Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan

Two new academic papers argue automation drove most U.S. productivity gains since 1950 and explain why AI’s impact may be real but slower due to bottlenecks. Forecasting shows a wide range of possible economic outcomes. Reports spotlight AI as a growing reason for layoffs, low employee AI fluency, proposals to replace middle management, surveillance-style AI coworkers, and a major AI move into media.

A new MIT study reframes the AI job narrative and examines how tasks change rather than disappear. The conversation probes whether AI is being used to justify pandemic-era overhiring and corporate reorganizations. Gallup engagement and productivity data reveal long-standing organizational bloat. Emerging AI-created roles and rising CHRO pay signal how companies are reallocating responsibility for workforce and governance.

A Q1 roundup on the trillion-dollar software sell-off and how AI workflows rewrote work design. A look at Citi's shift to results-only accountability and Amazon's 90-day internal mobility approach to automation-driven role changes. A debate on HR software becoming infrastructure as AI flattens seat-based economics. Questions about tying promotions to AI usage and the need to prove real impact.

An accidental leak of a supercharged AI model raises cybersecurity and enterprise risk questions. Leaders warn that AI agents are being built as coworkers instead of workflow tools. A major bank now makes AI adoption a measurable performance requirement for tens of thousands of engineers. A new survey highlights Gen Z's push for both logout culture and seats in the C-suite.

A landmark court ruling links addictive platform design to legal liability and explores how that logic could reach enterprise AI. Big Tech pay is being restructured as base raises pause and equity becomes central. Data shows 95% of job listings omit AI, revealing uneven adoption across roles. A looming shortage of electricians and trades raises alarms about the physical infrastructure needed for AI's growth.

They unpack reverse recruiting and the staggering 863 applications per hire phenomenon. They explore an AI doom loop that floods hiring systems and how skills-based, human-centered hiring could win. A huge ADP survey reveals widespread job insecurity and shows skills investment boosts employee safety. They examine Microsoft’s HR overhaul and what structural changes mean for the future of work.

Three major reports paint a complex picture of AI and work right now. CFOs report little job impact in 2025 but predict concentrated losses in clerical roles. A productivity paradox shows perceived AI gains without matching revenue. User fluency matters: experienced AI users outperform newcomers. College graduates feel unusually pessimistic about entry-level opportunities and shifting role requirements.

Amy Coleman, Microsoft EVP and Chief People Officer who leads global people strategy, talks culture, reskilling, and responsible AI. She explores why AI demands unlearning and a growth mindset. Short takes cover embedding tech into HR, large-scale reskilling and talent redeployment, keeping human judgment central, and increasing leader closeness to maintain trust during rapid change.

March 20, 2026: The White House dropped its national AI legislative framework today — I go through the whole thing, because there's a provision about preempting state AI laws that is one of the most consequential things to happen in AI policy in years. A columnist at The Sunday Times made an argument that stopped me: the real AI risk isn't losing your job — it's what happens to your retirement if AI disrupts your career at 50 instead of 30. Most people aren't thinking about it this way. They should be. Jensen Huang proposed paying engineers in AI tokens worth half their salary, on top of cash. I explain what tokens are, why elite engineers are leaving high-paying jobs over GPU access, and what it means that the unit of value in the AI economy is shifting from time to compute. The New York Times is calling it tokenmaxxing. And JPMorgan deployed AI to monitor junior bankers' hours — not because they're over-reporting, but because they're deliberately hiding how much they're actually working. Watch the full episode on YouTube ---------- 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/ Stop patching problems and start designing an intentional workplace. The 8 Laws of Employee Experience gives you the how. Order a copy here: 8EXlaws.com

March 19, 2026: Jensen Huang had one of the biggest weeks in tech at Nvidia's GTC — but his sharpest line wasn't about chips. When asked why companies are laying off workers, he said simply: because they're out of imagination. We unpack what that means, plus his surprise take on compensation from the All-In podcast. Then Cognizant drops a bombshell update to its 2023 workforce study: 93% of jobs impacted by AI, $4.5 trillion in labor shifting to machines, six years ahead of schedule. Their own words: "We underestimated the technology." But two CEOs are pushing back on the doom narrative — Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick says humans will be "super fine" until AGI arrives, and Tech Mahindra CEO Mohit Joshi argues the demand for human labor isn't going anywhere, and has the data to back it up. We close with JPMorgan Chase's 2026 tech trends report and the concept quietly reshaping what leaders actually do: context engineering. Watch the full episode on YouTube ---------- 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/ Stop patching problems and start designing an intentional workplace. The 8 Laws of Employee Experience gives you the how. Order your copy: 8EXlaws.com