Quantum computing has long been technology’s white whale. But in recent months, new developments suggest practical applications for this elusive technology could finally be within reach. “Quantum has been five to ten years away from fruition for many, many decades,” says McKinsey Partner Michael Bogobowicz. “Now it feels three to five years away.” In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Bogobowicz joins McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss…
Quick Hits The Wisconsin Supreme Court interpreted the phrase “any … other offense” in the WFEA to include noncriminal offenses. The court’s interpretation is the final chapter in extended, seesaw litigation resulting from a school district’s decision to fire two employees who allegedly stole scrap metal from the district, pocketing the money they received from recycling the stolen material. The district elected to dismiss the brothers after they were cited…
Is the US federal government as productive as it could be? It’s been a near-constant question for the past 50 years. The government’s role and workforce expanded considerably with Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. By 1971, Richard Nixon had seized on productivity as an antidote to the nation’s economic woes. In 1988, Ronald Reagan issued an executive order to enroll every agency in a productivity improvement program. Later, the Clinton administration’s…
The growth of the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN)—from 16 sites in 2018 to nearly 200 today, across 33 countries and 35 subsectors—underscores the progress leaders have made on the original challenge the GLN identified: integrating advanced technologies at scale to realize significant economic and financial benefits. The latest Lighthouses, awarded in October 2024 and January 2025, follow the same core principles identified when the network began. Their leaders recognize that…
Imagine you were a railway executive with a contract to transport valuable cargo across the country. You wouldn’t have a different engine pulling each individual car of cargo. It would be much more efficient and cost-effective to hitch as many cargo cars as possible to the same engine. In fact, you would want a standard set of trains and connectors that would allow you to pull different kinds of cargo…
In celebration of the release of the 6th edition of our Government Contracts Compliance Handbook, we are excited to share six essential tips for ensuring compliance in international sales. These tips are designed to help lawyers and executives working for U.S. federal government contractors navigate the complex landscape of regulations that apply to international sales. 1. Understand Export Control Regulations Compliance with export control regulations is critical for any company…
Quick Hits Under SSB 55408, which amends the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, Washington employers may now list a fixed pay amount instead of a wage range if only one amount is offered, including for internal transfers; postings that are replicated without employer consent are not considered official job postings. Between the law’s effective date and July 27, 2027, employers have five business days to correct a noncompliant posting after…
As President Calvin Coolidge said, in so many words, “The business of America is business.” One hundred years later, his words still ring true, as American businesses have a profound impact on American lives and livelihoods. American businesses employ roughly 83 percent of the US labor force, equivalent to about 136 million jobs—nearly half of which belong to small businesses with fewer than 500 employees. And of course, all Americans…
A new study led by the University of Oxford has revealed that a common and usually harmless virus may positively influence how skin cancer patients respond to current treatments.Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that, while typically asymptomatic, is carried for life by around 50–60% of UK adults. In healthy individuals, CMV is kept in a dormant state by the immune system; however, this process profoundly reshapes how the immune…
Large, long-lived marine animals such as sharks and rays are amongst the world’s most threatened groups, primarily due to overfishing in targeted and bycatch fisheries. In small fisheries, households rely on marine resources for their food and income, creating trade-offs between biodiversity and wellbeing outcomes. Incentives therefore can provide a cost-effective and equitable option for balancing the needs of people and biodiversity. However, incentives can also change behaviour in unexpected…
In the “Research Matters” series, we visit labs across campus to hear directly from Stanford scientists about what they’re working on, how it could advance human health and well-being, and why universities are critical players in the nation’s innovation ecosystem. The following are the researchers’ own words, edited and condensed for clarity.In my lab, curiosity drives discovery. We’re using fundamental mechanics principles to drive the development of novel devices for…
The Washington Legislature has passed a new law affecting employers’ obligations related to employee personnel files. The new law amends RCW 49.12.240 and 49.12.250 in four important ways: 1. The law amends RCW 49.12.240 to create a definition of the term “personnel file” for the first time. The term “personnel file” includes the following types of records, if the employer creates such records: All job application records; All performance evaluations;…
Quick Hits The Sixth Circuit upheld a jury verdict against a school psychologist who alleged Equal Pay Act violations after she was offered a lower salary than the salary paid to a male psychologist two years earlier. The court upheld the jury verdict, determining that a reasonable juror could conclude, based on the evidence of budget constraints and market forces, that the pay differential was based on a legitimate business…
Use AI to build civility. SHRM reports that 66% of U.S. employees have experienced or witnessed incivility at work. And those moments of disrespect don’t stay isolated. They ripple. Research from Christine Porath at Georgetown University shows that incivility is contagious, dragging down performance, stifling creativity, and eroding collaboration. Meanwhile, HR teams are stretched thinner than ever. Gartner’s 2024 HR Priorities survey discusses the expanding scope of HR work and…
This report is part of a research collaboration among McKinsey, the Mozilla Foundation, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. Open source software has long been a critical part of the technology ecosystem. Commercial software typically requires a commercial license or subscription and restricts access to its core technology. However, open source tools are developed collaboratively and made available to the public to use, modify, and distribute with far fewer restrictions.…
Cue the fireworks: The United States will turn 250 next year. It’s a big birthday, and as anyone who has turned 18 or 50 or 75 will know, a milestone like this presents an occasion for both celebration and reflection. The cause for rejoicing is clear: By many accounts, the United States is the longest-lived constitutional democracy in history. The reasons for reflection are equally evident: The journey to this…
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The automotive industry is amid the largest transformation to occur since cars began to replace horse-drawn wagons. Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to gain market share, cars are becoming more connected, and autonomous vehicles are increasingly starting to appear on more streets worldwide. But the transition to new technologies has not been without challenges and twists, especially in the EV sector. After rising rapidly for years, EV sales growth has slowed…
But the study of adolescents in the US also showed that even those with better sleeping habits were not reaching the amount of sleep recommended for their age group.Sleep plays an important role in helping our bodies function. It is thought that while we are asleep, toxins that have built up in our brains are cleared out, and brain connections are consolidated and pruned, enhancing memory, learning, and problem-solving skills.…
During the Encaenia ceremony on Wednesday 25 June, degrees will be awarded to Dame Jacinda Arden, Lord Melvyn Bragg, Clive Myrie, Professor Serhii Plokhii, Professor Timothy Snyder, Professor Colm Tóibín, Sir Mo Farah, Professor Robert S Langer and Professor Erwin Neher.Ticket registration will open on the 6 May for staff, Congregation, students, Oxford University alumni, retired members of Congregation and academic visitors. We are sorry that tickets to the ceremony…
In today’s polarized online landscape, fact-checking has become a vital tool for countering misinformation. But for fact-checks to make a difference, people have to actually pay attention to them.A widely held assumption is that corrections are more effective when they come from someone who shares your political views. But is shared ideology really what makes people listen?People were significantly more likely to reply to or otherwise engage with a correction…
In briefli]:su-m-0">Kelp forests around the world will be exposed to more frequent and intense marine heatwaves in the coming decades because of climate change.Marine heatwaves have already diminished kelp forests and caused kelp-eating sea urchin populations to boom off the California coast.Protecting marine predators like spiny lobsters and California sheephead can help kelp recover by keeping sea urchins in check.Marine heatwaves that seemed extreme just a decade ago will become…
Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a new drug delivery system using ultrasound-activated nanoparticles to break through and destroy bacterial biofilms. This offers a promising solution that could address the global crisis of chronic antibiotic-resistant infections affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Professor Eleanor Stride. In up to 80% of chronic infections, bacteria form biofilms – a slimy substance secreted by the bacteria which forms a protective…
The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme serves as the documentary heritage equivalent of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, protecting invaluable records that tell the story of human civilisation.A collaboration between Cambridge University Library, the Natural History Museum, the Linnean Society of London, English Heritage’s Down House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the National Library of Scotland, the Charles Darwin documentary heritage archive provides a unique window into the life…
If McKinley symbolizes “greatness” for Trump, Mexico embodies many of the country’s problems. Back in 2015, when announcing his first presidential campaign, Trump declared: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best... They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” While the idea of renaming the Gulf was first floated at Trump’s press conference on January 7, 2025, it’s likely that the president had long been bothered by the reference…
On April 21, on the eve of the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, which is celebrated under the auspices of the UN, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled “The Boundaries of Reason: The Diplomat’s Work in New Realities.” The moderator of the discussion, Anton Bespalov,called the fading of traditional diplomacy in the West and its flourishing in the Global South an important element of the new…
Globally, semiconductor companies plan to invest about $1 trillion through 2030 in new fabrication plants (fabs), and the global annual revenue of the industry is expected to reach more than $1 trillion by 2030. This does not include the significant potential revenue from the adoption of gen AI according to even modest upside scenarios. Beyond satisfying market demand, these investments will also help regions increase supply resilience across the semiconductor value…
Quick Hits Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming lawmakers recently enacted state laws recognizing only two genders, male and female. The state legislators acted after President Donald Trump issued an executive order establishing that the federal government’s new policy is to recognize only two sexes, male and female, despite contravening federal law. The three states restrict transgender and nonbinary individuals from using public school bathrooms and locker rooms that align with…
On this page: Opportunity | Solution | Impact 0 ptincrease incustomer satisfaction (NPS)0Kservice agentstrained in first round0%increase infirst-time resolution rates YoY The Opportunity Giving individuals the skills they need, when they need them Deutsche Telekom serves a vast customer base, including 23.5 million private customers, 2.4 million SMEs, and 300,000 organizations across Germany. With more than 15,000 call center agents and 5,500 field service agents on the ground, the telecom…
A study by the Stanford Prevention Policy Modeling Lab (PPML) finds that almost 30% of privately insured individuals in the United States, or nearly 40 million people, use at least one of the free preventive health services guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).But those services are now under threat by an ongoing legal challenge.On April 21, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management Inc. to decide whether to…
Amazon, Netflix, Spotify and TikTok – three global platforms that harness recommendation algorithms to keep giving consumers more of what they want. Their success is a testament to the incredible potential of this technology to enhance the consumer experience. The value of being recommended a new film, your next book, a great song or even a funny cat video, selected to perfectly match your mood and tastes, seems unquestionable.However, in…
Programme of the 2nd “Valdai – New Generation” Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club Moscow, April 23 – 25, 2025 From April 23 to 25, the Valdai Discussion Club will host a conference for participants of its Valdai – New Generation project at its Moscow headquarters. Valdai – New Generation is a dynamic community of researchers under 35, united by their pursuit of innovative solutions to the most pressing…
At Bosch Mobility’s Suzhou factory (a member of the Global Lighthouse Network designated in 2021), the integration of lean principles and Industry 4.0 technologies has transformed operations, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. The use of AI for predictive maintenance and automated optical inspection has boosted productivity and failure pattern identification, and extensive virtual simulations have enabled the site to achieve more efficient ramp-ups in the production of mobility solutions. Talking with…
Quick Hits State attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New Jersey, and Oregon, as well as the California Privacy Protection Agency, announced the formation of the “Consortium of Privacy Regulators.” While the creation of the Consortium does not reflect a closer alignment in the contents of the actual consumer privacy laws themselves, it will likely heighten regulators’ abilities to enforce those elements of consumer privacy law that are…
Scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, have worked out the structure of this machine and shown how it operates like the lock on a canal to transport pyruvate – a molecule generated in the body from the breakdown of sugars – into our mitochondria.Known as the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier, this molecular machine was first proposed to exist in 1971, but it has taken…
Since the United States’ announcement of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, 2025, financial markets around the world have seen heightened volatility, raising concerns about the impact on the global economy. The combined tariffs enacted by the US government since that date have rapidly raised the country’s weighted-average tariff rate to its highest level in the past 100 years, from approximately 2 percent at the start of 2025 to more than…
In the “Research Matters” series, we visit labs across campus to hear directly from Stanford scientists about what they’re working on, how it could advance human health and well-being, and why universities are critical players in the nation’s innovation ecosystem. The following are the researcher’s own words, edited and condensed for clarity.My lab develops technologies to make drugs work better. We design new additives that improve the formulation, stability, and…
What does it take to cultivate joy—not as a fleeting feeling, but as a steady presence—even in times of deep uncertainty? In this luminous conversation, Dr. Heidi Brooks is joined by psychologist and author Emma Seppälä and artist Clara Nartey to explore the resilient, regenerative power of joy. With insights drawn from neuroscience, personal experience and artistic practice, Emma and Clara reflect on how inner sovereignty—the ability to return to…
Under U.S. customs and international laws[1], border agents have the legal authority to inspect, search, or detain any person, luggage, or merchandise coming into or leaving the country. And yes, that includes your electronic devices like phones, tablets, and laptops. While searches of digital devices are still relatively rare, they are increasingly becoming more common at U.S. ports of entry. That is why it is especially important for all travelers…
Quick Hits A group of forty lawmakers from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Labor urging her to abandon proposed plans to drastically reduce and restructure OFCCP. The lawmakers raised concerns that the cuts could leave federal contractor workers vulnerable to potential discrimination. The letter comes amidst other OFCCP-related efforts by lawmakers, including the introduction of legislation to codify now-revoked…