Karl Stefanovic has hit back at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the prime minister suggested the broadcaster had strayed too far to the “edges of mainstream political debate,” telling his podcast audience: “I did an interview and he lied to the country and still has his job.”

Stefanovic made the comments during an introduction to his latest episode, recorded with Piers Morgan – his first interview since Nine Entertainment terminated his contract following his interview with Tommy Robinson.

The episode was recorded two hours after the announcement of his departure from Nine.

READ MORE: PM issues warning about Karl Stefanovic: ‘Look at what’s happened’

READ MORE: ‘I’m finally free’: Karl Stefanovic breaks silence following Nine termination

The podcast

In the exchange with Morgan, Stefanovic said he told Nine he was leaving Today “two or three months ago.”

The interview took place on a yacht, where the pair bonded over both having been sacked from breakfast television.

Morgan left Good Morning Britain on ITV in 2021 following comments he made about Meghan Markle.

On his exit from Nine, Stefanovic said: “I can do whatever I want now, which is one of the side benefits of getting the a**.”

Morgan called the circumstances of the sacking “completely ridiculous.”

“The idea that an Australian, coming right across the world to analyse what’s going on in the UK right now, would interview someone like Tommy Robinson and be fired for doing that, I just find completely ridiculous,” he said.

Stefanovic defended his editorial choices on the podcast going forward. “I think it’s important that I keep campaigning and I keep driving forward with freedom of speech,” he said.

“If you don’t like the way I do an interview, then don’t watch it. It’s my style. It’s my show. And I want to feature guys like Tommy Robinson because I just want to find out what it is about them, you know.”

Albo’s original comments

Albanese did not name Stefanovic directly, but alluded to the podcast’s dramatic disappearance and its fallout with Nine while speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event at Parliament House.

According to The Guardian Australia, the Prime Minister said he would avoid the heated debate and speculation over the consequences for all parties, but issued a warning.

“Look at what’s happened,” Albanese said. “You go down that road, and you go further and further out on the edges of what is mainstream political debate in this country, and you know, I think that can have an impact.”

Nine Entertainment cut ties with Stefanovic, previously the highest-paid presenter on Australian television at $2.8 million annually, after his interview with Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon.

Less than 24 hours after the episode aired, most evidence of the interview had vanished from the internet.

Robinson co-founded the English Defence League and has convictions for assault, mortgage fraud, using a false passport and contempt of court. He was jailed in October 2024 after ignoring a court order not to repeat lies about a Syrian refugee, who later sued him for defamation and won.

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Burger chain Grill’d has pulled a suggestive advertisement from its website and told staff to remove placards displayed in stores, after the image drew backlash from female employees who feared receiving sexualised comments.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Grill’d’s marketing team issued an internal memo to restaurants around the country last week, ordering the removal of ads depicting a burger resting on the lower back of a woman in activewear with her midriff exposed, alongside the text “Super Buns to brag about.”

“We ask all restaurants to remove the blue ‘SuperBuns to Brag About’ A-Frame and internal poster from restaurants,” the dispatch stated.

Another version of the ad, featuring a burger balanced on a man’s bicep with the same tagline, has not been pulled.

Background

Soon after Grill’d launched the SuperBuns campaign in mid-June, Grill’d Workers United, a worker advocacy group organised by members of the United Workers Union, demanded the restaurant group axe the ads and apologise, arguing they used “women’s bodies as a punchline to sell burgers.”

At the time, Grill’d said only a “very small percentage” of people had raised concerns about a campaign that “may be perceived differently by different people.”

Grill’d’s statement

In a statement to Mediaweek, Grill’d said the intention behind the SuperBuns campaign was “to bring some light-hearted fun and creativity to a product category that’s often bland and functional,” featuring both male and female athletes, with a focus on strength and vibrancy that reflects the product’s benefits.

“The performance and nutritional benefits are genuine, and we wanted to communicate them in a way that’s engaging and memorable, rather than clinical,” the company said.

“With that said, we take the feedback of our team seriously, and with a very small percentage of our team raising concern regarding one specific image used in the campaign marketing material, we’ve made the decision to remove it. We will continue the campaign, highlighting the performance benefits of our burgers and High Protein, Low Carb SuperBun.”

Grill’d’s other marketing headache

The SuperBuns backlash isn’t Grill’d’s only run-in with regulators and customers over its burger marketing this year.

In June, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched Federal Court proceedings against Grill’d, alleging the chain overstated how many Tuesday burger purchases actually qualified for tree-planting donations under its Tree Day Tuesday campaign.

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb described the conduct as a form of greenwashing, alleging that only about 4 per cent of the more than 5 million Tuesday burgers sold during the promotion qualified for a donation.

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Clemenger BBDO has been appointed as creative agency for Stan, the Nine Entertainment-owned streaming service, following a competitive pitch process.

The appointment was announced on 2 July 2026. Stan offers movies, TV series and original productions, alongside live and on-demand sport through Stan Sport.

READ MORE: Nine to launch advertising on Stan with new ad-supported tier

READ MORE: Clemenger BBDO unveils new logo and proposition as it relaunches

Clemenger BBDO Co-CEO Sheryl Marjoram said: “Sometimes pitch processes tell you everything you need to know about the brand, business and people, right in the first meeting. This was one of those pitches, and we’re incredibly proud to have won. We gelled with the team, their ambition for Stan and their commitment to creativity instantly.”

Stan Marketing Director Michelle Chandran said: “We’re thrilled to appoint Clemenger BBDO following a closely contested pitch. From the outset, their creative ambition matched our own – to push boundaries and prioritise high-impact storytelling that resonates with our audiences. Throughout the process, they demonstrated an instinctive understanding of our brand and our desire to tap into the cultural zeitgeist. We’re looking forward to partnering together to deliver premium, impactful work that keeps Stan at the forefront of Australian entertainment.”

Clemenger BBDO has delivered campaigns for brands including John West, the Australian Red Cross, Mazda Australia, Michael Hill and 7-Eleven. It is part of Omnicom and the BBDO Worldwide network.

Stan is owned by Nine Entertainment.

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Jamir Nazir’s story The Serpent in the Grove went viral after being named as a regional winner in mid-May, with critics on X and Bluesky claiming it showed “obvious markers” of AI use. The literary magazine Granta subsequently pulled out of its long-running agreement to publish the Commonwealth winners.

In the wake of the controversy, the Commonwealth Foundation conducted a review of the regional winners, which it said involved looking at drafts, time-stamped documents and notes. “We are satisfied with the testimonies of our writers and their confirmation that AI was not used in their writing,” said foundation director-general Razmi Farook.

Nazir will receive an additional £2,500 on top of the £2,500 he won for being named the Caribbean winner last month. Judging chair Louise Doughty described Nazir’s piece as “an original, poetic and deeply moving story”.

The story includes multiple “not x, but y” constructions and lists of three, which some consider to be signs of AI use. Critics also drew attention to particular lines, including: “Sun on galvanise is a cruel instrument”; “She had the kind of walking that made benches become men”; and “Marsha lived two bends down … [she was] big in the way of women who never apologise to furniture”.

In a film released by the Commonwealth Foundation on Tuesday, Nazir says that VS Naipaul and Derek Walcott had been significant influences on him. He adds that he wrote six or seven drafts of his prize-winning story, and also speaks about his use of speech-to-text software, explaining that he could only see three or four lines of text on his phone screen at any one time, so he would perfect each line before moving on, which is how his story ended up being “highly polished”.

“This story began in my childhood in rural Trinidad,” he said on the inspiration behind his story. “Each day, I walked to school past rum shops where cane workers and labourers gathered. I remember the voices, the laughter, the arguments and conversations that shaped village life.”

Initial social media reactions to the Commonwealth Foundation’s announcement of Nazir’s win were negative, with one X user writing: “immensely disappointing and disheartening. it feels like they wanted to stick to their guns after the entire GenAI uproar. I might think twice now before submitting my stories here”.

After Nazir was announced as the regional winner in May, some social media users reported running his story through AI-detection software. “Pangram flags at 100% but also, come on, if you know you know”, said Wharton professor Ethan Mollick. However, the reliability of AI-detection software has been called into question.

In a statement to the Guardian, Farook said that “rather than surrender our judgment to AI-detection software, we asked our winners to show their working drafts, outlines, the evidence of an artistic journey. That software, it must be said, is not infallible: it returns inconsistent verdicts and, in doing so, corrodes the very trust on which a prize depends.”

“When the machine’s default voice is the metropolitan one, the writer who does not fit the expected mould is the first to fall under suspicion,” she added. “The more startling her gift, the more her unfamiliar brilliance unsettles, the more readily she is accused of being a machine. A young writer in Kingston or Kolkata, in Kuala Lumpur or Kigali, must now prove not only her talent but her very humanity.”

Main image: Jamir Nazir. Image: Commonwealth prize

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Melbourne media agency UM has retained energy provider AGL Energy (AGL) in a multi-year contract extension, continuing an eight-year partnership between the two companies, effective immediately.

Under the renewed deal, UM will remain responsible for all strategy, media, digital and traditional planning and buying across AGL’s product portfolio.

It is the second time UM has retained the AGL account, having previously done so in a competitive pitch in 2022.

READ MORE: Omnicom reports A$8.7 billion March quarter

READ MORE: Mediaweek’s Newsmakers chats with six of Omnicom’s most powerful women

The reaction

Stevie Douglas-Neal, CEO of UM Australia, said the agency was proud to continue its work with AGL.

“We’re delighted to continue our partnership with AGL. Over the past eight years, we’ve worked in close alignment to drive growth,” Douglas-Neal said.

“AGL sets the standard for what great clients look like – ambitious, collaborative, and focused on real business impact, and as we move into our next phase together, we’re ready to keep pushing boundaries and accelerate transformation. We look forward to continuing our partnership with AGL and its team.”

David Bland, Chief Marketing Officer of AGL Energy, said the partnership was built on trust.

“We’ve built a strong partnership with UM grounded in trust, collaboration, and a shared focus on outcomes. We’re excited to extend the partnership and continue the momentum and see what we can achieve together next,” Bland said.

Under UM’s stewardship, campaigns for AGL have included initiatives to increase energy literacy within culturally and linguistically diverse audiences, as well as a launch partnership for the Melbourne Metro Tunnel.

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The Sydney shows of musical ‘Waitress’ have been cancelled due to economic reasons.

The show, starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Rob Mills, was originally scheduled to run in Sydney from August 1 through to October 2026.

In an Instagram post, the Media Entertainment and Arts Aliance said:

“The loss of the Sydney season of Waitress highlights the growing pressure on Australia’s live performance industry.

“We are calling for government and industry to work together to protect jobs, support workers and keep live theatre accessible for everyone. The next National Cultural Policy needs to support a sustainable future for workers in the industry – as well as improved access for audiences.

“Australians value live theatre and working families should be able to afford a night at the theatre and the talented cast, crew and musicians behind the show need secure, sustainable careers.”

The statement was published with a clip of Erin Madeley, chief executive of the MEAA, speaking on Today Extra on Wednesday.

“We’re really calling on the government to step up and have a look at what it means to have a thriving live performance sector at large.

“We are calling along with industry, to see incentives for productions, like the screen industry. The screen industry has tax incentives that have been really paramount in making Australian stories are told.

Explaining that all Australians deserve access to live performances, Madeley added, “We’re also calling for direct funding.”

 

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A post shared by MEAA (@withmeaa)

‘Not immune to these challenges’

Crossroads Live Australia chief executive John Frost confirmed on Sunday the final performance of the musical would be in Melbourne on July 19.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Frost said in a statement, according to the ABC.

“While we remain incredibly proud of the production and grateful for the dedication and passion of everyone involved, the challenging economic conditions currently facing audiences have had a significant impact on the live entertainment industry.”

Frost added that “softer box office performance across the country, [has placed] considerable pressure on productions of all sizes.”

“Unfortunately, we have not been immune to these challenges.”

Frost further explained, “Whilst audience enthusiasm for our work remained strong, attendance levels and box office have not been sufficient to support the cost of the production.

“I’m disappointed we can’t take this production further and am immensely grateful to the exceptional Waitress company and everyone who has embraced the show so wholeheartedly.”

The decision about ‘Waitress’ comes a week after Beetlejuice the Musical announced it would be closing its Australian tour early, while it’s in Brisbane.

Scheduled performances in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide have all been cancelled.

Producer the Michael Cassel Group said increasing cost pressures and “a more cautious consumer environment” was the main factor in the situation.

Main image: The MEAA has slammed the forced early closure of ‘Waitress’. Image: Supplied

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Sports broadcaster and former ABC Bonner Committee chair Dr Charlie King AM has announced his retirement from the ABC after more than three decades at the broadcaster.

King, a Gurindji man, presented the ABC’s local Grandstand program in the Northern Territory and became the first Indigenous Australian to commentate at an Olympic Games, at Beijing in 2008. He served as chair of the ABC Bonner Committee for more than a decade.

“I have always been proud to work at the ABC. I grew up listening to the ABC, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would go on to have such a long and rewarding career here. From the very beginning, I felt supported and welcomed as part of the ABC family,” King said.

“Being involved in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games was both a thrill and a great honour, experiences I will always cherish. As a Gurindji man, I was deeply aware of the responsibility I carried. I wanted to lead the way for more Aboriginal people to find their place at the ABC, and that motivated me to present myself in a way that reflected the importance and value of our presence in the organisation,” he said.

READ MORE: ABC, Herald and University of Sydney launch fellowship in memory of Judith Whelan

READ MORE: Justin Stevens set for huge payout after leaving ABC

Bonner Committee role

As chair of the ABC’s Indigenous advisory group, King was involved in the broadcaster’s work on First Nations staff, culture and leadership. He was appointed the first employee to become a lifetime member of the Bonner Committee.

“I am particularly proud of the work of the Bonner Committee, what we achieved together and what continues to grow from that foundation. My time at the ABC also gave me the privilege to engage with communities on a wide range of issues beyond sport, and to help ensure that the voices of Aboriginal people were heard and respected by a broader audience,” King said.

ABC director of First Nations strategy, Kelly Williams, commented on King’s time in the role.

“The ABC experienced significant change during Dr Charlie King’s tenure as chair of the Bonner Committee. As the ABC’s peak Indigenous advisory group, the committee benefited greatly from Charlie’s leadership and counsel, which helped pave the way for many Indigenous employees to showcase their leadership. In recognition of his outstanding service, Dr King became the first employee to be appointed a lifetime member of the ABC’s Bonner Committee,” Williams said.

ABC managing director Hugh Marks also commented.

“Charlie King leaves the ABC with a legacy defined by integrity, leadership and a deep connection to Top End communities. Through his journalism and service, including his tenure as chair of the Bonner Committee, Charlie made a lasting and valued contribution. We thank him sincerely for his commitment and wish him every success and happiness in the future,” Marks said.

Other recognition

In 2019, King was inducted into the AFL Northern Territory Hall of Fame (Media) for his work as a broadcaster of Territory football and his contribution to the growth of women’s football in the NT. The same year, he was named Northern Territory Senior Australian of the Year, cited for his broadcasting career and his advocacy against domestic and family violence.

King launched the NO MORE campaign in 2006, working with sporting codes and communities across the NT to promote zero tolerance of violence. He has also volunteered to support men in contact with the justice system for more than 20 years. He holds an Order of Australia for this work.

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Someone tell the sequin suppliers to brace for a new customer, eh?

That’s right, Canada, the friendliest country in the world, will compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, becoming the first new country admitted to the contest since Australia’s arrival in 2015.

CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) last week, clearing the path for Canadian participation. Eurovision eligibility is tied to EBU membership rather than strict geography, the same mechanism that let Australia in via broadcaster SBS, which holds associate membership.

“While born in Europe, the contest continues to welcome the world,” Eurovision Director Martin Green said in a statement.

CBC/Radio-Canada President Marie-Philippe Bouchard said the move would put Canadian talent in front of a global audience. “We’re bringing the world’s largest live music event to Canadians,” she said. “Our participation will allow Canadian talent to be showcased on one of the most storied music stages in the world.”

READ MORE: Eurovision 2026 pulls millions of Australian viewers for Delta Goodrem performance

READ MORE: Eurovision begins with massive police presence despite boycotts

A familiar face on an unfamiliar stage

Canadian artists are no strangers to the Eurovision stage, just never under their own flag. Céline Dion delivered Switzerland its second Eurovision win in Dublin in 1988, performing Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don’t Leave Without Me) a year before her international breakthrough with Where Does My Heart Beat Now.

Eurovision organisers noted that Canada was among the top three nations in the Rest of the World vote at this year’s contest in Vienna and was one of the largest sources of ticket buyers from outside Europe, with many Canadians travelling to Austria for the May event.

Main image: AI-generated (but go ahead, Canada, take it for inspiration – this one’s on us)

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Chris Murphy has launched Murphy & Company, a growth practice for venture-backed companies operating in deep tech and frontier technologies.

The Sydney-based practice has been built to help technically complex companies explain what they do to customers, investors, government, partners and talent.

READ MORE: The Hallway’s Chris Murphy on ‘small compliments along the way’ building a feedback culture

READ MORE: John Phung: Google’s cookie reversal is a mixed bag for digital marketers

Murphy describes the challenge as the “commercial translation gap”. It refers to the distance between what technically sophisticated companies have built and what the market can readily understand.

He said that gap can slow growth by weakening fundraising narratives, making sales harder, confusing partners and shortening the runway for companies with strategic and commercial potential.

“Some of the most important technology being built in Australia right now is also the hardest to explain,” Murphy said.

“These companies have credible science, serious commercial potential and deeply capable teams, but their technical credibility isn’t always being communicated in a way less-technical investors and customers can readily understand.

“You can have the best technology or most innovative solution, but if the market can’t understand what you’ve built or why it matters, the technology will not scale the way it should. In sectors like deep tech, this can be a missed opportunity for everyone, not just a business problem.”

Atomic Tessellator joins as foundation client

Murphy & Company launches with Atomic Tessellator as its foundation client.

The Sydney-based deep tech company has built a computational platform that allows organisations to design, test and optimise advanced materials through simulation. The company said the platform can compress materials discovery from months to days.

Atomic Tessellator recently closed an $11.3 million seed round led by Crane Venture Partners.

The company has engaged Murphy to rebuild its commercial architecture. The work has moved the business from an inward-facing technical pitch toward a three-stage go-to-market model built for customers and investors.

Alain Richardt, founder of Atomic Tessellator, said Murphy & Company had helped translate the company’s technology into clearer market-facing materials.

“Murphy & Company has proven to be the missing link for our team as we look to scale our business,” Richardt said.

“Chris’ ability to understand our technology and potential and help translate that into easy to understand touchpoints like our website and investor and sales collateral has been invaluable.”

An embedded growth partner

Murphy & Company will operate as an embedded growth partner for founders and leadership teams.

The practice will work across positioning, go-to-market strategy, investor and customer narrative, and the commercial systems needed to fund, sell and scale complex technology.

Murphy will lead strategy and draw on a bench of specialists across brand design, paid media, web development and AI search.

He brings nearly two decades of experience across brand, creative and commercial strategy in the UK and Australia. His previous roles include Grey London, Saatchi and Saatchi London, The Hallway and G Squared.

Murphy has worked across clients including Google, Qantas, BINGE, Zip and Toyota.

“Australia has no shortage of companies building at the frontier,” Murphy said.

“But if those companies want to scale, attract capital, win trust and influence strategic markets, they need to become much better at translating technical advantage into commercial relevance. That’s the work Murphy & Company exists to do.”

Murphy & Company is now accepting new engagements across deep tech and frontier technologies.

Top image: Chris Murphy

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New data reveals more than six in 10 Aussies want to try AI shopping tools, but draw the line at the checkout.

Commerce – a data-centric provider of an open, AI-driven commerce ecosystem, and PayPal, today released new research conducted in March 2026, which reveals we have a strong interest in AI shopping experiences – alongside a clear demand for safeguards that keep Australian consumers in control of purchases.

The study, conducted by Logica Research, surveyed 1,000 Australian online shoppers, finding that more than six in 10 Australians (63%) are interested in trying an AI shopping tool, despite mixed enthusiasm for AI tools overall.

Yet when it comes to the moment of purchase, Australians are nervous. Only 4% want AI assistance at the checkout, with shoppers consistently preferring AI help during the product research and comparison phase only.

Why? It’s apparently a trust issue.

“Aussies are warming up to the idea of AI helping them to shop smarter,” said Shannon Ingrey, Vice President and General Manager for APAC at Commerce.

“However, they’re not ready to let it shop for them just yet.

“Handing over your private financial details to AI to purchase on your behalf – it will take time to build that trust with users.”

Ingrey added that platforms such as PayPal and Apple are based on a high trust factor, and are different from AI in that respect right now, because it’s so new.

“For retailers, that’s a big opportunity,” he added.

“They have to make sure their product data and content are rich enough for AI to compare and recommend.”

Aussies are happy to use AI to shop, but not to checkout, just yet

The Logica research found 45% of Australian online shoppers expect tech companies like Google and Apple to be first to release AI shopping tools, it is online payment providers like PayPal that Aussies trust most to do so safely (38%).

Reinforcing this theme, 79% expect AI shopping tools to offer payment security on par or better than what they use today.

The research also found that while only one in five Australians currently use AI tools when shopping online, those who do are already seeing the benefits, with 53% reporting they spend less time looking for products compared to traditional methods.

Looking ahead, 57% of non-users say they may give AI tools a try within the next year, and 79% of all respondents want AI to play a greater role in their future online shopping experiences.

Commerce and Paypal’s full Agentic AI Shopping Report can be downloaded here.

About Commerce

Commerce (Nasdaq: CMRC) empowers businesses to innovate, grow, and thrive by providing an open, AI-driven commerce ecosystem. As the parent company of BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift, Commerce connects the tools and systems that power growth, enabling businesses to unlock the full potential of their data, deliver seamless and personalized experiences across every channel, and adapt swiftly to an ever-changing market. Trusted by leading businesses like Coldwater Creek, Cole Haan, Dell, Harvey Nichols, King Arthur Baking Co., Mizuno, Pacsun, Perry Ellis, Skechers, SportsShoes and Uplift Desk, Commerce delivers the storefront control, optimised data, and AI-ready tools businesses need to grow, serve diverse buyers, and operate with confidence in an increasingly intelligent, multi-surface world. For more information, visit www.commerce.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

Top Image: Shannon Ingrey, Vice President and General Manager for APAC at Commerce. Image: supplied

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Meta has restructured its top marketing and data leadership, promoting long-serving chief marketing officer Alex Schultz to the newly created role of chief data officer and elevating marketing veteran Denise Moreno to CMO.

The changes land at a pivotal moment for Meta as it pushes its AI glasses into the mainstream and competes against rival large language model developers.

Schultz, who joined Facebook, now Meta, in 2007 and has served as CMO since 2020, said the move reflects a widening gap between AI’s appetite for data and the company’s existing capacity to generate it.

“AI is creating effectively unlimited demand for insights, while the traditional ways we generate those insights are reaching their limits,” Schultz wrote on LinkedIn. “My focus in this new role will be helping transform how Meta learns and makes decisions in the AI era.”

In his new role, Schultz will be in charge of Meta’s use of data and AI to understand its business worldwide. Instead of leaving data analysis as a smaller job buried inside another department, Meta is now giving it its own dedicated boss at the very top of the company.

Schultz attended Cannes Lions, where he discussed AI adoption with fellow marketers and the use of chatbots to engage customers.

READ MORE: It’s time to reserve your WhatsApp username

READ MORE: Meta launches AI smart glasses in Australia

The CMO transition

Schultz led Meta’s marketing function through several major shifts, including the company’s 2021 rebrand from Facebook to Meta and its early push into the metaverse.

While Meta’s core advertising business continued to grow during his tenure, the metaverse strategy struggled to gain traction and the company’s broader AI rollout has faced setbacks.

Moreno, taking over as CMO, framed the leadership change in the context of a broader industry shift toward AI-driven marketing.

“The way marketing is done is in the middle of its biggest shift in a generation,” Moreno wrote on LinkedIn.

“AI is changing how fast we can learn, create, and reach people. The teams that win won’t be the ones that hand everything to the machine. They’ll be the ones that pair AI’s speed and scale with human judgment and taste, knowing which idea is actually right.”

The leadership reshuffle comes as Meta reportedly looks beyond its own apps and devices for AI growth.

According to a Bloomberg report, Meta is preparing to rent out its AI computing power to other businesses, putting it in direct competition with Amazon and Microsoft.

In simple terms, Meta has spent huge amounts of money building the computer systems needed to run its own AI – and it’s now looking at ways to make money by letting other companies use that same infrastructure, too.

Main image: Alex Schultz

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In the latest episode of Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut, host Rowena Millward sits down with leadership expert Digby Scott for a riveting conversation about the complexities of leadership, feedback, and personal growth. As a seasoned thought leader, Digby shares his insights on overcoming the challenges of people-pleasing and the importance of embracing courageous authenticity in our professional lives.

The discussion begins with Digby reflecting on his experiences with 360-degree feedback, a pivotal moment that forced him to confront his tendencies to please others at the expense of his own growth.

This rich feedback served as a mirror, revealing truths that Digby had long avoided. He candidly discusses how this journey of self-discovery has shaped his approach to leadership and the way he interacts with others.

One of the key themes of the episode is the narrative we tell ourselves about feedback. Digby emphasises that the way we frame feedback can significantly impact how we respond to it. Rather than viewing feedback as a criticism, he encourages listeners to see it as an opportunity for learning and growth. This shift in perspective is crucial for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of leadership and personal development.

Rowena and Digby also delve into the art of having difficult conversations. They explore the fear that often accompanies these discussions and how it can lead to avoidance. Digby shares practical insights on how to articulate feelings and experiences in a compassionate yet honest manner, allowing for open dialogue and deeper connections.

My three favourite quotes from Digby’s story are:

“It’s like a piece of me went, is the best way that I can describe it.”

“Leadership’s about purpose and about creating more of what we want to have in the world.”

“Leadership enables two things, delivery and discovery.”

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in leadership, personal growth, and the transformative power of feedback. Tune in to gain valuable insights that can help you on your journey towards becoming a more effective leader and a more authentic individual.

Listen here.

Learn more about Uncomfortable Growth® & Rowena here.

The world doesn’t need more stories of success, it needs honest conversations about hard challenges, vulnerability, and proof that trials can ultimately become triumphs. That’s why the Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut podcast was born. It’s a reminder that struggle and success are intrinsically linked, that growth is rarely easy, and that the moments we feel most uncomfortable are where our greatest breakthroughs lie.

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