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Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch

Helping leaders build AI capability. Ex-T-Mobile, Sony, Qualcomm. Teaches at UW & Seattle U.

The Report That's Stale by 4pm

Oct 19, 2026

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4 min read

The Report That's Stale by 4pm

Broken Pencils #67

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Everyone Knows This

Oct 5, 2026

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5 min read

Everyone Knows This

Broken Pencils #66

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Friction is Optional Now

Sep 21, 2026

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4 min read

The Friction is Optional Now

Broken Pencils #65

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
What Actually Gets Executives Using AI

Sep 7, 2026

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4 min read

What Actually Gets Executives Using AI

Broken Pencils #64

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
In Remembrance

Aug 24, 2026

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3 min read

In Remembrance

Broken Pencils #63

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Where Judgment Matters

Aug 10, 2026

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5 min read

Where Judgment Matters

Broken Pencils #62

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
When "Just Give It to the AI" Fails

Jul 27, 2026

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4 min read

When "Just Give It to the AI" Fails

Broken Pencils #61

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Lost Art of Thinking

Jul 13, 2026

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4 min read

The Lost Art of Thinking

Broken Pencils #60

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
A Wish Masquerading as a Strategy

Jun 29, 2026

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4 min read

A Wish Masquerading as a Strategy

Broken Pencils #59

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
It Was Never About the Technology

Jun 15, 2026

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7 min read

It Was Never About the Technology

Broken Pencils #58

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Skeptic Was Half Right

Jun 1, 2026

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3 min read

The Skeptic Was Half Right

Broken Pencils #57

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Signal You Can't Get Back

May 18, 2026

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5 min read

The Signal You Can't Get Back

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Easy to Approve, Hard to Kill

May 4, 2026

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5 min read

Easy to Approve, Hard to Kill

Michael Hirsch
Michael Smart
Michael Hirsch, +1
In Defense of Struggle

Apr 20, 2026

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7 min read

In Defense of Struggle

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Apollo Trap

Apr 6, 2026

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6 min read

The Apollo Trap

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Your AI Adoption Is Working. That's Not Enough.

Mar 23, 2026

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7 min read

Your AI Adoption Is Working. That's Not Enough.

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Unlock Isn't a Better Prompt

Mar 9, 2026

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7 min read

The Unlock Isn't a Better Prompt

How your setup matters more than your skills

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The Board Game Problem

Feb 23, 2026

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8 min read

The Board Game Problem

Why showing people what AI can do doesn't make them use it

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Follow the Money, Part 2: AI Makes It Worse

Feb 9, 2026

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7 min read

Follow the Money, Part 2: AI Makes It Worse

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Follow the Money: Budget.xls > Strategy.ppt

Jan 26, 2026

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8 min read

Follow the Money: Budget.xls > Strategy.ppt

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
The AI Leadership Bargain

Jan 12, 2026

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7 min read

The AI Leadership Bargain

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Domain Experience vs. Functional Expertise? Neither.

Jan 5, 2026

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9 min read

Domain Experience vs. Functional Expertise? Neither.

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
Context Rot

Dec 22, 2025

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5 min read

Context Rot

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
What Kind of Year Has It Been?

Dec 15, 2025

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10 min read

What Kind of Year Has It Been?

The Path Forward (Part 2 of 2)

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch
What Kind of Year Has It Been?

Dec 8, 2025

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9 min read

What Kind of Year Has It Been?

The Hidden Costs Nobody Warned Us About (Part 1 of 2)

Michael Hirsch
Michael Hirsch

Broken Pencils

Sharpen your thinking.

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