Kim vs. Kim: Human vs. AI on Workplace Cultural Differences 7 | 28

Radical Candor: Communication at Work

Radical Candor

Business, Management, Careers

4.7 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

People in the U.S. get fewer days off than folks in Europe, and most of us still feel guilty taking them. Kim and Amy dive headfirst into a viral Reddit post that reads like a love letter to European work-life sanity (and a roast of U.S. grind culture). From vanishing vacations to broken healthcare, Kim reflects on what she’s learned leading teams, taking parental leave, and watching her inbox balloon on every trip. They dig into the messy reality of “unlimited PTO,” why burnout can’t be yoga’d away, and how leaders can build workplaces that actually honor rest. Plus, Kim reacts live to advice on this problem from her own Google Portrait—an AI that Kim helped design with Google to tackle workplace BS when real Kim is off the clock. It’s part cultural reckoning, part vacation manifesto, and 100% Radical Candor. Get all of the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RadicalCandor.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Episode Links: Transcript Kim Scott Portrait From Google Labs | Radical Candor Kim Scott’s Portrait | Google Labs Try My Google Portrait | YouTube Humanizing AI: Meet the Kim Scott Google Portrait | Radical Candor Podcast 7 | 27 Radical Candor, Real-Time With Google's AI Portraits | YouTube As a European, The U.S. Work Culture Looks Like Dystopia With Better Branding: r/antiwork European Employee Blasts US Work Culture in Viral Post: 'Dystopia' | Newsweek What Is The Lazy Girl Job Trend And Why Should You Care? | Radical Candor A Brief History: Universal Health Care Efforts in the US | PNHP Connect: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Kim and Amy introduce a viral Reddit thread comparing U.S. and European work cultures. (00:03:01) Personal Vacation Needs How vacation needs differ based on individual rhythms and roles. (00:06:43) Unlimited Time Off – Does It Work? The pitfalls of unlimited PTO and whether it discourages actual rest. (00:10:29) Healthcare History & Economic Impact How employer-tied health coverage burdens both people and businesses. (00:14:53) Cultural Mindsets, AI & Policy Gaps The need for government mandates to help protect overall wellbeing. (00:20:28) Leading with Compassion in Organizations The role of leadership in building burnout-resistant workplace cultures. (00:24:25) Centeredness Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All How forced wellness fails and support must be personalized. (00:26:36) Introducing Kim’s Google Portrait The motivation behind Radical Candor AI and Google Portraits. (00:31:47) Human vs. Portrait Kim Kim reacts to her Portrait’s response to the Reddit thread. (00:35:04) Radical Candor as a Solution The Portrait outlines how Radical Candor helps challenge toxic norms. (00:37:30) Portraits as Scalable Empathy Amy shares her own impressive interaction with the Portrait. (00:39:41) Radical Candor Tips Tips to support wellbeing and long-term, human-centered success. (00:41:43) Judging Work Styles & Power Dynamics The influence leaders have on working preferences and email etiquette. (00:44:23) Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Rated T for Teen.
0:01.6	Each year, thousands of adults lose their shred.
0:05.1	It's an epidemic simply known as shred loss, but it doesn't have to be this way.
0:09.2	Because rekindling your shred is as easy as playing the new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4.
0:13.8	With new parks, cross-platform multiplayer, and sick new game modes,
0:18.9	we can put an end to shred loss everywhere.
0:21.6	Hit the new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 and show the world that the shred's not dead.
0:26.4	Pre-order Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 and play the foundry demo.
0:30.0	I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to Pamela Anderson.
0:34.2	All thanks to the Dove Self-Esteen project.
0:37.1	We speak about the impact Y2K has had on
0:39.6	women's body confidence and how Pamela has regained control. The Dove Self-Esteam project is an amazing
0:45.0	initiative supported by science-backed methodology to help us improve our relationship with our bodies.
0:50.8	To find more body confidence-building, go to dove.com forward slash
0:55.3	Y2K. That's Y2K spelt W.H.Y.2K.
1:03.3	Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Radical Candor podcast. I'm Kim Scott.
1:10.1	I'm Amy Sandler, and today we are going to unpack a viral
1:14.1	Reddit thread about the differences between European and U.S. work culture. So I'm going to read
1:21.5	an abridged summarized version of what this person wrote. We're going to put the link if you want to
1:26.0	read the whole thing, the whole thread in the show notes. Quote, watching U.S. work culture from Europe feels like a
1:33.3	never-ending episode of Black Mirror, but somehow it's just accepted as normal.
1:38.9	I'm going to jump here. Jump in. I've never watched Black Mirror.
	...

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