It’s Wednesday, June 10, 2026. I just wrapped up an incredible week at an HR conference in Porto, Portugal, and the message from the corporate world is loud and clear: AI transformation is no longer a pilot project—it is the main event. But as organizations rush to scale productivity, a massive counter-trend is emerging. Today, we look at the critical role of human leadership in an automated world, the growing backlash against "AI slop," and a personal story about how a single, spontaneous coffee chat years ago turned into a lifelong friendship and an Airbnb co-living setup this week.

I hope you enjoy it! As always you can learn more and connect with me on my website (andystorch.com) or LinkedIn. And you can find my books - Own Your Career Own Your Life and Own Your Brand, Own Your Career - on Amazon.