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nerd processor

Kieran Snyder

Every week, I write a deep dive into some aspect of how AI is changing the way we communicate at work. Enter your email address to subscribe below!

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Featured Post

New from nerd processor: Score one for the geographers

Everyone loves a good map Several weeks ago, I shared new data about the red state / blue state AI divide, where people in red states are more negative about AI than those in blue states. The case study analyzed LinkedIn posts from 100 AI influencers: people who have 50K+ followers and are posting about AI at least 2x/month. This week, I augmented that data with posts from an additional 250 AI influencers. I wanted to go beyond sentiment to see what people in all 50 states are actually...

4 days ago • 2 min read

Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle Every business is messy on the inside, even when things are going well. This goes double for startups. You always wish things were further along, you can't tell whether you're heading for the stars or you're crash landing, and someone is always mad at someone else. If you're a leader, this is what you signed up for, even if you didn't realize it when you signed up. I spent years as a founder with deep existential angst over how much mess is normal....

11 days ago • 4 min read

How the AI gold rush is going Over the last year, it's been a gold rush for early stage AI startups raising money. Somewhat less so for later stage AI startups who have to show the receipts. Turns out it's hard to build a differentiated AI offering that has sustainable revenue metrics. I've watched the whole dynamic with great interest. I was an AI founder before the gold rush; maybe in some small way, Textio's early success even contributed to the gold rush. I've also spent the last several...

18 days ago • 4 min read

Have you seen this movie? [Scene: Typical corporate meeting, vibe is intense. Six men and two women sit around a conference room table. Naturally, three of the men are named John.] Man #1: I don't know how we're going to solve this. There just aren't enough people to staff the project.Man #2: I've tried everything I can think of. No one has bandwidth. But disappointing the client is not an option. [Man #3, Man #4, and Woman #1 nod in vigorous agreement.] Woman #2: We could move some people...

25 days ago • 3 min read

Ouch! I have been managing people off and on for a long time now. Here are ten open, vulnerable, painful mistakes I’ve made. Ouch. I’m sharing them so you don’t have to make them too. #1: Shying away from giving difficult feedback. This is my top Grade A mistake. It’s always easier to not give tough feedback in the moment, to let the moment pass. This is a dangerous habit. The immediate issue might pass, but the broader issue recurs until it becomes unbearable. Management is not a job for the...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

AI, you're hired I'm not a VC, but since the start of 2024, I've looked at pitches or demos from more than 100 early-stage B2B AI startups. That low-level murmur you keep hearing about AI replacing jobs? It's getting louder. It's not job replacement, silly! It's an AI-driven digital transformation of roles! Among all the AI startups I've looked at this year, there is a single, abiding theme that they're turning up to 11: They promise they will save you money by replacing your team. It's not...

about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Chart showing how often the person on video successfully interrupts others: Most senior attendee 92% Senior to most attendees 72% Only peer attendees 15% Junior to most attendees 11% Most junior attendee 9%

Excuse me, can I interrupt? Before we ever started Textio, I was publishing data about workplace communication patterns. I eventually became known for uncovering bias in performance reviews and resumes, but the first study I did that broke through to the mainstream wasn't about text at all; it was about conversational interruptions in workplace meetings. I found that men interrupted more than women, that women were interrupted more than men, and that more senior people interrupted more junior...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read

One state, two state, red state, blue state A few weeks ago, I shared data about what influential executives and investors are saying about AI on social. I found that executives are more cautious about AI overall and more worried about data privacy in particular. In that initial data set, I also found something else that I wasn't looking for: when it comes to attitudes about AI, where you live matters. I mentioned I'd dive into this further in a subsequent week. Here we are, in a subsequent...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

AI goes analog The last couple of weeks, we've explored micro data sets contrasting how investors and executives talk about AI on LinkedIn, and looking at teenager use of AI in school. This week I'm going to share an even smaller data set. Let me introduce you to the guy who cuts my hair. Wait, did you say hair? Like a lot of people who work in beauty, Phillip does two types of work: the kind where he does hair, and the kind where he's constantly getting the word out about the fact that he...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

The kids are all right Most of the time, I consider how AI is changing work for those of us who are already adults. However, as the parent of three teenagers, I'm under no illusions: the real decisions about how AI will shape the workplace will be made by their generation. In ten years, our software, policies, and practices will be defined by the norms that teenagers are building today. So for this week's case study, I wanted to get a view into how teenagers think about and use AI in school....

2 months ago • 3 min read
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