IE Insights
@ieinsights.bsky.social
The thought leadership publication of IE University, with research-based analysis and fresh ideas on the way we live, work, and coexist.
https://www.ie.edu/insights/
https://www.ie.edu/insights/
As toxic forever chemicals infiltrate our water, scientists are turning to an unexpected ally: microbes. Peer Timmers explores how biological water treatment – and the evolution of pollution-eating microorganisms – offer a sustainable solution to water treatment. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...
Can We Train Microbes to Eat Pollution? | IE Insights
Peer Timmers explores how biological water treatment - and the evolution of pollution-eating microorganisms - offer a sustainable solution to water treatment.
www.ie.edu
February 5, 2026 at 6:20 AM
As toxic forever chemicals infiltrate our water, scientists are turning to an unexpected ally: microbes. Peer Timmers explores how biological water treatment – and the evolution of pollution-eating microorganisms – offer a sustainable solution to water treatment. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...
Aristotle’s ethos continues to guide modern leadership, demonstrating how credibility, integrity, and goodwill can quietly persuade audiences over time, writes Javier Bernad. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Ethos: Why Credibility Is Hard to Build and Easy to Lose | IE Insights
Aristotle’s ethos continues to guide modern leadership, demonstrating how credibility, integrity, and goodwill can quietly persuade audiences over time, writes Javier Bernad.
www.ie.edu
February 2, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Aristotle’s ethos continues to guide modern leadership, demonstrating how credibility, integrity, and goodwill can quietly persuade audiences over time, writes Javier Bernad. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Milton Friedman’s views on corporate social responsibility are often misinterpreted as advocating unethical behavior. Mikko Ketokivi revisits Friedman's arguments and clarifies the distortions made to them. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Misquoted and Misunderstood Milton Friedman | IE Insights
Milton Friedman’s views on corporate social responsibility are often misinterpreted as advocating unethical behavior, writes Mikko Ketokivi.
www.ie.edu
February 1, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Milton Friedman’s views on corporate social responsibility are often misinterpreted as advocating unethical behavior. Mikko Ketokivi revisits Friedman's arguments and clarifies the distortions made to them. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
“Power is not a reward. It’s a tool to serve others and improve public life.” -- @laurachinchilla.bsky.social
The former President of Costa Rica joins Power & Purpose to discuss democracy, leadership, and public service, with @nathalietocci.bsky.social and Amanda Sloat. ie.edu/insights/pod...
The former President of Costa Rica joins Power & Purpose to discuss democracy, leadership, and public service, with @nathalietocci.bsky.social and Amanda Sloat. ie.edu/insights/pod...
Laura Chinchilla on Leading with Passion, Empathy, and Integrity | IE Insights
<div class="x_elementToProof" data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">Laura Chinchilla, former president of Costa Rica, speaks to Amanda and Nathalie about recent events in Venezuela while offering a hopef...
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January 30, 2026 at 3:11 PM
“Power is not a reward. It’s a tool to serve others and improve public life.” -- @laurachinchilla.bsky.social
The former President of Costa Rica joins Power & Purpose to discuss democracy, leadership, and public service, with @nathalietocci.bsky.social and Amanda Sloat. ie.edu/insights/pod...
The former President of Costa Rica joins Power & Purpose to discuss democracy, leadership, and public service, with @nathalietocci.bsky.social and Amanda Sloat. ie.edu/insights/pod...
Reposted by IE Insights
Wrote it nine months ago but more relevant now
AI is really acting like this magic potion with not so magical qualities. The density of articles on AI bubbles has been the highest in the last quarter than prior ones
some transformation is bound to happen but costs exceed revenue by a long distance
AI is really acting like this magic potion with not so magical qualities. The density of articles on AI bubbles has been the highest in the last quarter than prior ones
some transformation is bound to happen but costs exceed revenue by a long distance
"Rather than a market-wide AI bubble, we may be witnessing a more segmented phenomenon," writes Sajal Singh. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
AI Bubble Signals from History | IE Insights
The AI market’s soaring valuations and speculative investment raise concerns of a potential bubble, despite its transformative potential, writes Sajal Singh.
www.ie.edu
January 29, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Wrote it nine months ago but more relevant now
AI is really acting like this magic potion with not so magical qualities. The density of articles on AI bubbles has been the highest in the last quarter than prior ones
some transformation is bound to happen but costs exceed revenue by a long distance
AI is really acting like this magic potion with not so magical qualities. The density of articles on AI bubbles has been the highest in the last quarter than prior ones
some transformation is bound to happen but costs exceed revenue by a long distance
"So, does our use of AI constitute action? Is the exchange of prompt and response an act, a determination of will? Or is it a rejection of responsibility, a way of avoiding the effort to think thoroughly?" www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Postcards from the Museum: AI Can Imitate Thought but Cannot Think | IE Insights
AI can mimic language convincingly, but without lived experience, intention, or responsibility, it cannot truly think or understand meaning, writes Barry Cooper.
www.ie.edu
January 27, 2026 at 10:52 AM
"So, does our use of AI constitute action? Is the exchange of prompt and response an act, a determination of will? Or is it a rejection of responsibility, a way of avoiding the effort to think thoroughly?" www.ie.edu/insights/art...
As uncertainty rises, many organizations are retreating to control. The problem: control no longer delivers speed, innovation, or resilience. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
What It Takes to Make Trust-Based Leadership Work | IE Insights
Trust-based leadership succeeds only when organizations build the capabilities to implement empowerment, learning, and adaptability at scale, writes Florian Hoffmann.
www.ie.edu
January 26, 2026 at 12:57 PM
As uncertainty rises, many organizations are retreating to control. The problem: control no longer delivers speed, innovation, or resilience. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Reposted by IE Insights
"From confidant to sales rep: how advertising threatens trust in ChatGPT", my article on @ieinsights.bsky.social
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
From Confidant to Sales Rep: How Advertising Threatens Trust in ChatGPT | IE Insights
Introducing advertising into ChatGPT risks turning trusted assistance into a marketplace, breaking the user confidence that chatbots rely on, writes Enrique Dans.
www.ie.edu
January 22, 2026 at 5:54 PM
"From confidant to sales rep: how advertising threatens trust in ChatGPT", my article on @ieinsights.bsky.social
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Not all friendships play the same role in our lives. Some help us work better, some make life lighter, and a few sustain us through change. Knowing the difference can spare a lot of disappointment -- and deepen the connections that actually matter. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Art of Friendship: From Deals to the Real Thing | IE Insights
Happiness depends on recognizing the purpose of each relationship in our lives and investing the right intention into them, writes Nick van Dam.
www.ie.edu
January 20, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Not all friendships play the same role in our lives. Some help us work better, some make life lighter, and a few sustain us through change. Knowing the difference can spare a lot of disappointment -- and deepen the connections that actually matter. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
"The real danger of AI...is not its output but our credulity in the face of flawless logic. We are fundamentally wired to trust something that is well written, data rich, and authoritative in tone." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
A 2,000-Year-Old Skill for Leading in the AI Age | IE Insights
The greatest risk of AI is flawless logic applied to poorly framed questions that replace human judgment, writes Rubén Montoya González.
www.ie.edu
January 19, 2026 at 12:05 PM
"The real danger of AI...is not its output but our credulity in the face of flawless logic. We are fundamentally wired to trust something that is well written, data rich, and authoritative in tone." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
"Thinking about Russia solely through the prism of Putin’s personal history, or through the idea of an unchanging national essence, leads to an analytical dead end." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Why We Don't Understand Russia | IE Insights
Understanding Russia requires moving beyond Putin’s psychology to examine the historical and institutional dynamics that shape its behavior, writes David Flores.
www.ie.edu
January 18, 2026 at 12:56 PM
"Thinking about Russia solely through the prism of Putin’s personal history, or through the idea of an unchanging national essence, leads to an analytical dead end." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Can AI understand the soul behind human language? Suzan Awinat explores how poetic techniques challenge even the most advanced language models - and what it takes to train them differently. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...
Why AI Can’t Understand Metaphors or Sarcasm — And How to Fix It | IE Insights
Can AI truly understand the soul behind human language? Suzan Awinat explores how poetic techniques like sarcasm and metaphor challenge even the most advanced language models — and what it takes to tr...
www.ie.edu
January 16, 2026 at 10:38 AM
Can AI understand the soul behind human language? Suzan Awinat explores how poetic techniques challenge even the most advanced language models - and what it takes to train them differently. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...
The page is a workshop. Outlining, drafting, cutting, expanding, starting over, circling back, and rearranging are among the tools by which language is brought into contact with the world. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Useful Friction: AI, Breath and the Labor of Writing | IE Insights
From breath and voice to screens and algorithms, writing traces the body’s shifting presence - and asks what is lost when friction disappears, writes Niels Bekkema.
www.ie.edu
January 14, 2026 at 7:41 AM
The page is a workshop. Outlining, drafting, cutting, expanding, starting over, circling back, and rearranging are among the tools by which language is brought into contact with the world. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Leadership isn’t getting easier. In a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, and shifting expectations, human-centric leadership isn’t a “soft” alternative -- it’s a performance strategy. Patrycja Riera on what leaders need now: www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Case for Human-Centric Leadership | IE Insights
Effective leadership begins with understanding people, helping to create workplaces where humans and performance can thrive, writes Patrycja Riera.
www.ie.edu
January 12, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Leadership isn’t getting easier. In a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, and shifting expectations, human-centric leadership isn’t a “soft” alternative -- it’s a performance strategy. Patrycja Riera on what leaders need now: www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in geopolitics, writes @bjornbeam.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Caracas Operation and the Rise of Intelligence-Driven Statecraft | IE Insights
The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in contemporary geopolitics, writes Bjorn Beam.
www.ie.edu
January 12, 2026 at 8:57 AM
The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in geopolitics, writes @bjornbeam.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
"We’re running behind, especially concerning digital formats. I’m not sure theater works only digitally. You can go to the cinema for that. Theater is a great medium bcse people come together to witness one moment unfolding on stage." Tine Milz in convo w/ Catalina Tejero: www.ie.edu/insights/vid...
Is Theater Dying? The Future of Performing Arts | IE Insights
Is theater dying or evolving? Tine Milz sits down with Catalina Tejero to discuss the future of performing arts, digital transformation, and how interdisciplinary approaches are reshaping the stage.
www.ie.edu
January 9, 2026 at 9:16 AM
"We’re running behind, especially concerning digital formats. I’m not sure theater works only digitally. You can go to the cinema for that. Theater is a great medium bcse people come together to witness one moment unfolding on stage." Tine Milz in convo w/ Catalina Tejero: www.ie.edu/insights/vid...
The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in geopolitics, writes @bjornbeam.bsky.social: www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Caracas Operation and the Rise of Intelligence-Driven Statecraft | IE Insights
The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in contemporary geopolitics, writes Bjorn Beam.
www.ie.edu
January 8, 2026 at 5:25 PM
The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in geopolitics, writes @bjornbeam.bsky.social: www.ie.edu/insights/art...
"When we expect emotional loyalty from a transactional relationship...or treat deep friendships as mere conveniences, we set ourselves (and others) up for disappointment." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Art of Friendship: From Deals to the Real Thing | IE Insights
Happiness depends on recognizing the purpose of each relationship in our lives and investing the right intention into them, writes Nick van Dam.
www.ie.edu
December 22, 2025 at 8:22 AM
"When we expect emotional loyalty from a transactional relationship...or treat deep friendships as mere conveniences, we set ourselves (and others) up for disappointment." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
“I feel like I am on a treadmill, and it never stops, it runs faster, and on top of that, stuff is thrown at me left, right, and center. I am unclear on what to focus on, and a bit fearful of what to expect.” www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Case for Human-Centric Leadership | IE Insights
Effective leadership begins with understanding people, helping to create workplaces where humans and performance can thrive, writes Patrycja Riera.
www.ie.edu
December 20, 2025 at 4:05 PM
“I feel like I am on a treadmill, and it never stops, it runs faster, and on top of that, stuff is thrown at me left, right, and center. I am unclear on what to focus on, and a bit fearful of what to expect.” www.ie.edu/insights/art...
What happens when political ideals collide w/reality?
@rory-stewart.bsky.social joins Power & Purpose to discuss the challenges facing democracy on both sides of the Atlantic & to reflect on maintaining integrity amid the demands of public life.
Spotify: shorturl.at/Ok06y
Apple: shorturl.at/uDXqK
@rory-stewart.bsky.social joins Power & Purpose to discuss the challenges facing democracy on both sides of the Atlantic & to reflect on maintaining integrity amid the demands of public life.
Spotify: shorturl.at/Ok06y
Apple: shorturl.at/uDXqK
December 19, 2025 at 11:25 AM
What happens when political ideals collide w/reality?
@rory-stewart.bsky.social joins Power & Purpose to discuss the challenges facing democracy on both sides of the Atlantic & to reflect on maintaining integrity amid the demands of public life.
Spotify: shorturl.at/Ok06y
Apple: shorturl.at/uDXqK
@rory-stewart.bsky.social joins Power & Purpose to discuss the challenges facing democracy on both sides of the Atlantic & to reflect on maintaining integrity amid the demands of public life.
Spotify: shorturl.at/Ok06y
Apple: shorturl.at/uDXqK
"People describe themselves as 'AGI believers' or 'AGI‑pilled.' They know they’re working inside a myth, and they lean into it."
@guillermodeharo.bsky.social reviews Karen Hao's new book Empire of AI: Inside the Reckless Race for Total Domination.
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
@guillermodeharo.bsky.social reviews Karen Hao's new book Empire of AI: Inside the Reckless Race for Total Domination.
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
How AI Companies Became Empires | IE Insights
Karen Hao's <span data-teams="true">new book <i>Empire of AI </i>reveals</span> how AI’s explosive growth is masking an empire built on hidden labor, vast resources, and an "AGI ideology", writes Guil...
www.ie.edu
December 18, 2025 at 5:27 PM
"People describe themselves as 'AGI believers' or 'AGI‑pilled.' They know they’re working inside a myth, and they lean into it."
@guillermodeharo.bsky.social reviews Karen Hao's new book Empire of AI: Inside the Reckless Race for Total Domination.
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
@guillermodeharo.bsky.social reviews Karen Hao's new book Empire of AI: Inside the Reckless Race for Total Domination.
www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Tying executive pay to ESG doesn’t just reward sustainability -- it changes what leaders actually focus on. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
The Hidden Trade-Off in ESG Incentives | IE Insights
ESG metrics in executive pay show that sustainability goals only work when they are measurable, material, and carefully balanced with financial performance, writes Juan-Pedro Gómez.
www.ie.edu
December 15, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Tying executive pay to ESG doesn’t just reward sustainability -- it changes what leaders actually focus on. www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Consumers no longer reward sustainability on principle; they value it only when it signals quality, durability, and real improvement to their lives: www.ie.edu/insights/art...
Why Sustainability Has Become a Performance Signal | IE Insights
Consumers no longer reward sustainability on principle; they value it only when it signals quality, durability, and real improvement to their lives, writes Gabriela Salinas.
www.ie.edu
December 9, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Consumers no longer reward sustainability on principle; they value it only when it signals quality, durability, and real improvement to their lives: www.ie.edu/insights/art...
What does resilience look like in public life? Sylvie Goulard, former French Minister of the Armed Forces, explores the political pressures, personal trials, and unexpected turns that have defined her career. www.ie.edu/insights/pod...
Sylvie Goulard on Success, Failure, and Resilience | IE Insights
What does resilience look like in public life? Sylvie Goulard joins Amanda and Nathalie to explore the political pressures, personal trials, and unexpected turns that have defined her career.
www.ie.edu
December 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM
What does resilience look like in public life? Sylvie Goulard, former French Minister of the Armed Forces, explores the political pressures, personal trials, and unexpected turns that have defined her career. www.ie.edu/insights/pod...
"Generative AI no longer advances by size alone. The most meaningful gains are now likely to come from new architectures, better reinforcement learning, and agents that are both more capable and safer to operate." www.ie.edu/insights/art...
How Big Tech Is Rewriting Its LLM Strategy | IE Insights
As AI growth slows, major players are diverging on priorities, with differing focuses on efficiency, personality, or openness revealing a maturing industry, writes Adriana Hoyos.
www.ie.edu
December 2, 2025 at 10:12 AM
"Generative AI no longer advances by size alone. The most meaningful gains are now likely to come from new architectures, better reinforcement learning, and agents that are both more capable and safer to operate." www.ie.edu/insights/art...