In this week’s newsletter, I write a essay for Singaporeans on National Day to rethink our reputation as “champion grumblers”. It is never enough just to complain, we must come up with practical solutions for ourselves, then society. For the weekly recap, I wrote articles about the jobs that will survive, going easy on people who are trying to learn AI, using ChatGPT Work to automate image creation, comparing ChatGPT and Gemini for vibe coding, LinkedIn’s anti-slop button, a sad encounter at a mall, thoughts on the GovTech retrenchment numbers, and oh yes, I turned 50.
Photo of the week
Bishan, Singapore, 7th Aug 2026
AI stuff
Another version of my answer to “Which jobs will survive the AI disruption?”
Don’t beat down people trying to learn AI and making mistakes along the way. Making mistakes IS the way to learn.
Unlimited text chats for ChatGPT users will start next week.
I learned how ChatGPT Work (the competitor to Claude Cowork) can automate the generation of filler images.
I also tried using ChatGPT’s new Sites tool for vibe coding instant web apps, but I found Gemini to still be better overall.
LinkedIn has rolled out an anti-AI slop button, yay! I am using it on people who deserve it.
A great session with the Asia Journalism Fellowship to discuss the use of media in our craft.
Non-AI Stuff
A sad encounter with a father and his son.
My thoughts on the stats that 42% of retrenched GovTech staff are in their 40s.
Sunday essay
Lee Kuan Yew once said that Singaporeans are champion grumblers. The exact quote from The Straits Times:
“You know the Singaporean. He is a hard-working, industrious, rugged individual. Or we would not have made the grade. But let us also recognise that he is a champion grumbler.”
IMO, there are two types of grumblers – those who do something about the problem, and those who don’t. Today is National Day in Singapore and I’m not here to grumble, but to tell you that you can become the problem-solving grumbler. But before you can solve the problems around you, you need to solve the problem of yourself.
In 2014 or so, I was working at Microsoft and I was having an unhappy one-on-one session with my manager. We didn’t know each other well as he came in after our previous manager left. He was an MS veteran, which meant that he was as tough as nails and I wanted to tell him how tough my job was.
I poured out my unhappiness about the Microsoft Surface device business that I was running: “Boss, the forex rate is reducing our profits. The distributor doesn’t want to take stock. The resellers don’t want to promote our products. The customers are all buying iPads and Samsung tablets. We don’t have enough marketing budget to compete.”
These were all true facts. My manager listened calmly and then said the one line that would change my life:
“Ian, what is it that we pay you for?”
His sentence was like a lightning bolt that blitzed through the clogged fissures of my brain. Suddenly, I understood the world differently. I was bamboozled and feeling numb, but I didn’t take too long to respond: “Ok boss, I understand. I’ll come back to you with the solutions next week.”
Since that day, I stopped the act of complaining without providing a workable solution. I also understood the meaning of “value” at work. I was of no value to the company if I was hired to just complain and not help the company solve its problems, sell products, defeat the competition, and acquire customers.
This is also why when I write a LinkedIn post, I try to ensure that the content will be valuable to someone out there. If I disagree with something, I will seek to understand it fully, and provide alternative solutions rather than opinions. But I never insist that my solutions are the best solutions, especially if I haven’t deployed them in real life.
Now, problem solving is often a creative act. You need to figure out what resources to bring together and how to deploy the solution. If the solution doesn’t exist yet, you need to design it and then test it. If the prototype solution fails, then you iterate on it until it starts to work. Creativity is both fun and tiring, and small successes beget bigger successes, so you must start small and build up your stamina for problem solving over time in order to solve big problems.
Today, I see so many people in Singapore complaining about AI’s impact and asking the government what help is being given. That’s understandable but we should also try to find solutions for ourselves because the government cannot possibly solve every scenario. We also need to ask ourselves uncomfortable questions right now:
Which tangible metrics help my company grow and how am I contributing to the growth?
Am I doing repetitive and mundane work that anyone else can do?
Are my skills in demand by today’s growing companies?
Am I in a BS job?
Notice that these questions don’t have “AI” in them. They are fundamental questions that must be asked in any era, any country, and any industry vertical. Gen AI is disrupting our society today, but in the future, the disruptor will be something else we cannot foresee. What we can see more clearly is how we ourselves are positioned for today and tomorrow, but we have to ask the tough questions first.
Singapore has provided a safe and secure harbour for many of us to see the world from multiple perspectives. I don’t have to agree with everything that happens here but I’m grateful for the opportunities it has given me. Even religious freedom is taken for granted by many here. If you feel that Singapore needs to improve in any way, then come up with a solution and start making it happen for yourself, then share it with someone else, who can then pass it on to others.
It’s ok to complain, but it’s more important to create a better world for yourself. Like right now.