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Moderna no longer has individual contributors.

Every employee is now a team of five: themselves plus four AI teammates working as an Assistant, a Coach, an Expert, and a Creative Partner.

In about a year, they went from 750 custom GPTs to over 3,000 embedded across every function.

They’re launching 15 products in the next five years. With fewer than 6,000 people.

We believe a few thousand with the right AI mindset and technology can achieve the same as a traditional biopharma of tens or hundreds of thousands.

Here’s the difference between hoping people use AI vs. building an org that requires it:

• Moderna gave employees the tools to create their own AI teammates. Within two months of launching ChatGPT Enterprise, employees had created 750 custom GPTs. From people doing the work, not a centralized AI team.

• They redesigned the org chart. Their HR leader became Chief People and Digital Technology Officer to design work for humans and AI teammates working together. A shift from workforce planning to work planning. People first, AI forward.

• The CEO expects staff to use AI at least 20 times per day.

• Moderna redesigned their entire operating model around AI capabilities. The gap is cultural and operational, not technical.

This is the human + AI org transformation I’ve been working on with GTM teams. Just at a different scale and industry. It’s a human change management journey.

90% of companies want to do GenAI, but only 10% of them are successful, and the reason they fail is because they haven’t built the mechanisms of actually transforming the workforce to adopt new technology and new capabilities.

They built the change infrastructure first.

See links to a podcast, video, and an article in the comments if you’re interested to learn more about Moderna and their AI journey.

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A GTM exec told me their AI adoption story. Early momentum was strong. Then some people started disengaging. The fear was real. If AI can do parts of my job, what happens to me? That question deserves an honest answer.

This is where most leaders stall. They either push harder or back off. Both fail.

Here’s what confident leadership actually looks like:

You have a responsibility to upskill your employees. Not because it’s nice. Because it’s your job.

You hired them when they had the skills your business needed. The business needs have changed. Your job is to give them the skills they need to compete now.

This makes business sense. Upskilling existing employees who know your culture and your business is more cost-effective than hiring new talent. It builds loyalty. And these AI skills are an investment in their careers, not just your company.

The hardest part isn’t the AI. It’s the human side, shifting mindset and behavior. Real investment is people-first, AI-forward. It means understanding their needs and concerns, inspiring them with what’s possible, hands-on training, space to learn with others, time to experiment, and leaders who use AI themselves. It’s not just doling out AI licenses and a Slack announcement.

After you’ve provided genuine support and time to adapt, people make their own choices.

In most major changes, you’ll see the Rule of Thirds play out:

• One third will lead the change

• One third will follow with support

• One third won’t embrace it

Your responsibility looks different for each group:

• Leaders – Give them room to run and become internal champions

• Followers – Provide guidance and consistent support

• Won’t embrace – Help them find the right place to thrive, whether that’s a different role on your team or elsewhere

Before sorting your team, ask yourself: Have we truly invested? Do we use AI ourselves? Or did we just expect people to figure it out while we watched from the sidelines?

Nice leadership keeps everyone comfortable and sets them up to fail when the world changes.

Compassionate leadership invests in people, sets clear expectations, and makes tough decisions when needed.

The AI era isn’t waiting. Leaders who develop their people AND drive results will build teams that thrive.

Your job is to know the difference.

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Meet me in Boston! Nov 17-19 is the MarketingProfs B2B Forum, a beloved event in the marketing community.

I will be speaking on Nov 19 and will cover a real-life case study of how a marketing team transformed into a powerhouse org with humans working alongside more than 100 AI teammates.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to build AIs (like custom GPTs) that serve as specialized marketing teammates and orchestrate them in workflows

• Practical ways to evolve team roles from AI users to AI builders and guides

• Real impact metrics from successful human + AI collaboration

The event’s speaker line-up includes top-notch thought leaders like Andy Crestodina, Christopher Penn, Dale Bertrand, Ann Handley, Jon Miller, Katie Robbert, Lindsay Tjepkema, Brian Piper, and more.

See link in comments for more info about B2B Forum. #MPB2B

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“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

That’s what #MAICON2025 was for me.

I went to Cleveland to share what I’ve learned about building AI teammates, chaining AIs in workflows, and scaling human + AI collaboration. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d receive in return.

I watched people light up when they realized they could build these tools. I saw teams planning how they’d bring this back to their orgs. I heard stories of people experimenting, failing, and making real progress, not because they’re technical, but because they’re curious and willing to try.

I got to showcase and celebrate the work the Sophos marketing team has done. Shoutout to Megan Cabrera and the crew. Together we built a human + AI marketing organization: 75 trailblazers, 211 AI teammates with 57 integrated in daily workflows, now scaling to 150+ marketers and beyond.

The early impacts are notable, from each person on a team saving 5-7 hours weekly to SDRs seeing 2-3x better engagement. Grateful to be part of the Sophos marketing team’s AI adoption journey.

Here’s what stood out to me this week:

1. Complementary superpowers are key.

AI doesn’t replace human creativity and critical thinking. It elevates them. The goal isn’t human OR AI. It’s human AND AI, each making the other better. Geoff Woods showed leveraging AI as a thought partner in action. Jeremiah Owyang painted the future of 10x agents to humans with brands catering to both the humans and the agents that serve them.

2. We need to go beyond efficiency.

As they say, “We can’t reimagine the future by simply automating the past.” Paul Roetzer reinforced it with “Optimization is 10% thinking. Innovation is 10x thinking.” And Andy Crestodina urged us to look beyond looking for efficiencies; see how AI can help us uncover deficiencies.

3. AI search is pushing us to be more authentically human.

It’s less about gaming the system. Many reinforced that AI search rewards those who deeply understand customer behaviors and are genuinely helpful. With his refreshing “say it how it is” style, Wil Reynolds gave us practical ways to be seen, believed, and chosen in AI search.

Andy Crestodina also emphasized that this is a race to who can be the most generous with helpful content, not gating them and asking for an email in return.

This is my third year attending MAICON, and because I’m human, I’ve forgotten some sessions and slides. But I’ve never forgotten how this community made me feel.

I’ll remember the conversations, the openness, the willingness to share both wins and struggles. I’ll remember people who aren’t waiting for permission, who are making this technology work for people, not at them.

To Paul Roetzer and the entire Marketing AI Institute and SmarterX team, your dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed towards your vision of “AI literacy for all.” Your impact ripples far and wide. On behalf of many, I thank you.

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