The algorithm cares for motion. Depth, at least for the robots, is currently out.
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As Om Malik, the veteran tech writer and founder of GigaOm, put it recently: "Authority used to be the organizing principle of information. That world is gone. The new organising principle is velocity." Algorithms don't optimise for truth or depth. They optimise for motion. A piece that moves fast is considered good.

Which leaves me asking: where does that leave those of us who care about depth?

And it's worse than that. The platforms have been hellishly tweaked, constantly, quietly, so that what worked a year ago, or yesterday, may not work tomorrow. Reach has collapsed, particularly for some of us. Commentators are calling it a "visibility tax," and a form of gendered economic harm: women disproportionately rely on digital visibility to grow independent businesses, secure clients, and access leadership opportunities. LinkedIn isn't just a social platform, it's a professional reputation engine and gatekeeper. Who the algorithm shows you to shapes who considers you credible, visible, promotable. Who sees you, reads you, connects with you, that defines how you are perceived. That's how authority is built now. Or withheld.

Joanna Bloor, author and innovative force, shared the other day (in her community, which I'm a part of) a sentence she'd overheard in a room she was in earlier in the week:

I agree. And we're not talking about LinkedIn connections here.

What I think we're talking about is something more fundamental: re-learning how to think. How to sit with a thought long enough to follow it somewhere. How to listen, really listen, without rushing to the next thing. These are skills we are quietly losing, and I don't think the answer is to shout louder into the algorithm. I think the answer is to build different rooms.

That's what I'm trying to do here, in the Sunday Digest, in the live events at Le Trente, in the essays, and in The Mettā Interview.
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Speaking of which: today I'm sharing a clip from my conversation with mental fitness and parental coach Giulia Galli, and let me tell you, I talk a lot in it, but in a good way. I'm sharing it because what Giulia and I got into matters: teaching children how to think. Which, when you sit with it long enough, becomes a conversation about teaching ourselves how to think again too.

The Mettā Interview is, despite its name, far more of a conversation than an interview. The first part is me asking questions — often with metaphors — to help my guest tell their story in a way that comes alive for you, the listener.

The second part centres on one question: the question that feels most alive for my guest at the time of recording. We identify it together in a pre-interview call, and it becomes the title of the episode. With Giulia, that question was "What is my intention?" — and from there we found ourselves talking about what happens when someone is offered a safe space and encouraged to follow a thought all the way to its end. What lives in the silence between thoughts. Why critical thinking and deep listening matter more than ever, right now, in the age of AI.

I'm sharing that long(ish) clip from that conversation. Let me know what comes up for you.
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And if this resonates: Giulia is offering a masterclass on Intentional Parenting for Le Trente on 4th March — live on Zoom and recorded. We'd love to have you join us. Details at Luma.com/LeTrente.​

That's the spirit in which today's Sunday Digest is offered. Depth over velocity. You decide what's worth your attention.

Happy Sunday,
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Sunday Digest
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This week's gatherings

​Intentional Parenting: from autopilot to conscious choice — with Giulia Galli Tuesday, 4 March — Live on Zoom and recorded → Register here​

Coming up — Saturday, 14 March, in person, Geneva

​Equanimity and the Art of Wise Action — with Oana Budica Oana is a Chinese medicine practitioner and meditation teacher based in Geneva, with over a decade of clinical experience and more than 15 years of serious contemplative training — including two full vassa retreats in Theravāda monasteries in Thailand and Myanmar. A rare combination of rigour and warmth. → Register here​

Today — Guided Meditation on Insight Timer

A free weekly practice, live today at 12pm ET / 6pm CET. → Join me here​

PAUSE HERE: A MEDITATION FOR YOUR WEEK

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​Relax, soften, let go — guided body scan A gentle, grounding practice for when you need to come back to your body. No experience needed. → Listen now​

THINGS I'M THINKING ABOUT

​Is your face on trend? — FT — Mine is not. But maybe we've hit peak Instagram face. And that's a very good thing.

​Uber's first flying taxi lands in Dubai — We always imagined the future would look like this. Here it is.

​Do you think before you speak? — A journalist asks Olympic medalist Eileen Gu a strange question. Worth your two minutes.

​Three months with an AI girlfriend — The Atlantic — Lightly reported. But also not light at all.

​The 'calm technology' trend — Dezeen — Isn't the actual source of calm stepping away from technology altogether?

​Why leaders are swapping 60-minute meetings for 6-minute videos — Forbes — On video as a tool for human connection within teams.

​Nudify apps, smart glasses, and tech turning against women — Enraging and important.

​FIRE vs ICE — Taylor Lorenz — On the lawsuits fighting US government censorship online, and why it matters.

​First victim of AI harassment — When the bots take over. Uncomfortable. Worth every minute.

​The authoritarian AI crisis has arrived says Platformer. Meanwhile Anthropic drew red lines around government use of its technology. The Pentagon called them a national security risk.Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's response is worth watching.

​How tenaciously Palantir courted Switzerland — Republik — Independent Swiss magazine Republik is being sued by Palantir over this piece of in-depth reporting. Why would the surveillance giant behind ICE worry about a small independent article? Free and in English.

Listen

​The Mettā Interview: Giulia Galli — "What is my intention?" The very conversation I reference in today's opener — on teaching children to think, the gift of silence, and what happens when someone is truly listened to. → Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify​

Coming this week:
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​Out of the Clouds: Katia Dayan Vladimirova — Senior sustainability policy expert and founder of the Post Growth Fashion Agency, on degrowth, sufficiency in fashion, and why buying no more than five new garments a year is both good for the planet and good for us. Subscribe on the platform of your choice. → Subscribe​

From the archives

​That time I was the guest on my own podcast — If you're new here, this is a good place to start. On listening to my inner voice, the story of you, and the power of mettā meditation.

​The call to adventure — Ahead of my next workshop on dreaming into being: a personal story about how setting a seemingly simple goal led to a major career shift and a life I hadn't imagined.