Human Capital Intel - 11/4/25
Adopting Ai is a people project | More productive ways to think about AI layoffs | Power behind the chiefs | Generational friction at work | States complicate AI rules
Welcome to the latest edition of Human Capital Intelligence, your weekly brief synthesizing over 250 leadership, HR, and people sources to filter out the noise. As always, we would love to hear from you at ken@reyvism.com with questions you’d like answered or topics covered.
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By Ken Stibler; Powered by Reyvism Analytics
Three better ways to think about the recent AI layoffs
I’m tired of those two letters and you’re probably even more tired of it. We’ve covered what Fortune is pleasantly terming “mega AI layoffs” several times this fall, and it’s gotten to the point where it just feels like background noise. Add in the contradictions between amazing claims of what the tech can do and regular studies showing most companies are seeing no results and it’s easy to want to put your head in the sand.
Yet the instinct to wait for the dust to settle is a dangerous mistake if the tech is even 50% as disruptive as powerful as claimed. So instead of recapping all of this week’s AI-layoff stories and the resultant HR freakout that its generating (which might have something to do with the fact IBM claimed its automated 94% of all HR tasks), here are three less hype-driven frames to keep yourself engaged with the topic:
Competitiveness. Instead of fixating on AI, focus on the competitive reality it creates. Clients are already demanding that the cost savings from automation be passed through to them. Deloitte and others are seeing that pressure firsthand, and companies that can’t deliver will lose business to those that can.
Technological maturity. The question isn’t whether AI works—it’s whether your organization is ready for it. Do you have the data, people, and strategic clarity to use it effectively? Many of these layoffs are more about Wall Street signaling than operational need, an effort to prove adoption before the foundations are even in place. That’s a fast path to failure.
Culture and key person dependency. When leaders link job cuts to AI, they might win short-term investor applause but lose long-term loyalty. The employees who remain become more vital and less trusting. Amazon’s billion-dollar training plan may not be enough to rebuild morale after celebrating automation so loudly, and even cautious leaders now face teams that are already anxious about what comes next.
Bottom line: engage with the real market shifts - as leaders - rather than worrying your way to inaction thinking about the tech itself.
Successful AI adoption is a people problem
For all the talk about AI transforming business, the real challenge lies with the people expected to use it. Across industries, most employees still haven’t received the training needed to apply AI in their work. Leaders talk about integration and productivity, but many workers are still waiting for clear direction. That disconnect between ambition and ability will determine whether AI drives progress or frustration.
The companies making headway are the ones involving employees directly in the process. They create opportunities for hands-on learning instead of treating AI like an abstract system to be adopted later. People learn faster when they experiment, share what works, and see results in their own roles. When learning becomes part of daily work, AI adoption starts to feel natural rather than forced.
Clear leadership is equally important. Employees don’t need motivational speeches about the potential of AI. They need honesty about what is changing, what will stay the same, and how they will be supported. Straightforward communication and visible investment build trust, and trust encourages participation. The real measure of success with AI won’t be the speed of automation but how deeply leaders engage their people in shaping what comes next.
Quote of the Week: Tool abuse
“These things are tools. They’re neither good or bad, inherently—it’s what we do with them. Overuse is an issue. I don’t think the phone is a problem. I think the amount of time we stare at a phone is a problem.”
— Airbnb Founder Brian Chesky on employees overuse of phones during meetings
Reading List:
Chiefs of Staff quietly rise to prominence in corporate structures
Once reserved for politics or the military, the chief of staff role has become a cornerstone of corporate leadership, with nearly two-thirds of Fortune 500 CEOs employing one. Chiefs of staff act as filters, strategists, and confidants—trusted to manage priorities and absorb daily pressure so executives can focus on long-term goals. As AI takes over routine work, their blend of emotional intelligence, discretion, and influence behind the scenes makes them indispensable to modern executive teams.
CEOs struggle with ever growing generational friction
Despite a brutal job market, younger employees are still pushing back against corporate norms, and annoying executives in the process. Many are refusing to treat every project like a life-or-death sprint, questioning why office jobs run on constant adrenaline when so little of it is “truly urgent”. The shift amid a rapid replacement of younger workers shows either ignorance to their true vulnerability, or a deeper divided by work-life balance vs decades of management habits built on speed, pressure, and visible grind.
Surge of state AI rules feeds small business compliance concerns
A wave of state-level AI legislation is leaving small businesses anxious about compliance costs and legal risk. Nearly two-thirds of small business owners now say overlapping state rules threaten growth, prompting calls for a unified national AI framework. As the Trump administration weighs withholding federal funding from states with stricter laws, the patchwork of regulations risks stifling innovation before federal policy catches up.
Data Point:
49%
The share of workers who believe working in office is critical for promotion, regardless of RTO status.
In Other News
Books, malls and cars: where the physical world still rules: Many consumers are resisting, even turning back the digital revolution. (Financial Times)
Middle managers are getting exorcised from org charts. (HR Brew)
A good employee leave experience can pay dividends in retention, report finds. (HR Dive)
Massachusetts employers are now required to share salary ranges. (HR Brew)
AI generates surge in expense fraud: Business software groups warn that top AI models are increasingly being used to create ultra-realistic fake receipts. (Financial Times)
Job huggers’ are a new cybersecurity problem: Disengaged employees are more likely to fall for phishing emails and report security issues too late. (IT Brew)
America’s flatlining income growth is hitting Gen Z the hardest, throttling their shot at homeownership, JPMorgan report warns. (Fortune)