A CMO Confidential Interview with Evan Wittenberg, Chief People Officer of VuMedi formerly CPO of Ancestry and Box, Google's Head of Leadership Development, and a Saturday Night Live Page. Evan discusses why HR has become a much tougher position over the last 5 years, AI's negative impact on leadership development, and the similarities between marketing and HR. Key topics include: his belief that every function should have a dedicated people partner; why "the burden of proof" is often higher for marketers; why he always interviews for "learning agility;" and why "doing the job you are hired for is better for your career than trying for "the next job." Tune in to hear questions marketers should ask in an interview and a great behind the scenes story from SNL Season 18.
**What HR Really Thinks About Marketing — Evan Wittenberg (CPO) on CMO Confidential**
Four-time Chief People Officer Evan Wittenberg sits down with host Mike Linton to unpack the real relationship between HR and Marketing: decision rights, how DEI evolves, AI’s impact on entry-level careers, why hybrid work threatens apprenticeship, and what great CMOs do differently at the exec table. Evan also shares hiring signals (what CPOs look for now), the right way to use engagement surveys, and a live-from-8H SNL story you won’t forget.
**Guest:** Evan Wittenberg — CPO (VuMedi; ex-Box, Ancestry, Pivot Bio; Google/Wharton leadership)
**Host:** Mike Linton — former CMO (Best Buy, eBay, Farmers), CRO (Ancestry)
**Chapters**
00:00 – Welcome + sponsor message (Typeface)
02:00 – Evan’s background and today’s HR reality
03:30 – “Seat at the table” meets burnout and intractable problems
04:40 – Inside the COVID pivot: who owned it and why HR took point
06:10 – Should HR own cross-functional crises? Coordination vs. ownership
07:10 – HR ↔ Marketing parallels: everyone has an opinion, few have the brief
09:00 – Sponsor break (Typeface)
10:00 – DEI after the backlash: belonging, equity, and business need
11:30 – Pay parity and what still isn’t fixed
12:00 – AI’s real risk: erasing entry-level ladders and craft-building
13:30 – Hybrid work, lost apprenticeship, and how leaders must respond
15:10 – “People are our #1 asset” (or not): how to actually tell
16:10 – HR nirvana: solutions that serve both the company and the person
18:00 – How HR sees Marketing: service vs. business driver
21:10 – What great CMOs do: range (data ↔ creative) and business framing
22:40 – At the exec table: problem → data → options → choice → execution
24:20 – The higher burden of proof for HR and Marketing
24:40 – Should Marketing have a dedicated HR/People partner?
26:10 – What CPOs now screen for: learning agility
28:00 – AI fluency: no tourists, hands-on only
29:10 – Real collaboration vs. heroics and end-runs
30:40 – Due diligence for candidates: decision rights & cross-functional buy-in
33:00 – Extra interview questions worth asking (on both sides)
34:10 – SNL cold open rescue: the Rob Schneider story
38:30 – Career advice: do the job you have at 120%
40:00 – Sponsor close + sign-off
CMO Confidential, Mike Linton, Evan Wittenberg, Chief People Officer, CPO, HR strategy, Marketing leadership, DEI, diversity equity inclusion, belonging, employee engagement, pay parity, hybrid work, return to office, mentorship, apprenticeship, AI in HR, AI in marketing, entry-level jobs, recruiting, learning agility, collaboration, decision rights, org design, people partner, HRBP, Box, Ancestry, Pivot Bio, Vmed, Google leadership, Wharton, SNL story, Rob Schneider, executive team, business outcomes, brand vs performance, Typeface, marketing operations, C-suite leadership, career advice
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CMO Confidential