Here's what's rolling across my desk (RAMD) this week. ---------------------------- 1. Warren Buffett Steps Down as Chairman --------------------------- Warren Buffett has been my distant mentor for 25 years and has taught me and many others so much about doing business with integrity. He's really changed my life. And I'm sad he's stepping down, but he is 96 years old and he will remain on the Board. I hope I'm as alert and active as he is when I reach my nineties. One of the things I most love about Buffett is that he draws his circle of competence very narrowly. He knows what he knows, and he knows there are plenty of things he doesn't understand. I can think of many billionaires who could benefit from Buffett's example. ---------------------------- 2. Buffett has had such an impact on me... --------------------------- ...that I've spent years building an entire pro-bono program, World of Business Reading Group, dedicated to sharing his wisdom with high school and college students, as well as adults. We explore two basic questions: What makes a company a good business? And how does the stock market work? Along the way, we talk about judgment, leadership, ethics, and kindness. Yes, kindness. With my extraordinary team of volunteer faculty, we have developed a 150-page student guide and a longer teacher's guide. Classes are small, meet once a week for seven weeks, and are taught live by senior executives my team and I train. These volunteers put a lot into this program. And it shows (see more at WBRG.org). ---------------------------- 3. I just spoke to a parent --------------------------- I just spoke to the mother of a college student who took WBRG this summer. She raved about how much he loved it. And how he started talking to her, at length and unprompted. "And this is a kid who never says anything to anyone, especially me." Months later, she said, he's still talking to her. We hear versions of this from parents all the time. Their kids get excited about what they're learning and then start talking to them. That may be one of the best unintended benefits. But not just that. ---------------------------- 4. Parents can take WBRG too --------------------------- Our fall adult/parent class is underway, and it sold out. You can sign up to be notified about the spring adult class here: http://wbrg.org/adult-notification And if you have a high school or college student in your life, you can sign up to get the application for the summer 2027 program: https://www.wbrg.org/student-notification ---------------------------- 5. I'm speaking to a parent group in Brooklyn tonight --------------------------- Tonight I'm talking with a group of parents of transgender college students about both WBRG and Never Search Alone – and the challenges students face in today's job market. A transgender student who's going through Never Search Alone (and also took WBRG) will join me. Looking forward to this. ---------------------------- 6. Get notified about the College Edition -------------------------- We're in production on the College Edition of Never Search Alone. If you have a college student in your life, or work with students, you can sign up for updates and be notified when the book is available: https://0sulml7kjpu.typeform.com/to/E9w5PGgU Every dollar we receive from sales of the College Edition will go toward the free college program. ---------------------------- 7. Book sales keep Never Search Alone free --------------------------- Book sales are our sole source of funding for Never Search Alone. I donate every dollar I receive from those sales to run the program. Our book sales have declined this year (all self-help book sales are in decline). That means less money to pay for the technology and operations that keep the free program running. If you know someone who's looking for a job, consider buying them a copy. https://www.amazon.com/Never-Search-Alone-Seekers-Playbook/dp/B0BJ486SJ1 You'll be helping that person and helping us keep Never Search Alone free for everyone. ---------------------------- 8. Reading the Iliad together --------------------------- In this age of AI, there's nothing like reading a text from thousands of years ago in community with others. Our Odyssey reading groups were a big hit this summer. Now our Iliad groups have begun and are going well. Anger, pride, grief, and compassion. There's plenty in this ancient poem for us to think about today. If you'd like to be notified about a future free reading group, just reply to this newsletter and I'll ask my team to keep you posted. ---------------------------- 9. I have homework --------------------------- An influencer friend is tutoring me on how to build a larger social media presence for Never Search Alone. So for two weeks, I'm doing daily 60–90 second videos on LinkedIn to learn what works. The goal is to reach people who don't know Never Search Alone. We've helped 65,000 people, but we can help many, many more. ---------------------------- 10. The First Four LinkedIn Videos --------------------------- Here are the first four vides. Let me know what you think. - Jessica was a rocket scientist, but she was waiting tables...until she joined a *free* Job Search Council. https://lnkd.in/p/gcJb7kMU - Annabelle was embarrassed. Her Job Search Council helped her get past that, embrace what she wanted, and find the energy to pursue a good job. https://lnkd.in/p/gwhU7fWy - I’ve interviewed 300 executives over 15 years. One habit stood out among those who got ahead. https://lnkd.in/p/eKQFA-Sd - Ever had a *bad* boss who undermined you, shook your confidence, then laid you off? Sophia did. https://lnkd.in/p/gJ6FPFFa ---------------------------- 11. Daytime Disco --------------------------- If you’re anywhere near NYC on Sat, Nov. 21, come join us as we build community and dance together in this fear-driven topsy-turvey world. More info here: https://0sulml7kjpu.typeform.com/to/jCPwAOVS ✨ ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ 💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃 With love and sequins, Phyl P.S. I'm a big fan of 80s music and of the DJ Richard Blade. I grew up listening to him on KROQ in Los Angeles. Today, he's a DJ on SiriusXM FirstWave and as I was finishing this newsletter he gave me a shoutout live on the radio. I was stunned. Couldn't believe it. It made my day...and then he dedicated the next song – "Fantastic Day" by Haircut 100 – to me. ❤️ 💃 Here's a picture I took this summer of me and Richard Blade at the Howard Jones tour: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JK6EcDgaD/ P.P.S. We thrive on volunteers (including me). If you want to help, please review the volunteer opportunities below. --------------------------- 1. Social Media Volunteer - URGENT ---------------------------- We need someone who can develop a social media strategy, create campaigns, and track engagement for Never Search Alone. https://forms.gle/fvjAD58HNyxcXu5H6 --------------------------- 2. NYC 2027 Pride March Coordinator ---------------------------- We are looking for someone to coordinate a successful NYC 2027 Pride March for our NSA Community! This will be our third year and it's a lot of fun and communtiy-building. Learn more and apply here: https://forms.gle/1p5hwrAUwH2zFxf47 ---------------------------- 3. High School and College World of Business Reading Group (WBRG.org) --------------------------- Our high school and college business literacy program is going really well. Based on the philosophy of Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett, it is live taught in a small zoom class by senior executives with serious business and investing experience. You can sign-up to be notified when applications open for our summer 2027 program: (they will open sometime in Jan of 2027 and typically we run out of space quickly) https://www.wbrg.org/student-notification ---------------------------- 4. JSC Moderator Application for Alums ---------------------------- We are looking for Job Search Council alums who have a job and are willing to come back and moderate a Job Search Council. Details here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Du74FGMpr32jG3Nv4LPZO38b__1pHpd2dj4dJEH1K1w/edit?usp=sharing Apply here: https://forms.gle/yB74Xjz4tMYsECeJ9 ---------------------------- 5. Looking for Recruiters ---------------------------- If you are a recruiter and you want to help job seekers discover their Candidate-Market Fit, please consider volunteering. You control how many sessions you do a month and it's great way to give back. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5vLUurBne89xPMpM8whVfnhc-dNCTm-v6PMHrAr0A4BCWxg/viewform ---------------------------- 6. Podcast Contacts? --------------------------- To help spread the word about Never Search Alone, we are trying to get me on to some larger podcasts (like Lenny's, which had a huge impact). Do you know anyone at the podcasts listed in this document or other larger audience podcasts? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PmcXy4ZTmW_IcXZQ3qB7-Y6-AtCsnv-U/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ndit9t56zy2y If you have contacts, please let our volunteer Liz Nilsen know at liznilsen4@gmail.com. ---------------------------- 7. Media Contacts? --------------------------- Business Insider published a feature following the journey of one of our Job Search Council members who was laid off while pregnant. It opens with: "Getting laid off broke my heart... and I couldn't stop myself from crying." Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7374445590107176961/ Note: this came from a job seeker talking to a reporter. If you know any reporters, please encourage them to write about us or reach out to Liz Nilsen at liznilsen4@gmail.com with potential contacts. ---------------------------- 8. More on the "extinction risk" --------------------------- How would AI make humans extinct? What is the actual sequence of events that gets us there? Not millions of people dying. Not even hundreds of millions. The extinction of the human species. More than 8 billion people. Every single one of us. Human beings have survived some extraordinary things. There is a long-running scientific hypothesis that roughly 74,000 years ago, the human population went through an extreme bottleneck and may have fallen to only a few thousand people. Scientists still debate exactly what happened. But Homo sapiens survived. Think about what an actual extinction event means. Bioweapons can do terrible damage. I think the possibility of AI helping someone create a biological weapon is a serious risk, and one we need to safeguard against. Same with nuclear weapons. Cyberattacks can do terrible damage. But extinction risk? I have yet to see anything evidence that allows anyone to put a number like 10% on it. That is science fiction. And don't forget, a lot of people in Silicon Valley grew up reading science fiction. There is something exciting and important about imagining yourself at the center of a story about the survival of the human species. This email was sent to [email address suppressed]. If you are no longer interested, you can unsubscribe instantly: https://collaborativegain.createsend1.com/t/t-u-ydydcjy-l-r/ Collaborative Gain, Never Search Alone, Slow Art Day, and WBRG 1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10019