Translated from 日本語 • View original Happy New Year everyone!
Last year was a year in which the world changed drastically.
Although it is turbulent, I feel that the changes that have occurred in the world in the wake of Corona have accelerated even more, rather than completely new changes occurring.
The wars in Europe and the Middle East show no signs of ending, global inflation is still ongoing, albeit temporarily calmed, and prices are rising and rising in all sectors.
I don't even see the 100 yen egg sale anymore, and the delicious stick is finally 15 yen (laughs).
The number of apartments in Tokyo's 23 wards has also doubled compared to 10 years ago. I recently heard a story about an acquaintance buying a car, and I was surprised that it was quite expensive.
As a generation that became a member of society after the bursting of the bubble, I have never experienced such a rise in prices, and I have experienced inflation in Japan for the first time in my life.
AI Becomes More Accessible in 2024
The impact of AI's evolution in our lives, especially in our work, is becoming increasingly significant.
I myself feel that the amount of AI used at work has increased more than 10 times compared to a year ago. It has become more difficult to find apps that do not use AI even in smartphone apps.
So, using AI (Genspark), what are the three major news in Japan in 2024? When I asked, I got the following results.
Genspark https://www.genspark.ai/
- Noto Peninsula Earthquake
- Collision between JAL and Kaiho
- Hakone Ekiden
Hmm, I still feel like I have a long way to go. Laughter
If you look closely, it all happened until January 3rd!
I asked "in one year", and the answer was almost the same. There is still a long way to go.
Am I the only one who thinks that Shohei Ohtani's 50-50 is bigger news than the Hakone Ekiden?
Let's take a look at the world news.
- Trump wins the US presidential election
- Lai Ching-te was elected in Taiwan's presidential election
- North Korean military units begin fighting in Russia
It is mostly political and war news.
Until a few years ago, there was an overall idealistic atmosphere, the boundaries of countries were lowered, and the world felt like it was moving towards unity. However, in recent years, many countries, including the United States, have leaned towards their own country first, and the evolution of humanity has stagnated, and I think that divisions have deepened.
Looking at this situation, I feel that capitalism itself has caused institutional fatigue and is entering an era in which conventional frameworks cannot cope with it.
I'm not the only one who hears that Elon Musk's assets are 70 trillion yen and is upset. By the way, his compensation in 2024 was 8 trillion yen.
I'll try to calculate.
This amount is 1.6 billion yen per hour if he worked 16 hours a day with one day off per week. Even if the second salary is 450,000 yen. I don't know anymore. Laughter
It may be time for new values and systems to be required.
Considering the evolution of AI, I feel that the era is approaching when AI can perform many of the tasks that white-collar workers have been responsible for with higher accuracy. If this trend accelerates further, in a few decades, a "society where humans do not have to work" will become a reality, and the act of work itself may have a rare value.
On the other hand, this is a big challenge for me and people like Karakler, who think that working is "the greatest joy of life" and "the best way to pass the time until I die".
Colorkrew Mission “Color Your Work with Excitement”
In a society where the meaning of work has diminished, how do you find your own identity and purpose in life? I feel that the future brought about by the evolution of AI is a complex one that is a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
2024 Review
Let's check "What did you write last year?" first.
https://blog.colorkrew.com/202401_keiji_newyear/
I see.
In summary, it is about launching new products, expanding the target market, and even expanding overseas outside of Brazil.
Looking back, it was a year of putting his words into practice.
If you think about it, most of Carakul's products two years ago were centered on Colorkrew Biz and provided functions for "hybrid work", a new way of working.
While maintaining the concept of providing the functions necessary for new ways of working, last year we expanded our scope and began to provide what is necessary for the traditional work environment, and redefined it accordingly.
Karakul will become a company that provides the most user-friendly WorkSaaS products for new ways of working.
Internally, while continuing to utilize our strengths of "hiring excellent engineers from overseas," we thoroughly reviewed a wide range of areas such as product management, product design, QA, and CS, which we felt we had been able to handle somehow.
As a result, we have hired new personnel as part of the necessary strengthening of the system, and I feel that the team has become even stronger as a result.
Speaking of myself, I have almost taken over corporate-related tasks to CFO Yukawa, which has allowed me to focus all my resources on product development and sales enhancement.
Product development is also a big challenge for me.
I feel that being able to take on new and exciting jobs even in my 50s is unique to the Karakul environment, and I am truly grateful to the team that allows me to take on new challenges.
Also...
All social meetings were finally in English.
Previously, we had adopted the format of holding meetings in Japanese and then giving an overview in English, but we have switched to English first and followed up as needed in Japanese. As a result, we feel that our time efficiency has improved significantly.
The persistent criticism from within the company, "Why everyone has to speak in English," which has been going on for more than a decade, has also decreased sharply since last year. At the very least, I feel that everyone has a deeper understanding of the significance of working in a global team and the strength of the team that comes from it.
Karakul in 2025
2024 was a year of new evolution for Karakul. However, we are still on the way and I feel that this is a real challenge.
The products released last year, such as intra, workflow, and security dashboards, have received response from the market, and almost all of them are already working on improvements that may be renewed, and we will continue to do so in 2025.
At the end of 2025, we will do our best to make the market recognize that "WorkSaaS is a carakuru"!
Regarding the management of the team.
We hope to make a major change in 2025.
Karakul has been operating a relatively unique organization based on Bali Flat (ultra-open, ultra-flat), which started in 2015.
During this period, we have made several minor changes, but as teams become globalized and work styles change, issues that cannot be covered by the original concept have emerged.
We must evolve further. That's what I think.
Currently, we are in the process of discussing the full renewal of the personnel and evaluation system in October.
In terms of recruitment, we slowed down slightly in 2024, but we will increase the pace again in 2025. If you are a member of a team of mixed nationalities in Tokyo and want to work together to achieve a business that will have an impact on the world, please come forward.
In 2025, we would like to continue to rush forward with speed priority in a chaotic manner, so please continue to support us this year!
