Tess Posner is the CEO and founding leader of AI4ALL, a nonprofit that works to ensure the next generation of AI leaders is diverse and well-quipped to innovate. Since joining in 2017, she has focused on embedding ethics, responsibility, and real-world impact into AI education. Her work connects students from underrepresented backgrounds to hands-on projects and mentorships that prepare them to lead in tech. Beyond her role at AI4ALL, Tess is a musician whose 2023 EP Alchemy has over 600,000 streams on Spotify. She was named a 2020 Brilliant Woman in AI Ethics Hall of Fame Honoree and holds degrees from St. John’s University and Columbia University.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why AI literacy is becoming essential for everyone, from casual users to future developers
• The role of project-based learning in helping students see the real-world impact of AI
• What it takes to expand AI access for underrepresented communities
• How AI can either reinforce bias or drive real change, depending on who’s leading its development
• Why schools should stop penalizing AI use and instead teach students to use it with curiosity and responsibility
• Tess’s views on balancing optimism and caution in the development of AI tools

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Tess on LinkedIn or learn more about AI4ALL
• AI fun fact article
• On How To Build and Activate a Powerful Network
• Past episodes mentioned in this conversation:
  • [With Tess in 2020] – About what leaders do in a crisis
  • [With Tess in 2019] – About how to mitigate AI bias and hiring best practices 
  • [With Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO] – On Using AI to Prevent Students from Cheating
  • [With Marcus “Bellringer” Bell] – On Creating North America’s First AI Artist

Dr. Martin Goodson is the founder and CEO of Evolution AI, a company he launched in 2012 to apply deep learning to optical character recognition (OCR). The company has received one of the largest AI R&D grants ever awarded by the UK government, along with investment from First Minute Capital. A former scientific researcher at Oxford University, Martin has led AI research across several organizations and was elected Chair of the Data Science and AI Section of the Royal Statistical Society in 2019.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Martin Goodson’s journey from researching biological data to founding Evolution AI and pioneering deep learning for document understanding.
• Why traditional OCR missed the mark, and how combining visual and linguistic context unlocked a new frontier in document intelligence.
• The evolution from data extraction to true financial analysis, and why domain knowledge is essential for reading statements like income reports.
• The risks of LLM hallucinations, especially with numerical data, and why accuracy still requires combining techniques across model types.
• What Martin believes intelligence really is, and why language alone may be the wrong benchmark for AGI.
• Why recreating human intelligence shouldn’t be the goal of AI research, and how we can build systems that support, not mimic, human thinking.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Martin on LinkedIn
• Check out the YouTube channel of the London Machine Learning Meetup
• AI fun fact article
• On How to Ovecome Imposter Syndrome
• Past episodes mentioned:
  • On Why doing Taxes is like finding the Best Route on a Map with Daniel Marcous
  • On Making AI Smarter Without Harming Humans with Peter Voss

Scott Stevenson is the CEO and co-founder of Spellbook, a legal tech company transforming how attorneys review contracts with AI. Since launching in 2018, Spellbook’s AI copilot has been adopted by more than 1,700 legal teams and helps review over a million contracts annually. Scott recently led the company through a $20 million Series A backed by Inovia Capital, Thomson Reuters Ventures, The Legaltech Fund, and others. Before Spellbook, he founded Mune, a startup at the intersection of music and technology, and holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Scott’s journey from building electronic instruments to launching Spellbook, the world’s first generative AI copilot for lawyers.
• Why contracts, not court cases, were the ideal entry point for legal AI and how Spellbook now helps 3,000+ legal teams review over a million contracts a year.
• How AI is expanding access to legal services by reducing costs and enabling lawyers to serve the 70% of clients who previously couldn’t afford help.
• Why AI won’t replace lawyers and how tools like Spellbook enhance human judgment rather than automate legal decisions.
• Why now may be the best time to enter the legal field as AI eliminates drudgery and creates more room for strategy and client work.
• What product-market fit really looks like and how Scott found it after testing more than 100 hypotheses before landing on a solution that clicked.
• Why the best AI products embrace controlled chaos over rigid structure and how leaning into complexity reflects how the real world actually works.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On How to Build an AI platform that’s growing faster than OpenAI

Dave Marchick is the Dean of American University’s Kogod School of Business and a seasoned leader with experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He spent over a decade as Managing Director at The Carlyle Group, where he served on the management committee and advanced the firm’s sustainability and diversity efforts. In government, he held senior roles in both the Biden and Clinton administrations, including leadership positions at the State Department, the White House, and the Development Finance Corporation. Dave directed the Center for Presidential Transition during the 2020 cycle and later launched the Transition Lab podcast and co-authored The Peaceful Transition of Power. A dedicated advocate for civil rights and historical preservation, he has served on the boards of the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Park Foundation. Dave holds degrees from George Washington University, the LBJ School at UT Austin, and UC San Diego.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Dean Dave Marchick is helping to infuse AI across the curriculum at American University’s Kogod School of Business.
• The resistance and cultural shifts required to get faculty on board with AI adoption.
• How students are learning to prompt, critique, and collaborate with AI from their first semester (and how it’s reshaping classroom dynamics).
• Why professionalism, communication, and negotiation are now prioritized as “skills of the future”.
• How Kogod is thinking about measuring the real-world impact of AI education beyond the classroom.
• Lessons from U.S. presidential transitions and what they reveal about leadership during critical moments.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-marchick/
• AI fun fact article: https://www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/cheat-thon-contest-explores-ais-strengths-and-flaws-higher-education
• On what it was like to co-author a book with ChatGPT: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bob-rogers-ai-expert-physicist-author-and-ceo-of-oii/id1476885647?i=1000606108950
• Other episodes mentioned in the show:
  • Episode with George Sivulka [Hebbia CEO]
  • Episode with Tom Wheeler [Former FCC Chairman and author of Techlash]
  • Episode with Chris Caren [Turnitin CEO]
• Read Dave Marchick’s book: The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of America’s Presidential Transitions

Snehal Antani is an entrepreneur, technologist, and investor. He is the CEO and Co-founder of Horizon3, a cybersecurity company using AI to deliver Red Teaming and Penetration Testing as a Service. He also serves as a Highly Qualified Expert for the U.S. Department of Defense, supporting digital transformation and data initiatives for Special Operations. Previously, he was CTO and SVP at Splunk, held CIO roles at GE Capital, and began his career as a software engineer at IBM. Snehal holds a master’s in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor’s from Purdue University, and he is the inventor on 16 patents.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Snehal Antani’s path from software engineer to CEO, and how his father’s quiet example of grit and passion continues to shape his leadership style.
• How a “LEGO blocks” approach to building skills prepared Snehal to lead, and why he believes leadership must be earned through experience.
• Why Horizon3 identifies as a data company, and how running more pen tests than the Big Four creates a powerful AI advantage.
• What “cyber-enabled economic warfare” looks like in practice, and how a small disruption in a supply chain can create massive global impact.
• How Horizon3 built an AI engine that hacked a bank in under 60 seconds, showing what’s possible when algorithms replace manual testing.
• What the future of work looks like in the AI era, with a growing divide between those with specialized expertise and trade skills and those without.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Snehal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snehalantani/
• AI fun fact article: https://venturebeat.com/security/ai-vs-endpoint-attacks-what-security-leaders-must-know-to-stay-ahead/
• On the New Definition of Work: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-john-boudreau-future-of-work-pioneer-and/id1476885647?i=1000633854079

Ravi Malick is the Global CIO at Box, where he leads IT strategy, compliance, and customer advocacy for the enterprise content management platform. Before joining Box, he served as SVP & CIO at Vistra Corp., where he oversaw the integration of three major acquisitions that more than doubled the company’s size. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Energy Future Holdings, including VP of Business Technology at TXU Energy. Ravi earned a BA in Political Science from Brown University and remains active in philanthropic efforts outside of work.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Ravi Malick’s nonlinear path from investment banking and consulting to becoming Global CIO at Box—and how each chapter shaped his leadership style.
• What makes Box’s “people-first” culture stand out in Silicon Valley and why Ravi believes authenticity and inclusion are key to long-term success.
• The challenges of leading IT at a company with 3,000 tech-savvy employees—and how Ravi balances innovation with governance.
• How he’s approaching AI adoption internally, from quick wins to long-term strategy, while keeping a sharp focus on business outcomes.
• What the “agentic workforce” could mean for scalability, productivity, and the structure of tomorrow’s teams.
• How Ravi sees the future of work: multi-role careers, voice-first workflows, and AI-powered teams built around passion and outcomes.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Ravi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravimalick/
• AI fun fact article: https://www.engineering.com/rip-saas-long-live-ai-as-a-service/
• On how AI supports thousands of employees at a rapidly growing global company: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parul-saini-ubers-global-head-of-enterprise-apps/id1476885647?i=1000599377300 

Dr. Craig Wheeler is Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin and a former department chair. He has published nearly 400 scientific papers, written books on supernovae, and authored two novels. A frequent speaker and award-winning educator, Dr. Wheeler has served on advisory committees for the NSF, NASA, and the National Research Council. His research explores topics from exploding stars and black holes to the technological future of humanity.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How supernovae and black holes shaped Dr. Craig Wheeler’s career—and what they reveal about the universe’s expansion.
• The singularity debate: Will AI surpass human intelligence, and if so, what happens next?
• Machine consciousness vs. human intelligence—why the future of AI might be more alien than we expect.
• The rise of AI in leadership roles—could AI replace CEOs, and what does that mean for the future of work?
• The ethics of AI-driven decision-making, from hiring to autonomous weapons, and the challenges of regulation.
• Why exponential technological growth is inevitable—and how humanity can prepare for its accelerating impact.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with J. Craig Wheeler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-craig-wheeler-94024a97/
• AI fun fact article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/a63057078/when-the-singularity-will-happen/
• On AI Job Creation & Predictions for AI in the Enterprise: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15873523

Dheeraj Pandey is a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for founding and leading Nutanix from its inception to becoming a publicly traded company valued at approximately $16.5 billion on NASDAQ. In 2020, he launched DevRev, an agentic AI company focused on unifying data to enhance customer experiences, securing over $100 million in funding from Khosla Ventures. Beyond his contributions to technology, Dheeraj co-founded Param Hansa with his wife, Swapna, to advance human life through science and technology. He holds a Computer Science and Engineering degree from IIT Kanpur and a master’s in Computer Science from UT Austin.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why data is the backbone of AI and how DevRev is leveraging knowledge graphs to transform customer support and product management.
• The evolution of enterprise AI—why businesses must integrate AI with human workflows rather than replace them.
• The future of customer support—how DevRev combines real-time conversations with ticketing systems to improve response times and reduce inefficiencies.
• The ethical challenges of AI adoption—how bias, security, and machine reliability shape the future of AI-driven business operations.
• How DevRev raised over $100M, including an unconventional approach using blockchain and decentralized funding models.
• Dheeraj’s vision for AI’s next frontier—why the real challenge isn’t intelligence, but making AI work seamlessly with human decision-making.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter:  https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Dheeraj Pandey on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpandey
• AI fun fact article:  https://hackernoon.com/next-time-you-hear-someone-say-ai-will-replace-call-center-agents-run
• On The Path To 500M+ YouTube views:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/301-william-osman-on-the-path-to-500m-youtube-views/id1476885647?i=1000668882327

How has the dynamic between employees and employers shifted over the past 18 months? And what does the future of work look like in a world defined by AI?

In this special live episode, recorded at Transform—the conference at the intersection of the People space and the tech industry—Dan Turchin sits down with Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor.

Bryan took the stage at Transform to share insights on “The Power Shift: Navigating the New Employer-Employee Dynamic,” where he explored how evolving expectations are reshaping the workforce.

Bryan has spent his career shaping workplace culture at some of the most iconic tech companies, including Google, Square, and Yahoo. Now, as the leader of People Operations at Nextdoor, he’s at the forefront of redefining work in an era of rapid change.

In this conversation, Bryan and Dan discuss topics such as:

• How the employee-employer relationship is evolving—why job loyalty is declining and what it means for the future of work.
• The rise of hybrid work and its impact on company culture—how Nextdoor navigates the balance between flexibility and connection.
• Why culture must be intentional—lessons from Google, Square, Yahoo, and Nextdoor on shaping a workplace where people thrive.
• The role of AI in HR and leadership—how AI is disrupting traditional people operations and what leaders must do to stay ahead.
• Bryan’s biggest leadership lessons—what he’s learned from building teams at some of the most influential tech companies.
• The future of HR in an AI-powered world—how the Chief People Officer role is shifting as AI and automation reshape the workplace.

Resources

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter:  https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Bryan Power: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanpower/
• Learn more about Transform: https://transform.us/conference/

Mona Sabet is the co-author of Sail to Scale: Steering Startups Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit and currently serves as SVP, Strategy, Projects, and Operations at GCG. With a track record of driving growth and strategic transformations, she has held executive roles at VulcanForms, UserTesting, and Cadence Design Systems. At UserTesting, she played a pivotal role in securing $100M in funding, leading acquisitions, taking the company public, and negotiating its $1.3B sale to Thoma Bravo. Beyond her corporate leadership, Mona is a passionate advocate for women in tech, law, and policy, having co-founded ChIPsNetwork.org and leading HiPower, a community dedicated to empowering executive women shaping the future of technology.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The critical mistakes startups make at different growth stages—Mona shares insights from Sail to Scale on why companies struggle to scale and how to avoid common pitfalls.
• How founders should “fire themselves” to scale effectively—Why transitioning from founder to CEO requires a mindset shift, and the biggest mistakes leaders make in this process.
• The AI bubble: hype vs. reality—Mona explains why overfunding in AI-first companies mirrors past tech bubbles and what it means for the future of the industry.
• Why acquisitions should be a long-term strategy, not a last-minute decision—The importance of planning exits early and why companies that wait too long often fail to sell at the right valuation.
• The evolving landscape of M&A and IPOs—How companies can differentiate themselves in a crowded market of late-stage startups waiting for an exit.
• The unseen biases keeping women out of leadership—Mona’s perspective on why brand bias impacts diversity in tech and what leaders can do to create real change.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Mona on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On How to how AI is changing the entertainment industry

Dr. Brandeis Marshall is a leading advocate for responsible data science and the CEO of Dataedx Group, a data ethics and learning development agency dedicated to helping teams identify and address discrimination in data. Previously, she was a professor of computer science at Spelman College and a faculty associate at Harvard. Dr. Marshall holds a master’s and Ph.D. in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why AI-powered companies should be regulated like scientific entities—and the hidden ways they optimize human behavior.
• The role of data ethics in AI—how companies can prevent bias and why everyone in the data pipeline is responsible for ethical decision-making.
• Why most businesses struggle with AI adoption—Brandeis explains how companies can bridge the AI gap and align data strategies with real business impact.
• The future of healthcare data—how a patient-owned, portable medical record system could revolutionize access and transparency.
• How AI can be leveraged to expose systemic inequalities and provide better opportunities for marginalized communities.
• Why AI should be seen as a support tool, not a replacement—Brandeis shares how AI can help neurodivergent individuals and enhance human decision-making.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Brandeis on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On Using AI to Unlock Human Potential

SC Moatti, founder of Mighty Capital and Products That Count, is one of the most dynamic venture capitalists and product leaders in Silicon Valley. As an early investor in PeopleReign, SC combines her investment expertise with a passion for advancing product leadership globally. She is the author of the award-winning book Mobilize and a sought-after keynote speaker and lecturer at Columbia and Stanford business schools. Before her venture capital career, SC was an instrumental product leader in the early days of mobile, driving innovation at companies like Electronic Arts, Nokia Labs, and Facebook.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• SC Moatti’s journey from studying electrical engineering in Paris to becoming a tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.
• Why founding Mighty Capital was the hardest challenge SC has faced and how applying product thinking helped her reshape the venture capital landscape.
• The unique due diligence process at Mighty Capital, focusing on high-performing teams, ambitious traction, and fair, long-term partnerships.
• How Products That Count grew from a small community into a global network of over half a million product leaders and its influence on the industry.
• The evolving role of product managers in an AI-first world and how professionals can adapt to stay ahead in this rapidly changing environment.
• The ethical responsibilities of product leaders, from managing unintended consequences of AI to maintaining trust and transparency in product development.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with SC Moatti on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On How Disruptive Leaders Drive Innovation Across Industries in the Era of AI

George Sivulka, hailed as a wunderkind by Peter Thiel, is the founder of Hebbia, a groundbreaking AI company revolutionizing financial research. Having worked at NASA as a teenager, he later earned a math degree from Stanford in just 2.5 years. George has secured $130M in funding for Hebbia at a $700M valuation, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Google Ventures, and Thiel himself. Hebbia’s AI platform, trusted by firms like Centerview Partners and Charlesbank, has driven a 15x revenue growth in 18 months by pioneering RAG techniques that ensure LLM outputs remain within company-sanctioned data.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Hebbia is reshaping financial research with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• The leap from academia to entrepreneurship—how George Sivulka turned research into real-world impact.
• The expanding role of AI in high-stakes industries where precision is critical.
• The ethical challenges of AI and how transparency can make or break trust.
• Why AI agents will change knowledge work—but not in the way you might think.
• The future of AI-powered research and its impact on decision-making.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
  Connect with Sivulka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sivulka/
• AI fun fact article: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/what-ai-sees-market-that-you-might-not
• On How AI-Powered Writing is reshaping Enterprise Content Creation: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/may-habib-ceo-of-writer-discusses-llms-and-the/id1476885647?i=1000628256870

Megh Gautam, Chief Product Officer at Crunchbase, is one of the sharpest product minds in Silicon Valley. With a track record that includes leadership roles as Head of Product at Twilio and Director of Product Management at Dropbox and Hearsay Systems, Megh has honed his expertise in driving innovation and growth. An active angel investor, Megh combines his industry insights with a passion for supporting emerging talent and ideas. He holds a Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur in India.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Crunchbase is leveraging AI and proprietary data to provide predictive insights for startups and investors.
• The balance between enhancing data accuracy and maintaining ethical transparency in AI-driven decision-making.
• The emergence of AI marketplaces that empower creators to monetize their content while preserving ownership rights.
• Why trust and attention are the scarcest resources today, and how Crunchbase ensures both through innovation and responsibility.
• The importance of skepticism in the age of LLMs and how to foster critical thinking in a generation growing up with AI.
• Megh’s reflections on his journey as a product leader and how mentorship has shaped his career at top tech companies like Twilio, Dropbox, and Hearsay Systems.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Connect with Megh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghbartma/
• AI fun fact article: https://pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/news-publisher-ai-deals-lawsuits-openai-google/
• On how SambaNova became the first generative AI unicorn and accelerated LLM advancements with open-source AI: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13151659

Josh Drean is a leading voice in the future of work community, known for his advocacy on bringing more humanness into the workplace. As Co-founder of the Work3 Institute, Josh specializes in the intersection of employment and emerging technologies, including AI, blockchain, and AR/VR. He is the co-author, along with Deborah Perry Piscione, of the forthcoming book “EMPLOYMENT IS DEAD: How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work”, to be published by the Harvard Business Review Press. Josh holds a master’s degree from Harvard and has studied I/O Psychology. His insights have appeared in renowned publications such as the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company, and he has been featured on The Today Show, NBC, and FOX Business.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The challenges of traditional work models and why they no longer serve the needs of today’s workforce.
• How the next generation is reshaping expectations around job security, compensation, and career fulfillment.
• A fresh take on decentralized work and how it could change the way we collaborate and earn.
• What contribution-based compensation could look like and how it aligns with shifting values in the workplace.
• The evolving role of AI in our careers and why adapting to new technology is essential for staying competitive.
• Insights on how companies can attract and retain the best talent by prioritizing employee experience in a rapidly changing world.

Resources

Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter – https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdrean/

AI fun fact article – https://www.semafor.com/article/12/02/2024/employee-lawsuit-accuses-apple-of-spying-on-its-workers

On How to Measure the Business Impact of Machine Learning and why all AI isn’t Generative AI – https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14464391