Team

How the language of job postings can attract rule-bending narcissists

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When companies advertise job openings, they often use buzzwords like “ambitious” and “self-reliant” to describe their ideal candidate. These traits sound appealing—what hiring manager wouldn’t want a driven employee? But there’s a catch. In my latest study, published in the journal Management Science with co-authors Scott Jackson and Nick Seybert, I found that these terms may attract job applicants with more narcissistic tendencies. As behavioral researchers in accounting, we are interested in executives who bend the rules. We decided to study job postings after noticing that the language used to describe an “ideal candidate” often included traits linked to narcissism. For example, narcissists tend to see themselves as highly creative and persuasive. Prior research also shows that narcissistic employees are more innovative and willing to take risks to get the success and admiration they crave, even if it means bending the rules. Based on these observations, we compiled two sets of terms commonly used in job postings. We call the two sets “rule-follower” and “rule-bender” language. Some examples of rule-bender language include “develops creative and innovative solutions to problems,” “communicates in a tactical and persuasive manner,” and “thinks outside the box.” In contrast, the rule-follower language includes terms like “relies on time-tested solutions to problems,” “communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner,” and “thinks methodically.” Through a series of experiments, we found that rule-bender language attracts individuals with higher levels of narcissism for accounting-specific jobs, as well as other industries. To measure narcissism, we used a personality assessment that asks people to choose whether they identify more with more narcissistic statements like, “I always know what I am doing,” or less narcissistic statements like “Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing.” Why it matters Companies write job postings carefully in hopes of attracting the ideal candidate. However, they may unknowingly attract and select narcissistic candidates whose goals and ethics might not align with a company’s values or long-term success. Research shows that narcissistic employees are more likely to behave unethically, potentially leading to legal consequences. While narcissistic traits can lead to negative outcomes, we aren’t saying that companies should avoid attracting narcissistic applicants altogether. Consider a company hiring a salesperson. A firm can benefit from a salesperson who is persuasive, who “thinks outside the box,” and who is “results-oriented.” In contrast, a company hiring an accountant or compliance officer would likely benefit from someone who “thinks methodically” and “communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner.” Bending the rules is of particular concern in accounting. A significant amount of research examines how accounting managers sometimes bend rules or massage the numbers to achieve earnings targets. This “earnings management” can misrepresent the company’s true financial position. In fact, my co-author Nick Seybert is currently working on a paper whose data suggests rule-bender language in accounting job postings predicts rule-bending in financial reporting. Our current findings shed light on the importance of carefully crafting job posting language. Recruiting professionals may instinctively use rule-bender language to try to attract someone who seems like a good fit. If companies are concerned about hiring narcissists, they may want to clearly communicate their ethical values and needs while crafting a job posting, or avoid rule-bender language entirely. What still isn’t known While we find that professional recruiters are using language that attracts narcissists, it is unclear whether this is intentional. Additionally, we are unsure what really drives rule-bending in a company. Rule-bending could happen due to attracting and hiring more narcissistic candidates, or it could be because of a company’s culture—or a combination of both

How to know when to coach or cut a struggling employee

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Every leader faces this dilemma multiple times in their career, and making a fair, timely decision isn’t always easy. That’s why I created the CORVETT framework—a simple, structured set of questions designed to cut through the noise and help leaders make these tough calls with clarity and intention. Instead of reacting emotionally or making hasty decisions, this approach ensures consistency and fairness. I also teach this framework in my course at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where students tackle some of the biggest challenges in scaling companies. Breaking down the CORVETT framework The CORVETT framework is a guide to help leaders evaluate whether an employee can be successfully coached or whether it’s time to let them go. Here’s how it works: Ask yourself the following set of questions. If you can say “yes” to most of these, it’s a signal to invest in coaching someone. If not, it is likely the right time to part ways. C – Contrition: Does the person recognize that what they’ve done (or not done) is a problem and are they willing to change? People who don’t acknowledge an issue are unlikely to commit to improvement. Without this foundation, coaching simply won’t work. O – Ownership: Will they take responsibility for owning their performance? Even if they need support, which is often the case, it’s important that the person feels a sense of ownership for their development path. R – Repetition: Have they been able to address this issue before? Or are they stuck in a cycle of repeating the same mistakes or bad behavior? Persistent patterns often indicate deeper challenges in learning or adaptability. V – Values: Do their core values align with those of the team and company? While skills can be coached, values are deeply ingrained. A misalignment here is often a sign that the partnership isn’t sustainable. E – Expectations: Did I, as a leader, set clear and measurable expectations? Have I given them the tools and support they need to succeed? Sometimes the failure isn’t on the employee—it’s on us as leaders. Setting crystal-clear expectations is critical, and if you haven’t done this yet, it’s time to reset. T – Talents: Does this role align with their natural strengths and talents? Sometimes, it’s not about performance; it’s about fit. Reassigning someone to a role that better matches their abilities can often transform a struggling employee into a star performer. T – Timing: Can this wait, or is immediate action required? Some situations demand urgent results, leaving little room for extended coaching timelines. Other times, patience can yield tremendous long-term benefits. Again, if you can confidently say “yes” to most of these questions, it’s likely worth investing in coaching. If not, it is probably time to let the employee go. If “cut,” avoid procrastination One of the most common mistakes leaders make is delaying tough decisions. Many hold out hope that things will improve on their own, or avoid confrontation because it feels uncomfortable. However, procrastination benefits no one. It delays the individual’s growth or transition and often causes ripple effects that impact the entire team. Timely, intentional decisions are in everyone’s best interest. Employees deserve clarity about their future, and teams need colleagues who can meet a high bar and leaders who address challenges head-on. If “coach,” think broadly about solutions If your decision is to coach an employee to deliver stronger performance, first make sure you start with the “E” in CORVETT, and set crystal-clear expectations for what success will look like in the process. The worst thing a leader can do is keep someone onboard and not give them clear direction about how to improve. Take the time to express exactly how you will measure whether they pass the bar for performance.

How student loans impact workers’ long-term career choices

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Student loan debt has an influence over borrowers’ career choices long after graduation, affecting their job satisfaction, career advancement, and investment strategies.  According to a recent study conducted by MissionSquare Research Institute, the debt that’s carried by one in four Americans under 40 affects job-acceptance decisions for 56% of public-sector employees and 62% of those working in the private sector. “When they choose to accept . . . jobs, [the]majority of them have considered how that position or that job can help them with their student loan debt,” says the report’s author and MissionSquare’s head of research, Zhikun Liu. “It not only impacts people’s day-to-day financials, but also their morale at work, job acceptance, as well as their retention.” While most professionals take salary into consideration, Liu says borrowers are more likely to view compensation as a top priority, even at the expense of other factors like job satisfaction or advancement opportunities. That was especially true among male, Black, and Hispanic borrowers, according to the survey, who were about 10% more likely to view the debt as a significant factor in their career choices.   Student loan debt has a negative impact on short-term labor market outcomes Student loans burden many young workers with debt at a time when their lifetime earnings are at their lowest—early in their careers—and they have the least capacity to pay them off. Student debt is likely to elevate interest rates on other debts, which consequently raises the cost of consumption for borrowers. This financial constraint can drive young workers to modify their labor market preferences, making decisions that may acutely impact their careers in the long term. Studies consistently show that student debt can sway decisions about pursuing further education. Several analyses have shown that students burdened with high levels of debt often postpone or opt out of enrolling in graduate or professional school: 20 percent of graduates with more than $20,000 in student loans report that their debt discouraged them from pursuing an advanced degree. This effect can also extend to early career decisions. Graduates with debt are more likely to take substantially higher-paying positions and are less likely to choose lower-paying public interest roles. This influence on job choice skews a valuable portion of the labor force away from roles that are critical to our society. Student loan discharge positively affects borrowers’ labor market outcomes. After discharge, borrowers experience heightened geographical mobility, job changes, and a subsequent income rise of approximately $3,000 over three years. This underscores how student loan debt constrains borrowers’ capacity to improve their labor market outcomes, highlighting the potential of debt relief to catalyze economic mobility. Student loan debt is a significant barrier to economic mobility Student loan debt is associated with lower levels of wealth building and limited upward mobility. Young households without student debt exhibit substantially higher net worth than those with debt. This imbalance is even greater for some demographic groups: Black and Latinx households with outstanding debt experience significant disparities in net worth compared to white households at similar income levels. A substantial number of workers with relatively low student loan balances grapple with repayment challenges due to low-income work. As of 2019, 2.5 million young households bear a student debt-to-income ratio surpassing 0.5, with an average ratio of 1.03 for those in the bottom 50 percent of earners. Debt holders with annual income less than $33,769 had average student loan debt of $32,518 in 2022. Given these realities, it is not surprising that student loan holders are more prone to financial distress. Households with student loan debt have a higher likelihood of facing financial hardship, including late payments, credit denial, and foreclosure, especially if they did not complete a degree. Income growth for these families is minimal, while degree completers experience an increase of nearly $11,000 over two years. Student loans, while crucial for social mobility among the younger generation, carry a lasting economic burden that distinguishes them from other debt types. This impact is attributed to its ineligibility for bankruptcy discharge, making it particularly enduring and impactful on credit and financial health. Loan forgiveness is found to alleviate some of this financial burden: student loan discharge leads to an 11 percent reduction in indebtedness and a 24 percent decrease in delinquent accounts for borrowers, with credit card and mortgage balances significantly reduced. Intergenerational wealth gaps for Black and Latinx workers result in racially disparate debt burdens from student loans In recent decades, there has been a growing influx of first-generation and low-income college students—often Black and Latinx students—who lack the resources and generational wealth needed to support their education expenses or repay their debts. The challenge of financing education may contribute to higher college dropout rates for students of color, resulting in elevated levels of financial distress for borrowers. Moreover, Black graduates experience a lower pay premium than their white counterparts upon completing their degrees. The risks associated with student loan debt are greatest for those who do not complete their degree, which leaves borrowers strapped with student debt without the pay increase associated with a higher education credential. These borrowers are more likely to default on their loans and over time face demands for more education to secure the same jobs. As of 2019, Black individuals over the age of 25 are more likely to fall into this category of some college with no degree (39.4 percent) than their white and Latinx counterparts (37.9 percent and 36.2 percent, respectively), which further exacerbates the racial student debt gap for Black borrowers. Among all working age adults, however, this subset of degree seekers saw racially disparate wages. Black workers with some college experience but no degree had a median hourly wage of $17.80 (in 2022 dollars), compared to Latinx workers at $18.58 and white workers at $21.06 with the same educational attainment. Even with a college degree, Black workers tend to make less than equally educated white workers, with median hourly wages of $26.80 and $32.51, respectively. (Clemens, Vaghul, Schmitt, & McGrew 2019)

Facebook’s new throwback move: a feed just for friends

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Meta wants to revive Facebook’s old-school appeal by introducing a new Friends Tab, which will focus solely on posts shared by a user’s friends and family. This Friends Tab will replace the section in the app that previously displayed friend requests and suggested friends. Instead, users in the United States and Canada will now see a scrolling feed featuring photos, videos, friend requests, birthday reminders, and text posts. “Over the years, Facebook evolved to meet changing needs and created best-in-class experiences across Groups, Video, Marketplace and more, but the magic of friends has fallen away,” the company wrote in an unattributed blog post. “We’ll be adding several ‘OG’ Facebook experiences throughout the year, beginning with the revamped Friends tab.” Importantly, the new Friends Tab won’t replace the Home feed, which still includes recommended content. However, Facebook may see this as a way to offer the best of both worlds. The company received significant backlash in 2022 after announcing plans to introduce recommended content from users who weren’t added as “friends.” Although Meta scaled back that content, users continued to see their feeds flooded with posts from creators and brands over time. This algorithm-driven approach has generally been seen as a strategy to boost engagement. Instead of checking in occasionally to stay connected with friends, many users turned to social media for endless scrolling. “Social media should feel social,” the company wrote. “In that spirit, we’ll be adding more fun, simple experiences to help you connect and share on Facebook throughout the year.” Facebook’s user base continues to skew older. A Pew Research Center survey from fall 2023 found that only a third of American teens ages 13 to 17 reported using Facebook—a steep drop from the 71% who said they used it in a 2014–2015 survey. It’s unclear how many young users will actually see the latest updates. Still, the move could appeal to users weary of algorithms and brand-driven content. Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said during a January analyst call that there are many opportunities to make the app “more culturally influential than it is today.

China’s BYD overtakes Tesla as the world’s top EV seller – Is this the end of Tesla’s reign, or can their refreshed Model Y fight back?

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Chinese automaker BYD has officially dethroned Tesla as the world’s leading EV seller. In 2024, BYD reported staggering revenues of $107 billion, selling 4.27 million vehicles worldwide—more than double Tesla’s 1.79 million deliveries. Tesla, in contrast, generated $97.7 billion in revenue, experiencing its first annual sales decline of 1.1%.The numbers don’t lie—BYD is rewriting the rules of the game. But what’s driving this massive surge in BYD’s growth, and can Tesla fight back? Let’s dive into the details. Per an earnings release on Monday, BYD notched $107 billion in sales last year. That’s decisively above the $97.7 billion that Tesla made in 2024. And in terms of vehicles delivered, BYD shipped 4.27 million hybrid and battery electric vehicles, while Tesla shipped 1.79 million EVs. Last year marked Tesla’s first sales decline in over a dozen years. As of this writing, shares in BYD Company ADR have risen around 5% today, bringing its stock up more than 55% since the start of the year. News of BYD’s big year dominating China’s EV market—both in sales numbers and new innovations—comes as Tesla’s brand is being increasingly battered because of a plummeting stock price in 2025, massive recalls, and protests against company billionaire CEO Elon Musk’s over-involvement in the U.S. government. BYD is a BFD Aside from its record-breaking sales numbers, BYD has most recently made headlines for designing a new ultrafast charging system, an innovation that could be a game changer for the greater EV market. Earlier this month, the company announced that its flash chargers will be able to provide power for 400 kilometers (nearly 250 miles) in five minutes, or about the same amount of time it takes to fill the gas tank of an SUV. BYD plans to roll out 4,000 of the new chargers in China, where building EV infrastructure tends to be a much faster process than it is in the United States. Meanwhile, as climate reporter Dan Gearino writes for Inside Climate News, Tesla “is in the midst of a corporate self-destruction unlike any I’ve seen.” The brand’s problems range from increasingly wide-scale backlash against CEO Musk—whose fund-slashing in the federal government has cut tens of thousands of jobs—to a recall last week of nearly every Cybertruck ever made. Tesla’s woes have caused its stock to plummet 32% since the start of the year, and Tesla trade-ins recently hit an all-time high. Despite a rough few months, Tesla’s market valuation remains impressive, landing at around $800 billion compared to BYD’s $157 billion, according to Bloomberg. And President Trump continues to implement new tariffs on Chinese imports and roll back EV subsidies.

New device helps 47-year-old stroke survivor speak after 18 years

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Other brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, for speech typically have a slight delay between thoughts of sentences and computerized verbalization. Such delays can disrupt the natural flow of conversation, potentially leading to miscommunication and frustration, researchers said. This is “a pretty big advance in our field,” said Jonathan Brumberg of the Speech and Applied Neuroscience Lab at the University of Kansas, who was not part of the study. A team in California recorded the woman’s brain activity using electrodes while she spoke sentences silently in her brain. The scientists used a synthesizer they built using her voice before her injury to create a speech sound that she would have spoken. They trained an AI model that translates neural activity into units of sound. It works similarly to existing systems used to transcribe meetings or phone calls in real time, said Anumanchipalli, of the University of California, Berkeley. The implant itself sits on the speech center of the brain so that it’s listening in, and those signals are translated to pieces of speech that make up sentences. It’s a “streaming approach,” Anumanchipalli said, with each 80-millisecond chunk of speech – about half a syllable – sent into a recorder. “It’s not waiting for a sentence to finish,” Anumanchipalli said. “It’s processing it on the fly.”

Coca-Cola brings back ‘Share a Coke’ for Gen Z

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For the first time in over a decade, Coca-Cola is relaunching its iconic “Share a Coke” campaign. This time around, it’s targeting Gen Z. When “Share a Coke” first debuted in Australia in 2011, replacing the “Coca-Cola” logo on Coke bottles with 150 of the most popular names in the region, it sold 250 million named bottles and cans in a nation of just under 23 million people. The idea was so successful that, over time, Coca-Cola replicated it in 70 different countries. And this April 1, a new version of “Share a Coke” is rolling out globally.  The bones of the concept are the same as when it debuted more than a decade ago: In each local market, a range of the most popular regional names has been selected and printed onto Coke bottles and cans. This time, though, the campaign is including an expanded range of names, launching on a broader scale, and adding a few digital touches to attract a younger generation.  The company is positioning this relaunch as a campaign with “unprecedented personalization” for Gen Z, but it’s a tough sell in an era when AI has made personalized marketing a much more achievable reality. Instead, it’s more like a nostalgic re-run with a couple modern tweaks—and it might not be enough to impress a new, digitally native generation Coca-Cola’s plan to recruit young consumers According to the industry research firm IBIS, American consumption of soft drinks has been on a steady decline since 1999. That year, the average American would’ve consumed 49.7 gallons of soda, compared to 42.2 gallons today. But while the category as a whole might be losing steam, Coca-Cola remains profitable: Net revenues were up 3% to $47.1 billion in 2024, and the company’s shares have gone up by about 14% in the past year.  For Gen Z, there are a few factors that influence soda consumption. To start, many younger consumers are increasingly interested in wellness, and therefore are choosing “functional beverages” like prebiotic drinks or lower sugar options. But soda isn’t a lost cause, either: As many younger consumers opt to drink less or stay sober entirely, they’re turning to other kinds of drinks at the bar, including plain old soda. Trends like the rise of dirty soda also signal that Gen Z still enjoys a sugary drink here and there.  Islam Eldessouky, Coca-Cola’s global vice president of creative strategy and content, says the company’s idea to bring “Share a Coke” back actually came up while discussing new ways to “recruit as many Gen Zers into the franchise as we can” (a mission that the company has already pursued with new flavor launches like Spiced and Orange Cream).  “One key data point that came up is that 72% of Gen Zers are really aspiring to make real connections,” Eldessouky says. “While we were contemplating different ideas of bringing this aspect of connection to the brand, somebody said, ‘Share a Coke was built on that.’” Originally, he explains, “Share a Coke” was about creating organic connections, like finding a bottle with a friend’s name on it and sharing it with them. In 2011—an era when “the whole notion of personalization was very basic and very primitive,” he says—discovering a Coke with your name on it felt especially exciting. To reinvent the concept in 2025 for a digitally native generation, though, the Coca-Cola team felt they’d have to do something bigger. A more digital ‘Share a Coke’ There are a few ways that Coca-Cola is seeking to make this new campaign feel more weighty. The scale is literally larger. This campaign is launching globally in 120 different markets over the course of the coming year, starting in North America, Latin America, and Asia South Pacific. The actual number of names used is greater as well, though the specific statistics vary by market. This version of the campaign will also include two new digital elements: “Memory Maker,” which lets users scan a QR code on their bottle to upload photos and videos to something like a Coke-powered group chat, and a new customization platform which lets fans order a Coke bottle online with a custom name or word (though, Eldessouky assures me, the platform won’t allow users to enter anything obscene or inflammatory). In addition, Coca-Cola is partnering with McDonald’s on an exclusive “Share a Coke” meal bundle, which will be available in the fast food chain’s restaurants. Coca-Cola says the goal of the ”Share a Meal,” as the company calls its, is to incentivize friend groups to connect in person rather than online. Part of the strategy of this partnership, Eldessouky says, is to provide Gen Z consumers with an accessible, inexpensive “third place.” “The third place is something that Gen Z is really craving, because it’s a very connected generation digitally, but they desire much more connection in real life than other generations,” Eldessouky says. “We’re trying to give [Gen Z] a lot of opportunities where they can actually go and find these third places to connect.” But the ‘Share a Coke’ concept doesn’t need add-ons As a member of the campaign’s target demographic myself, I think the customization platform is a nice add-on that might allow those whose names are less common to still participate in the campaign. But the other elements fall flat. The “Memory Maker” feature, for one, doesn’t exactly feel like the “unprecedented personalization” Coke hopes it will be. Today, given the advent of targeted marketing and AI tools, personalized campaigns just feel a lot less novel. Coca-Cola itself, for example, used AI in 2024 to make a holiday ad that was customized across 12 different U.S. geographies. Frankly, it’s tough to imagine many young people going through the effort of scanning a QR code in the first place, let alone using it to message friends. And a Coke and McDonald’s collaboration makes intuitive sense—but I’m not totally convinced by the idea that it’ll make McDonald’s a novel “third space” for Gen Zers who aren’t already hanging out there. All in all, the new “Share a Coke” … Read more

Meta goes high fashion with its new Coperni smart sunglasses

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The world is in chaos, and many of us wish this wasn’t reality but a video game. Coperni, the French fashion label, captured this sentiment in its recent Paris Fashion Week show. The brand’s designers—Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant—wanted to re-create old-school gamer culture, with the theme of “LAN Party,” which was an event in the ’90s where people would gather together to compete in video games. Coperni brought together 200 people to play games like Fortnite and Rocket League for 24 hours. The show captured the aesthetic of the ’90s, along with that era’s fascination with futuristic digital realities, like those depicted in films like Hackers and The Matrix. Well, the future is here. At Paris Fashion Week, Coperni showed off a new collab with Meta and Ray-Ban in the form of translucent black wayfarer sunglasses that can double as a computer. The $549 sunglasses have a built-in camera and open-ear audio, so they can see and hear everything you do. As you use your voice to interact with the AI, it will provide customized insights and recommendations. You can also use the glasses to do things like live translation and play content on Spotify. Meta launched its very first fashion collaboration by bringing Coperni and Ray-Ban branded glasses to the Coperni show. Some models wore the frames and recorded the entire show from their perspective, demonstrating their hands-free recording capabilities. They fit seamlessly into the Y2K looks, featuring lots of sleek black outfits and denim matched with grungy plaid. Coperni is known for its exploration of technology. One of its most talked-about moments came in 2022, when Bella Hadid stood on the runway in her underwear before three people came out to spray-paint her outfit on in front of the audience. Its best known accessory is the “swipe” bag, which has a distinct oval shape. It recently released a version of the bag that featured NASA’s nano-material called Aerogel which is made of 99% air and 1% glass, making it the lightest bag ever made.

Korean Air replaced its iconic logo for the first time in 40 years

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For the first time since 1984, the airline Korean Air is updating its charmingly retro look to new branding that’s better suited for the modern era. The rebrand, designed by the global creative consultancy Lippincott, includes a new wordmark, refreshed logo, and pared-down color scheme. It’s set to debut across Korean Air’s operations and on the livery of its aircraft in the coming weeks. The rebrand comes just a few months after Korean Air officially completed merger negotiations with Asiana Airlines, South Korea’s second-largest airline. The two companies will become one mega-airline.As Korean Air begins to integrate Asiana Airlines’ operations with its own, Asiana Airlines’s brand identity will be slowly phased out. And, as part of the merger, Korean Air is likely to add new destinations to its offerings, expanding its international profile. Korean Air’s new look is meant to differentiate this upcoming phase of it’s 55-year history as it becomes an increasingly global brandReimagining an ‘iconic’ brand Korean Air’s former branding had a distinctly ’80s aesthetic, including a stylized, chunky wordmark and vibrant color palette of sky blue, cerulean, and red. The company’s planes have reflected this branding for decades through a distinct blue livery. Dan Vasconcelos, a partner at Lippincott, says that the ’80s branding is “iconic,” adding that “it’s not every day that you get to evolve brand assets that have been untouched for over 40 years.” As the first step of this major undertaking, his team decided to tackle the brand’s logo. Since its 1984 refresh, Korean Air’s logo has been a red, white, and blue interpretation of the Taeguk, the symbol at the center of the South Korean flag which represents balance in nature. Vasconcelos says the team tested hundreds of potential new versions of the Taeguk symbol. Ultimately, they landed on a fluid, ribbon-like iteration, rendered in one seamless blue stroke. The design is inspired by Sangmo Nori, a traditional Korean performance art. “[Sangmo Nori] involves performers wearing sangmo, a hat with a long ribbon attached to it, which they spin and twirl in intricate patterns while dancing energetically,” Vasconcelos says. “It represents abundance, prosperity, and joy. We felt that the ribbon in the tradition carried great symbolism: it’s universally recognized for its elegance while being resonant in Korea.

The U.S. Institute of Peace building symbolized conflict resolution. Then DOGE came knocking

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The setting of DOGE’s standoff at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) headquarters this past Monday puts these ironies into stark relief. Congress created the think tank in 1984 to “expand and support the existing international peace and conflict resolution efforts” of the U.S. and conduct peace education, training, and research. It is not a government agency. The think tank’s original office was a townhouse that faced Lafayette Park outside the White House. In 2012, Safdie Architects redesigned the headquarters to visually communicate its peace-oriented mission. This week, however, it became a stage for the Trump administration to use the power of the state to enforce its will. An “illegal takeover” DOGE officials entered the USIP building with D.C. police to install new USIP acting president Kenneth Jackson and evict its former acting president and CEO, George Moose, whom Trump fired last week. Moose is challenging his dismissal and the Trump administration’s entry into the building in court. He argues that what happened was an “illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit.” Moose told NPR that nonetheless, D.C. police told him he had to leave. “I can’t imagine how our work could align more perfectly with the goals that [President Donald Trump] has outlined: keeping us out of foreign wars, resolving conflicts before they drag us into those kinds of conflicts,” Moose told the Associated Press.Signed into law in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, the USIP Act established the institute as an independent but federally funded nonprofit with a stated mission to protect U.S. interests abroad and prevent violent conflicts. Like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the humanitarian aid agency that DOGE already gutted, USIP is a soft power play, created to make friends, influence nations, and protect the U.S.-led world order without resorting to bullets or bombs.A building designed for peace and interaction The USIP headquarters, designed by Safdie Architects, opened in 2012 and stands out in a city defined by neoclassical and brutalist architecture, particularly at a time when Trump is attempting through executive order to standardize federal architecture as “traditional and classical.” The building is adjacent to the National Mall, and its location near U.S. war memorials was meant to be symbolic, “as a living monument that embodies and reflects America’s commitment to peace,” USIP says. Safdie Architects refers to the building on its website as a “national symbol of peace on the Capitol’s skyline.” The building’s open atria were designed to encourage interaction, Safdie Architects says, awash in daylight thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and a domed, glass roof designed to mirror the dome of the Jefferson Memorial. The facade is a blend of blocky brutalism with the tall, contemporary window wall and domed roof in the center. It’s the first building on the National Mall to be LEED-certified Gold, a certification given to sustainably designed buildings. As an independent think tank, USIP built its headquarters through a public-private partnership that included private donations. If your physical surroundings determine your work performance, then the USIP headquarters was designed to inspire with light, transparency, openness, and imagination. Those values were overshadowed by the Trump administration’s entry and takeover. A building designed to reflect a commitment to peace instead became a stage for a confrontation over power.