March 11, 2026: Amazon corporate workers say the company's AI push is creating more work, not less — with surveillance dashboards tracking every click and promotion criteria now tied to AI adoption. Oracle's Larry Ellison became one of the first Fortune 500 CEOs to explicitly confirm on an earnings call that AI tools are reducing his headcount — while the company carries $100 billion in debt and negative free cash flow. A new UBS report finds 63% of U.S. entrepreneurs are planning to exit their businesses in the next five years, an exit wave nobody is connecting to AI-driven workforce disruption. And as layoffs accelerate, the unemployment insurance system — unchanged since FDR built it in 1935 — is failing to reach 75% of the workers it was designed to protect.

March 10, 2026: AI is generating real, measurable productivity gains at major companies. Workers aren't seeing any of it. A new survey of 100 major CEOs finds only 9% plan to cut jobs because of AI this year — but buried inside that optimistic headline is an admission about ROI that changes the entire picture. China just launched the most ambitious society-wide AI employment push in history, betting that the technology creates more jobs than it destroys with 300 million retirements on the horizon. Fortune has the one metric CEOs are now using to quietly recalculate how many humans they actually need — and most employees have never heard of it. And Mercor, a $10 billion startup, is paying doctors, lawyers, and investment bankers hundreds of dollars an hour to train the AI that may eventually replace them.

While many companies focus only on buying new AI tools, the real secret to success often lies in changing how leaders think and act to drive a massive business turnaround. In this episode, Anna White, EVP and Chief People Officer at Lumen, joins the show to discuss how a major networking company is transforming its business through a deep focus on leadership and AI. We explore how leaders must shift from being "knowers" to "learners" by embracing curiosity and a growth mindset. The discussion covers practical steps like launching an AI literacy academy for all employees, using "Dare to Lead" training to build courage, and managing the risks of "work slop" by ensuring human judgment always checks AI work. We also dive into real examples of AI pilots, such as the GoalPro tool for aligning targets, and examine how to prepare for a future hybrid workforce where humans manage AI agents. This conversation offers a clear roadmap for HR leaders handling the complex mix of culture change and digital transformation.

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