leaving the outlet in August to start a new media company with Casey Newton focused on artificial intelligence.
• Content creator Kyla Scanlon was hired by CNN as a contributor and economic analyst.
• Joanna Solotaroff is now editorial director at Vox.
• Sharon Goldman (formerly Fortune) launched Ground Level AI on Substack, where she will be covering AI research, security, infrastructure and impact.
• Anissa Gardizy (formerly The Information) joined The Wall Street Journal as a reporter covering cloud computing and AI infrastructure, while Katrina Northrop (formerly The Washington Post) was hired to cover China.
• Kevin Schmidt (formerly CNBC, CBS) joined Bloomberg as a producer on the US TV desk and Anna Sackel (formerly CBS) was named senior producer for “Businessweek Daily,” while longtime anchor Caroline Hyde announced she is taking time off to travel with her family.
• Matt Vella (formerly the Financial Times) was named international editor of Bloomberg Businessweek.
• Nate Wolf is now covering tech at Barron’s.
• Senior technology correspondent Rani Molla, business reporter Max Knoblauch, and technology reporter Jon Keegan were among those laid off from Sherwood News after parent company Robinhood cut 10% of staff.
• Miriam Waldvogel was hired by The Washington Post to cover technology and artificial intelligence.
• Cory Weinberg has shifted his coverage to Anthropic at The Information.
• Simon Hernandez-Arthur (formerly PayPal) was hired by Axios to write its Communicators newsletter and run the franchise.
• Joshua Hong is joining Fortune as a news fellow.
• Chris Wade (formerly WPP) was named VP of Communications for Reuters

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