Uber's Chief Technology Officer Reveals The Secrets To Staying Human Through The AI Change
Uber moves more than 36 million trips a day, a scale that would overwhelm most systems. But as AI reshapes every corner of business, even a tech giant like Uber must evolve faster than ever. The real question is, how do you lead an organization this massive through an AI revolution without losing reliability, human connection, or trust? In this episode, I sit down with Praveen Neppalli Naga, Uber's Chief Technology Officer for Mobility and Delivery, to explore the leadership blueprint driving Uber's AI-powered transformation. He shares how Uber is transforming its software engineering systems using tools like Cursor and agentic AI workflows, integrating machine learning into real-time marketplace technology, and balancing automation with human oversight to avoid what he calls "AI slop." We also dive into how his teams are preparing for autonomous vehicles, managing global scale across 36 million daily trips, and rethinking the engineering culture to adopt AI responsibly and sustainably. For CHROs, this episode reveals how to lead large-scale transformation by aligning people, technology, and purpose, and how to build a culture where AI doesn't replace human capability, but amplifies it. ________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: https://greatleadership.substack.com/ Future-ready organizations are built, not hoped for. My latest book, -The 8 Laws of Employee Experience shows how. Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com
10 Nov 54min
AI Layoffs Surge, Italy Regulates Algorithms, and the Real Threat Isn't Job Loss — It's Leadership Loss
November 7, 2025: AI is rewriting the world of work. This episode covers the major shifts making headlines today: Elon Musk's warning of a "supersonic tsunami" of job losses, record-breaking layoffs across U.S. companies, and Italy's landmark move to regulate how employers use AI. Microsoft's mass cuts are testing the myth of job security, while Airbus redefines HR as the architects of the future. Meanwhile, the New York Times argues the AI apocalypse isn't here yet—it's just reshaping how companies restructure—and Bloomberg reports the worst October for job cuts in over two decades. Together, these stories reveal a deeper trend: AI isn't simply automating work, it's exposing whether leaders can adapt fast enough to build trust, design new roles, and keep the human experience at the center of progress. Looking for what actually moves the needle on performance and retention? It's in The 8 Laws of Employee Experience. Preorder here: https://bit.ly/8exlaws
7 Nov 25min
CEOs Tighten Control, Cities Regain Power, and Flexibility Faces Legal Limits
November 6, 2025: Five major stories reveal how the rules of work are being rewritten worldwide. Australia's landmark ruling makes remote work a legal right, signaling the next phase of the flexibility debate. CEOs from Palantir to AT&T are reasserting control over DEI, AI, and culture after years of hybrid drift. In the U.S., Gen Z and wealthy professionals are returning to cities like New York for career security as urban networks regain power. Tokyo launches a four-day workweek to address burnout and a collapsing birthrate, while IBM's latest layoffs show how automation is reshaping the entry-level job market. Together, these stories mark a global recalibration of power, purpose, and productivity. Future-ready organizations are built, not hoped for. My latest book, -The 8 Laws of Employee Experience shows how. Preorder here: https://8exlaws.com/
6 Nov 22min
Walmart's $620K Pay Strategy, Massive Layoffs, Gen Z's Career Crisis, and the Rise of Tech Anxiety
November 5, 2025: In today's episode of Future Ready Today, I explore five major shifts reshaping the modern workplace. Walmart is redefining loyalty and culture by paying top managers up to $620,000 and giving them a real sense of ownership. At the same time, a wave of corporate layoffs continues to ripple across major companies like Amazon and Oracle as businesses trade people for productivity in the age of AI. Gen Z workers are facing an unprecedented career crisis as automation wipes out traditional entry-level roles, leaving an entire generation without a clear path to start their careers. Across organizations, transformation fatigue is spreading as employees grow weary of endless change, while new research from Mercer reveals how a leadership vacuum is fueling widespread technology anxiety. Together, these stories reveal a powerful truth: technology may be transforming how we work, but leadership still determines how it feels. ________________ If you lead people, you design experiences—do it on purpose with The 8 Laws of Employee Experience Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com
5 Nov 20min
Palantir's Anti-College Fellowship, KPMG's AI Agents, and the Death of the 9-to-5
November 4, 2025: The traditional systems of education, work, and performance are being upended. Across industries, new signals are emerging that point to a radically different future of work: Palantir's "Meritocracy Fellowship" gives high school graduates a paid, fast-track alternative to college. Microsoft's latest Work Trend Index reveals that the 9-to-5 is dead as the "infinite workday" expands. KPMG is replacing entry-level consulting work with teams of AI agents, redefining what early careers look like. Michael Burry is betting against Palantir and Nvidia, calling out an overheated AI market. The Wall Street Journal traces the century-long evolution of performance reviews—and why AI won't fix them without trust. These stories illustrate how technology, talent pipelines, and performance systems are converging to reshape how people learn, work, and grow. ________________ Quick heads-up: my new book, The 8 Laws of Employee Experience, is a practical playbook for building an environment where people do their best work—preorder a copy here: 8EXLaws.com
4 Nov 18min
What Every CHRO Must Know About Building a Skill-Based Organization with AI
As companies race to adapt to the rapid AI takeover, many are discovering that their biggest challenge isn't technological change, but knowing what their people can actually do. For CHROs, this means gaining real visibility into workforce skills, so they can move beyond job titles and legacy systems to make faster, smarter talent decisions. In this episode, Mikael Wornoo, Co-Founder and President of TechWolf, joins us to explore how AI and data are reshaping the future of HR through the rise of the skill-based organization—a model that looks beyond job titles to map, measure, and mobilize employee skills at scale. We unpack how organizations can build clean, standardized data layers to power smarter workforce decisions, enable internal mobility through AI-driven talent marketplaces, and forecast future skill needs amid accelerating automation. The conversation also dives into the limits of AI in capturing "invisible skills" like empathy and collaboration, the leadership mindset needed to balance human judgment with machine intelligence, and what the future of work and education might look like in an age of human–AI collaboration. A must-listen for CHROs who want to evolve from HR management to strategic workforce design and lead their organizations confidently into the AI era. ________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: https://greatleadership.substack.com/ Future-ready organizations are built, not hoped for. My latest book, -The 8 Laws of Employee Experience shows how. Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com
3 Nov 56min
AI Replacing Consultants, Gen Z's Leadership Wake-Up Call, and Why Big Tech's $400 Billion Still Isn't Enough
October 31, 2025: In today's Future Ready Today, PwC quietly abandons its global hiring target as AI begins replacing entry-level consultants and reshaping professional services. Gen Z enters management valuing purpose and wellbeing but faces a growing need for accountability. Danone redeploys 90 percent of employees affected by restructuring, showing how workforce agility and empathy can coexist. Amazon cuts 14,000 corporate jobs in an AI-driven push to run leaner and faster, while Big Tech pours $400 billion into AI infrastructure—and still can't meet surging demand. Meanwhile, CEOs at JPMorgan, Airbnb, and others ban phones in meetings to reclaim focus and respect. ________________ Looking for what actually moves the needle on performance and retention? It's in The 8 Laws of Employee Experience. Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com
31 Okt 25min
Experience Is Now a Liability? CEOs Turn Cautious, and AI Takes Over Reviews
October 30, 2025: Today's episode explores the shifting dynamics shaping business and leadership. Across industries, experience itself is being questioned as companies reject overqualified candidates, revealing how age bias and short-term thinking are reshaping hiring. Business leaders are entering 2026 with growing pessimism as geopolitical instability overtakes inflation as their top concern, and 84% now cite political and legal volatility as a major business risk. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase is using its in-house AI system to help employees write performance reviews, offering a glimpse into how artificial intelligence is changing not just operations but management itself. And in retail, Walmart's CEO warns that AI is no longer an emerging tool but a leadership necessity. Together, these stories show a world where adaptability, technological fluency, and cultural stability have become the defining traits of future-ready organizations. ________________ If you lead people, you design experiences—do it on purpose with The 8 Laws of Employee Experience. Preorder here: 8EXLaws.com
30 Okt 20min
