Honest conversations about the psychology of modern work culture
The cruelest trick corporate America ever pulled was convincing us that ‘unlimited’ actually meant ‘less.’ Jenna used to light up when she talked about wine. Every few months, she’d return from European vineyards with stories of her favorite merlot and a bottle to share with our team. On those afternoons, our sterile conference room transformed …
Before I wrote a single line of code, I was writing office birthday cards. “I wanted to chat about your retirement party,” Morgan said, her voice bright with enthusiasm. “The team thought it would be nice if I coordinated it, since I’m the new engineer.” Twenty-five years melted away. I was suddenly back at my first software …
At 2 AM last night, I was in bed, deep in the details of a hiking guide for a Japanese pilgrimage trail I’m not taking. I’d been clicking through the same pages for hours — trail maps, temple descriptions, ryokan recommendations — knowing full well I’m not going to Japan anytime soon. It isn’t the …
In the office parking lot, my colleague circled my ten-year-old Honda like it was a crime scene. “When are you finally going to upgrade?,” he asked, gesturing at his new BMW. I could have laughed. I could have shrugged. I could have pretended I hadn’t heard him. Instead, I looked him dead in the eye …