Now to Next with Jason Averbook

Jason Averbook
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A place to sit down with trailblazers, truth-tellers, and builders who are actively reshaping our world.

  1. EP24: The Function Nobody Owned: HR, IT, and AI Finally in One Room with Tracey Franklin

    APR 23

    EP24: The Function Nobody Owned: HR, IT, and AI Finally in One Room with Tracey Franklin

    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 at Moderna, to explore what it actually looks like to connect people and technology in practice, not just in theory.

    44 min
  2. EP23: The Agent Illusion: Why Most “AI Agents” Aren’t What You Think

    APR 10

    EP23: The Agent Illusion: Why Most “AI Agents” Aren’t What You Think

    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 that distinction matters more than ever. I also share real examples of where organizations are getting this wrong, and what happens when you layer AI on top of broken processes. This is not about chasing the next buzzword. It is about knowing what you are actually deploying, what you can trust it with, and whether your foundation is ready for it. Because putting AI on top of broken processes does not create transformation. It hides the problem until it shows up at scale. If we cannot define what we are deploying, we cannot govern it, trust it, or scale it.

    24 min
  3. EP22: The Embodiment Gap: Why AI Adoption Was Never the Goal

    MAR 6

    EP22: The Embodiment Gap: Why AI Adoption Was Never the Goal

    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 starting to ask why.

    28 min
  4. EP21: The Entry Level Collapse and the Rise of 22nd Century Leadership with Heather Jerrehian

    FEB 27

    EP21: The Entry Level Collapse and the Rise of 22nd Century Leadership with Heather Jerrehian

    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 this urgent and deeply personal conversation, I sat down with Heather Jerrehian, Founder and CEO of H22 AI, to unpack what she calls an existential workforce crisis. From her vantage point in Silicon Valley, she has watched AI reshape workflows, hiring patterns, and corporate incentives in real time. What struck me most was this: the real danger is not automation itself, but redesigning work without redesigning pathways.

    49 min
  5. EP20: The K-Shaped Knowledge Economy: Why AI Fluency Is Splitting the Workforce

    FEB 6

    EP20: The K-Shaped Knowledge Economy: Why AI Fluency Is Splitting the Workforce

    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 the idea of the K shaped AI economy where the split is not between jobs, but within them. He explains why two people in the same role can now be operating at radically different levels of impact, why performance systems are failing to detect it, and why AI fluency is no longer about using tools but about changing how work and thinking actually happen. This episode is a direct call to leaders, HR, and talent teams to stop planning for the future of work and start responding to the reality already unfolding.

    14 min
  6. EP19: Voice AI, Hiring Ethics, and the Future of Recruiting with Ophir Samson

    JAN 29

    EP19: Voice AI, Hiring Ethics, and the Future of Recruiting with Ophir Samson

    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 weak signal now that AI can generate polished applications at scale. Together, Jason and Ophir unpack how voice AI can surface richer, more human insight earlier in the hiring process without replacing recruiters or removing human judgment. The conversation dives into ethics, candidate experience, bias, trust, and why the future of recruiting isn’t about automation for efficiency alone, but about freeing humans to focus on the work they should be doing. This episode offers a grounded, thoughtful look at where AI belongs in hiring and where it absolutely doesn’t.

    43 min
  7. EP18:Leading Through Change, AI, and the Future of Work with Al Dea

    JAN 15

    EP18:Leading Through Change, AI, and the Future of Work with Al Dea

    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 leaders, Al shares what is top of mind right now. From change fatigue and fear, to middle manager overload, to why most organizations are using AI for efficiency instead of redesigning work itself. They explore why humans are wired to survive rather than thrive during change, why mindset matters more than tools, and what leaders must focus on to build resilient, human-centered organizations in an AI-driven world. This conversation goes beyond hype to examine leadership, agency, curiosity, and the deeply human skills that will matter most as work continues to evolve.

    45 min
  8. EP17: Why Career Advice No Longer Works

    2025-12-19

    EP17: Why Career Advice No Longer Works

    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 disappearing or people falling behind. It is about the loss of a shared map for how we plan our futures. Questions that once had straightforward answers no longer do. What should I study? Is college still the right choice? Am I behind, or just early? Instead of framing this uncertainty as a problem, Jason reframes it as awareness. A sign that people are paying attention to how work is really changing. He argues that the biggest gap today is not skills. It is agency. The ability to notice what is shifting, make informed choices, and move forward without waiting for permission.

    24 min
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A place to sit down with trailblazers, truth-tellers, and builders who are actively reshaping our world.

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