The best of Follow the Gradient in 2025

Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

As the year draws to a close, we are looking back to the most valued insights, learnings and advice that have emerged throughout our publications and have been viewed and listened by you. A big thank you to all of you for embarking on this journey with us! 2025 has been a lot of fun, and we look forward to 2026 together with you. Until then: Follow the Gradient and stay tuned.

🫶🏼 Melanie & Christian

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The ideas that sparked the most debate

The most clicked Food for Thought articles

• GEO over SEO?

• Forget 9 to 5, 996 is the new startup standard

• Is it too late to pivot into a career in AI?

• The 996 counterview

• Why is your LinkedIn reach down?

The practical questions you kept coming back to

The most viewed Smart Hacks

• The 20 lessons I wish I'd known back in my 20s

• How five questions lead to your ICP

• The board deck template you’ve been missing

• How to run performance reviews

• How to reach PMF faster

The shifts you kept preparing for

The most read One Good Reads

• Vibe coding is changing the way investors think about founders

• Opinion: Move fast and make things: the new career mantra

• How to Build a Career That Thrives Alongside AI

• Companies Are Desperately Seeking ‘Storytellers’

• Climbing the wrong hill

The conversations you shared when things got real

The most listened Podcast Episodes this year

• The Hidden Cost of Success: Burnout, Mental Health & Building a Life That Works – with Adrian Locher

• Scaling Without Breaking: Hard Lessons from Kai Eberhardt, CEO & Co-founder of Healthtech Oviva

• The VC Trap, Failure Myths & The Power of Bootstrapping with Lea von Bidder

• EU Inc and Europe’s Next Moonshots | Andreas Klinger, Founder of Prototype Capital

• The Ultimate Growth Unlock - Frontify Founder and CEO Roger Dudler on building brands and culture