Mike Elgan

Amazon's Amp is the newest and best social audio service. Amp is thousands of radio stations where you're the D.J., if you want to be. (Or you can just enjoy the music.) You can play music free from Amazon's tens of millions of songs. You can talk. You can take callers and have conversations. 

It's ambient social audio, and people are spending 10 hours at a time on the service, even as they work. Here are my current thoughts on Amp. 

Amp is currently in beta, US-only, iOS-only and requires an Amazon account. Here's how to get on Amp and follow me (I'll follow you back, too): 

1. Download the iPhone app here. 

2. On the app, log into your Amazon account

3. Use the Access Code GOLIVE

4. Click here to go to my profile, and smash the button to follow me.

Have fun!

I’ll just come out and say it: Amazon Amp is BY FAR the best social audio service.

Because it’s “ambient.” It’s designed to provide a soundtrack for your life, without all the scheduled, trade-show-conference intensity of Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces.

Amp lets you be a DJ. You can select from any of tens of millions of songs available to use (but not download) for your shows. You build a playlist, then play that music for yourself and your audience — the Amp users who choose to listen. Between songs, you can talk. And, like a radio DJ, you can open it up for “callers.” They queue up, and you can choose whomever you like to talk. And you have a conversation.

Currently live shows are featured on the app, and as you scroll through them you eventually see the scheduled shows in order, with the soonest first.

The result of this format is a very relaxed, easygoing ambient kind of social audio experience.

Unlike Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces (which can become a kind of extrovert Hunger Games of microphone hogging and bloviating pontification, and where far too many conversations descend into boring chatter about crypto), Amp shows are great for everybody. Even the most extreme introverts can host shows without discomfort.

I think Amp is going to be huge. But even if it doesn’t blow up, Amp is already a super fun way to discover music and have conversations.

Go here to get all the details. 

The Russian government used to be very good at disinformation. In the last two weeks — not so much.

Russia's disinformation strategy is rooted in 20th-Century KGB tactics for using information warfare against the Russian population to suppress popular support for political opponents of the state.

In the 21st Century, where information is global, Russia's disinformation services are working overtime to serve the regime's interests as Putin sees them, with sometimes opposite messages for internal and global consumption.

In general — both inside Russia and around the world — Russia's falsehoods and propaganda aren’t having the usual effect. And this failure may hold the keys to combating disinformation in the future. 

If so, here's the apparent formula for defeating state-sponsored disinformation.

The magic of gathering around the table with kindred spirits is unforgettable. It’s the place where lifetime memories and lifelong friendships are created.

We had the pleasure of creating a magical gathering with an exquisite meal prepared by our friend and talented chef Israel Loyola Espinosa at the beautiful Hotel Sin Nombre during the recent Oaxaca Experience. But there are always secret new gatherings and endless surprises during this once-in-a-lifetime Oaxaca Experience. We can’t wait for you to feel the magic of gathering for The Oaxaca Experience in December.

Two years after much of the business world abandoned offices to avoid COVID-19, it looks like it’s time to get back to the office. Just how is that supposed to work?

The moment we all anticipated (or feared) is here: After two years of on-again, off-again pandemic lockdowns, the "Great Return" is happening for most offices between mid-February and the end of April. Read the rest in my Future of Work newsletter!

[About this newsletter. My "Future of Work" email newsletter is published by Foundry, the publishing company formerly known as IDG. The newsletter is both ad-free and free of charge. BUT, because Foundry newsletters are aimed at technology and business professionals, you'll be asked some basic information as part of the subscription process. Please provide! I'd love for you to subscribe to my Future of Work newsletter. -Thank you! -Mike]

In other words: Is it time to sell the house, tuck away your belongings in storage and turn your life into a permanent workcation?

The answer is yes.

[About this newsletter. My "Future of Work" email newsletter is published by Foundry, the publishing company formerly known as IDG. The newsletter is both ad-free and free of charge. BUT, because Foundry newsletters are aimed at technology and business professionals, you'll be asked some basic information as part of the subscription process. Please provide! I'd love for you to subscribe to my Future of Work newsletter. -Thank you! -Mike]

We're in Morocco, and so happy to be here again!

Before the pandemic, we used to come two or three times a year, sometimes for two months at a time. But this is our first trip to Morocco in nearly three years.

Like many countries, Morocco closed during the pandemic. But few closed as tightly as Morocco. This country not only banned international flights to and from Morocco, but also all travel between cities internally. When Morocco shuts down, they *really* shut down.

Here's my update on what happened in Morocco during the pandemic, and what's happening now. 

From weapons to vehicles to communications gear and more, most militaries are equipped top to bottom with technology specially designed and created for military purposes. Military technology, or miltech, is an industry that’s largely separate from enterprise or consumer tech.

I mentioned last time how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first TikTok war, with social media being the main source of intelligence and information about the war. Most of the intelligence-gathering gear is just ordinary smartphones, cameras and other tech made for the consumer marketplace. 

But the deployment of consumer gadgets, apps and other gear by Ukrainians in their defense against the Russian invasion goes far beyond that, and is unprecedented in the history of warfare. 

Here’s how Ukraine is weaponizing consumer tech.

Staffing for cybersecurity has always presented a challenge. But with the old skills shortage combined with the new “Great Resignation,” hiring the right candidates has never been more important.

The first step in looking at any prospective hire is to review resumes. People often don’t appreciate this process. It’s easy, for example, to overlook the best fit. You might toss aside the resume of someone who might be an outstanding candidate because of factors that really don’t matter.

Here are the top ten factors in hiring a cybersecurity professional. 

Legal residence is everything. Physical location is nothing. Here’s what you need to know about employees who don’t live at home.

Subscribe free here.

The way people travel for work in 2022 or 2023 will look a lot different than it did just a few years ago. So, grab a burner phone (and your freshly wiped laptop) before you go.

As the pandemic winds down and businesses start making plans for a post-pandemic world, the one big question is: How has business travel changed?

Airports and airplanes are starting to fill up, but mostly with leisure travelers. Business travel is recovering far slower than tourism.

A poll from SAP Concur found that business travel is likely to start booming by the end of this year. But that sounds unlikely to me. I believe we’ll see a mini-boom starting in March and April, then a slowdown in late 2022 as COVID-19 spikes again in the winter, followed by a real boom in the spring of 2023. (I’m not an expert in epidemiology, but my understanding from reading real experts says that the road to endemic status for COVID-19 involves one more winter spike—something that probably didn’t factor into the thinking of those polled by SAP.)

What we do know is this: When it does come back, business travel will look very different. Here's what to expect.

Subscribe free here.

Tens of millions of tourists see Venice each year. But hardly anyone knows about the heaven-on-Earth Prosecco Road less than one hour North.

And yet this may be the most beautiful wine country in the world, with a fantastic and wildly underappreciated culture.

While everyone is familiar with the City of Venice, the islands and lagoon, the culture of medieval Venice responsible for that city was part of the larger "Serenìsima Repùblega Vèneta," which means "Most Serene Republic of Venice" in the Venetian language. The "country" of Venice extended all the way up to the Prosecco Road to the mountains beyond.

During our incredible Prosecco Experience, we explore the wonders of Venetian culture — the incredible food, wine, architecture and history — which lasted for a thousand years.

(Subscribe to the Gastronomad newsletter free)

The pandemic has changed everything about work.

Far more people now work remotely. Hybrid and flex work arrangements are all the rage. Employees are quitting in droves in the Great Resignation. There’s the labor shortage, the skills gap, and remote hiring. The list goes on.

So, how do we decide how much to pay people? And if you’re interviewing for a new job, how do you decide how much to demand?

Two opposing incentives are creating uncertainty about pay. On one hand, most employees prefer remote work so much that they’re willing to take a cut in pay. And they need less pay if they move outside expensive areas.

On the other hand, the skills shortage, labor shortage, and Great Resignation movement are driving up salaries and bonuses, as companies work to incentivize employees.

Adding to the unpredictability: Many companies are still in lockdown mode, so it’s unknown how many jobs currently remote will remain so. And inflation is changing the cost of living.

Tech giants like Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft announced pay cuts for remote employees who left Silicon Valley—which is notorious for its high cost of living (the median home price in Palo Alto in Silicon Valley is roughly $3.5 million). But many other companies, including real estate website Zillow, have said that pay shouldn’t vary based on the cost of living.

When the dust settles, it’s likely that pay at most companies will generally reflect the cost of living of the employee as it always has. Companies will tend to pay whatever the market will bear in the labor market, and it will prove easier to hire good employees at lower salaries in areas with lower costs of living.

But there's much more to it than that. Here's what we should all be thinking and talking about when it comes to paying people in the future of work. 

This is from my free, weekly Future of Work newsletter. Subscribe free here.

Along with jet packs and food in pill form, flying cars were a staple of 20th-Century futurism, which envisioned a family flying car in every driveway. Soaring above the roads on the way to work, school and the high-tech shopping center, the flying car was intended to replace regular cars for everyday use.

The reason you never see one — the reason you don’t have one — is that a “flying car” is a horrible idea. 

Everyone started talking about the metaverse in the summer of 2021. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked it off with his plan to focus his company on building what he imagined would be the future of social, business, leisure and culture: the metaverse. He even changed the name of his company from Facebook to Meta.

Since then, the chatter about the coming changes has been loud. Silicon Valley, the global tech industry, the media — everyone is talking about it. But what is the metaverse, exactly? And what are the cybersecurity implications of living more of our lives in a virtual world?

Chances are, you don’t have a hybrid work policy. Many companies don’t have any written policy for working outside the office. Those that do probably have a remote work policy.

Going without any policy at all is ill-advised. Policies protect the company, improve morale, foster better culture, help employee retention, improve cybersecurity, and provide other benefits.

And remote work policies crafted just a couple of years ago are likely obsolete for most companies now.

The concept of having an employee handbook for “regular” employees who work in the office, plus a remote work policy for that minority that works from home, is now antiquated in the extreme.

Yes, some employees are explicitly categorized as hybrid or flex workers, spending some days in the office and some days at home. But even those labeled as on-site workers are likely to do some work outside of the office, after hours, and on weekends. Staffers may take “workcations,” or do work in other countries for short periods of time. And some specific employees may rotate in and out of the “office,” “remote,” and “hybrid” categories.

The possibilities for where employees do their jobs are endless. And that’s why you need a single policy for all employees—a hybrid work policy.

Subscribe to my Future of Work newsletter. 

Joe Rogan (and guests) said things. Some of those things could inspire listeners to fear the covid vaccine more than covid, causing needless deaths.

It matters because Rogan is a big deal. Rogan is the world’s biggest podcaster. The Joe Rogan Experience, exclusive to Spotify, enjoys audiences that dwarf any political commentator on TV. 

Rogan’s podcasting shtick is that he’s an incorrigible stoner having endless late-night conversations about things he doesn’t understand. With a good guest, it’s a relatable journey of discovery that brings his audience along. With a bad guest, it’s a source of disinformation Rogan’s fans might be persuaded by. 

So a movement started on social media to boycott Spotify. Famous singers, including Neil Young, called for Spotify to remove their music in protest, and Spotify complied. Thousands of people canceled their Spotify accounts. Spotify’s market valuation lost $2 billion. 

Rogan supporters shouted: CENSORSHIP!!

Except nothing about this story has anything to do with censorship. Rogan is still America’s #1 most influential voice. And even if he left Spotify, it would be easy for him to start his own podcast. Joe Rogan is uncensorable and uncancelable, thanks to both the US Constitution and the podcast medium, which has no gatekeepers.

But it does add to the perennial conversation about the role of technology companies in governing speech. 

In truth, Spotify isn’t really central to that conversation. But Facebook, Twitter and other social networks are. 

The question is: Are social networks more like telephone companies… or publishers?

The answer is yes.

Read more.  

Cyberattacks happen. What you do afterward can affect your cybersecurity posture for years to come. But it can also affect your ongoing success as a business, your good name and your compliance with the laws that govern your industry. You can only realize the full benefits of cybersecurity with the one-two punch of strong proactive and reactive cybersecurity.

The surprising answer is yes — as long as you’re not a competitor, advertiser, or consumer.

For years, it seemed, Google lived up to its old motto, “Don’t be evil.” It also seemed to do no wrong in terms of product superiority.

Google built its reputation as an ethical company that outperformed competitors. But is that reputation still deserved?

One thing is true: It’s been a bad year for Google’s reputation.

The whole point of an office was: Everybody in the same place at the same time. Now everybody’s in a different place — and working at a different time. 

I love the tangy, delicious flavor, creamy consistency and confirmed health benefits of live, probiotic-rich fermented beverages like kefir milk. Unfortunately, the kefir milk typically found at grocery stores tends to be an expensive, less healthy and fake version of the real thing.

(This is an excerpt from The Spartan Diet Journal email. Read it here.)

That’s one of many reasons why I recommend that you get and keep live kefir grains.

No, kefir grains are not grains like wheat grains — they’re a specific collective of friendly microorganisms that, when added to milk or just about any drink containing sugar, initiates a natural fermentation process.

In other words, kefir grains are like a sourdough starter, kombucha scoby or vinegar mother. They’re used, cultivated and shared for the purpose of fermenting foods.

Kefir grains are especially valuable in an industrialized food context, because they enable us to make fermented dairy products using pasteurized milk.

Here’s everything you need to know about kefir from the Spartan Diet Journal, plus a recipe for cultured butter. 

Elon Musk tweeted this week that, instead of worrying about overpopulation, "we should be much more worried about population collapse." Musk fears that Earth won’t produce enough people for him to send to Mars.

Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Sahil Lavingia replied that "We should be investing in technology that makes having kids much faster/easier/cheaper/more accessible. Synthetic wombs, etc."

Then, bitcoin bro and Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin chimed in by saying that "disparities in economic success between men and women are far larger once marriage+children enter the picture. Synthetic wombs would remove the high burden of pregnancy, significantly reducing the inequality."

Don't you see? Pregnancy and birth is an engineering problem for Silicon Valley to solve, patent and profit from. Because gender equality!

When "Brave New World" or "The Matrix" depict a dystopian future where babies are "grown" in artificial wombs and then "decanted" or "harvested," it was meant to be a warning, not a business plan. 

Read the rest in my newsletter, Mike's List!

We've all heard about what's wrong with social media. The algorithms surface content designed to trigger emotions, and so we're all constantly exposed to triggering content. Filter bubbles protect us from opposing viewpoints. It's addictive and time-wasting. It's filled with haters and trolls. Yada, yada, yada. 

We've heard the theories and seen the studies. Let's finally understand how this all really works.