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One week doesn't cut it

The Friday Takeaway4 min readSam Page

Another quick Friday Takeaway this week… mainly because (if I'm being totally honest) I'm still on holiday and completely forgot to sit down early this morning and write it. But then again, that is the whole point of a break!

Taking two weeks off

I know it's hard at times to take two weeks off, but over the years I've learnt that one week just doesn't cut it. It's not enough time to switch off, relax, and allow breathing room to get back into the right mindset to return to work. So, whether you've managed it or not this year, my advice is plan next year to have at least a two-week break if you can.

I'm returning to London recharged and ready to get stuck into all the exciting work that lies ahead over the next few months, with a healthy sense of reflection around the fact that perhaps there is a better way to live life and manage the day-to-day stresses that come with running a business or a high-pressure job, and balancing time with the family.

Mark Zuckerberg's plan to replace the workforce with AI implodes

This news story has managed to reach me, even while I've been on holiday, and I've shared it with a few contacts. If you've not seen it, it's coverage by Reuters on Meta's Project OT (Organisation Transformation), a plan to cut some teams by as much as 60% across two waves, the first being in May this year, the second in November, completing the transformation.

However, after completing the first wave, the second was cancelled, due to serious shortcomings in the AI capability and reliability, along with a fair amount of resistance internally. Staff sentiment in Meta's own Pulse survey fell from 74% to 55% favourable.

The numbers that stood out for me though were the ones about the work itself. Code changes to Meta's internal software platforms were up 220% year on year. Changes that actually led to new or upgraded features were up 36%. Major technical and security incidents were up around 40%.

That is a lot more activity, without much more product at the end of it, and more things breaking along the way.

If you don't pay to access Reuters, you can find coverage in lots of places including this Firstpost article.

It is yet another good reminder that the hype boards at large companies are buying into isn't the reality, and that the latest form of AI/Machine Learning, generative AI, isn't true intelligence. It's a tool which can enable people to be more efficient and effective, but requires huge oversight still.

Holiday highlights

I thought I'd end this edition by sharing a few holiday highlights, or magical moments as we call them as a family, from the past week. It's something we sit down and do with our children from time to time, to look for the positives and magic in everyday life. It's amazing how good at it the children are. It's also a great reminder that often the best moments don't need to be grand or expensive, they can be the simple things as well.

So here are a few from my time away in Cornwall.

1. Baking a cake with my daughter Bonnie, for her pre-birthday party celebrations with the grandparents. It was only a simple vanilla cake with chocolate on top, but spending the time together doing something we both enjoy, is always a real treat.

2. Spending the day at Looe. The morning on the beach splashing in the sea with my son, fresh fish and chips for lunch, and wandering around the shops in the afternoon. Heaven.

Looe beach and town. Photo credit: https://cornwallone.co.uk/beaches/looe-beach/

3. Spending a night at The Scarlet Hotel to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It's a magical hotel, set in a truly wonderful location above Mawgan Porth beach. The beach is worth a visit even if you don't go to the hotel… but I highly recommend both as a treat.

Relaxing on the terrace at The Scarlet Hotel
The view from The Scarlet Hotel

Any magical moments that stand out for you from these summer holidays?

First published on LinkedIn.

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---
title: "One week doesn't cut it"
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/one-week-doesnt-cut-it
date: 2026-08-28
author: Sam Page
type: The Friday Takeaway edition
categories: [The Friday Takeaway]
reading_time: 4 min
summary: "Another quick Friday Takeaway this week… mainly because (if I'm being totally honest) I'm still on holiday and completely forgot to sit down early this morning and write it. But then…"
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/one-week-doesnt-cut-sam-page-mxxce
---

# One week doesn't cut it

Another quick Friday Takeaway this week… mainly because (if I'm being totally honest) I'm still on holiday and completely forgot to sit down early this morning and write it. But then again, that is the whole point of a break!

### Taking two weeks off

I know it's hard at times to take two weeks off, but over the years I've learnt that one week just doesn't cut it. It's not enough time to switch off, relax, and allow breathing room to get back into the right mindset to return to work. So, whether you've managed it or not this year, my advice is plan next year to have at least a two-week break if you can.

I'm returning to London recharged and ready to get stuck into all the exciting work that lies ahead over the next few months, with a healthy sense of reflection around the fact that perhaps there is a better way to live life and manage the day-to-day stresses that come with running a business or a high-pressure job, and balancing time with the family.

### Mark Zuckerberg's plan to replace the workforce with AI implodes

This news story has managed to reach me, even while I've been on holiday, and I've shared it with a few contacts. If you've not seen it, it's coverage by Reuters on Meta's Project OT (Organisation Transformation), a plan to cut some teams by as much as 60% across two waves, the first being in May this year, the second in November, completing the transformation.

However, after completing the first wave, the second was cancelled, due to serious shortcomings in the AI capability and reliability, along with a fair amount of resistance internally. **Staff sentiment in Meta's own Pulse survey fell from 74% to 55% favourable.**

The numbers that stood out for me though were the ones about the work itself. **Code changes to Meta's internal software platforms were up 220% year on year.** **Changes that actually led to new or upgraded features were up 36%. Major technical and security incidents were up around 40%.**

That is a lot more activity, without much more product at the end of it, and more things breaking along the way.

If you don't pay to access Reuters, you can find coverage in lots of places including this **Firstpost article**.

It is yet another good reminder that the hype boards at large companies are buying into isn't the reality, and that the latest form of AI/Machine Learning, generative AI, isn't true intelligence. It's a tool which can enable people to be more efficient and effective, but requires huge oversight still.

### Holiday highlights

I thought I'd end this edition by sharing a few holiday highlights, or magical moments as we call them as a family, from the past week. It's something we sit down and do with our children from time to time, to look for the positives and magic in everyday life. It's amazing how good at it the children are. It's also a great reminder that often the best moments don't need to be grand or expensive, they can be the simple things as well.

So here are a few from my time away in Cornwall.

**1. Baking a cake with my daughter Bonnie**, for her pre-birthday party celebrations with the grandparents. It was only a simple vanilla cake with chocolate on top, but spending the time together doing something we both enjoy, is always a real treat.

**2. Spending the day at** [**Looe**](https://www.visitcornwall.com/destinations/looe)**.** The morning on the beach splashing in the sea with my son, fresh fish and chips for lunch, and wandering around the shops in the afternoon. Heaven.

![Looe beach and town. Photo credit: https://cornwallone.co.uk/beaches/looe-beach/](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/one-week-doesnt-cut-it-1.webp)
*Looe beach and town. Photo credit: https://cornwallone.co.uk/beaches/looe-beach/*

**3. Spending a night at** [**The Scarlet Hotel**](https://www.scarlethotel.co.uk/) **to celebrate our wedding anniversary.** It's a magical hotel, set in a truly wonderful location above Mawgan Porth beach. The beach is worth a visit even if you don't go to the hotel… but I highly recommend both as a treat.

![Relaxing on the terrace at The Scarlet Hotel](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/one-week-doesnt-cut-it-2.webp)
*Relaxing on the terrace at The Scarlet Hotel*

![The view from The Scarlet Hotel](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/one-week-doesnt-cut-it-3.webp)
*The view from The Scarlet Hotel*

Any magical moments that stand out for you from these summer holidays?