We must protect "the spark." AI can write your emails, plan your week, even finish your... But it can’t feel a pause in someone’s voice or rebuild trust after a bad call. The future of work isn’t about replacing people, but knowing what only people can do. thefourps.substack.com/i/176327077/...

Everyone wants to slap AI onto the Gartner Hype Cycle. 📉 But AI isn’t slowing down. It’s not in a “trough of disillusionment.” It broke the curve entirely. Some people call it hype because their experiments failed. But your learning curve ≠ the market’s growth curve. youtube.com/shorts/zAgK1...

Illusion is cheap. Proof is hard. Both matter. Whether it's family, work, society, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘨𝘰, or even Advertising Week New York, the big question isn't what's real... It's "𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚?" 👉 Read all four before you start your week: thefourps.substack.com/p/pppproof-a...

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆: How I feel about generative AI content, in one post.

Big Social had a good run. But when 3.3 million users engage across the Genuin network in 30 days… that’s a signal. Not “engagement.” Not “reach.” Real people. The center of gravity is shifting. It’s time to actually OWN your own community. 🤟

Beyoncé’s trainer. Rihanna’s stylist. A NASA astronaut. No, this isn’t the setup for a bad joke. It’s how Eric Sheinkop built The Desire Company into a machine for real content, not influencer fluff, not rented audiences, but actual expert-led storytelling that converts. Anew Genuin Connection

Protecting kids online isn’t optional anymore. 🚨 The FTC just told seven of the biggest AI players (Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, xAI, and more): show us how you’re keeping children safe. Not someday. Not in a press release. Right now. youtube.com/shorts/0Ri33...

I (finally?) got access to Perplexity’s new 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵 browser. I've used it non-stop for the past 24 hours. Because in theory, AI in a browser sounds awesome. In reality... more like beta vibes. Here are my first impressions:

Normally new tech follows a pattern: hype, crash, then slow adoption. But AI isn’t playing by those rules. The money is massive. The breakthroughs are daily. And yet most companies are still just tinkering. Lots of pilots, very little production.

When voices are silenced, when the media is forced to bend to government pressure, when people stop speaking out, freedom doesn’t disappear overnight. It erodes piece by piece. Freedom is fragile. It only survives if we protect it. Speak up. Silence is never neutral. youtube.com/shorts/dC9GP...

Communities don’t die out from lack of interest. They die because they forget. Forget who showed up. Forget why they came. Forget what they built together. Physical, digital, religious, whatever… What is Community Memory? I just made it up. Maybe it’s nothing. But I think it’s… something.

I'm willing to bet VERY few people in my network here have heard of Lenny Rachitsky. But if you’ve ever touched product, you know exactly who he is. Lenny went from leading product at Airbnb to running one of the most practical, data-rich newsletters in tech.

I feel split in two this week. The dichotomy of anger AND kindness. Wanting to retreat inward while needing to resist outward. One side wants to vent some targeted, productive rage. To call out the hypocrisy, to shine a mirror on misguided, misinformed misanthropy... youtube.com/shorts/Lbu9A...

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀: After much thought and reflection, the time has come. A chapter in my life is closing, and I’m ready to announce my 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. Not from the industry. Not from marketing. But from something that’s been every bit as rewarding...

As speakers flood stages at conferences this fall, sharing stories of creativity, innovation & bold new ideas, nobody's bragging about gross margin or units sold. Products are the 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. Marketing is the 𝙬𝙝𝙮. Stop chasing transactions. Start building value.

Want proof that I can write about more than just my kids & throwback nostalgia stories? Here's some good ol' fashioned industry authority: 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀. My latest in the Genuin Blog 👇👇 (𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 - 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥!) begenuin.medium.com/the-ai-traff...

“We were wrong. It’s not an evolution, but a revolution.” (This recruiter’s headline stopped me mid-scroll.) “After decades hiring marketing leads, the truth is undeniable: AI isn’t coming for our jobs. It already took them.” Dramatic? Sure. But not wrong. youtube.com/shorts/pjXaJ...

Tiny favor 👋 We’re kicking off a new @genuinapp thought leadership project; Looking for a few product leaders (B2B or B2C) who’d be up for a short, informal chat (recorded video) with us. If this sounds fun, DM me or fill out this form and we’ll set it up. Thanks! (📝 forms.gle/gHzjKouS8pFF...)

🔦 Product Spotlight: Sponsored Communities: Video-powered experiences embedded directly into your website and app. For retailers & publishers, it’s not just another tool... it’s a revenue unlock. For advertisers, it’s media that actually hits different.

My son starts high school today. 😳 I gave him the “dad pep talk” about how these 4 years are the most important of his life, where you figure out who you are, what you love, what you stand for. My advice: lean into the uncomfortable. That’s where the growth happens. www.tiktok.com/@matthewwurs...

Ben Franklin's kite & key sparked electricity. This week’s sparks? Data, content & truth: → Stop training others' AI. → Visibility doesn’t happen by accident. → After 4 years of posting daily, a streak ends. → The assault on public health is sabotage. 👉 thefourps.substack.com/p/ppppennies...

🚀 1,000,000 strong… and just getting started. In just a few short months, the Genuin network has grown to over one million users. A milestone worth celebrating, made possible by our brilliant team, visionary partners & bold brands who believe in building the future of community. Thank you. 🙏

Nobody likes to hear “I told you so.” It stings. It shuts people down. But sometimes being right isn’t enough. Influence isn’t about proving a point, but what happens next time. Reframe “I told you so” from gloating into a reminder: my perspective is important. youtube.com/shorts/tpnON...

She’s back. You knew she couldn’t stay away. When I told my daughter that LinkedIn loved her curious, sassy take on marketing, I showed her your feedback on that post a few weeks ago. Eyebrows raised, she asked: “So wait, what is AI really, if it’s more than just ChatGPT?”

I stopped a few weeks ago, and here’s why: These tools aren’t just writing your copy or brainstorming faster. They’re feeding your brand inputs -- your data, your ideas, your IP -- back to the mothership. Every prompt makes their model smarter… and YOUR brand less unique...

An entrepreneur's secret that not every VC or board wants to hear: Not every startup needs to be lean. Or even be lean. Heresy? No two startups are the same. Some companies shouldn’t rush. Some teams aren’t built for hyperspeed. Sometimes slow is a strategy. youtube.com/shorts/EQ-q2...

It's always flattering when other people tell your story for you. In this case, she is one of the sharpest, most inspiring leaders in our industry. Ashley Miles, CEO Franklyn West: "Ownership of your content, consumer engagement, and data must be your core."

My niece just schooled me on why creators are so influential with her generation (she's 18). Last weekend, visiting family down the Jersey Shore, she convinced us to walk to the local ice cream shop, Surfside Custard. Once we got there, I knew why. It’s owned by Alix Earle's dad.

Ever feel like you’re living two lives at once? 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲: thought leadership, tech talk, product launches, funding rounds, conference recaps. 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱: messy, unpredictable, moving faster than anyone can process. 📩 𝗣𝗣𝗣𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗻: thefourps.substack.com/p/pppprepare...

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄: One of my colleagues asked out loud last week: “Why do marketers still think influencer marketing is about follower count?” He's right. Great question. Because in 2025, influence ≠ audience size. (𝘗𝘴𝘴𝘴𝘵: 𝘐𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥.)

My niece just started college as a nursing student. Clear path, clear purpose, job almost guaranteed. Not every major offers that certainty. Entry level jobs are getting harder than ever, and especially so in an emerging age of AI. youtube.com/shorts/OhHEK...

The Sunday Scroll is your one-stop shop for the stories, trends & ideas I think actually matter right now. Today. 1. Substack’s Next Move 2. New Language for a New School Year 3. Brands All-In on Episodic Videos 4. Apple's AI Plans 5. Teachers are AI Super-Users substack.com/@thefourps/n...

WTF is superintelligence? Besides my nickname in high school, it may become the next super annoying term you can't escape. With respect to AI, Mark Zuckerberg says #superintelligence is “in sight”… and he’s spending billions to get there. youtube.com/shorts/vhiDR...

Some marketers need to hear this: You’re doing too much. I was reminded of it watching a single-engine plane buzz the beach this past weekend last weekend, towing a banner that simply read: “O’Brien.” That’s it. No tagline. No QR code. No 47-point value prop. And I was sucked right in.

I asked my 11-year-old to tell me what she thinks my job is… and honestly? She kinda nailed it. Last week, I mentioned I haven’t started a job with a real job description in over 20 years. My daughter finds that fascinating. Yesterday at breakfast, I asked her what she thinks I do all day...

Ever stumble across an unsent email in your drafts… and instantly feel the weight of the moment you didn’t take? Remorse? Regreat? Relief? I’ve got dozens in both work and personal email accounts. Half-written pitches. Unfinished intros. Messages I talked myself out of sending. Most get deleted.

"Having a bloated media stack isn’t a sign of sophistication. It’s a sign of fragmentation. 6 adtech and content vendors. Countless handoffs. High costs. No efficiency. In an age of AI, we now know one embedded infrastructure replaces them all...

What comes AFTER ChatGPT? Iteration is inevitable. AOL after Compuserve. Google after Infoseek. Spotify after Napster. Facebook after Friendster. TikTok after Vine. After years experimenting with LLMs for marketing strategy, they still fall short on one thing: judgment. youtube.com/shorts/7Zy2V...

Real Talk Saturday: Most CMOs, content, and product/UX teams are getting "community" completely wrong. Using AI to generate more posts, not better connections. Mistaking content volume for actual value. Confusing likes for loyalty. And calling it a community when it's really just content clutter.

Yesterday afternoon I got an email from myself. And it caught me totally by surprise. Because it wasn't from my current self. It was from "2015 Matt." I'd totally forgotten all about it, but apparently, a decade ago I sent "2025 Matt" a note on delay arrival. (Classic overachiever move, right?) 🧵👇

Not everyone has to like you. But they should be able to trust you. This week’s Four Ps dives into the real currency of work, life, leadership, and love: trust. If you’re building something that lasts, start here. 👇 thefourps.substack.com/p/ppppriorit...

Ever push yourself so far out of your comfort zone... that the very notion of comfort zones disappeared for the rest of your life? 30th years ago this summer, I had a wild, formative experience, living and working in a remote Costa Rican village (SF de Coyote) on the Pacific coast...

🧠 Human Intelligence is the thing everyone’s overlooking while sprinting to automate everything that moves. Without it, all the AI tools in the world are just glorified word salad machines. Introducing "Intelligent Achievement:" the sweet spot where HI and AI work together. youtu.be/nemZcjOUSjs

Midseason. Midsummer. Mid-existential crisis? In Episode 49 of the Snarketing Podcast, Valerie Vespa & I go guestless and gloves off, reflecting on the chaotic first half of 2025 & what’s ahead for the back half. YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GkM... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7qTu...

People say hybrid work is the best of both worlds. But what if early-stage companies are living in the worst of both versions? It needs structure, coordination, shared visibility & operational discipline. youtube.com/shorts/ja0KB...

Real Talk Saturday: Let's make job interviews & recruiting more human again. Because we’ve entered the Age of the AInterview™️, AI-generated cover letters & mock interview prep. Bring back the art of unpreppable questions... the kind that reveal character, not clichés. youtube.com/shorts/TZ-1H...

HBS Study says AI agents are making teams 79% less collaborative. Developers with GitHub Copilot spent less time discussing, reviewing & learning from each other. 2MM logs can't be wrong. Sound familiar, marketers? We’re seeing this drift in teams using AI agents: Faster outputs, fewer sparks.

Ads are a shortcut. Loyalty is a long game. You can’t buy loyalty with CPMs and CTRs. You earn it with value, relevance & trust... day after day. Focus on delivering consistently, not impressing immediately. That's how you build loyalty that lasts.

B2B video isn’t optional anymore. It’s the language our community (and your audience) actually listen to. 🎥I pulled out a few "creative shifts" that actually move the needle. Let's rethink how and where you, your brand, your partners, and your viewers show up. youtu.be/tg-RgE3JnEE

AI just slid into Shopify’s DMs… and didn’t even say hi. Meaning in the battle of privacy and rights usage vs personalization, it looks like privacy just took another L. OpenAI quietly added Shopify as a 3rd-party data source in ChatGPT’s results—no big announcement, no heads-up. Just... there.