Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.
Can we sell our data for a living
The data we generate is then used to craft algorithms that can predict our next move. That is the basis of all the nudges we get as we shop. “Those who bought X also bought Y” is the algorithm trying to figure out your next move. The algorithms are always trying to second guess you — till the time you give up controls of your life to the algorithm. Then why not make a living by selling this data that is ours.
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger
Would you pay millions to have a Buffett lunch? For more than 18 years, people have tried to outbid each other to have lunch with the Oracle of Omaha – Warren Buffett. This year the winning bidder shelled out $2.68 million for the privilege of having lunch with the man.I have some good news for you. You can get the wisdom of Warren Buffet and his right hand man, Charlie Munger if you pick up the book titled “All I Want to Know is Where I’m Going to Die So I’ll Never Go There”. Yes, that is the title of the book. I was almost not going to read it. I thought it would be another compilation of financial mumbo jumbo and ratios. Then I read the subtitle. It says, “Buffett and Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense.” This a must-read.
Culture Eats CEO For Breakfast
Travis had described the 14 values as a “philosophy of work” that Kalanick and chief product officer Jeff Holden, an Amazon vet, had spent hundreds of hours putting together. The values were built on a world view that there was room for only one ride sharing company in the world. There was no doubt that it demolished the taxi service companies that used to limit the supply of cabs to be able to charge arbitrary prices. Supply of cabs was restricted keep demand higher than supply. Uber demolished all this.It was built on a view that for me to succeed I must kill my peers. The value of “principled confrontation” was designed to encourage employees to challenge authority without fear. On the ground, it translated to bullying the weak colleague.
Learn, earn, reach and teach
If you have never been active on social media, do not try to make up for lost time by getting hyperactive. Think of unconventional choices. Have you thought of being your own boss or pursue your passion for teaching? This may be a good trigger to get started. If you want to run fast, then social media could be just the running shoes that you need.
How You Can Protect Your Social Media Reputation
There is no delete button on the internet. Your friends get to see your party photos -so can the rest of the world. Every now and then hackers break open the locks and run away with your data. This has happened to every major site. So what you post on the net is for the world to see - even your employers. What can you do? Plenty.
Book Review: You Can Do Anything
The more data we create, the more important it is to bring in human judgment. Pulitzer prize winning journalist and columnist for Forbes, George Anders new book “You Can Do Anything” tells you that this may be era of the people with a Liberal Arts education. Technology is sterile unless we can make the human dimension work.
What they do not tell you about class toppers
If you were the top student of your class, does it mean that you will land up being the CEO? To answer this question, Karen Arnold, a researcher at Boston College, followed 81 high school toppers and those who were top of the class after they finished academics to track their progress. Are they doing well? Are they successful? Find out for yourself.
A Death in the Gunj
Director Konkona Sen Sharma’s debut film is a thriller that opens with Nandu and Brian trying to stuff a body into the trunk of a car. They need to carry the body all the way to Calcutta (since the film is set in the seventies, it would be Calcutta and not Kolkata).Family gatherings are always great settings to show the human dynamics. An event brings several family members together. Stuff happens, and the cracks begin to show in the seemingly “happy family”. This is the way this story unfolds too.
The Future of Work, Workers & Workplaces
Technology has blurred the line between what is possible online and in the physical workspace. It is making online work similar to local work, with added speed, cost, and quality advantages. It is possible to be location-agnostic. Work can be sliced and diced like a pizza and shipped to the expert. You may be competing with five year olds who are millionaires. There are new kinds of jobs coming up which no one can learn in a school or college.
How to run HR like an Amazon Bookstore
HR was all about creating one set of rules then apply to every employee. Today employees expect a customized experience when they go to work for any employer. The process of creating an individualized experience is dependent on the unique identifiers we have for an individual. While most corporations have still stayed on with gender options being limited to three at best, Facebook offers 71 gender options to UK users. That allows them the ability to target ads more specifically. Facebook allowed people to type in whatever they wanted to describe their gender and from that data set created more categories. Amazon can be the best model for your HR department.
Who writes those forwards I get on WhatsApp
My problem is that I cannot remember if I have read the joke until I reach the punchline. It is only then resentment rises at the person who sent the joke that I have been receiving over the years. I sometimes believe that sending WhatsApp jokes to each other is a way of dealing with the future. That future when robots will do all our work leaving us jobless. Will we spend all our waking hours reading recycled jokes? Think of the kind of jobs we can create.
Algorithms: Are we giving up our right to choose
What would happen if a tobacco company or alcohol maker or drug dealer were to buy the app to encourage addiction? The fear is not far-fetched. E-commerce companies are using algorithmic nudges to encourages shoppers to buy more than what they need or can afford. The UK government is using behavioural scientists to get people to pay their taxes in time. What is to stop a totalitarian government from using algorithms for something sinister?
Digital Human Resources: The Haves & Will-Not
Finding gaps in the readiness of a candidate for the next role can be done by using AI. Imagine using an AI platform to let the system analyze your readiness for the role you wish to take. Then provides a recommendation of the way to build the gap. There are already AI driven coaching tools that can be used to change the talent management process in organizations. Artificial Intelligence lies at the intersection of big data, machine learning and robotics. HR can leverage AI to truly impact business outcomes.
The Data Divide—And How to Cross It
Data can be leveraged by different people in different specialties to solve real-world problems. A neurogeneticist is working in an e-commerce start-up to solve the problem of how to plan a delivery route across the busiest parts of the city. He is building his algorithm to mimic the way human genes convey information. A competitor, meanwhile, has hired a nuclear physicist who worked in the Large Hadron Collider to solve the same problem. Both are approaching the challenge as a data problem, after all.
United We Fall
Every incident is a learning and at the same time an opportunity to prove oneself. Following the United Airlines fiasco, the carrier had a golden opportunity to display the right leadership attitude, which it unfortunately failed to take advantage of. So what was the missed opportunity?