Jon Kaye.Every piece, in one place. Follow a subject or see how the writing has changed over time.
I nearly sent you a very different email this week. One of those bullshit product launch emails where I tell you I’m “thrilled to announce” something and pretend this was all part of a carefully laid out plan.
The quality of journalism these days is just so bad... "A swarm of 700 AI agents carried out an attack on Hugging Face and tried to cover their tracks." (from Reuters).
Someone on a podcast explained Gen Z to me this week. Gen Z are roughly aged between 14 and 29. They values honesty. Gen Z wants authenticity. Gen Z doesn't trust institutions. Gen Z discovers music through social media. Gen Z…
Stop Reading More. Start Reading Different. Last year I was stuck on how to price the Do Radio subscription tiers.
Put your phone down, or die - The Alps have a very effective digital detox programme I’m in the Alps this week.
I’m in a lot of WhatsApp groups. Family groups. Work groups. Groups for projects that finished three years ago. Groups created to organise one dinner 3 years ago. And several where I have absolutely no idea why I’m there.
Every morning I walk the dog. It's 75 minutes of peace. No emails. No meetings. No phone calls.
At 1am on Monday morning, I’ll be awake watching England play Mexico in the World Cup. I can’t remember the last time I was voluntarily awake at 1am on a Monday.
I'm a writer. Well, I like to write at least. You can decide whether I'm any good at it or not. For a writer, when Substack launched, back in 2017, it was amazing. It was genuinely groundbreaking and idealistic.
Nobody tells you creativity is political. It's usually talked about in terms like self-expression, or problem-solving, or channelling your inner child.
The word “more” is everywhere these days. More content, more tools, more ideas, more posts, more books, more apps, more things to read, watch, save, start, finish and become.
The internet made everyone a publisher. It forgot to make enough editors.
I’ve got a confession. A few years ago, I liked the phrase “my truth.”
Buried in the SpaceX IPO filing, under “future revenue streams,” are three business lines I can't read without laughing: rocket commuting;
I’ve been thinking about AI all wrong. For the last couple of years, I’ve mostly looked at it through the lens of hype.
My son keeps asking me about day trading. Not in a formal, “Father, please explain the mechanics of leveraged speculation” kind of way. More in the way teenagers ask about something they’ve already half-decided is interesting…
Most people I know have now “met” ChatGPT. You type a question. It answers. Sometimes brilliantly. Sometimes like it’s had a long lunch. Either way, the deal is simple: you ask, it responds.
Last weekend, I watched the boat race live on the Thames. It was an unbelievable atmosphere.
As a parent, you dread these moments. You know the ones. The “right, we need to talk” moments.
Sometimes you realise why clichés become clichés. It's not because they’re clever. It's because they’re true. This week I’ve been ill. Properly ill.
If you've ever watched football on TV, then you'll have heard the commentator say: “He’s 20 years of age.” As opposed to years of what? Years of custard? I think you mean that he's 20 years old. Nobody has ever said "years of…
This week I watched my 17-year-old son play his last game of football for his school. It was a Cup final. After Easter he has exams. Then he’ll be off to university.
If you needed proof we’ve collectively lost our minds, the startup Aaru is a pretty good exhibit. Aaru is allegedly worth a $1bn. It uses AI agents (“bots”) to simulate human responses for market research: focus groups, surveys,…
Hello. I’m Coco. I’m ten. I’m a dog. Specifically a chocolate Labrador. I’m on a walk. And I'm hungry. I’m only “writing” this because my human insists everything has to become a lesson. Personally, I think that’s weird, but…
I caught myself doing it again. You know exactly what I mean. You’re halfway through reading the news, your phone is vibrating with seventeen different “urgent” notifications, and someone on the internet is telling you that if…
A few weeks ago I watched a kid build a bridge (I was deep in a YouTube rabbit hole). A real bridge. Two chairs in the living room, a broom handle balanced across them, and a sofa cushion shoved underneath like a structural…
The world is so bloody messy these days. Trump has ripped up decades old global political alliances. There are wars still going on (!) in 2026. The climate is fucked. And we seem to be spending all our money on AI chips and data…
I played tennis as a kid. Proper tennis. Big court. High net. Yellow balls that felt like rocks when you mishit them. Serves that either clipped the tape or disappeared over the fence. Long rallies (if you were lucky). Mostly,…
You’ve probably felt it. That body blow when you realise how fast AI is moving. You spend two weeks perfecting a report and then someone else uses an AI tool and does it in ten minutes.
What do we actually tell our children about work now? I’ve got kids at university. They’re smart, capable, good people. And when they finish, I’m meant to look them in the eye and explain the world they’re walking into.
- ...but it might make you more human. I’ve always loved reading. But I used to think of fiction as a luxury. Something indulgent, even a bit self-serving.
Politics is broken, and not in the way you think it is. It’s not the shouting, the scandals, or the lack of morals. The real issue sits underneath all of that. We've built a system where politics is a job. A career. A way to earn…
It starts out ordinary, like most stuff that ends up being life-changing does. I’m in that phase again where I’m trying to improve myself, like it’s a second job, like it’s a subscription I can’t cancel because I’m scared of what…
I've started a book club. That sentence still feels faintly ridiculous, which is probably why I keep repeating it. You see, I’ve never been in a book club before. It's not really my thing.
There’s a phrase I keep hearing in the AI world: “This is the worst AI will ever be.”
- This is the future? Remember when the iPhone came out?
Boys, There’s something I want to tell you. Something I hope stays with you long after you’ve finished reading this. Something simple, but important.
- Exclusive Announcement! I have a confession to make: I don’t have ADHD.
The week before Christmas is that odd little pocket of time when things slow down. People have a chance to get reflective. Social feeds fill up with “year in review” posts, Spotify wraps up our listening history, and newsletters…
Well, I do too. Thirteen GCSEs, two AO levels (yes, I'm that old), four A levels, Cambridge university degree and two Masters degrees.
This isn’t just a personal issue. It’s societal. Structural. The story we’re told, all through school, work, and in wider society, is that success is a ladder, and the goal is to get to the top.
I heard an acronym the other day that made me genuinely laugh out loud: BALM. Not the stuff you put on dry lips, but: "Baking as a Lifestyle Medicine."
Welcome to the church of self-improvement. The rituals? Cold plunges, 5am alarms, and meal-prepped quinoa. The sacred texts? Substacks, productivity podcasts, and 700-page biographies of billionaires. The doctrine?
When push comes to shove, people do what’s best for themselves. Actually, they don’t even need a shove. It’s their default position. (Not even your friends and family care about you).
I’ve never been political. It’s not that I'm anti-politics. I just don’t see the point.
This week, I started reading a book called Fax Club. It’s about a group of 100 strangers who agreed to answer one question each week, sent out anonymously over the internet. No introductions. No small talk. Just one prompt, and…
When I look back at the things I’ve done in my life that really mattered to me the common thread isn’t brilliance. It isn’t luck. It isn’t even inspiration.
Starting something is hard. Starting again is harder. I’ve been going to the gym on and off for 30 years. Long enough to know the routine, long enough to know the excuses, and long enough to know that progress is never a straight…
It used to be enough to just show people the finished product. You’d work hard behind the scenes. Whether that meant building a business, writing a book, designing a brand, or recording a song. And only unveil it once it was…
On Tuesday night, something extraordinary happened. I was at a Coldplay concert expecting the usual mix of great music, lights, a bit of nostalgia and a great show.
There’s something magic about live events. The raw, unfiltered energy of it all. Whether it’s sport or music, nothing compares to being there in the crowd. I love watching human beings push themselves (or each other) to the edge…
Every time I write, I’m not trying to sound smart. I’m trying to feel sane. Not in a “Who am I really?” philosophical way but more like a “What the fuck just happened?” kinda way. Writing is how I clean up the emotional mess…
Just this morning, I saw a cyclist on a Lime bike gliding through a red light without even glancing sideways. No hesitation. No fear. Just full of confidence that there’d be no consequences. And he was right.
For the past century, we’ve built our entire world on the back of one core belief: growth is good. Scratch that, growth is essential.
Close your eyes and dream for a minute. Imagine that you're the best in the world at what you do. As a teenager, I dreamt of being a pro golfer and winning the biggest tournaments in the world.
I’ve just come back from holiday. And like most holidays, it started with stress. Packing. Traffic chaos. Airport queues that make you question your life choices.
It’s the kind of question that shows up late at night, often uninvited. Maybe after a long day, a tough week, or one of those slightly-too-honest catch-ups with an old friend. And the answers come in all shapes. Some people…
This year, I've started to take my music career seriously. I'm trying to take it from a hobby to a business. And if you've ever tried to start something new—a new business, a new sport, a new habit, even moving to a new area and…
Ever feel like you’re the only one not getting it? Like everyone else is on the same team, vibing to a frequency you can't hear? We all feel like that sometimes, of course. It’s a weird kind of disconnection, not loneliness…
Well don't worry. Because I've solved boredom. I have the answer. It's sadism.
The truth is out there. Or at least that's what Scully told us. But you’re not actually seeing the truth. You're not seeing the world as it really is - you’re seeing it as you are.
I was standing in King’s Cross station the other day, surrounded by people, many of them on the phone, on conference calls, joining zoom, voices raised, trying to cut through the noise. There were suitcases rattling,…
I’ve been composing a lot of music lately. And what with AI and software enhancements, it's getting easier and easier to make music. But a lot of it still isn't very good.
Every morning, millions of people in the UK wake up and reach for a little pill. Statins. Ozempic. Blood pressure meds. Anti-depressants. The list is long, and growing.
A few years back, the UK appointed a Minister for Loneliness. It sounded like satire. A government job title plucked from a dystopian novel. But it wasn’t a joke.
We know so much these days. We can predict the weather days in advance, simulate the big bang, trace neural pathways in the brain, split atoms, and 3D-print working organs.
The robots are coming. Actually, no – they're already here. You've probably noticed this, right? The quiet creep of automation, AI tools going from "cute novelty" to "disturbingly competent" in what feels like overnight.
If you ever find yourself stuck in traffic, watching your coffee go cold, or feeling a creeping sense that everything is slowly falling apart, you're not wrong. That's entropy.
I read a poem this week. For anyone who knows me, that doesn't sound like me at all.
It's a strange feeling, isn't it? That moment when you finally reach the summit you've been climbing... only to discover the view isn't what you expected.
Let me tell you about a house I once knew. It wasn’t the prettiest place, but it had character. And it was filled with a group of mates. All travelling together. With purpose.
I was in the French Alps yesterday and honestly? I’m still processing the full emotional rollercoaster of it. Skiing, for me, is the perfect contradiction. I love it—and I hate it. Not in an overdramatic way, but in a true,…
My son came home from school the other day and proudly told me that he'd just got 100% in his Latin test at school. He was right to be proud. I was too.
It was a beautiful day in London on Wednesday. The sun shone. It was hotter than Ibiza (why is Ibiza always the barometer for hot weather?). I was with my friends.
In 2000, I was working in London. I’d recently landed my dream job and I’d just got married. It was just the two of us. No kids yet. Just time, London and some money to spend.
I woke up at 4am the other day. Nothing unusual there. Turn over. Close your eyes and go back to sleep for a few more hours.
I was queuing for my flat white yesterday. In my favourite place - Artisan - my local coffee shop. I love coffee.
For over 40 years, I’ve been a Manchester United football fan. And for all of that time, I’ve had a simple expectation: they win.
She looked at me quizzically. She had that sort of head cocked to one side, I don't know what you're saying, kind of look on her face.
I'm doing a lot of walking at the moment. It's supposed to be good for you. But winter definitely makes it tougher to get out there. Cold, dark, often wet. I'd rather just stay inside, thanks.
I was taking the dog for a walk earlier this week. It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining. I felt happy. Half an hour later, and as far from home as I was planning to get, I noticed that the blue sky had gone. It was…
It's bloody cold at the moment in London so when I woke up with a jolt at 5am, covered in sweat, I knew something was up. I was never going back to sleep so I got up, slumped down the stairs and turned the coffee machine on.
I was taking my kids to school the other day when a Ferrari with a personalised number plate roared past me. (Well, it didn't really roar, so much as trundle. It was rush hour in London and traffic wasn't moving but Ferrari's…
I was arranging to meet a mate of mine for lunch last week (let's call him Dave). It was like talking to someone from the 1940s. You know. Before technology.
I was out walking the dog on New Year's Day, getting some fresh air after a solid 4 hours sleep. And over the course of an hour, 5 complete strangers spoke to me. Now, I live in London, so when a stranger talks to you, it's…
I've just come back from a dog walk along the river and the number of fat, old people out running is enough to scare the local hospitals. I was getting drunk just from the fumes coming out of these old bastards.
Don't worry, it's not your fault. If you've did something wrong this week (and let's face it, you probably did), then chill. Don't worry. It's not your fault.
I sat up with a start and glanced at my watch. It was 4.30am, I was damp with sweat and far too hot, despite the frost descending outside. I lay there for a bit trying to slow down my heart.
The most dreaded words a parent could hear are the words: "What if?" OK, maybe not the worst worst. "Dad, I'm pregnant" could be pretty bad (depending on their age).
I was chatting to my wife last night about birthdays (it's her birthday coming up and I have no present ideas whatsoever) and it suddenly struck me that my parents are 30 years older than me. OK this shouldn't be news. They…
Is it just me or are there more and more arseholes in the world today? People just walking down the middle of the road. Happens all the time round me. What’s wrong with the pavement?
I walked over to the printer and picked up the wedge of paper. The final version. Done. Thank God. It was 8am on a nondescript day in the early 2000s and I’d been at the office for 24 hours straight trying to finish this…
As I walked into the kitchen, the rare winter sun blinding me briefly, my wife asked me how my day was. What had I been up to? As someone who's retired, but too young to be retired, this question can often be a challenge. Should…
If you were invisible, what would you do first? OK, now wipe the smut from your mind and think of something that doesn’t involve someone being naked.
I was standing on the deck of an enormous boat as it pulled into the harbour. The sun was shining. The noise was insane. I was a guest at the Monaco Grand Prix. I was 28 years old.
My daughter is afraid of spending money. And I don’t mean just the big stuff (laptop, phone etc), she hates spending money on anything, even a cup of coffee.
I often find myself looking at the behaviour of other humans with bewilderment. OK. That’s not quite true.
I’m a very patient man. Anyone who knows me will tell you.
It’s that time of life when some of the people living in your house start to leave. Unfortunately it’s not always the ones you want to leave.
"So, what do you do?" At any gathering of adults, especially adults who are friends of friends, rather than part of the inner circle, this question will be uttered hundreds of times during an evening out.
When my personal trainer tells me that I ought to cut out the crisps, biscuits and chocolate, I know, of course, that he’s right. Why bother killing myself in the gym only to go and eat like a bored teenager?
I've really enjoyed watching the Olympics. I was lucky enough to even manage to watch some of it live in Paris and the atmosphere was infectious. And so was the Seine. Just one sip and you were full of infectious disease.
We seem to be afraid of everything these days: Answering the phone;
I have a few friends who are always late. I'm sure you do too. As someone who is rarely (if ever) late, this really pisses me off. I'm the Dad who drags their family to the airport hours ahead of schedule and then ensures we are…
People often ask me what I do all day. You see, I've been 'retired' for a decade now. It's never an easy question to answer.
Sid the Sloth had it right. Sit around in a tree all day taking a nap, safe from predators and soaking up the sun.
I know, I know. I promised you psychology tips and insights but here I am going on about something completely off topic. But this will make you think. It might also save our children's lives.
I'm not that keen on getting old. But it seems you can't always get what you want. I really, really want to stay sharp as I get older (and more feeble). But heads up you old bastards because some of you are not doing a great job…
Could Artificial Intelligence (AI) be our next great leap, or our greatest risk? Perfect Timing
People I speak to generally fall into two camps when it comes to ChatGPT. They either have no real idea what it can do; or, having explored it for a bit, are now 'bored' and totally underwhelmed by it. Both camps are wrong. Very…
You've got to be the big man, right? Make the tough decisions. Be assertive. Be aggressive. Brutal honesty. Tough love. "You're such f*cking dopes. You're not serious figures. I love you, but you are not serious people", Logan…
What I’m about to reveal is so important that I truly believe it’s the secret of the universe: Be boring. Keep it dead f*cking boring.
“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated that the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” Thomas Jefferson. As it’s Saturday morning, it’s likely you’ve got a newspaper in your hands right now. Either an old fashioned…
As you trudge into work on Monday Tuesday, doing the same thing (but better?) than you were doing 10 years ago, ask yourself, honestly, whether you’re still adding value? OK. I know you all answered, “Hell, yeah!” to that one.
I often think "what's the point?" when I look up at the clock and realise that I've been messing around on my synths and FX hardware for hours. Time has disappeared. Time I could have spent doing something else. Something…