Are CEOs Stupid? Or Just Stubborn?

CEOs Baffled by Employee Hostility While Funding Surveillance Tech Revolution. It Seems AI Management Doesn't Come Easy to Everyone.

CEOs Baffled by Employee Hostility While Funding Surveillance Tech Revolution. It Seems AI Management Doesn't Come Easy to Everyone.

Welcome to my explorations at the intersection of AI leadership, algorithmic management, and the future of work. In this age of AI, I focus on how networked and decentralized organizations can thrive with agentic AI, gig work models, and new approaches to AI management. If you're curious about the evolution of networked organization structures and the role of gig workers in tomorrow’s economy, you’re in the right place.

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Today's post practically wrote itself.

This morning's doom scroll delivered a masterclass in corporate delusion. Within five minutes of browsing my feeds—somewhere between the Greek yogurt and the cup of tea—I stumbled across three articles that perfectly capture why the modern workplace feels like watching a slow-motion car crash directed by people who failed basic psychology.

First up: Half of global technology professionals are job hunting as they seek flexibility, purpose and wellbeing

"What technology professionals want is clear: flexibility, balance and purpose. It's now up to employers to deliver, through real policies, a supportive culture, and transparent leadership which shows direction, explains intent and builds confidence. Those who do will be far better placed to attract talent in an already competitive market." - Half of global technology professionals are job hunting as they seek flexibility, purpose and wellbeing

Translation: Workers want to be treated like sentient beings with lives outside their cubicles. Revolutionary stuff, really.

But wait—plot twist! The very next article:

Venture Capital (VC) Money Is Fueling a Global Boom in Worker Surveillance Tech

"Workplace surveillance is expanding in scale and sophistication, the researchers said. While large corporations are known to develop surveillance technologies, a so-called Little Tech ecosystem of mostly unregulated, venture capital-funded startups and small vendors making these products has grown since Covid-19, the report found. [...] Most managers in wealthier nations say algorithmic management tools improve their decision-making, according to a 2024 survey of over 6,000 employers by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. More than 90% of American managers used such tools, especially to reward or sanction employees." - Venture Capital (VC) Money Is Fueling a Global Boom in Worker Surveillance Tech

So while workers are fleeing in search of basic human dignity, companies are doubling down on turning workplaces into panopticons. Because nothing says "flexibility and purpose" quite like keystroke monitoring and bathroom break analytics.

The cherry on this dystopian sundae:

Nearly half of CEOs say employees are resistant or even hostile to AI

"45% of CEOs said most of their employees are resistant or even openly hostile to AI. [The researchers] noted three key barriers to AI adoption: organizational change management, a lack of employee trust in AI and workforce skills gaps." - Nearly half of CEOs say employees are resistant or even hostile to AI

Let me decode this executive bewilderment: People don't trust the shiny new technology being shoved down their throats by the same leadership that thinks surveillance equals productivity. Shocking.

Are CEOs stupid? Or just stubborn?

Jurgen

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