Gretchen Gavett, Managing Editor, HBR.org

I’m writing to share some bittersweet news about HBR’s Big Idea. Our February series on sabbaticals was our last; we’ll be sunsetting the project after almost nine years.

As the editor of the Big Idea for more than half of that time, it’s been my absolute pleasure to help you address your most pressing needs and better understand new challenges at the intersection of business and society. The Big Idea has also been a sandbox for video, audio, visuals, and content experimentation, and we’ll be continuing to use what we’ve learned across all our current HBR platforms.

Here are some Big Ideas that stand out most in my memory: When Covid-19 hit and we scrapped our entire editorial calendar to focus on a series about leading through anxiety and the future of the office (featuring, of course, a photo of my couch); a truly jam-packed exploration of Web3; a look back on 100 years of HBR; and a guide to strategizing your life. The good news is that our archive will remain fully accessible.

I’m also grateful for all of you who contributed to our Big Ideas, sharing your early memories of cubicles and telecommuting, your experiences working with a chronic illness, your relationship with workaholism, and much more.

We’ll be continuing the spirit of the series by publishing more longform content and other digital experiments. If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, I also recommend checking out some of our other email offerings:

HBR Recommends: One timely idea, handpicked by HBR editors.
Best of the Issue: The editor of Harvard Business Review picks highlights from each new issue of the magazine.
Leadership: The qualities of the most effective leaders are always changing. Read our latest.

And if you’re interested in joining our subscriber community, you can use the code HBRBIGIDEA2025 for 25% off any annual plan. (Offer ends August 31, 2025.)

I also have some personal news to share: I have a new role as HBR.org’s managing editor and will be overseeing our daily digital article publishing. As part of that, I’ll be writing The Insider each week to offer HBR subscribers a helpful guide to the best of what we publish. If you’re a subscriber (or would like to be!), we can stay in touch there.

Thank you for reading and being part of the Big Idea.

— Gretchen Gavett

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