The Sunday Brew #133
In this brew - Rare Earth Deposits in a picture | Shoshin & Six Thinking Hats | AI Talent War, Tesla Car Self Delivers & Google's Bet on Crushed Rock Climate Tech
Welcome to The Sunday Brew, weekly 1-2-3 newsletter by The Percolator. Every Sunday we drop in your inbox 1 story in a picture, 2 concepts, ideas or frameworks to expand your horizons and 3 news from the week, to keep you updated.
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ONE STORY IN A PICTURE
TWO IDEAS, FRAMEWORKS OR CONCEPTS
This week we bring to you two mental models - Shoshin & Six Thinking Hats
Shoshin
Shoshin, or Beginner’s Mind, is a concept rooted in Zen Buddhism that encourages individuals to approach life, learning, and problem-solving with the openness, curiosity, and humility of a novice, regardless of their level of experience or expertise.
The core idea is that when we adopt the mindset of a beginner, we are more receptive to new ideas, less constrained by our assumptions, and better able to see possibilities that might otherwise be overlooked. In contrast, as people gain knowledge and become experts, they often develop fixed ideas and habitual ways of thinking, which can limit creativity and hinder growth. Shoshin is an antidote to this rigidity.
It asks us to let go of the ego that comes with expertise and to recognize that there is always more to learn, even in familiar territory. Practicing Shoshin means entering situations without the baggage of past experiences clouding our judgment.
For example, a seasoned professional attending a workshop in their field might choose to listen as if everything is new, rather than dismissing ideas as things they already know.
This approach can lead to deeper understanding, unexpected insights, and a greater appreciation for nuance. Shoshin is not about ignorance or pretending to know nothing; rather, it is about balancing knowledge with humility and a willingness to be surprised. In everyday life, adopting a beginner’s mind can improve relationships, learning, and innovation. It encourages active listening, empathy, and the courage to ask questions that others might consider basic.
Ultimately, Shoshin is a lifelong practice that helps individuals remain adaptable, resilient, and open to the ever-changing nature of the world, allowing for continuous personal and professional growth.
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Six Thinking Hats
The Six Thinking Hats is a powerful decision-making and problem-solving tool developed by Edward de Bono to help individuals and groups think more effectively and creatively.
The method is based on the idea that the human mind thinks in a variety of ways, but often, these modes of thinking become jumbled together, leading to confusion or conflict. By separating these different modes into six distinct “hats,” each representing a specific type of thinking, the process allows for clearer, more focused discussions and better outcomes.
» The White Hat is concerned with objective facts, data, and information, prompting participants to consider what they know and what they need to find out.
» The Red Hat gives space for emotions, feelings, and intuition, recognizing that gut reactions and personal perspectives are valid and influential in decision-making.
» The Black Hat is the voice of caution and critical judgment, highlighting potential problems, risks, and downsides, which helps prevent costly mistakes.
» The Yellow Hat, in contrast, focuses on optimism, benefits, and the value in ideas, encouraging a positive outlook and the identification of opportunities.
» The Green Hat is all about creativity, new ideas, and alternative approaches, fostering innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.
» The Blue Hat is responsible for managing the thinking process itself, setting the agenda, summarizing discussions, and ensuring that each hat is used appropriately.
By having everyone in a group “wear” the same hat at the same time, the Six Thinking Hats method reduces adversarial debate and promotes parallel thinking, where all participants explore an issue from the same perspective before moving to the next. This leads to more thorough analysis, better communication, and more balanced decisions.
The technique is widely used in business, education, and creative industries to enhance meetings, brainstorming sessions, and strategic planning, making it a valuable tool for anyone seeking to improve collaborative thinking and problem-solving.
THREE NEWS FROM THE WEEK
Meta Escalates AI Talent War, Raids OpenAI for Top Researchers
Meta has intensified the global race for artificial intelligence supremacy by poaching a string of top researchers from OpenAI, escalating an already fierce talent war among tech giants. In the past week, at least three senior OpenAI scientists—Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai, who previously established OpenAI’s Zurich office—have joined Meta’s new “superintelligence” team, according to multiple reports.
The aggressive recruitment drive is being personally led by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has reportedly reached out to hundreds of AI researchers with lavish compensation packages and personal invitations to exclusive dinners. While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly mocked Zuckerberg’s tactics and claimed that Meta is offering “$100 million signing bonuses,” both Meta executives and the defectors themselves have denied such extravagant figures, calling them “fake news”.
The latest departures follow a pattern: Meta is leveraging its deep pockets and industry clout to lure talent away from rivals, including a recent $14 billion investment to hire Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang. The stakes are high as Meta seeks to catch up with OpenAI and Google in the race to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Altman maintains that OpenAI’s vision and culture are its best defense against Meta’s overtures, insisting that “none of our best people have decided to take them up on that”. However, the loss of key researchers signals growing pressure on OpenAI as the AI arms race accelerates.
With major players locked in a battle for the brightest minds, the outcome could shape the future of AI innovation—and determine which company leads the next era of artificial intelligence
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Tesla Makes History With First Fully Automated Car Delivery
In a groundbreaking moment for autonomous vehicle technology, Tesla has completed the world’s first fully automated delivery of a new car to a customer, without any human involvement inside or outside the vehicle during transit. The milestone event occurred on June 27, when a Model Y SUV rolled off the production line at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, and drove itself to a nearby customer’s home, navigating highways, city streets, and residential areas entirely on its own.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the achievement on social media, emphasizing that there were “no people in the car at all and no remote operators in control at any point. FULLY autonomous!” The 30-minute journey was captured on video, showing the Model Y handling complex traffic scenarios, including highway merges and residential parking, before arriving curbside where the customer and Tesla staff awaited the historic handoff.
This delivery marks a significant leap for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, showcasing the company’s custom AI and hardware in a real-world scenario. While other companies like Waymo have deployed driverless vehicles for employee use on highways, Tesla’s feat is notable as the first instance of a production vehicle autonomously delivering itself from factory to customer without human backup or remote intervention.
The achievement comes just days after Tesla’s robotaxi pilot launch in Austin and signals the company’s accelerating push toward fully autonomous services. With regulatory frameworks still evolving, Tesla’s successful demonstration is expected to intensify the race toward a future where cars not only drive themselves, but also deliver themselves to their new owners.
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Google Leads Charge in Crushed Rock Climate Tech with Landmark Carbon Removal Deal
Google is making its boldest move yet in climate technology, emerging as the leading corporate backer of enhanced rock weathering (ERW)—a process that uses crushed volcanic rocks to capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide.
In December, the tech giant inked its largest-ever carbon removal agreement, purchasing 200,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits from startup Terradot, with delivery starting in 2029. This marks the biggest deal to date for ERW and underscores Google’s commitment to scaling up innovative climate solutions.
ERW accelerates a natural process: when rainwater interacts with crushed basalt spread on farmland, a chemical reaction locks CO₂ into stable minerals, effectively removing it from the atmosphere for millennia. The technique also benefits soil health and crop yields, making it attractive to farmers and environmentalists alike.
Google’s investment is part of a broader strategy to spend at least $35 million on carbon removal credits over 12 months, supporting Terradot and other ERW ventures globally. The company joins forces with Microsoft and prominent investors like John Doerr, signaling growing confidence in ERW’s potential to deliver climate impact at scale.
Despite accounting for just over 2% of all carbon removal credits sold, ERW’s scalability and dual benefits for agriculture and climate have captured industry attention. Google’s leadership, coupled with Terradot’s scientific rigor and partnerships in Brazil, is expected to accelerate the transition of this technology from experimental trials to real-world climate action.
“Enhanced rock weathering has immense scale potential because it’s piggybacking on top of an established natural process,” said Randy Spock, Google’s carbon credits and removals lead. With billions of tons of CO₂ needing removal by midcentury, Google’s bet on crushed rock could help shape the future of global carbon management.
The Sunday Brew by The Percolator brings to you curated news on tech, business & entrepreneurship, from across the internet to give your week a perfect start.
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