Do not conflate AI performance with AI governance.
The Wall Street Journal published my contribution to the rules for succeeding at work. It was about remote work and proximity to power. And I stand by my position that in-office presence is key to your career mobility. If the power brokers in your company are in the office, you should be too. See my […]
Own Your Career: Interview with Valerie Capers Workman, Chief Human Resources Officer of Empower Pharmacy
I recently went one-on-one with Valerie Capers Workman, Chief Human Resources Officer of Empower Pharmacy. Valerie previously served as Vice President of People at Tesla, reporting directly to Elon Musk, and as Chief Talent Engagement Officer at Handshake. Adam: Long before you were leading HR in the world of pharmacy, you were leading HR for a […]
I ran HR at Tesla. Here’s what the class of 2026 can do to navigate the AI chaos
A few weeks ago, I stood on a stage at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), looking out at the Class of 2026. The air was thick with a very modern kind of tension. While previous generations might have experienced the standard “graduation jitters,” what I saw was something far more intense: a profound sense […]
Tesla former HR chief says AI fear is bigger than reality; advises professionals to learn AI not because …
Tesla former chief HR officer Valerie Capers Workman has said fears around artificial intelligence (AI) wiping out white-collar jobs are being overstated, even as major tech firms announce layoffs and ramp up AI spending. In a Fortune report, Workman said recent moves by companies like Meta and Microsoft are not a clear signal of what […]
Tesla’s former HR chief: the AI layoff panic Is built on a false premise—here’s what most workers need to know
In a single week, Meta announced it would lay off 8,000 people on May 20, and Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts to roughly 8,750 U.S. employees — about 7% of its U.S. workforce. Both moves come as the same Big Tech companies pour record capital into AI infrastructure. Meta is grading employees in performance reviews on […]
Elon Musk thinks college is ‘basically for fun’，Tesla HR
Gen Z’s relationship with higher education has never been more fraught. Soaring tuition costs and a brutal entry-level job market have left many young people questioning whether getting a degree was worth it at all. But Valerie Capers Workman, who served as vice president of people at Tesla, has a sharply different message for the graduating class of 2026: Don’t buy […]
Elon Musk thinks college is ‘basically for fun’—but his former Tesla HR chief tells Gen Z their liberal arts degree is more valuable than ever
Credit: Preston Fore Gen Z’s relationship with higher education has never been more fraught. Soaring tuition costs and a brutal entry-level job market have left many young people questioning whether getting a degree was worth it at all. But Valerie Capers Workman, who served as vice president of people at Tesla, has a sharply different message for the graduating class of […]
An open letter to the Class of 2026 and to the parents watching them cross the stage wondering if their degree still matters.
It does. More than it ever has. I just delivered the Day 2 Keynote at the Defining the Future conference at California State University-San Bernardino. When the students lined up after the talk, not for a photo, but for a conversation, I realized the most important message of my visit was not for the business […]
The CHRO seat is a tech role. Full Stop. That’s the argument I made on Episode 882 of #HRchat, and I stand by every word.
Hear me out. Thank you Bill, I’ve been saying for the past three years that soon every job will be a tech job. At least 25% percent of my time is spent on tools and systems procurement, deployment and integration while keeping people at the center of everything we do. Full Post on LinkedIn