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
But what drives me is my passion to champion humanity in every way that I can. A passion now amplified in the Age of AI. ❤️
Walking up to a sizzle reel that someone created about your life’s work is an honor that I do not take lightly. Thank you, Jeff for sharing your platform with me and allowing me to tell my story and what I believe in, in such a delightful and meaningful conversation. But what drives me is […]
Top candidates have choices. Always have. Always will. Even in this complex job market. Even for Early Talent.
Being transparent about the salary you are offering is one of the most important steps you can take to get your candidate to say yes to your offer. I had a great conversation with Kerry Hannon for Yahoo Finance on this topic. “Salary transparency plays a critical role in enabling students and recent graduates to […]
????️ We Don’t Have a Talent Shortage in Manufacturing. We Have a Perception Problem.
Across the country, manufacturers are sounding the alarm about a labor shortage. But here’s the truth: it’s not just a pipeline problem—it’s a perception crisis. Too many people still envision factories based on perceptions formed decades ago: dirty and repetitive with limited opportunities for growth. That mental image couldn’t be further from today’s reality. Modern […]
Had such great time speaking with Dave D’Angelo for the Built By People Podcast!
In “From Compliance to Culture: My Unexpected HR Journey” I shared that mypath into HR leadership didn’t begin with a traditional people ops background—it began in law. I gave a sped up version of the advice I give to companies seeking to excel in an uncertain future. So much fun to hit all of the […]
The $4.2 Trillion AI Opportunity: Why Workforce Restructurings Point to the “Title-Free” Future I Have Been Writing About
With a net increase in job roles, a major tech company’s recent workforce restructuring signals what’s coming for every organization navigating AI transformation. Rather than clinging to traditional roles, this company is realigning their talent architecture to match an AI-driven reality, illustrating how future-proofing workforce transformation strategy requires pivoting at the speed of business in […]
The Future of Entry-Level Jobs and Employee Development
We’ll be speaking about the future of entry-level jobs at the ASU+GSV Summit – one of the most important topics on hashtag#TheFutureOfWork. If you play any role in the hiring of hashtag#EarlyTalent or in getting Early Talent prepared for the workforce in this new age of hashtag#AI, I hope you’ll join us!