This New Way

AI Replaces Manager Guesswork With Company-Wide Employee Insight | Shweta Kamble & Hari Iyer

Jan 29, 2026
Shweta Kamble, AI and data-product leader who built AI features at Zoom, and Hari Iyler, founder with roots in CS and product design, discuss AI running confidential 1:1-style conversations and turning them into quantified case files. They explore AI replacing manager guesswork, building eval frameworks to prevent compounding errors, and the engineering needed to scale auditable, executive-ready organizational insights.
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INSIGHT

AI As An Undercover Boss

  • AI can act like an "undercover boss," surfacing ground-truth operational fixes across an organization at scale.
  • This enables leaders to make strategic, high-impact decisions they previously lacked time to discover.
INSIGHT

AI Can Outperform Average Managers

  • Many managerial tasks (listening, context, coaching) may be performed better by AI at scale than by busy average managers.
  • The challenge is to empower people while preserving confidentiality and trust when AI participates.
ADVICE

Start At The Top For Real Feedback

  • Start AI listening programs at the C-suite level so employees believe feedback will lead to change.
  • Be transparent about what feedback will be raised and why to maintain trust and avoid performative efforts.
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