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Theres a growing paradox at the heart of the modern workplace. Artificial intelligence is advancing at an unprecedented rate, capable of generating pitch decks, summarizing meetings, writing RFPs, analyzing spreadsheets, and even sending our avatars to video call meetings. Yet, for all the noise around productivity gains and disruption, most organizations are still stuck in neutral, disappointed by the underwhelming results of their various AI pilots. The recent MIT report noted that while AI pilots with tools like ChatGPT and Copilot were improving individual productivity, vanishingly few were contributing to P&L improvement. If these tools are making individuals more productive, but thats translating into company performance, we have to askwhats the point of that work? The dirty secret? AI is is revealing just how much work doesnt need to exist in the first place. Welcome to the BS economy. Defining the BS Economy The term “BS jobs” was coined by anthropologist David Graeber to describe roles that are, even in the eyes of those performing them, fundamentally pointless. These are the jobs where if someone stopped showing up, no one would notice; or worse, everyone would be relieved. Entire categories of white-collar work, from middle managers pushing PowerPoints to consultants writing reports no one reads, fall under this umbrella. The BS economy is what happens when these roles are scaled, celebrated, and institutionalized, perhaps to the point of becoming hyper-normalized, the paradoxical state in which everyone knows the official version of reality is false, but because no one can imagine an alternative, society collectively accepts and reproduces the lie as if it were true. Importantly, this state is not limited to a few unlucky job titles, but endemic to modern corporate life. It rewards process over purpose, optics over outcomes, and bureaucracy over impact. For decades, this system sustained itself with rituals: long and useless meetings, excessive documentation, convoluted chains of approval, and performative busyness that drive up headcount and slow down progress without any delivering any appreciable improvement in outcomes. But AI is stripping away the theater, automating the symbolic and intangible aspects of work, precisely the tasks that were never truly value-generating to begin with. AI Isnt (Yet) Disrupting Work. Its Exposing It Lets be clear: AI hasnt fundamentally changed most jobs yet. Its not that large swaths of the workforce have been replaced or redeployed. What AI is doingfaster than most companies can reactis mimicking the performative layer of knowledge work. Drafting emails. Creating status updates. Rewording proposals. Polishing presentations. Transcribing and summarizing meetings that arguably didnt need to happen in the first place. As Yuval Harari recently noted, AI is already a better storyteller than humans. It is also challenging humans when it comes to not just work, but also pretending to work, in the sense of replicating a range of job-related activities that more clearly result in being busy than actually productive (in the sense of adding value). If an AI can instantly generate a companys glossy annual report (complete with letters from the CEO and strategic road maps), it exposes how formulaic these documents really are. They read less like authentic reflections of vision or performance and more like templated PR exercises, optimized for investors expectations. The ease with which they can be faked shows just how little originality or substance was there in the first place. Were witnessing a productivity revolution without a purpose revolution. Tools are improving, but the work remains hollow. Instead of using AI to invent better ways of working, many companies are simply using it to churn out more of the same, only faster. But running faster in the wrong direction just means getting lost fasterand if everyone is doing it, we risk just getting lost in a forest of sameness Theres a risk here. Without deliberate redesign, AI wont just expose the BS economy, it could entrench it. If leaders dont challenge the status quo, we may end up amplifying the noise, not reducing it. Well layer new systems on top of bad processes and wonder why things havent gotten better. If automation means that machines are mass-producing work products that then only get reviewed, summarized, and acted upon by other machines, what have we really gained? Value Comes From Humans, Not Bots The crucial insight is this: AI can optimize how work is done, but it cannot tell us what work should be done, or why it matters. Thats still a human responsibility. And its where the opportunity lies. The value of AI will not be measured by how much it automates nonsense, but by how much it liberates human potential. If AI saves a manager 10 hours a week by eliminating report writing, the real question is: what will they do with that time? The answer depends on leadership and HR. Not on the tech or AI. To unlock real value from AI, organizations must help people reimagine their roles beyond routine output. This means identifying opportunities for human contribution that are creative, relational, strategic, and judgment-driven, the domains where AI is still weak. It also means empowering people to use freed-up time to think, learn, explore, connect, and innovate. Fixing Work: Four Imperatives for Leaders Redesign Work AI wont fix broken workflows. Leaders must rethink work processes and roles from the ground up and focus on the ones that are truly driving business value. Start by asking: What outcomes matter? What activities actually contribute to those outcomes? What capabilities are required to complete the work and are those best suited to people or machines? And what can we stop doing altogether? Aim to eliminate tasks that exist only to justify someones presence or to feed internal reporting machinery. Design roles that are lean, outcome-focused, and infused with a clear sense of purpose. Re-skill Managers to Lead in the AI Era Managers are the keystone species in any organization. Yet many are unequipped for an AI-enhanced world. Re-skilling managrs should focus less on technical mastery and more on human leadership. They need to understand how to coach teams, set meaningful goals, recognize contribution, and create psychologically safe environments that foster experimentation. They should become amplifiers of human potential, not compliance officers for productivity software. Rethink Performance Management Most current performance systems still reward confidence over competence, style over substance, and politics over performance. That must change. AI gives us better data and more granular insights, but we need to ask better questions. What value is someone actually creating? Are they helping others succeed? Are they solving meaningful problems? Moving forward, performance should be measured by contribution, not presence. Output, not optics. Impact, not volume. Experiment, Iterate, and Learn The AI transformation is not a plug-and-play exercise. Every organization will need to experiment with new models of work, test ideas, and learn from failures. The organizations that thrive will be those that adopt a learning mindset: try, measure, adjust, repeat. Dont expect one grand solution. Instead, cultivate a portfolio of small experiments across teams and functions, and scale what works. The goal is not just to do more with less, but to do better with less noise. AI Can Help Us Fix WorkBut Only If We Let It Taken together, these imperatives represent a set of cultural and operational changesand thats where the hard work is. Real change wont come from turning on an LLM; it will come from those with the courage to tackle deep-rooted practices and beliefs. At its best, AI can serve as a mirror: reflecting the absurdity of modern work back at us with eerie precision. But the mirror itself doesnt solve anything. What we choose to do with that reflection is what matters. We can continue pretending that busywork equals value, or we can use this moment to make work more meaningful. That means getting serious about human contribution. About designing roles that tap into curiosity, creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking. About automating the things that are formulaic and joyless, and creating space for people to do the things machines cant. In short, the rise of AI is not just a tech story, its a leadership challenge and an organizational challenge. The biggest risk isnt that AI will replace humans. Its that well fail to replace the nonsense that AI is finally making visible. Lets not waste the opportunity.
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E-Commerce
When the economy feels volatile and companies are navigating change, many of us instinctively wait before initiating a raise conversation. But the truth is, uncertainty isnt a signal to stay quietits a call to lead. Asking for a raise during times of flux doesnt mean youre tone-deaf. It means you understand your impact and are choosing to advocate for it with clarity and courage. You deserve that raise. Heres how to ask for it. Frame your true impact A key part of preparing for this conversation involves framing your contributions through the lens of business value. Dont just mention what you dodescribe how it moves the organization forward. Maybe youve streamlined reporting processes that previously consumed hours each week. Maybe you led a team through onboarding a new platform with minimal disruption, or prevented client churn by intervening early in a cross-functional issue. When you frame your impact as solving problems, reducing friction, and advancing team performance, your raise request shifts from transactional to transformational. It becomes a narrative of strategic contribution: not a personal ask, but a business case. Position yourself as worthy of a raise This framing becomes even more powerful during moments of organizational change. Promotions, restructures, new leadership teams: these transitions often create ambiguity, and in ambiguity, visibility tends to shrink. Thats why it’s critical to position your role not just as a stabilizing force, but as a value driver. If youve stepped up to clarify goals during a leadership shift, kept morale high during a merger, or coached teammates through re-orgs, youre not just doing your jobyoure enabling continuity and accelerating progress. Being a value-driver means connecting your work to the organizations needs. For example, if your team is navigating a new product launch, and youve helped streamline cross-functional communication or anticipate customer pain points, youre not just executing: youre shaping outcomes. If youve identified inefficiencies and proposed solutions that saved time or budget, youre demonstrating strategic foresight. These are the kinds of contributions that deserve to be surfaced in a raise conversation, not as a list of tasks, but as evidence of leadership in motion. Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, once said, If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you. Your value isnt about self-promotionits about lifting the organization through your growth, insight, and initiative. When you frame your contributions as catalysts for team performance, innovation, and resilience, youre demonstrating why investing in you is a strategic decision. In times of change, leaders look for people who bring clarity, calm, and momentum. If youve been that person, your raise request isnt just timely, its essential. Make a narrative, not a plea Constructing a raise request as a narrative, rather than a plea, is about shifting the tone from need to impact. Its not about asking for more; its about demonstrating why more is deserved based on results, readiness, and relevance to the business. A well-structured narrative helps leaders connect your individual contributions to larger organizational priorities, creating a stronger and more strategic case for compensation. Start with foresight. What challenges have you anticipated this year? Did you proactively prepare your team for a new workflow before a system migration? Did you pitch a customer retention idea that quietly prevented churn? These moments of anticipation speak volumes about your leadership capacity. Blend this with feedback and formal or informal. Perhaps your manager described your collaboration as a calming force in high-stakes conversations, or a senior leader acknowledged your ability to navigate complexity with grace. And then align everything to business goals. Whether you contributed to cost reduction, accelerated project delivery, improved engagement scores, or drove innovation, tie your impact to measurable outcomes and organizational growth. Tell that story over time Crucially, this story isnt delivered all at once. Your most important channel for building credibility and visibility is your regular 1:1 conversations. These ongoing touchpoints are where you showcase progress, context, and the evolution of your role. Think of them as a trail of breadcrumbs leading your manager up the hill, and not just to understand your work, but to advocate for it when it matters most. Leaders rarely respond well to surprise compensation asks. They want time to think deeply about equity, team dynamics, and fair recognition. When theyve seen your progression over time and had the opportunity to reflect on your influence, theyre far better positioned to reward it with integrity. These touchpoints are where you build not just your case, but trust. And that trust is what turns a raise request from a transactional moment into a thoughtful conversation about leadership, potential, and continued investment. Keep using timing as a strategy Now consider timing. Every organization has its own rhythm: bonuses may be awarded quarterly, biannually, or just once a year. Salary increases are often tied to fiscal budgets, performance cycles, or leadership reviews. Pay attention to when your company makes compensation decisions and calibrate your conversations accordingly. For instance, if merit reviews happen in July, but budgets close in May, the ideal moment to showcase your achievements isnt midsummerits late Q1 or early Q2. Strategically sharing progress updates, wins, and feedback in the months leading up to those decisions helps your manager build a case on your behalf. You’re not just asking them to advocate for you; youre equipping them to do it well. A confident ask is a leadership signal Ultimately, asking for a raise during uncertainty demonstrates something powerful: confidence. It signals that you’re aware of your value, committed to progress, and willing to engage in meaningful dialogue about your role. This kind of clarity isnt just good for your career; it uplifts the workplace. Because when professionals speak up with intention and resilience, they strengthen the very culture theyre part of. So as you consider making the ask, remember: in this economy, resilience is currency. Your earned worth isnt a luxury and its part of the solution. And when you advocate for yourself thoughtfully, youre modeling leadership that others will remember and follow.
Category:
E-Commerce
In 2020, the murder of George Floyd and the growing Black Lives Matter movement put a spotlight on diversity and equity issuesincluding in the business world. Suddenly investors were clamoring to support Black entrepreneurs, a way of course correcting a history of underinvestment and unfair barriers. In the year after Floyds murder, a given investor was 36% more likely to invest in a Black-founded startup, and the overall share of venture capital dollars going to Black entrepreneurs grew by 43%. Major investments made headlines. SoftBank, for example, announced a $100 million fund that would invest only in companies led by founders of color. Andreessen Horowitz launched a $2 million fund focused on founders from underserved communities, and VC firm Revolution set aside $2 million to support Black entrepreneurs. But that surge didnt last, according to new research out of Cornell University. Within two years, investment in Black-founded startups reverted back to previous levels. (Some studies say just half a percent of all VC funding goes to Black founders; separate Cornell research found that just 3.5% of founders seeking funding from VC firms are Black.) For this new study, Cornell researchers analyzed data from PitchBook, which shows venture capital funding into companies. They used software (and then manually checked it) to classify images of about 150,000 founders by race, and then looked at investments from 2020 to 2023. The researchers also looked at who was driving the temporary surge in investments, digging into about 30,000 investors. They found that the main increase in funding was primarily among venture capitalists who had never previously invested in a single Black entrepreneur. The researchers found that Black entrepreneurs with stronger business track records were less likely to take investments from those newcomer investors in that period after Floyds death. In other words, the strongest Black entrepreneurs paired up with investors who had more of a track record of investing in founders of color, says study coauthor Matt Marx, a Cornell professor who focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation. To Marx, that shows how investing is a two-way relationship: The investor has to get the entrepreneur to agree to take their money, and so it becomes a little trickier to right past wrongs or address the issue if the very people you were ignoring have to agree to go along with you. Most VCs who did invest in Black entrepreneurs also did so in a less engaged way, the researchers found. These investors were about 15% less likely to take a board seat in the startup they supported, for example. So where does this leave Black founders now? Marx has other research that points to some opportunities. In a 2024 study, his team found that the racial funding gap for startups is smaller when a business comes out of an acceleratorlike Y Combinator or Techstarsthan just through VC funding. With traditional VC investing, founders may need a personal connection to get referred, which can leave certain people out. If venture capital funds adopted a more open application process like accelerators do, that could help close the funding gap, Marx says. And though that surge of investments to founders of color petered out, overall the number of Black founders is growingalbeit slowly. Although Black entrepreneurs represented just 3.5% of all founders seeking VC funding over the past 20 years, in the past five years that number has grown to 4.5%. That means Black founders are still underrepresented, Marx says. But maybe [that growth] gives someone the thought that, Hey, I can play this game too. Im going to take an entrepreneurship course or apply to an accelerator. Thats my hope.
Category:
E-Commerce
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