TheFiscalGrind on Instagram: "In-Q-Tel (IQT) is the venture capital arm of the CIA. Founded in 1999, its mission is to identify and invest in cutting-edge technologies that can serve U.S. intelligence and national security. From Palantir to AI startups, geospatial mapping, cybersecurity, and quantum computing, IQT has quietly backed hundreds of companies shaping the future of surveillance, data analysis, and defense. Critics argue it represents the deep fusion of Silicon Valley and the intellige

This ad hit people hard, and honestly, I get why. When so many people are cutting back, it comes across as tone-deaf. What most people don’t realize is that holiday campaigns like this are planned months in advance. By spring, brands are already pitching Christmas because the last two months of the year can make up 30-40% of annual sales. Teams get so focused on numbers that they lose sight of the consumer sentiment when the ad finally drops. It doesn’t excuse the message, but it does explain ho