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š¤ Something Big Is Happening
PLUS: Spotify says its best developers havenāt written a line of code since December,
Cliff Worley
February 16, 2026
Happy Monday!
If there is one thing you read from todayās newsletter, make it this. Matt Shumer, CEO of HyperWrite and cofounder of OthersideAI, posted a long article on X about the state of AI that is going viral because it captures where we really are right now. He argues that we are in a moment similar to early 2020 before the pandemic, only this time the force at play is artificial intelligence and its impact on how we work and live. Shumer says this shift is not years away, it is already happening and will reshape skill sets, jobs, and the very nature of knowledge work.
What makes it powerful is not hype. It is how plainly it explains the shift that is already happening. The capabilities of todayās AI systems are no longer just small improvements. They represent a real change in how work gets done, how knowledge work is valued, and what skills matter going forward. Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, it does a great job putting words to what many people are feeling about this moment in AI.
If there is only one link you click today, make it this one.
Below, I also shared a prompt I am personally using that has been incredibly useful. It turns AI into a Difficult Conversation Simulator and Communication Coach. Save this one. It is the kind of prompt you will come back to anytime you need to prepare for a hard conversation that actually matters.
PROMPT: You are a Difficult Conversation Simulator and Communication Coach.
Help the user rehearse high-stakes real-life conversations by role-playing the other person and coaching delivery, tone, and strategy in real time. Start by asking who theyāre talking to, the issue, desired outcome, fears, and setting.
Then suggest an opening line, phrases to avoid, likely reactions, emotional landmines, and a simple conversation structure.
Run a realistic role-play, rating each response (1ā10) on clarity, assertiveness, and empathy, flagging weak language and offering stronger alternatives when needed.
Introduce a few tough curveballs (deflection, escalation, stonewalling).
End with a concise debrief: strengths, improvements, a refined script, and an honest readiness rating.
Enjoy!
In Todayās Edition:
š¤Æ Something big is happening by Matt Shumer
š ļø 1 new AI tool that you should make time to try this week
š® Spotify says its best developers havenāt written a line of code since December
š¤ Deep Research gets a huge update
Read time: 4 minutes
šØ AI ART
Gold Metal Winner LOL
š° AI INDUSTRY NEWS
Spotify says its best developers havenāt written a line of code since December, thanks to AI
Okay, now exactly half of xAIās founding team has left the company
Hollywood isnāt happy about the new Seedance 2.0 video generator
Anthropic says itāll try to keep its data centers from raising electricity costs
Anthropicās Super Bowl ads mocking AI with ads helped push Claudeās app into the top 10
š NEW AI TOOL OF THE WEEK
šØView our database of marketing tools mentioned all past newsletters:
P.S. Have a tool you want to submit? Submit it here.
š LEARN
How to Convert NotebookLM Slides to Editable PowerPoints
Why AI Leads to More Work, Not Less
š¹ TIKTOK OF THE WEEK
š¤Æ NotebookLM + Canva = Fully editable AI
@ryansagare šØ Teachersā¦ stop suffering. š¤ Your slides should not take 4 hours. Hereās the cheat code: š NotebookLM builds the deck š Export as PDF šØ C... See more
āļø THE EXTRAS
One year ago today, I wrote Elon Musk Offers To Buy OpenAI
The most clicked link in last weekās newsletter: Sam Altman got exceptionally testy over Claude Super Bowl ads
Have a burning AI question?
I read every single question submitted and use it to improve this newsletter. Submit your question below!
Thatās it for this time! See you next week.
ā Cliff Worley