Irresistible Change is in, and on, the air.

The bottleneck is no longer execution, it's discernment.

The Irresistible Change® newsletter is about organizational culture, transformation, and design. It’s written for executives who recognize that tools and methods come and go, but it’s culture that drives sustainable, differentiated outcomes. And that the status quo is a culture’s mortal enemy.

The first wave of Irresistible Change events—across cities, podcasts, print and online articles, and national TV—was more energizing than I could have imagined. From the State Theater in Austin to the archives of the Eames Institute, from Brooklyn salons to the Bloomberg studio set, the conversations around culture, design, and change have been electric.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, hosted, shared, or simply said, “I see myself in this.” We’ve got more to come—especially in the Raleigh-Durham and DC areas (dates coming soon)—but for now, I wanted to mark this new year with a reflection on where change is headed next.

Because here’s the truth:

Everyone will adopt AI. But in 2026, we’ll find out who did it best.

Just like the internet defined the winners of the 2000s, this moment will separate those who use AI from those who transform through it. And once again, the difference won’t be strategy—everyone’s is the same! And it won’t be the technology—everyone’s is the same! The difference will be determined by those who master the tactics of changing culture. Team design. Systems that reward new behaviors. Leadership that earns buy-in.

That’s where we’re headed next. Let me know how I can help!

— Phil

PS: Thank you to everyone who’s bought the book and the many of you who gifted it to others over the holiday season. And a double thank you to those who’ve written reviews on Amazon... it means a ton to me (and, of course, for sales!)... if you have read the book and felt you got value from it, if you wouldn’t mind leaving a short review it really helps others discover it.

Click right here to find out where you can order the book, most anywhere in the world

“AI dramatically lowers the cost of generating artifacts—code, content, interfaces, analyses. When output becomes cheap, organizations don’t produce less. They drown in options.

In that environment, the bottleneck is no longer creation. It’s discernment. Knowing what to build, what to trust, and what to ignore. If your competitors can prototype every future, your edge comes from teams that know which future is worth pursuing.

That’s why AI doesn’t just require new tools. It demands a new architecture for teams. A shift in how we lead, design, and decide.”

Phil Gilbert

This Is A Prototype Podcast (link)

Recorded live at the State Theater, Austin, Texas

Links to other irresistible content!

Over the last two months, I’ve talked about Irresistible Change on 15 podcasts, more than two dozen “print” articles, and network TV. Here’s a few of them:

Fortune || The only constant is change—here’s how to sell it to your people [link]

Inc. || Why ‘Change Management’ Almost Always Fails (and How to Do It Right) [link]

Fast Company || This is why your attempts to change your company culture are failing—and how to fix it [link]

Stanford Social Innovation Review || If You Want People in the Office, Build One Worth Coming To [link]

PRINT Book Club with Debbie Millman & Steven Heller || Curiosity & Empathy at Scale (podcast) [link]

From The Green Notebook with Joe Byerly (podcast) [link]

Barry O’Reilly’s Unlearn (podcast) [link]

Disruptor Confessions with John Ayers (podcast) [link]

Bloomberg TV interview [link]

Excerpt from the Introduction to Irresistible Change

The present is far more fragile than we often realize. Technology is an ever-present disruptor that has a way of commoditizing what once felt unique, driving a kind of Moore’s law–like acceleration into every corner of our daily workflows. Accepting this reality opens the door to a powerful truth: market leadership tomorrow will be determined by your ability to embrace and direct change today.

Change is inevitable—that much is clear. But what sets great organizations apart is the intentionality and speed with which they navigate change. Contentment with the way you work in the present is a setup for disaster in the future. A much healthier approach was once expressed to me this way: “We must always look at the status quo with disdain.”

Organizations that adopt this mindset at scale in the coming years will be the true winners—in the marketplace, within their communities, and even on the battlefield. In every type of industry, companies must use this disdain for the status quo to cultivate cultures of curiosity, innovation, and adaptability. Over time, these organizations will develop something far more valuable and powerful: an institutional predisposition—almost an instinct—for provoking continuous meaningful change.nd, they were all executing a new way of work and a driving a common culture change agenda.

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Excerpted with permission from Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success by Phil Gilbert. Copyright ©2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is available wherever books and eBooks are sold

Irresistible Change is a registered trademark of Gilbert Workshop LLC. All rights reserved.