My book hit #1 New Release on Amazon (only 100 copies left at $0.99!)

I'm honestly blown away – over 400 pre-orders already for "100x” and Amazon just tagged it as a #1 New Release in Organizational Change, which is incredibly exciting!

A huge thanks to everyone who helped select the perfect title and cover (still can't decide on the final cover!). If you still don't have your copy, now's the moment. I've been limited to just 500 pre-sale copies at the special $0.99 price, and only 100 remain.

The book dives into the practical frameworks for connecting people, software, data, and intelligence, revealing how organizations are achieving returns that go beyond 100x when AI is properly integrated across the entire stack.

As a Lighthouse subscriber, you get this insider access. But when they're gone, they're gone!

In today's lineup

Robots

• Top Bites: The latest AI developments

• 5 roles you'll need tomorrow

• 3 Human-focused AI stories

• The AI image generation showdown

People

• Pineau's equilibrium for sustainable AI

Love

• The AI ROI problem finally solved

• Transformative reads: Traction by Gino Wickman

Reading time: 5 min. 

Top Bites ⚡

• If Anthropic succeeds, a nation of benevolent AI geniuses could be born

• Google launches Gemini 2.5 Pro, pushing the boundaries of AI reasoning

• OpenAI adopts rival Anthropic’s standard for connecting AI models to data

• Netflix’s Reed Hastings gives $50 million to Bowdoin for A.I. program

• OpenAI CEO responds to ChatGPT users creating Studio Ghibli-style AI images

Gen AI in action 🌊

3 ways AI is creating human-centered value:

• Hellenic Cadastre: AI tool reduces property transaction times from hours to minutes.

• Ma'aden: Mining company saves 2,200 monthly hours through Microsoft 365 Copilot automation.

• Siemens: ML-powered suite predicts equipment failures and optimizes manufacturing workflows.

5 roles every future-ready leader must embrace

AI is reshaping leadership roles across industries as skilled professionals learn to direct teams of AI agents.

Your new job description

• The "Visionary": Show your team what's possible with AI rather than what they should fear.

• The "Fear Navigator": Guide employees through their contradictory reactions—fear of obsolescence alongside fear of missing out.

• The "Work Redesigner": Assign machines the "how" while keeping humans focused on the "why."

• The "Question Asker": While AI excels at answers, humans still corner the market on asking original questions that lead to breakthroughs.

• The "Compassionate Guide": Help employees transition with dignity as some roles head to the "business hospice."

The companies winning the AI race aren't just buying better tech, they're training better managers. And they're tackling tough questions: If AI compresses a day's work into two hours, do you still pay for eight?

Tool Spotlight 🔧

Your weekly dose of AI-powered tools delivering real results.

OpenAI's 4o image generator shows mixed results in early rollout

What they say...

• Better text in images

• Consistent characters across images

• Improved visual instruction handling

• New "autoregressive" approach

User feedback:

• Slow generation (30+ seconds)

• Spotty rollout with many still getting DALL-E

• Shows not available in UK, Canada, and India

• Some love it for UI mockups, others call it "horrible"

Strategically timed against Google's Gemini 2.5 release, this update seems more competitive response than breakthrough. The most consistent praise is for text rendering.

Meanwhile, MIT and NVIDIA just unveiled HART, a hybrid image generator that works nine times faster than standard models while matching their quality—and runs locally on regular laptops with no subscription needed.

For serious creative work, see my top 5:

• Midjourney: Best quality and creative flair for marketing visuals

• DALL·E 3: Easiest for quick concepts within ChatGPT Plus

• Ideogram: Superior text handling for logos and branding, just released version 3.0.

• Adobe Firefly: Perfect if you already use Creative Cloud

• Recraft: Great for creating multiple design variants

Transformation Champion 🏆

The equilibrium approach of Joelle Pineau to responsible AI

Her journey from tackling gender bias in helicopter pilot voice recognition systems to pioneering responsible AI development reflects a career built on seeing opportunity where others see obstacles.

What distinguishes Pineau's approach is her unwavering commitment to open science, which drove her decision to join Meta in 2017. She champions transparency in research while advocating for thoughtful regulation.

Pineau's vision for AI's future centers on finding equilibrium between rapid innovation and ethical responsibility. As she puts it, "The most sustainable path forward requires balancing breakthrough capabilities with genuine respect for safety, privacy, and creator rights."

X100 Insights 🐸

Weekly actionable strategies to transform your business with AI that actually delivers results.

Solving the AI ROI Problem

According to the 2025 Writer AI Survey, 73% of companies invest $1M+ in generative AI, yet only one-third see meaningful returns. With both employees (43%) and leaders (44%) noting executives can't deliver on AI promises, we face a critical problem.

In "100X," I share three proven approaches:

1. People first: Enhance existing workflows rather than forcing adaptation.

2. Augment, don't replace: Let AI work invisibly to improve processes.

3. Value-based metrics: Reward outcomes, not time spent.

Transformative Reads 📚

One book, handpicked from my conversations with friends, industry leaders, and tech innovators…

Traction revolutionized my approach to business systems and inspired Future Works' transformation. Implementing "rocks" (quarterly priorities) and his accountability framework helped us shift from scattered ideas to disciplined execution.

Perfect for: Leaders drowning in day-to-day chaos who need a proven system to align their team, clarify priorities, and create the discipline to actually execute their vision.

In Culture 🤌

Here's something to laugh about this week.

THANK YOU!