There used to be a very easy way to deal with smartphone bloatware: you’d set up the device, find the folder of pre-installed games or apps you never asked for, and spend about 10 minutes deleting them. It was a bit of a tax on your time, but it was achievable. 

However, in the age of the AI-powered phone, bloatware now has a much smarter face. It’s being sold as the headline feature, and while a lot of it is technically impressive, we’re fast reaching a point where the sheer volume of ‘help’ is starting to feel like the very clutter we used to try so hard to avoid.

That thought really hit home this week after using the slimline Motorola Signature. The hardware is better than ever, with an impressive thin design, a top-notch screen, great camera performance and solid battery life, but the software is starting to feel like it’s suffering from an identity crisis. 

Motorola used to be the king of the near-stock Android experience, surpassed only by Google itself, but now it feels like they’re trying to do everything at once in this new AI arms race – and there’s no way to get rid of it. 

Motorola’s throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks

The most obvious sign of the more-is-more approach Motorola is taking is that it’s baked into not just the software but also the Signature’s hardware. 

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On the right, you’ve got the same dual power/Gemini button found on most Android smartphones – but there’s also a button on the left for Motorola’s competing Moto AI. It’s a bold move, but it also highlights the central problem: the company isn’t sure which AI you should actually be using. 

It’s not just buttons though; the interface is now home to a lot of competing ideas. You go to check your notifications and find ‘Catch me up’ summaries and daily briefings competing for space with your actual messages. 

You’ve also got a standalone Moto AI interface where you can ask Motorola’s assistant questions and tasks – but it’s not just Moto AI. There are also built-in hooks for Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity.

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Individually, these are great AI tools, but when they’re stacked on top of each other and bundled within the Moto AI interface, the experience just starts to feel busy and overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the world of AI. 

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All the while, Gemini is still sitting there as the default Android assistant, ready to answer questions or get you somewhere using Google Maps – and in a very similar UI.

Instead of the stock approach to Android that made Motorola such a fan favourite, we’re now getting a phone that feels like it’s constantly trying to show off new tricks – and, for the most part, they’re not that helpful. 

If this were 10 years ago, each of those features would likely be a dedicated app – an app that we could uninstall if we wanted to. These AI features, though, are hard-baked into the system, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. 

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Far from an isolated case

Of course, Motorola isn’t the only brand to try and insert AI-powered smarts into every crevice of the smartphone experience.

Brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Oppo and Xiaomi are all actively doing the same thing, essentially trying to one-up each other to offer the widest range of tools available. But, in true Jurassic Park style, they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

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Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of genuine innovation happening in the smartphone AI space – features like real-time transcription, effective object removal, notification summaries and multi-agent AI chats are fantastic tools for the right person – but by making them mandatory, permanent fixtures of the interface, they stop feeling like tools and more like obstacles.

We’re reaching a tipping point where AI smarts are becoming the new bloatware, the stuff that gets in the way of us using our phones how we want. If manufacturers want the next generation of flagship phones to truly feel like a step forward, they need to learn that the most intelligent thing a phone can do is know when to stay out of the way. 

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Singapore is one of the happiest cities in the world—but are workers really happy? 

In the past three years, Singapore has consistently been among the world’s happiest cities, placing third in 2025. However, the latest Jobstreet by SEEK Workplace Happiness Index reveals a striking gap between expectation and reality. 

While 81% of workers in Singapore believe that workplace happiness is achievable, only 56% actually experience it. This “aspiration gap” places Singapore second to last on APAC happiness rankings, just above Hong Kong’s 47%, and below neighbours Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Here’s what Vulcan Post found, and what employers can do to close the happiness gap.

The “Happy but burnt out” paradox

Even in Singapore’s high-pressure environment, a “good” job can take a serious mental and physical toll, even on workers who consider themselves ‘happy’.

Almost half of the workers surveyed reported feeling burnt out or exhausted by their work, with 41% in that category describing themselves as “happy”. Similarly, among the 39% who often dread going to work, 34% still describe themselves as happy: a clear illustration of conflicting emotions at work.

The survey has suggestions for employers. Leaders can bridge this gap by investing in employee well-being beyond routine check-ins. Benefits could include subsidised gym memberships, monthly wellness allowances, or confidential counselling services.

Money is not the answer to happiness; autonomy does

While money is the most common demand, with 64% ranking salary among their top five happiness drivers, money alone rarely guarantees satisfaction. 

Happiness peaks at 72% for those earning above S$10,000 per month, but half of these high earners still experience significant burnout. This suggests that higher salaries often come at the cost of work-life balance, diminishing the perks of earning more.

Age and life pressures also shape workplace happiness. Millennials, the so-called Sandwich Generation, reported the lowest happiness (52%) and highest stress-related dissatisfaction (31%), often due to caregiving responsibilities. In contrast, baby boomers were the happiest (71%), likely benefiting from greater autonomy and meaningful freelance roles. 

Salaries aren’t the key to lasting happiness: purpose is, and only 50% of Singaporeans find it in their roles. Employers can help by offering projects aligned with employees’ interests and strengths, and career development plans that support individual goals, also make a difference.

Why should employers care?

Jobstreet’s report showed that happy employees deliver ROI: they’re five times more likely to go the extra mile and 37% less likely to job-hop. 87% of unhappy workers often consider leaving, compared with 50% of happy employees, showing that happiness still boosts loyalty and eases recruitment and training pressures.

Workplace happiness is also a two-way street: 85% of employees see it as a shared responsibility, signalling that traditional perks alone aren’t enough. By actively addressing employees’ needs and fostering transparency, employers empower staff. 

The result? More resilient, successful operations that benefit everyone.

• Read the full report here.
• Read more articles we’ve written on job trends here.

Featured Image Credit: Shadow_of_light/ depositphotos

New Yorker state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would impose a moratorium of at least three years on permits tied to the construction and operation of new data centers. While the bill’s prospects are uncertain, Wired reports that New York is at least the sixth state to consider pausing construction of new data centers. 

As tech companies plan to spend ever-increasing amounts of money to build AI infrastructure, both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about the impact those data centers might have on surrounding communities. Studies have also linked data centers to increased home electricity bills.

Critics include progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who has called for a national moratorium, as well as conservative Florida Governor Ron De Santis, who said data centers will lead to “higher energy bills just so some chatbot can corrupt some 13 year old kid online.”

More than 230 environmental groups including Food & Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace recently signed an open letter to Congress calling for a national moratorium on the construction of new data centers.

Eric Weltman of Food & Water Watch told Wired that the New York bill — sponsored by state senator Liz Krueger and assemblymember Anna Kelles, both Democrats — was “our idea.” Data center pauses have also been proposed by Democrats in Georgia, Vermont, and Virginia, while Republicans sponsored similar bills in Maryland and Oklahoma.

According to Politico, Krueger described her state as “completely unprepared” for the “massive data centers” that are “gunning for New York.”

“It’s time to hit the pause button, give ourselves some breathing room to adopt strong policies on data centers, and avoid getting caught in a bubble that will burst and leave New York utility customers footing a huge bill,” she said.

Last month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new initiative called Energize NY Development, which her office said would both modernize the way large energy users (i.e., data centers) would connect to the grid while also requiring them to “pay their fair share.”

The latest episode of The Leaders’ Room podcast season four features Thomas Parsons, head of Tenable in Ireland and VP of product management. This series is created in partnership with IDA Ireland.

Once again in season four of The Leaders’ Room podcast, we get to know the leaders of some of the most influential multinationals in tech, life sciences and innovation, as well as getting insights into their leadership styles and the high-tech trends they see coming down the line.

In this latest episode, we speak to Thomas Parsons, who heads up threat exposure cybersecurity company Tenable in Ireland as well as serving as VP of product management for the Maryland-based company, about a career that parallels the evolution of the cyber threat landscape since the ’90s, and a style of leadership that spots the best cybersecurity talent sometimes in the least expected places.

It’s a fascinating listen charting Parsons’ distinguished career in cybersecurity, from Symantec, via Intel to Tenable which he joined shortly after the exposure management company arrived in Ireland in 2016. Parsons was indeed Tenable’s first R&D hire in 2017, and today some 50pc of the 140-strong Irish team work on the R&D side in Dublin, he tells us.

In a series on leadership, Parsons got to work at Symantec at a time when a renowned leader took the reins – John Thompson. A longtime IBM alumnus, Thompson radically changed how Symantec thought about security for organisations, at a time when large-scale cybercrime and nation-state attacks were not yet on the agenda. Under Obama, Thompson was considered for the role of Secretary of Commerce, and Nancy Pelosi appointed him to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in 2009.

Parson also got to experience first-hand the process of Tenable going public, including being on the ground in New York on the day it did so. His thoughts on how good leaders in his sector need to keep an eye out for talent in places you might least expect are well worth a listen as are his insights on what might be coming down the line.

We’re grateful to all our interviewees again this season, for taking the time out of busy schedules to come into the studio and share their insights and their intelligence with us. And a big thanks as ever to our partners IDA Ireland who make this series possible.

The Leaders’ Room podcast is released fortnightly and can be found by searching for ‘The Leaders’ Room’ wherever you get your podcasts. For those who prefer their audio with visuals, filmed versions of the podcast interviews are all available here on SiliconRepublic.com.

Check out The Leaders’ Room podcast for in-depth insights from some of Ireland’s top leaders. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.