The How #28 - July 16, 2026

Happy National Public Relations Day. I’m going to take a page from Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer and kick off with: "Well, I have a microphone, and you don't, so you will listen to every damn word I have to say!"

Now that we have that out of the way.

I write a lot about showing up for each other, because, well, if we don’t, the robots will take over. Ten years ago, that would have been a joke. Today, I’m only half kidding. When I go on LinkedIn and read mass media, the main stories are about productivity gains and how “the most enthusiastic adopters of AI are actually adding employees, not subtracting them.” But when I get people alone, there’s genuine fear and trepidation. That we’re moving too quickly. That we don’t really know what we’re doing. That we’re using up resources we can’t replenish. That we’re dumbing ourselves down. That we’re moving further away from one another, not closer together, despite our love of power and influence.

Earlier this week, someone I know in real life, who happens to be from another country, turned herself in for an incident she was involved in. I didn’t witness it, so I can’t speak to what or how it went down. That’s what courts are for and why due process exists. However, upon her release, she was taken to a privately run immigration facility, where she faces deportation.

The story is going viral for multiple reasons, most of which seem to frame it as a right-versus-left issue. Most of which seem to have drawn all conclusions before hitting publish, assuming the full story was already available. But virality rarely happens as instantaneously as we think it does. In this case, the momentum had been building for about a week and a half before the majority of us even knew about the initial situation. And now, some 72 hours since the story broke, it’s a complete runaway train. Heck, even alluding to this story, I feel like I risk opening Pandora’s box.

Whether true, false, or somewhere in between, the problem with this particular type of viral moment is that there’s no controlling the narrative. No way to roll back what’s been done, no way to remove the articles featuring PII that have popped up as far away as Australia (not her country of origin). Not to mention the inaccuracies. I’m not talking about the situation itself, because again, I wasn’t there and can’t speak to that. But because I know some of the folks involved, I can tell when reporters get basic details right or wrong. Things like who is married to whom, where they live and work, and the like.

At the same time, while this story is getting too much attention in my opinion (cover-story-on-a-major-daily-newspaper level, celebrity Instagram posts, etc.), others aren’t getting enough. While there is no quick fix for this larger issue, the best advice I can offer is to consider your media diet and consumption habits. Virality only happens if we, the people, feed into it, and though it’s tempting to be part of the moment and jump on bandwagons, consider the circumstances you are playing into.

Media and social media algorithms track every micro-action you take. It’s like Santa Claus. They know when you are sleeping. They know when you’re awake. They know what you watch, what you don’t, and even what you linger over. And when viral stories hit, every action and micro-action matters even more. You’re feeding the machine sometimes without even realizing it and sometimes while someone else’s life might be at stake. That’s heavy when you actually think about it.

At a time when there’s a viral story every day (hour?), remember that behind each one of those, it could be someone you know, being eviscerated by millions of keyboard warriors while they sit unable to even speak with loved ones, let alone defend themselves.

Consider your media diet as a form of mutual aid. In most instances, mutual aid refers to physical resources such as food, but it can also extend to services like education. Use your tiny computer for contact and connection, rather than just consumption and see how that reframes your relationship with the world around you. Share what’s meaningful and helpful, rather than sensational and often hateful. Or at the very least, share something cute to make people smile.

Puppy timeline cleanse. This is Idgie.

Dear HR Community,

I see you. I see how hard you are working and trying to do it all. I am reminding you, lovingly, that you don't have to go it all alone. There is no gold star given for the team that worked the hardest without asking for help. You deserve the help you advise others to receive. You deserve that day off you just told that Leader to take. You deserve the resources you offer to every other team and encourage them to take. You aren't an exception. You are also an employee. You are also a leader. You are also 'the business'. I see you, I respect you, I wish you nothing but the best today and every day. Do yourself a favor and practice the art of receiving; lighten your load and take a long exhale. You're doing great.

Love,

Laura

• What’s that? Another AI-related HR technology lawsuit? This time the company in question is Meta and the practice under scrutiny is its layoff policy. According to WSJ, this is the first suit of its kind … for now.

• ‘Is Everyone Working 40 Hours a Week Except Me?’ Just how many hours a week does it take to get your job done? Will AI finally break the 40-hour-a-week system? Probably not.

• While “playing the long game” may seem like PR-specific career advice, I have found it applies in many aspects of professional life. Relationship building is foundational.

• The History of HRTech as told by John Sumser. I always like to put things in historical context, so this is a perfect primer for anyone looking to understand how we got here.

• For this week in “did they really say that out loud?” news, may I present: Lower-Value Human Capital. And y’all wonder why I harp on language and communication skills so much.

• Nothing terrifying about a letter signed by 200 incredibly smart people titled “We Must Act Now,” right? Especially when some of them work at the companies actively building the technologies in question?

• The AI Awards (deadline July 24)

• Mile High SHRM call for proposals (deadline August 28)

• CES 2027 call for speakers (deadline September 9)

• Reading: “Angel Down” by Daniel Kraus. The 2026 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction. Need I say more?

• Watching: Fútbol is life this week, right? Although, admittedly, I’ve been an Erling Haaland fan for a few years, so I was sad to see Norway go.

• Listening: Dramarama. I grew up listening to these guys and got to see them again last weekend when they opened up for the B-52s. Truly underrated.

• Exploring: I don’t often walk down Buzzfeed nostalgia lane, but when I do, it’s about the cost of being a Millennial in the 2010s.

If you need me, I’ll be yearning for the days I still drank cheap after-work beers with my friends, wearing cheap ballet flats before heading home to my sad apartment in Brooklyn to look at cute animals and bad food pics on a then-nascent Instagram app. We might be an overly nostalgic generation, but I’ve been called worse.

Until next time.

- Katie