Simon Paroszkiewicz

Hardcore mode of entrepreneurship: "15 key-learnings" note I wrote years ago after having a rough few months at my company. Read the thread 🧵👇

Another win.

The Prussian Homage or Prussian Tribute was the formal investiture of Albert, Duke of Prussia (1490-1568), with his Duchy of Prussia as a fief of the Kingdom of Poland that took place on 10 April 1525 in the then capital of Kraków, Kingdom of Poland.

Poland, now

Poland leads the way.

In the end, Greenland will belong to Poland🇵🇱. The flag is already prepared. 🇬🇱🇵🇱 Next: Indonesia 🇮🇩

@Gonzohall Portugal needs more entrepreneurial spirit and less regulation. Unfortunately, this is now what people are voting for.

Only growth. 🇵🇱

Polish people, contrary to what politicians say, are actually quite strongly attached to European identity. Worth noting that all frontier (eastern) countries are.

I have just spent some time in Poland and am now enjoying a glass of Champagne in the LOT lounge at Warsaw airport, waiting for my delayed flight. Here are a few reflections from Poland: 1. All those videos about Polish Christmas markets and cities are right: Poland is extremely safe and clean. There is no need for concrete blocks like in Germany, the UK, or military patrols like in France. 2. It’s a myth that Poland doesn’t accept immigrants. Poland has a solid border wall to keep illegal immigrants out, but it welcomes anyone who wants to work, learn the language and contribute to society instead of draining welfare systems. 3. Poles are probably the most entrepreneurial people in Europe. They understand that hard work is necessary for a good life and prosperity for their children, very different from the spoiled, daddy-financed left-wing activists in “Western” Europe. In summary, be like Poland. It’s really worth it.

Google rewards UGC Meanwhile, the giant has stirred things up in search again. Website owners will have to face new competition beyond AI Overviews. The company, through Liz Reid (VP of Google Search), announced that the search algorithm will now consider more “nonstandard” content, such as short videos, forum posts, and other user-generated content (UGC). As Reid explained to The Wall Street Journal, the changes stem from new habits among internet users – especially younger ones – who increasingly search for information on video platforms or forums rather than “traditional” websites. It’s unclear when the changes were introduced or how extensive they will be. What’s clear is that website publishers will have an even tougher time – at least in areas where UGC can pose real competition (probably not heavy industry). First they fought Google’s algorithm, then AI, and now they’ll battle TikTok as well. 📰 Search Engine Journal: searchenginejournal.com/google-says-it…

@levelsio bike high but only in hilly terrain.

Lifting heavy weights is proven to work better against depression than any medication And personally I know why I just lifted extremely heavy (for my standards), today was squats and deadlifts (with personal trainer) It's now an hour after and I am mostly unable to think, I am in a state of zen trance silence, there is literally nothing in my brain left Just an empty space and these words flying through If I stop writing this it's just silence and nothignness If I was depressed which I'm not, I wouldn't be able to be depressed right now, because I'm not able to be nothing right now, I barely exist, I just am and that's it It's hard to explain until you do like really heavy (again for my standards) like above 100kg/200lbs and many reps and you don't get the effect below your bodyweight in my experience Which makes it hard to explain this to people starting out lifting because it takes a long time to build up to heavy weight safely and then you really see the mental benefits It's probably similar to runner's high but different? Lifter's high? Anyway go try it!

AdAge: bots increasingly dangerous for brands Bots pose an image threat to brands – most of which are unaware of the risk. Fake or provocative content spread on social media by automated, bot accounts can harm companies’ reputations. The problem is growing with the development of artificial intelligence. Thanks to AI tools, “launching” an army of bots has become easier than ever before, warns AdAge. Examples include recent image problems faced by Cracker Barrel and American Eagle. The first faced a wave of criticism after changing its logo; the second – after a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. According to an analysis by the company Cyabra, in both cases bots played a significant role in fueling negative emotions, accounting for, respectively, over 20% and 13–15% of comments under the brands’ social media posts. What can be done to minimize the reputational cost of such situations? The only universal solution is active social listening and quick response. Fires are easiest to extinguish at the spark stage.

@levelsio Pls let's keep it low profile

I know I'm not always positive about Portugal because it has its issues (esp wrt biz and gov), and I like to be honest about where I live. I dislike people telling one-sided positive stories about a place, it's never the reality But Portugal still remains one of the most beautiful places in the world for me It has clean beaches with actually clean oceans, a wild variety in nature from the mild surf waves in Ericeira to tropical looking Comporta to beach holiday Algarve to foggy mountains in the Azores islands (in the middle of the Atlantic!) The climate isn't hot like Spain, it's more mild and in my opinion perfect to live because of that, a lot like California's climate, never very cold, almost never too hot (all year median now is 17°C/62°F) It also has one of the cleanest air in the world, usually AQIs near 0 esp close to the coasts, which coming from polluted Asia is a breath of fresh air (lol) And overall especially outside of Lisbon it's still very safe and chill Come visit! 🇵🇹 ☀️

Horizon Futures: events are virtualizing The pandemic is over, but it left a lasting inflationary mark. Among the sectors affected by sharp price increases during and after COVID was the events industry. As a result, former festival-goers are increasingly attending online instead of in person. According to the Horizon Futures report, 79% of consumers consider an event “worth its price” only when it’s a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” while 69% of respondents who choose virtual events cite cost savings as the main reason. But it’s not just about money – respondents also point to the ability to multitask (64%) and convenience (61%). The “virtualization” of live events may affect marketing campaign results. 75% of adults attending live events notice brand presence at such events. Among millennials and Gen Z, the figure rises to 81%. However, marketing aimed at remote participants must take the medium’s limitations into account. Source: marketingdive.com/news/social-me…

ChatGPT becomes a platform for apps The evolution of ChatGPT is accelerating. OpenAI is transforming its AI assistant into an access point for applications. The platform now allows users in selected locations to use resources from services such as Bookingcom, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Zillow, and – the latest addition – Spotify, all without leaving the chat. The company has also released an Apps SDK – a toolkit that enables developers to build their own conversational applications based on the open Model Context Protocol standard. Thanks to these new features, users can call on external tools directly in prompts – for example, by asking Spotify to create an ’80s-style party playlist. The “collaborating” programs return results inside the chat window, displaying, for instance, accommodation lists, maps, or presentations. For software creators, it’s an opportunity to reach the 800 million–plus user base of the world’s largest AI chat. For OpenAI – a chance to become the main hub for interacting with the internet. Source: news.designrush.com/openai-chatgpt…

OMG: trust in LLMs is growing GEO – generative engine optimization – is becoming an increasingly important part of the SEO mix. According to research by Omnicom Media Group (OMG), 44% of consumers trust products, services, and brands recommended by artificial intelligence. What’s more, faith in AI’s reliability is (likely) growing faster than AI’s reliability itself. The report shows that trust in Google’s AI Overviews has risen from 44% to 68% within a year, while trust in generative AI in search in general increased from 37% to 61%. Additionally, a large portion of users are ignoring traditional search results. According to OMG, as many as 65% of internet users rely on AI Overviews during queries, and 20% use that source exclusively, skipping standard results altogether. Quo vadis, SEO? Source: futureweek.com/44-percent-of-…

Dawit Isaak Library censors Orwell Books are meant to be read. But there are exceptions. One of them is the Swedish edition of George Orwell’s canonical dystopia 1984. The edition prepared by the Dawit Isaak Library in Malmö and BBDO Nordics has a double spine – meaning it cannot be opened without using “force.” The goal of the campaign, titled The Bound Books Project (hint: “bound” sounds almost like “banned”), is to draw attention to the issue of censorship in an increasingly autocratic world. The project’s release coincided with Banned Books Week 2025 – an international event promoting the freedom to read. Organizers sent copies to several well-known authors, including Stephen King and Herta Müller. After brief struggles with the cover, the writers filed a complaint. Source: famouscampaigns.com/2025/10/this-s…

LEGO and Nike built a playground LEGO and Nike joined forces to build a playground in Shanghai. The project is unique because it was largely designed by children. Kids contributed ideas during the Build the Change workshops organized by LEGO China. In the execution phase, LEGO was supported by Nike, which has already built 42 playgrounds in China (aiming for 100) as part of its Move to Zero sustainability initiative. The result of their joint effort is a large, modular space inspired by a 2×3 LEGO brick. Joyful anarchy reigns on the playground. Children decide whether a given structure should serve as part of a made-up game, an obstacle, or a climbing wall. Long live imagination. Source: famouscampaigns.com/2025/09/lego-a…

Gen Alpha is having an increasing impact on commerce The future of commerce belongs to Alphas. The generation born between 2010 and 2024 counts about 2 billion people. According to the report Alpha Rising by the Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC), Alphas will soon become one of the most important consumer groups. Experts predict that by 2029, their economic impact will reach as much as $5.46 trillion. “They are now acting as a family CMO and they are curating family culture. They are telling the family what to eat, where they’re going on vacation, what car to drive, what they’re going to be cooking, what types of brands they want,” says Monica Chun, president of ACC. This picture of the young generation emerges from survey research. More than 70% of Alphas claim they help their relatives stay up to date with trends, and as many as 96% can convince their families to try out things they’ve seen online or with friends. The report also leaves no doubt that Alphas prioritize instant gratification. 84% of young people use apps, games, or loyalty programs just to avoid losing a reward or streak, 76% expect brands to include gamification elements such as points, badges, or bonuses, and 64% hope for discounts. Among Millennials and Gen Z — unthinkable. Source: marketingdive.com/news/gen-alpha…

Nothing human is alien to me – said the computer OpenAI has decided to soften its image with a series of very “human”, emotion-driven visuals in its latest video campaign, created together with a boutique agency. The only question is how much responsibility for the ad rested with humans — since ChatGPT is presented as a co-creator of these scripts. The timing of the campaign is quite specific, as it coincides with the launch of Sora 2 by OpenAI — a video generation engine that creates entire scenes based on text prompts. And it must be said, the progress made here is impressive. Should we expect the next OpenAI campaign to be fully generated by its own artificial intelligence? Why not? The model is already capable of suggesting scripts and characters, so the natural next step would be to take over the entire costly film production process — and deliver a finished result. Of course, costs are the least of concerns for companies developing AI. The same can’t be said for many other industries, where every penny spent on marketing matters. So, paradoxically, we can assume that OpenAI will “make ads with humans”, because research shows that, as homo sapiens, we tend to value such products more — while the less financially equipped segment of the market will rely on AI.