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- INSIGHTS: 🔎 AI Gets Messy, #OpenToWork Is Still Trending, and What Others Assume About Your Brand
INSIGHTS: 🔎 AI Gets Messy, #OpenToWork Is Still Trending, and What Others Assume About Your Brand
From human to AI and the threads between, glimpse into brand strategy, tech, and opportunity in the marketing scene. This is your window seat from 30,000 feet.
culture pilot
July 22, 2025
Everybody Wants To Rule The World.
We’re just trying to keep up.
BRAND SIGNAL
It was a bit of a messy week in Artificial Intelligence.
OpenAI tried to acquire Windsurf, but the deal fell through.
Google poached the Windsurf leadership and licensed the tech.
Cognition swooped in and bought what was left (the remaining IP).
Meanwhile, Meta and Apple?
We can only assume Meta is quietly sketching their next copycat play, while Apple is… just entirely lost.
So Tim illustrated it.
Why it matters?
This is a race for first place, and everyone’s fighting for people, positioning, and perception.
Will the winner be the team with the best product, the strongest bench, or the most believable story?
The real WIN will be pulling off all three.
FROM THE FIELD
One of the newest members of the Culture Pilot cohort? A luxury fragrance brand rooted in Houston. Retail. Scent. Identity. We’re going to market from the ground up, and we can’t wait to share what’s coming in the months ahead.
And while new brands are still heating up, so is the talent pool as unemployment rates continue to teeter. If you know anyone #opentowork, please send deets so we can continue to expand the circles and do our best to connect some much-needed dots.
As always, if you know someone looking for growth strategy with built-in brand and marketing execution, please consider making an introduction. The best conversations often start through people who know what we’re about.
You just might be the dot connector that helps someone get started, go to market, and reach well beyond.
GO TIME
Run this with your team:
“What are three things people assume about your brand, and how do you reinforce or contradict them?”
You don’t need to fix every assumption.
The goal is to recognize which ones are helping and which ones are quietly costing you trust, attention, or opportunity.
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