👋 Ohayou, Tokyo is testing a bold new strategy—a four-day workweek—to tackle its declining birth rate and work-life imbalance. Plus, we explore American views on AI and jobs, the rise of hybrid work, and actionable insights for building a solid career foundation. Let's dive in! 🚀
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NEWS FLASH
Americans and AI Experts Split on Job Threats. Americans and AI experts both anticipate job losses from AI—but differ on severity. A new Pew Research Center report shows 64% of Americans expect fewer jobs due to AI in the next 20 years, compared to just 39% of experts. Both agree jobs like cashiers, journalists, and factory workers will shrink, though experts foresee greater risks for truck drivers, according to The Washington Post. For young workers, building adaptable skills is essential.
Half of Young Workers Would Quit if Forced Back to Office. Young professionals who started careers during the pandemic—the “hybrid generation”—strongly prefer flexibility. A new Fortune survey finds half would consider quitting if required back in-office full-time without additional pay, and two-thirds believe strict office attendance should come with higher salaries or perks. Clearly, young workers now equate hybrid flexibility with work-life balance, reshaping what they’ll accept from employers moving forward.
Google’s AI Search Update — Winners & Losers. Google’s March AI search update dramatically boosted visibility for big-name companies—banks and insurance brands saw huge jumps (PNC up 466%, Delta Dental 360%)—while smaller information websites lost ground, according to a new Sitecurve analysis. Good news for creators, though: Sites featuring original, engaging content thrived. The takeaway for young professionals? Prioritize authentic, creative work—it’s still your best bet for standing out in an increasingly AI-powered world.
BYTE-SIZED
AI Interview Impostors: Fake job seekers are using AI to bluff their way through remote interviews, tech CEOs warn. Candidates with AI-generated resumés, fake IDs, and even real-time interview answers could represent 25% of applicants by 2028, according to Gartner.
Gen Z in the AI Era: Gen Z employees are stepping into the AI era without a clear roadmap. A Gallup survey finds 55% of Gen Z workers report their employers haven’t provided formal AI guidance, leaving many to navigate workplace AI alone.
JP Morgan CEO: Economy Strong, But Risks Rising. The U.S. economy remains resilient with strong consumer spending and stable businesses, says JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. But he warns heavy government spending and recent tariffs might drive inflation higher, increasing recession risks.
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BIG THINK: Tokyo bets on a four-day workweek to boost births and work-life balance
Tokyo’s government will introduce a four-day workweek for its employees starting in April 2025 – part of an effort to improve work-life balance and tackle Japan’s declining population. The plan, announced by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, also includes a new “childcare partial leave” option allowing some staff to work two fewer hours per day.
Japan has one of the largest gender gaps in unpaid labor among developed nations. Women in Japan perform five times more unpaid work (childcare, elder care, housework) than men – one of the widest disparities in the OECD, according to the International Monetary Fund. This heavy burden is reportedly a major reason many Japanese women have fewer children than they want.
Shorter workweeks could help ease these family pressures. In a recent six-country trial by 4 Day Week Global, men working a four-day week spent 22% more time on childcare and 23% more on housework – suggesting a more balanced division of labor at home. Years of four-day week experiments have also shown higher productivity and lower burnout for workers, with participants reporting less stress and better sleep.
Tokyo’s new policy aims to encourage young couples to start families by giving them more free time. “We will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth or child-rearing,” Koike said in a recent assembly speech. By making it easier for parents to balance jobs and home life, officials hope to raise the city’s flagging birth rate and shed Japan’s unwanted title of the world’s oldest population.
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AROUND THE WEB
In a cultural shift, some Chinese companies are embracing shorter workweeks and mandatory clock-off times to encourage healthier work-life balance for employees. Similar to what we reported about Japan.
Andreessen Horowitz is raising a record $20 billion fund to back AI startups, reflecting global investors’ strong appetite for cutting-edge tech ventures.
LA fintech startup Rain raised $75 million to grow its earned-wage access app, reflecting renewed investor confidence in innovative financial wellness solutions.
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon wants employees to stop checking emails in meetings, calling the practice “disrespectful” and a waste of time as he pushes for more engaged discussions.
Instagram cofounder Mike Krieger says youthful entrepreneurs should embrace side projects and accept that “not every step needs to make logical sense” on the path to success.
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GROW WITH US
Part 3: Building a Solid Foundation for Your Career & Life.
New here? Feel free to catch up on Parts 1 and 2 for context:
In earlier parts, we discussed how surface-level self-awareness can lead to cycles of setbacks as well as the critical importance of valuing our time. Now, let’s build on those ideas by intentionally investing our time in creating a solid foundation for our career and life. Why is this important? Because when our sense of self is clear and stable, we confidently build toward genuine fulfillment rather than chasing fleeting external rewards (quick dopamine hits don’t fulfill us). Without clarity, it’s easy to drift, becoming burned out or frustrated—signs our foundation wasn’t stable from the start.
A firm personal foundation moves us from reactive living to intentional living. True self-awareness grounds us in core values, guiding decisions from internal alignment rather than external pressures.
Daily actions aligned with our identity become inherently rewarding, reducing our dependency on external validation.
Personally, I spent close to eight years living a half-aligned life which made for an incredibly difficult period to say the least. I often felt like I was moving in the right direction, yet moments of cognitive dissonance revealed deeper conflicts, leaving me feeling completely unaccomplished—just spinning my wheels. My first instinct was to power through by working harder, but that was unsustainable and didn’t address the root issues. Eventually, I realized that I truly needed exactly what we’re discussing here: slowing down, engaging in deep self-reflection, ensuring internal alignment, and ultimately changing my behavior to match my identified true values. That last part was especially challenging because it meant losing some relationships I deeply valued but recognized were misaligned with the direction I believed was best for me—the person I wanted to become, and the impact I felt called toward. One key thing for me was double-clicking on my personal faith which helped me understand the importance of living from internal conviction rather than external expectations—an inside-out approach rather than an outside-in one.
Remember, each of us is unique, and our greatest fulfillment comes from genuinely leaning into that uniqueness.
PRO MOVE
Ready to begin the process of solidifying your foundation? Here's a good place to start:
Self-reflection: Set aside 10 minutes (ideally today!) to think and journal on what genuinely energizes or drains you (journaling is proven to reduces stress and improve clarity btw).
Alignment checks: Regularly pause to confirm your current path (what you’re doing presently) matches who you truly want to become based on what you’re identifying as core to who you are and where you want to go. Early detection of misalignment prevents wasted time (emphasizing this for your benefit - I’ve already learned this lesson).
Learn to say no: Respect your time by setting clear boundaries. For example, politely decline requests or opportunities that don't align with your core values—even when it's uncomfortable—staying true to your priorities will help you uncover your uniqueness and keep you on track.
Regular reminders: Use visual cues, notes on your phone, or revisit journal entries to refocus on these core ideas and your internal identity—especially when distractions arise. I write with a dry-erase marker on my mirrors so I see them daily. We'll probably expand on effective reminder strategies in future parts.
Deepening self-awareness creates lasting confidence anchored in authenticity. Remember, each step genuinely reflecting your identity becomes its own reward—leading to stability, growth, and genuine confidence.
In Part 4 we’ll dive deeper into discovering your unique gifts 🧐
JOBS
Post a job here — we highlight community jobs as much as possible in this section
App Developer Intern: The Future of Medical Interpretation & AI.
Software Developer: Build nightlife tech at HotSpot with Next.js and Node.js.
Intern – All Positions: Diverse internships for aspiring talent at GoVia: Highlight A Hero.
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THE NUMBER:
Globally, more than 10,000 barcodes are scanned every second—a mind-boggling number showcasing how seamlessly technology underpins daily life. Even old stuff like the barcode.
FOR NO REASON
Rocket Bike Gone Wrong. In 1931, a German engineer strapped twelve rockets to his bicycle, hitting nearly 90 km/h on a Berlin racetrack before an inevitable explosion tossed him off—amazingly, he walked away mostly unscathed.
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FEEDBACK
WISDOM
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
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