Burnout Diaries

Behind the scenes of managing a mythical influencer without magical insurance. Read at your own risk. May contain keyboard smashing, existential dread, and unsolicited venting.

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Low-Hanging Fruit, My Ass

Low-Hanging Fruit, My Ass

By Ken Hollow, unwilling gardener of corporate metaphors If one more brand manager tells me to “pick the low-hanging fruit,” I’m going to climb the…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Are We Entering AI Bubble Territory? Sam Altman Thinks So

Are We Entering AI Bubble Territory? Sam Altman Thinks So

By Ken Hollow, reluctant tech correspondent with a migraine It finally happened: someone in Silicon Valley said the quiet part out loud. OpenAI CEO Sam…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Circling Back to Circle Back (On the Circling Back)

Circling Back to Circle Back (On the Circling Back)

By Ken Hollow, trapped in an infinite feedback loop of buzzwords If I die young, bury me in an Outlook calendar invite. Cause of death:…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Why Every Meeting Could’ve Been an Email (and Every Email Is a War Crime)

Why Every Meeting Could’ve Been an Email (and Every Email Is a War Crime)

By Ken Hollow, survivor of 4,000 Slack pings and counting I have seen the face of hell, and it is a recurring calendar invite labeled…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Why Every App Wants to Be a Bank Now

Why Every App Wants to Be a Bank Now

By Ken Hollow, unwilling financier of the attention economy Here’s what I wanted from social media: to post a picture, scream into the void, maybe…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Why Every App Wants to Be TikTok (and Fails Miserably)

Why Every App Wants to Be TikTok (and Fails Miserably)

By Ken Hollow, unpaid trend chaser, reluctant doomscroller Let me tell you a secret: I don’t hate TikTok. I respect it. It’s the apex predator…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Threads Is Dead, Long Live Whatever Comes Next

Threads Is Dead, Long Live Whatever Comes Next

By Ken Hollow, unwilling caretaker of expired social logins Remember Threads? Of course you don’t. And if you do, it’s only because the app is…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: If You Reply “LOL” to Feedback, I Will Take It Personally

If You Reply “LOL” to Feedback, I Will Take It Personally

By Ken Hollow, professional overthinker and part-time emoji decoder Feedback is supposed to be constructive. Helpful. Collaborative. Instead, it’s often delivered in the most emotionally…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: The Group Chat Is a Full-Time Job

The Group Chat Is a Full-Time Job

By Ken Hollow, professional tab juggler and part-time actual worker Every freelancer has their own productivity kryptonite. For some, it’s TikTok. For others, it’s the…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Every Client Thinks They’re My Only Client

Every Client Thinks They’re My Only Client

By Ken Hollow, part-time diplomat, full-time liar-for-hire Here’s the first rule of freelancing: every client needs to feel like they are your one and only.…