Quo Vadis: Advertising Economic Forum Podcast with Rishad Tobaccowala

In this episode, Rishad Tobaccowala discusses the "tectonic shifts" currently impacting business and management, including the blurring lines of work and jobs, generational ruptures, and the transformative power of AI.

💡Takeaways:

• 🌐 Tectonic Shifts We are currently experiencing "tectonic" times, a period of massive, interconnected changes—including a duality of beliefs, a third connected age of technology, generational ruptures, and an uncoupling of jobs and work—that are even more significant than the rise of the internet.
• ⚖️ The Duality of Business It is now possible to argue for two opposing truths at the same time; for example, a case can be made for why globalization and scale matter both more and less simultaneously.
• 🤖 AI's Impact on the Service Industry AI is an existential opportunity and threat to every service business, as it drives the cost of knowledge down to zero and questions the value of experience, which were once key revenue drivers.
• 💼 The Uncoupling of Jobs and Work We are moving toward a future with fewer jobs but more work, as the concept of a "job" originated with the Industrial Revolution and is now being uncoupled from "work" through an AI-first, talent-anywhere economy.
• 🏢 The Failure of Yesterday's Logic Company leaders, faced with a fear of change, are retreating to the 2019 playbook of "return to the office," which is the exact wrong move for a world that has fundamentally changed.
• 👥 Culture is Not a Place or a Spa True company culture is not dependent on a physical office and is not a place for everyone to feel good; rather, it is defined by a commitment to excellence, a growth mindset, collaboration, and open communication.

📚Chapters:

The Five Tectonic Shifts ‎ 5:43

The Disconnect Between Company Claims and Practices ‎ 13:09

Alternative Management Approaches ‎ 16:53

Defining Corporate Culture ‎ 20:56

Political Activism in the Workplace ‎ 25:33

Consulting Industry Disruption ‎ 31:25

Conclusion and Future Outlook ‎ 36:31

🎙 Guest: Rishad Tobaccowala

🎤 Host: Tom Triscari

📺 Sponsors: Yahoo! & DoubleVerify