TODAY’S NEWS. TOMORROW’S INSIGHTS.A daily newsletter from McKinsey & Company
Brought to you by Liz Hilton Segel, chief client officer and managing partner, global industry practices, & Homayoun Hatami, managing partner, global client capabilities
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Take it easy. Although humans often dream of a life of leisure, it’s been the norm to work 40 hours a week since the 1990s. With the acceleration of AI, people increasingly speculate about whether machines will totally replace human labor—but could society actually handle that? Present-day workers seem uncomfortable with relaxing, using leisure time to pursue goals. That hasn’t always been the case. In 17th-century England, knitters routinely skipped work to go to “the alehouse or nine-pins,” a Royal Society fellow complained. Perhaps a more leisurely life of rest is needed. [FT]
Low levels of reading. Nearly a third of American students spend very little or no time reading for pleasure, and the average 13-year-old’s reading scores have fallen to their lowest level in about two decades, according to a recent National Assessment of Educational Progress report. Experts point to technology and social media as among the largest factors that may be contributing to a lack of reading. The average age that a child gets their first mobile phone is now 11, a 2022 Stanford Medicine study revealed. That’s an age where reading is normally encouraged. [The Hill]
What to read. Our world is both concerning—with executives navigating geopolitical tensions, economic setbacks, and other challenges—and exciting, with the advent of generative AI, which promises to shift the way we work. Our annual summer reading list reflects today’s evolving times, with selections by leaders from around the world, including picks from McKinsey global managing partner Bob Sternfels, chief marketing officer Tracy Francis, managing partner of global client capabilities Homayoun Hatami, and senior partner Rodney Zemmel. We also provide 11 additional curated reading lists.
Something for everyone. Out of more than 70 selections, the top two books CEOs, founders, and editors recommended for McKinsey’s 2023 summer reading guide were The Age of AI: And Our Human Future—by Daniel Huttenlocher, Henry A. Kissinger, and Eric Schmidt—and Trust by Hernan Diaz. These are from our innovation and fiction and poetry genres, respectively. In addition to these genres, with this year’s list, you’ll find books across genres such as workplace culture, history, personal development, biography and memoir, and more.
— Edited by Vanessa Burke, editor, Atlanta
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