Now to Next with Jason Averbook

What happens when AI can do more of the work we've traditionally assigned to people? For many organizations, the conversation quickly turns to automation, efficiency, and workforce disruption. But according to Lara Albert, the more important conversation is about adaptability. As AI continues to reshape how work gets done, leaders face a critical challenge: helping people develop the skills, judgm...

What happens when employees walk into AI training already convinced the technology might replace them? Most organizations are treating AI adoption as a technology challenge. Dr. Xenia Wade believes that is exactly where leaders are getting it wrong. Drawing from her research background, enterprise transformation work, and recent move from Germany to Japan, Xenia explains why AI creates a level of...

BCG dropped two studies that should be taped to the wall of every CHRO's office. One shows that adding AI "employees" to org charts is making human workers sloppier and more likely to blame the bot when things go wrong. The other — "AI brain fry" — shows that cognitive overload from managing AI tool sprawl is driving errors, burnout, and intent to quit. Meanwhile, 48% of Q1 tech layoffs were attri...

What does it really take to integrate people, culture, and technology in a way that drives transformation, not just change? As organizations race to adopt AI and digital platforms, many are still treating technology and people as separate strategies. But what happens when those two become one system? In this conversation, I sat down with Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer...

What if the “AI agents” your organization is investing in aren’t actually agents at all? I woke up one morning, checked my phone, and saw yet another company announcing they are now an “AI agent company.” I have seen it over and over again. Different vendors. Same claim. No clear definition. I walk through in this episode what actually separates a workflow, a copilot, and a true agent, and why tha...

What if the reason AI investments are not delivering value has nothing to do with the technology itself? Across industries, organizations are pouring billions into AI tools, rolling out enterprise copilots, and tracking usage metrics that suggest adoption is rising. But the outcomes are not changing. Productivity is not shifting in meaningful ways. Decision making is not improving. And leaders are...

What if by automating entry level work, we are quietly eliminating the future leaders we will need in five years? As AI accelerates productivity across enterprises, I see a silent fracture forming beneath the surface. Entry level roles are disappearing. Internships are evaporating. And Gen Z unemployment and underemployment are rising at rates that far too few leaders are openly discussing. In thi...

What if the biggest divide in your organization is no longer about role, pay, or seniority, but about how people think with AI? In this solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook breaks down a pattern that is accelerating inside companies right now and largely invisible to traditional HR systems. Drawing from fresh labor data, market signals, and real examples from his own work, Jason introduces...

In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook is joined by Ophir Samson, Founder and CEO of Ezra, to explore how voice AI is reshaping the front end of hiring and why resumes may no longer be fit for purpose in an AI-driven world. Ophir shares his unconventional journey from mathematics and autonomous vehicles to building voice-based interviewing technology, and explains why resumes have become a...

What if the real challenge with AI is not the technology, but how humans respond to change? In this episode, Jason Averbook sits down with Al Dea, Founder of The Edge of Work, to unpack what talent, learning, and HR leaders are really experiencing as AI, transformation, and constant change collide in today’s workplace. Drawing from dozens of deep conversations with senior talent and learning leade...

In this timely solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook takes on a feeling many people are struggling to name. A sense that the usual paths around education, careers, and work no longer feel clear, especially as families come together during the holidays. Drawing from conversations with executives, parents, students, and mid career professionals, Jason explains why this moment is not about jobs...

What if your organization is already running on a new operating model—and no one realizes it yet? In this third solo episode, Jason unpacks two major reports from OpenAI and NTT Data and explains why they signal the biggest shift in how work gets done since the internet. He breaks down the invisible rewiring happening across enterprise workflows, the widening gap emerging between workers who use A...

What if the most important shift in education isn’t more degrees — but earlier, real-world experience? In this conversation, Jason sits down with Alexandra Levit, renowned futurist and author, and Stephanie Loeck, VP of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners, to discuss their groundbreaking new book, Make School Work. From redefining what “success” looks like to bridging the broken signal...

Is the world of work experiencing a normal cycle—or are we in the middle of a true workforce reckoning? In this solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook breaks down the four converging forces that are reshaping work faster than organizations can respond: collapsing workforce engagement, real-time job and skills restructuring, and the breakdown of the early-career pipeline. Jason calls this mome...

As technology and AI reshape how organizations work, what happens when we react too late? In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook sits down with Alexandra Zea, HR Digital Transformation Leader at Mercer, to talk about the danger of waiting for certainty before acting — and how to make sure people don’t become the collateral of change. Drawing on her experience helping organizations rethink...

As organizations everywhere race to adopt AI, what does it take to lead with humanity at the center? In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook sits down with Patricia Frost, Chief People and Places Officer at Seagate Technology, to discuss how leaders can build trust, courage, and connection in an era defined by technology. Drawing from her 32-year career in the U.S. Army and her leadership o...

What happens when curiosity becomes the most powerful skill of the future? In this episode of Now to Next, Jason sits down with Chris Maurio, Vice President of Solutions at Argano, to explore how AI is reshaping the way we work, parent, and think. From building his first database in HR to helping his six-year-old son design an app, Chris shares a deeply human perspective on innovation, digital lit...

When the world changes faster than ever before — do we truly want exponential change, or are we still thinking in increments? In this conversation, Jason Averbook sits down with Adam Holton, Chief People Officer at GE HealthCare, to explore what it really means to lead, coach, and stay human in an age defined by artificial intelligence. From his days as a Marine and basketball coach to his role le...

How do we move from AI hype to real, useful change at work? In this episode, Jason sits down with Johannes Sundlo, HR practitioner, speaker, and creator of FullStack HR, to unpack what “practical AI” really means for the future of work. A former HR leader at Spotify, Johannes shares how small, low-risk experiments can create big impact — and why curiosity is the most underrated skill for navigatin...

How do you lead with humanity when AI and automation are reshaping work? What does belonging look like for frontline teams who rarely see HR? In this episode Jason sits down with Mercedes Sullivan, Executive Vice President, People, Culture & Communications at McKinley Companies, to explore HR as a values-driven practice — not just tech. We talk about frontline workforce strategy, “projects → produ...

In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook sits down with HR tech veteran Doug Berg, known as the “Kevin Bacon of HR Tech” for his deep connections across the industry. Doug shares his entrepreneurial journey—from building Techies.com during the dot-com boom, to founding Jobs2Web (later acquired by SAP/SuccessFactors), to creating ZapInfo (acquired by Indeed), and now his latest venture, Match...

In this episode, Jason sits down with Dr. Tomas Chamorro, psychologist, author, and Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup, to explore the provocative themes from his upcoming book Why Authenticity is Overrated. Tomas shares insights from decades of research on leadership, psychology, and human behavior—challenging the popular notion that “being yourself” is always the best advice. From the dar...

In this episode of Now to Next, host Jason Averbook sits down with Dr. Thomas Otter — General Partner at Acadian Ventures, longtime product leader, and one of the most outspoken thinkers in HR technology. From his career at SAP and Gartner to co-founding a VC fund, Thomas has a unique vantage point on where HR tech has been and where it’s heading. Using golf bags, buffets, and a splash of wine met...

In this special solo episode of Now to Next, host Jason Averbook launches a new series — Questions from the Edge — where he takes on the toughest, most forward-looking questions from the community about HR, AI, and the future of work. Throughout the episode, Jason makes it clear: this isn’t an incremental shift — it’s a collapse moment. The winners will be those who design for intent, agent, and w...

In this conversation with Shlomit, we cut past the surface of “AI in HR” and get to what really matters: wisdom, judgment, and the human side of transformation.