OP #282: The Future Is Here

Author

Darren Herman
January 14, 2025

Happy Tuesday.

First, I hope all OP readers who live in/around LA are doing ok. I can’t imagine the devastation and the hardships y’all may be going through. My thoughts are with you and your families.

Wow, the OP readership really loved reading Fred Wilson’s predictions from last week’s OP letter. Frankly, I did as well. I think many of them are super provocative in a good way. Speaking of predictions, did you see AdAge’s aggregation of 72 ad execs predicting 2025 marketing trends?

Many of you know that I’m interested in education based on my support of Tremont School and Team Daya. I was talking with a friend and partner this past week and he mentioned to me the Alpha School in Austin, Texas. The school uses AI to teach students, to which they only learn 2 hours a day. Other times, they are doing functional things such as learning about entrepreneurship (running their own Airbnb) or learning how to cook (bbq hamburgers for lunch). Take a peek at this video as it seems like a unique learning experience.

I appreciate those of you who emailed me with feedback on the playlists that my children made for me. There are lots of modern hip hop/rap fans amongst the OP community.

One thing my kids are paying attention to: the potential TikTok ban. I’ve not seen them pay attention to something so tech/business ever.

Here’s a few articles to get us started:

I do not know about you but my week flew bye - a very fast start to 2025 and I’m looking forward to what comes next.

Darren

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Job Opportunities (and an internship!)

January often signals the start of hiring for the year as calendar year budgets become unlocked and companies want to generate in-year productive employees.

David Berkowitz, no stranger to the NY ad community, has put together a great resource for marketers who may be seeking new roles.

In addition, I’ve posted some jobs below that may be of interest to you or someone you know. If so, please follow the links and apply via the recommended route.

2026 Summer Analyst, Path into Private Equity. Bain Capital. I am often asked about how college students can find a role into PE. Well, here’s a chance. Bain Capital is accepting applications for Summer 2026 analysts, which could potentially lead to a full-time offer of employment in July 2027.

Executive Director, Paid Media & Web. athenahealth. Looking for someone with b2b experience who knows how to own a brand & performance ad budget as well, as, oversee a website that drives leads and support for the organization. Conversion rate optimization techniques should be second nature. The ideal candidate is highly outcome focused and has a strong b2b playbook.

Head of Digital Marketing. ZAGG. This role will plan and manage paid and owned marketing campaigns to drive sales via the ZAGG/Mophie websites, and Amazon, among other marketplaces. Fluency with e-commerce and Amazon is required.

🚀 The AI Revolution: Tomorrow's Business Methods Are Already Here

I've been diving deep into how AI is completely flipping the script on traditional business practices, and I want to share some mind-blowing discoveries that have transformed my own approach to workout, work, and productivity.

I am convinced more than ever that how we did things in the past is not how we will do things tomorrow. The digital ecosystem has been evolutionary over the past twenty years. The digital ecosystem + artificial intelligence will be revolutionary over the next twenty years.

🏋️‍♂️ From $150/Hour Personal Trainers to AI Workout Design

Remember my new home gym setup from last week’s OP? Instead of dropping $150/hour on a personal trainer or spending hours researching routines, I'm now getting perfectly customized workouts in seconds using ChatGPT. I simply input my equipment list (Rogue FML-6, cables, dumbbells, kettlebells) and time constraints, and boom – instant personalized workout plan.

What blows my mind? The AI-designed routine took exactly 40 minutes, precisely fitting my schedule. Two weeks in, and these workouts are delivering results I used to pay premium prices for. This isn't just about saving money – it's about rethinking how we access expertise.

💼 Goodbye Six-Figure Consulting Projects?

Here's where it gets really interesting. While exploring Gemini Advanced (hat tip to Jason Calacanis for putting it on my radar), I discovered something that should make traditional consulting firms nervous. I asked it to analyze customer behavior and optimize marketing strategy for a business – the kind of work that typically commands six-figure fees.

The depth and quality of insights? Impressive for version 1.0. We're talking about democratizing high-level business strategy in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

🔮 The Future Isn't Coming - It's Already Here

Bill Gates talked about overestimating short-term impacts while underestimating long-term ones. With AI, that timeline is collapsing. We're not waiting for the future – we're living through a fundamental shift in how business gets done.

Think about it:

  • Yesterday: Expensive personal trainers and rigid scheduling

  • Today: AI-generated custom workouts on demand

  • Yesterday: Six-figure consulting projects

  • Today: Instant, data-driven business insights

Happy to share prompts for the above with OP subscribers. See below. I’m sure many of you know how I can improve my prompts and I’m all ears.

Workout: Hi ChatGPT, I am looking to create a 30-40 minute upper body workout for tomorrow. Here is what I have: Rogue FML-6 which has squat rack, bench press, cables with various handles, a lat pull down bar. I also have dumbbells, medicine balls, and kettle bells. I usually jog a mile before doing my upper body workout. Can you give me a workout to do?

Marketing Research: Hi Gemini, I am trying to understand if the marketing for [redacted] can be optimized. Can you help me understand why customers visit [redacted] and if the marketing speaks to them. If not, what can we do to optimize the marketing so it matches why consumers visit [redacted]. It would also be helpful to look at Google, TripAdvisor, and Yelp reviews of [redacted] to get some additional customer insights that would help us understand if our marketing can be optimized. Once we understand what we can optimize, can you come up with 2-3 ideas that we can test in market?

Each week, I explore a wide range of articles and select the most compelling pieces to share with our community. I'm always grateful when readers contribute interesting finds—these submissions add valuable perspective to our collection. While I can't include every piece (to maintain quality and focus), I welcome your recommendations. If you come across something thought-provoking or insightful, feel free to send it my way.

People Are The New Brands (Ed Elson, Professor Galloway)

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