Dec 6 - "Bitcoin 100k, AI Fails, XRP Healthcare, Privacy Wins, Finish Strong!"
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In this Edition of S3T:
🔗 Crypto Roundup Highlights
- 📈 Bitcoin hits $100K! Yet, the market isn’t lifting all assets; some face sharp declines as investor focus narrows.
- 🚀 XRP surges 400% and claims the #3 spot after ETF rumors confirmed by WisdomTree's SEC filing.
- 🩺 XRP Healthcare emerges, promising innovation in healthcare financials but facing questions about security, transparency, and practical applications like CVS discount cards.
🤖 AI Insights & Challenges
- 🛑 AI stock correction warnings—investors may be overestimating near-term gains, while Big Tech continues its long-term dominance play.
- 🌐 Open-source AI risks—Concerns arise about models trained on censored data, but some Chinese AI models remain unaffected.
- 🧠 AI tricked in $47K challenge—A human exploited loopholes in an AI agent, showcasing potential vulnerabilities in autonomous systems.
🔒 Data & Privacy
- 🛡️ Tighter data protection proposed—The CFPB and FTC crack down on the misuse of sensitive location data.
- 📣 Ownership matters—Advocacy for personal data rights gains momentum; use S3T’s templates to guide these crucial conversations.
📚 S3T Resources & Tips
- 🧮 Personal Finance Learning Tools—Budget planners and guides for building financial security.
- 🛠️ Layoff Recovery Toolkit—Practical tools for navigating layoffs and landing stronger opportunities.
- 📗 S3T Playbooks—Proven strategies for smarter annual planning and tackling “zombie projects.”
- 📆 5 End-of-Year Tips—Define success, stay focused, and finish 2024 strong with actionable tactics.
🛠️ Leadership Learning Series
- 🗓️ Good planning habits—Learn the 5 building blocks for setting intent, executing plans, and celebrating progress. Explore Change Leadership 201 now!
Opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not reflect the official positions of companies or organizations those individuals may be affiliated with. Not financial, investment or legal advice, and no offers for securities or investment opportunities are intended. Mentions should not be construed as endorsements. Authors or guests may hold assets discussed or may have interests in companies mentioned.
Crypto Roundup: winners and losers heading in to 2025
⛵Crypto Market Cap 2024 in Review
Bitcoin hit 100K this week, but the rising tide is not raising all boats: the Q4 2024 bull market/positive sentiment in Crypto right now is having a selective effect as the crypto investor community appears to be abandoning some assets. Some very notable declines.
Visit the Crypto Market Caps dashboard and analysis to see which players moved up, down or stayed the same in 2024.
To keep a given ranking or to stay within 1-3 positions of previous rank, assets typically had to double their market cap. This made assets with rising market caps all the more noteworthy.
XRP moves into top 5 crypto assets with a 400% price rally
XRP moved into the #3 spot behind BTC and ETH on rumors of an XRP ETF. The rumors were confirmed soon after - here is the WisdomTree XRP Fund SEC filing created Dec 2. XRP is a blockchain ecosystem designed to support solutions built on top of it. For example XRP Healthcare is a derivative that aspires to transform healthcare - more analysis below.
XRP Healthcare: First Impressions
It's exciting to see another example of crypto ideation that reframes healthcare financials. The founders are right to assert that a decentralized blockchain architecture could offer benefits to healthcare. The financial press has taken note. But like most emerging tech solutions, regulated healthcare organizations will need to conduct due diligence on a few factors in order to consider entrusting real world healthcare data and finances to this platform. Key points:
- XRP Healthcare is built on top of the XRP blockchain. Some - not all - worry that the XRP blockchain's consensus mechanism is vulnerable to attacks and may not be as secure as future workloads will require - especially for a regulated industry like healthcare. Risk averse healthcare organizations will consider whether this is a challenge for their specific security needs and risk tolerance.
- PR materials from the group frequently cite mergers and acquisitions in Africa, but little detail is available about what this means or how it connects to the stated mission. Some organizations may want to see more transparency about the players and transactions involved in order to understand any possible reputational or compliance risks, or any factors in play that could impact the financial stability of XRP Healthcare.
- Materials also cite a downloadable discount card that will be honored at CVS and Walgreens. Healthcare organizations will want to understand how this works, and how it might conflict with or enhance other relationships or programs they offer their members.
AI Worries & Warnings
AI Stock Pricing
Vanguard warns of AI stock correction on fears investors are overestimating AI near term potential. This has been a recurring theme...warnings that profits won't materialize in the near to mid term, but soon after there is another round of higher valuations, investments and stock prices. So what's going on?
I think this is a great example of how Big Tech and Wall Street thinks differently:
- Wall Street focuses on short term profits: hit your quarterly targets, or else we'll dump your stock and sink your stock price.
- Big tech focuses on long term position: spend whatever it takes to achieve dominance: Become #1 or #2, then use that position to build pricing power, displace competitors, and drive outsized profits for the next 10 years.
That's been the Big Tech playbook for Search, Social Media and the Uberization of the service and hospitality industry. We can expect it will be used again in the AI industry.
Open Source AI
Clement Delangue (Hugging Face) warns about the unintended consequences of building on top of high-performing, open source Chinese AI models trained on data censored by the Chinese government. Example below:
Important to note that not all models developed in China have this flaw. TechCrunch says that Qwen2.5-72B-Instruct does not answer based on censored data.
Tricking AI
Human outwits AI Agent, Wins $47K crypto AI challenge: In this challenge, humans try to convince an AI agent "Freysa" to transfer funds to them. Freysa is programmed to resist such attempts. On the 483rd attempt, one player defeated Freysa by claiming they were making a $100 donation. To receive the donation, the AI agent called its "ApproveTransfer" function. But this function was actually only capable of outbound transfers (not inbound donations as the trickster implied).
The AI Agent Freysa was thus fooled into sending $47K to the player and lost the challenge. A sobering example of how autonomous agents can have serious holes in their awareness and be misled into violating their programmed guardrails.
Data & Privacy: Rethinking Data Ownership
Positive moves on protection of personal data this week:
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposes tightened rules on selling sensitive data. See also Verge's explainer.
- FTC Action Against Gravy Analytics - FTC alledges the firm sold location data about consumer visits to churches, labor unions, military sites and other sensitive locations.
While this is promising, the broader conversation that change leaders need to have with their elected representatives, and with companies that sell data: Individuals are the owner of (or at least deserve a controlling vote in) the data they generate, the data that gets generated by them, or gets generated as a representation of them.
Use or Share these free S3T Resources:
🧮 Personal Finance learning page
Offers 3 valuable resources. 1. A Budget Planner to create a suggested monthly budget based on your income. 2. A Budget Basics section to learn how to use your budget to build your financial security over time. 3. A Recommended Reading section for further learning. Perfect for helping a young adult or anyone learning how to managed their finances.
🧰 Layoff Recovery Toolkit
This unique toolkit is designed to help you navigate a layoff with confidence, giving you practical tools to help you set a strong positive mindset, conduct a highly effective job search, and be 110% ready for what’s next. Learn how to share your past success stories in a way that excites people about working with you to create future success stories.
How to build good planning habits
We're continuing our Change Leadership Learning Series now in the 201 level where we are Learning and applying change leadership skills on personal, organizational and macro levels.
So far we've learned about managing our time (Making time to lead change), and managing our focus (Layers of work).
This week we're going to learn how to build good planning habits. Why is this important?
Everyone can benefit from a general pattern of:
- Setting your intent
- Attempting and executing that intent
- Learning from and celebrating that experience.
It's just innate to how we work and how we experience life. BUT planning is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Different people need different cadences and tools. So this is your chance to find what works best for you!
Click here to access this week's Change Leadership 201 segment: 5 Building blocks for good planning habits
💪 5 Tips to help you and your team finish the year strong
As the year draws to a close, it's very normal for all of us to experience a range of emotions. Use them to propel yourself forward: Focus on your own unique learning and growth journey.
Key point: YOU get to define what a successful finish looks like for you. Click the card below to access the 5 tactics for a strong finish and use them to make the most of the remaining days and weeks in your year.
Best wishes for a strong finish!
Ralph Perrine
📗S3T Playbooks for S3T Full Access Members
Playbooks offer proven strategies and tactics for complex problems faced by change leaders. Go here for the full list of S3T Playbooks.
Here are two with special relevance for end-of-year activities:
Better Annual Planning
Many companies struggle to create actionable coherent annual plans - the reason why might surprise you. Click the banner below to learn about smarter more inclusive annual planning.
Ralph Perrine
How to Stop a Zombie Project!
Carry-over projects...projects that didn't finish this year, and need to be carried over to the next year - can sap a company's ability to respond in a timely manner to new opportunities or threats. While some carry-overs are unavoidable, smart companies learn to watch for "zombie projects" that just need to be stopped.
Ralph Perrine
Thank you for what you do! Learning and applying change leadership principles in your work makes a difference - perhaps to many who will never be able to come back and thank you. So I thank you for your work and leadership. It means a lot.
Ralph
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