The satirical Retrospective of the Year 2025

Not everything that follows is funny, but some of it is more absurd than even satirists could dream up. Internally, I call my list the “madness collection,” and even the not-so-funny things fit under that title.

The speed with which certain corporations folded in front of Trump and scrapped their diversity programs was impressive. They might as well have placed a full-page ad in the New York Times saying, “Screw diversity! Just tell us what to do, as long as we continue to earn a fortune.” The lame attempts to assure us that it “remains important to them” don't make it any better. And yes, that was less than a year ago.

This year, I was actually ghosted by a client – suddenly he was gone, no message, nothing. And if you think this was some dubious company, think again: we're talking about a public administration...but even there, people can apparently disappear without a trace. Never heard from again, out of the blue...maybe Kafka would know what to do.

Another wanted to decide on a consultant based on two 15-minute phone calls. However, he overlooked a crucial detail in a “working relationship on equal terms” that I would like to point out here: I also decide whether I want to work with someone...and I sometimes ask myself: do other business partners choose their partners in the same way?

Then there's all this discussion about Karin Keller-Suter messing up that phone call. Well, if it's a mistake to mention facts, I suggest looking for the failure at the other end of the line first... At most, you could accuse her of not taking the orange guy's personality structure seriously enough. 

I don't think the real problem is that a few entrepreneurs are pragmatic enough to give him a gold watch when he likes to be flattered and given gifts. The real problem is that the most powerful man in the world is so easily influenced, and not by arguments.

But back to more local issues: Zurich Waste Disposal and Recycling is setting up a mobile collection point to shorten distances. It is intended for “bulky waste, large metal items, excavated material, and other items.” For example, furniture, mattresses, etc. It sounds like a good idea until you read the rules. One of them is that you are not allowed to drive there by car. Instead, handcarts can be borrowed on site for transport. This is how I imagine it: I go there, take a handcart, walk back home with it, try to hoist an old mattress into the handcart, then drag it back, before doing the whole thing again with my sofa...well, it seems to me that there are a few gaps in the concept.

In August, an article appears in the Tagi reporting that Kate and William want to lead a more normal life. In their case, that means living in an eight-bedroom forest lodge with an estimated value of sixteen million pounds. I know it's all relative, but the word “sacrifice” doesn't immediately spring to mind. Good for them.

Philipp Navratil, the new CEO of Nestlé, uses his first public appearance to reveal a little about his management style: he will “mercilessly (sic!) judge performance,” and then it will be easy to see who is not delivering and does not fit in at Nestlé, as reported by the Tagi on October 17. The stock market cheers at his pithy determination. Management by testosterone. I, on the other hand, wonder how much critical news will still reach him now, and whether that will really help, and also a little bit about who would really want to work there right now.

We'll see – with everything, of course. Do the right thing where you can, and happy new year!