A newsletter by Ken Yeung

The AI
Economy

A sharp, curated look at the stories that reveal how AI is rewriting business, work, technology, and culture.

Ken Yeung

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What you get

Built for people who work with AI, not just read about it.

Reported, not aggregated

Enterprise AI coverage from a journalist who covered the space before “generative AI” was a mainstream phrase. Sourced, contextual, with a point of view.

Platform strategy focus

Beyond the product announcements. Analysis of how AI is restructuring enterprise workflows, editorial operations, and the economics of content at scale.

Written for practitioners

Not for the hype-chasers. For the people who have to act on it.

Archive

Every issue.

All issues published to date. New issues arrive every week.

Open on Substack ↗
  1. Issue

    Adobe Launches Firefly Mobile App, Adds AI Models from Ideogram, Pika, Luma, and Runway

    Adobe’s image and video generation platform is coming to iOS and Android. On Tuesday, the company introduced its native Firefly mobile apps, giving creators more freedom to generate content on the go. The launch is part of a broader update to the platform that includes support for new AI models from Google, Ideogram, Pika, Luma, […]
  2. Issue

    AI Isn’t Taking Jobs—It’s Making Workers More Valuable

    IN THIS ISSUE: Unpack the AI jobs paradox—why AI isn’t replacing workers en masse (yet), but is already reshaping the workforce in profound ways. PwC’s AI jobs barometer reveals who’s thriving, who’s at risk, and why upskilling is urgent. Plus, explore Salesforce’s latest power move to lock down Slack data and what it means for […]
  3. Issue

    The New Side Hustle for Graduate Students: Training AI

    Handshake, the college career network, has launched a networking service to connect students with top AI research labs. The aim is to create opportunities for “highly educated, highly skilled people” to monetize their expertise while helping companies validate models and assisting in advancing frontier knowledge. “Handshake AI is the most ambitious chapter in the company’s […]
  4. Issue

    10 Charts That Define the AI Boom, According to Mary Meeker

    IN THIS ISSUE: Dig into key insights from Mary Meeker’s latest AI report, a sweeping 340-slide analysis that breaks down where adoption is accelerating, how innovation is evolving, and what it means for the future of technology. The Prompt Investor Mary Meeker’s reports are among the most closely watched in the industry, with entrepreneurs, investors, […]
  5. Issue

    HubSpot Connects Its CRM With ChatGPT to Deliver Smarter Customer Insights

    HubSpot is bringing more artificial intelligence into its CRM platform through a new integration with OpenAI. The company has introduced a “deep research connector” with ChatGPT, enabling small and medium-sized businesses to perform advanced analysis and generate deeper insights using their customer data and context. “We’re building tools that help businesses lead through the AI […]
  6. Issue

    Ai2’s RewardBench 2 Is a Tougher Benchmark for Testing How Well AI Models Reflect Human Judgment

    Ai2 has released an update to its RewardBench benchmark, making it more capable of evaluating reward models. The next-generation test is built using new, more complex examples to assess how accurately AI models can produce answers that are as accurate as those of a human. In its first round of testing, RewardBench 2 ranks Google’s […]
  7. Issue

    How to Use AI for Marketing, the Non-Obvious Way

    IN THIS ISSUE: A review of the book, “The Non-Obvious Guide to Using AI for Marketing” by David Berkowitz, a clear, practical resource for marketers trying to make sense of AI without getting lost in jargon or hype. Plus, why did Salesforce pay $8 billion for Informatica? Short answer: It’s the data. The Prompt Over a […]
  8. Issue

    Microsoft’s Project Amelie Is an Experiment in ‘AI Developing AI’

    Microsoft Build featured a flurry of product announcements. But beyond the official launches, the company also offered a glimpse into its frontier projects—experimental inventions that may never be released to the public but serve to showcase the ideas Microsoft is exploring. One such effort is codenamed Project Amelie, an AI agent capable of building machine […]
  9. Issue

    Microsoft Pushes AI to the Edge

    IN THIS ISSUE: Microsoft pushes AI innovation to the edge. Will OpenAI crack the AI hardware market, a space where many have stumbled, after acquiring Sir Jony Ive’s AI startup for nearly $6.5 billion? Plus, catch up on this week’s key headlines you might have missed, including what was announced at Google I/O and the […]
  10. Issue

    This AI-Powered App Turns Family Memories Into Personal Podcasts

    What if AI could help you preserve your grandfather’s stories, or even create a podcast out of them? That’s the promise of Linda AI, a new startup turning memories into shareable audio shows with a conversational AI as your guide. Users can use the platform to have a professional interviewer-like bot probe a subject with […]

Peer review

What the AIs say.*

We asked the leading AI tools to weigh in on The AI Economy. Their ratings speak for themselves. (Results may vary depending on training data and general disposition toward newsletters.)

Claude — Anthropic

★★★★★

5.0

out of 5

“[Its] strength lies in its ability to cover both technical developments and business implications of AI, making it valuable for a wide audience ranging from tech enthusiasts to business executives.”

ChatGPT — OpenAI

★★★★★

5.0

out of 5

“Expertly combines in-depth interviews and industry analysis, making it a must-read for AI enthusiasts and professionals.”

Gemini — Google

★★★★★

5.0

out of 5

“Provides valuable insights and analysis, making it a great resource for anyone interested in AI.”

Copilot — Microsoft

★★★★★

5.0

out of 5

“A sharp, reporter‑caliber intelligence brief for the AI era—fast, authoritative, and genuinely ahead of the curve.”

* Disclaimer: My newsletter has not been actually endorsed by OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic. I solicited reviews from their respective gen AI services. Sounded cool though, huh?

Questions

Common questions.

  1. What is The AI Economy?

    A newsletter covering consumer and enterprise AI, platform strategy, and the companies reshaping how work gets done. Reported, not aggregated — written by a technology journalist who has covered the space since before generative AI was a mainstream phrase.

  2. How often does it publish?

    Enough to keep you ahead, never enough to clutter your inbox. You'll also get first-look coverage and original interviews whenever the story is worth your time—which, lately, is often. Nothing filler-grade goes out under this masthead. A weekly roundup is delivered Fridays on LinkedIn.

  3. Is it free?

    Yes. Every issue is free. Subscribe on Substack and it arrives in your inbox. No paywall, no premium tier. If that changes, subscribers will be notified well in advance.

  4. How is this different from other AI newsletters?

    The AI Economy explores the people building AI and the reasons behind what they build. I'm interested in how enterprise teams are actually deploying AI, where the editorial and operational models are breaking down, and what platform-level shifts mean for practitioners making decisions this quarter. It is written for people doing the work, not watching it from the outside. My goal is to not focus just on what's being announced, but why it exists and why we should care. The stories are what you'd expect to read on Inc. and First Round Review or see on "60 Minutes."

  5. Can we pitch you stories?

    Yes, I do accept embargoed news and exclusives. Please reach out with your announcements, launches, and story ideas—email me or use this form. I also accept tips securely via Signal at @kenyeung.888.

  6. Where can I read past issues?

    The full archive is listed above on this page. All issues are also available on Substack. The plan is to host the canonical archive here on thelettertwo.com as the publication grows — independent of any platform.

  7. Can I republish or cite content from the newsletter?

    Yes, with attribution. Short excerpts with a link back to the original issue are fine. For longer republication or syndication, reach out via LinkedIn.

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