What this year taught us about building for humans

tl;dr This year brought us back to what matters most: the people behind every survey and interview. We listened to more than 30,000 of them in 2025, and it was a clear reminder that every product decision, ad campaign, and market shift lands on a real person. As we close out the year, I’m grateful for the teams who trusted us with this work, the Two Cents crew for making it possible, and all of you for being along for the journey.

Hi everyone 👋

Three years ago this month, we launched Two Cents with a simple idea: that the best companies are built when they deeply understand the people they’re building for. This year made that idea feel less like a tagline and more like a responsibility, and one we hold with deep gratitude.

In 2025, we worked alongside leaders in tech, finance, healthcare, media, and creative agencies who were wrestling with uncertainty, pressure, and the realities of making decisions that shape how millions of people move through the world. They were asking which markets to enter, which customers to prioritize, how to price for growth without leaving money on the table, and how to do all of it without losing sight of the humans on the receiving end.

The work took different shapes:

• A fintech ecosystem redefining how money moves for businesses and users
• A pharmaceutical leader testing new care models that reach patients sooner
• A caregiving consultancy helping companies better support employees
• An agency rebuilding a global ads platform for a major entertainment brand
• A media organization shaping the stories millions wake up to each day
• A creative agency joining universities to push for a more civil public dialogue
• A newsroom initiative giving journalists clearer, more inclusive language tools

Our mission carried through it all: bring the voices of real people into the rooms where decisions get made.

We spoke with more than 30,000 people this year through interviews and surveys.

Small business owners trying to grow.Patients yearning to be heard.Working parents who want to take leave, but can’t.Young adults trying to make it through the month.And many, many more.

It’s impossible to listen to that many people and not feel the weight of their stories, or the privilege of being trusted with them.

As we head into 2026, we’re staying focused on the work that matters. Partnering with teams who push the edges of possibility and want sharp clarity about the humans on the other side of the screen, the message, and the moment.

Thanks for being a part of this journey, and cheers to another year of building things that make a difference in people’s lives.

All my best,
Steph

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p.s. A very special thank you to the Two Cents crew:

• Nylea, for building the backbone that keeps everything moving.
• Nichole, for bringing seasoned judgment to every corner of the work.
• Hanna, for senior leadership in some of our most complex initiatives.
• Megan, for carrying the day-to-day with care and precision.
• Olivia, for meeting projects with calm and clarity.
• And to our partners at Rep Data, Zintro, and Ivy Exec, for helping us hear from tens of thousands of people this year.

Two Cents is small by design, but none of this happens alone.

I’m deeply grateful for the way you shaped the work this year, and for how your fingerprints now live in the products people use, the stories they read, and the experiences they move through.

You made the work more human, and that impact carries further than any of us see.

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🖤

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