What if the discomfort leaders feel right now, at the beginning of the AI age, isn’t a problem to solve, but the exact place where transformation happens? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the future of organizational leadership and human potential with Meg Bear, a seasoned tech executive turned “future inventor” who brings a unique perspective as a fifth-generation Bay Area native and first-generation college graduate. From her advisory work with CEOs and boards to her mission of creating abundant futures that value our shared humanity, Meg offers a compelling vision for navigating unprecedented change.

Meg takes us on a journey through her unconventional life and career path – from engineering leadership at Oracle and president of SAP’s HCM (Human Capital Management) business to her current work helping organizations harness human ingenuity. She reveals why the traditional business leadership playbook – built on certainty and past experience – is not only obsolete but counterproductive in our current moment.

Drawing from her background as a cultural outsider who learned to navigate different worlds, Meg explains how the skills of adaptation and cross-cultural communication that immigrants develop are exactly what all leaders need now.

Throughout our conversation, Meg challenges the narrative that change is simply happening to us, instead advocating for agency in shaping the future we want to live in. She argues that we’re at a unique moment where discomfort is hitting “all layers of the stack” – from the board room and the c-suite to the ICs – and that this discomfort is not only natural but necessary for growth. Her vision for leadership emphasizes curiosity over certainty, collective intelligence over individual expertise, and the courage to embrace vulnerability as a pathway to learning.

In this transformative discussion, we explore:

• Why the space between what you can’t control and what you can impact is bigger than you think
• How traditional business leadership models based on certainty are failing in uncertain times
• Why emotions are data that reveal deeper fears about changing definitions of competence
• The need for psychologically safe spaces where experienced leaders can express confusion
• How untapped human ingenuity could be unlocked through more inclusive value creation in organizations of the future
• Why our “messy bits” are actually our greatest sources of strength and adaptability

This episode is an invitation for leaders to move beyond fear-based reactions to inevitable change, and instead embrace the agency we have to invent futures that serve our shared humanity.

Resources Mentioned

• Reid Hoffman on GenAI as the cognitive industrial revolution: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/gen-ai-a-cognitive-industrial-revolution
• The myth of exponential hypergrowth: https://longform.asmartbear.com/exponential-growth/
• Inventing the future: https://www.megbear.com/post/inventing-the-future
• Meg’s 2025 word of the year: https://www.megbear.com/pos

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What if the struggle and friction in the creative process is actually what makes art meaningful – and what we’re at risk of losing in our rush toward AI efficiency? In this deeply reflective episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence with Nando Costa, a renowned designer and artist who has been at the very forefront of Generative AI (GenAI) and whose work has shaped the visual identity of major tech companies including Microsoft, Google, and ServiceNow. From his home studio on Bainbridge Island, Nando shares his journey from early GenAI experimentation to a deeper understanding of what makes creativity authentically human.

Nando takes us through his extensive exploration of generative AI, having created over 25,000 pieces using these tools, only to discover their addictive, slot-machine-like qualities and ultimate lack of artistic depth. He reveals how this experience led him to champion “slow photography,” deliberate creative processes, and the irreplaceable value of human intention in artistic work. Through compelling examples – from photographers camping for days to capture the perfect shot to his daughter’s (who’s also an artist) immediate rejection of AI-generated art – Nando illustrates why the time, energy, and personal investment we put into creating something directly correlates to its impact on others.

Throughout our conversation, Nando challenges the dominant narrative that speed and optimization should drive creative work, instead advocating for depth over speed and originality over optimization. His insights on brand work, creative leadership, and the future of design offer a compelling counter-narrative to the “AI will replace everything” mentality, showing how human creativity becomes more precious – not less – in an automated world.

In this thought-provoking discussion, we explore:

• Why generative AI feels addictive but ultimately lacks the depth of human-created art
• How the time and energy invested in creation directly impacts the meaning of the work
• Why Gen Z is gravitating toward analog processes like film photography and vinyl records
• The importance of “slow” and deliberate creative processes in maintaining authenticity
• How friction in the creative act isn’t a bug to be fixed, but a feature to be embraced
• What the future of brand work looks like when anyone can generate content instantly

This episode is an invitation to reconsider our relationship with creative tools and the creative act itself, to value the human struggle that gives art its meaning, and to champion depth and originality in an age of optimization.

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Slow Productivity
• Theo Jansen’s wind-powered beach sculptures
• SomeForm Studio example of curated AI automation in design

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Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

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Digitalization promised us a brave “new work” world. But instead we ended up with more meetings and “fake work”. What’s next and how do we transform our obsession with productivity tools and endless meetings into meaningful work and real innovation?

In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the future of work with Markus Albers, a Berlin-based journalist, author, and entrepreneur whose insights have consistently anticipated major shifts in how we work. From his prescient 2008 book predicting remote work to his latest exploration of “the optimization lie,” Markus reveals how our relationship with work has evolved – and why the promised freedom of digital tools has instead chained us to our screens.

Markus takes us on a journey through the changing landscape of work, explaining how the initial promise of technology to free us from our desks has instead created an “always on” culture where work seeps into every aspect of our lives. He shares alarming research showing knowledge workers now spend 60% of their time in meetings and collaboration rather than doing creative work – and how this leads to widespread dissatisfaction and disengagement. And the effects on innovation in businesses around the world are fatal. Yet through his research with companies like Bayer, he also uncovers promising models for a more fluid, fulfilling future of work powered by AI and skill-based platforms.

Throughout our conversation, Markus challenges conventional management approaches that prioritize control over creation, arguing that leaders need to rediscover their own creative capacities and build organizations where people can actually finish their days feeling they’ve accomplished something meaningful. His vision for the future of work emphasizes fluidity, cross-organizational collaboration, and technology that serves human needs rather than extracting maximum productivity.

In this inspiring discussion, we explore:

• Why the initial promise of technology to make us more productive and happier hasn’t materialized
• How managers’ fear of losing control has led to calendar overload and measurement obsession
• The identity crisis facing managers as AI threatens to replace routine work
• What organizations like Bayer are doing to create more fluid, skill-based work models
• How leaders can fight for freedom from constant work in an AI-powered future

This episode is an invitation to reimagine our relationship with work—to move beyond optimization for its own sake and create environments where people can truly create, ship, and find fulfillment.

Topics

02:30 - Markus’s journey from journalist to author and entrepreneur

04:00 - The Meconomy book and its early vision of the digital revolution

07:30 - The evolution of the "future of work" from liberation to digital exhaustion

09:10 - How we freed ourselves from desk chains but chained ourselves to screens instead

11:30 - Leaders’ fear of losing control in hybrid work environments

12:30 - The need to rediscover our capacity to create and ship meaningful work

14:30 - Microsoft research showing knowledge workers spend 60% of time on collaboration

16:00 - The leadership challenge of reconfiguring how work is done

17:00 - The importance of asynchronous communication skills for leaders

18:40 - The growing debate about “bullshit jobs” and management bureaucracy

Send us a text

Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fd