๐๏ธ EP66 - The $1M AI Mercenary Problem
Description
๐ฅ Your tech budget is burningโand hiring hype can kill your culture.
Hereโs the brutal truth:
Boards are shelling out $1M+ to AI engineersโnone of whom are scientists in the classical sense
Metaโs Superintelligence Lab just dangled $100Mโ$300M packages for top AI talent, while tens of thousands of good people got laid off
Worse: Investors are funding AI hires not to build software, but to create products that enable layoffsโfueling a toxic, nonsensical cycle
In this eye-opening episode, Michele Brissoni sits down with Sean Smith to reveal how hype hires destroy ROI, while true transformation demands behavioral discipline and operational mastery.
๐ฏ What Youโll Discover:
๐ธ The Meta Superintelligence paradox: sky-high compensation, no neuroscience depth
๐คก Why the $1M AI hire is the ultimate mercenaryโmoney in, culture out
๐งฉ The blinding absurdity: โ10 certified Scrum Masters shouting at one coderโ
๐๏ธ Why building like an F1 pit crew beats superstar hiring
๐ How small, disciplined steps produce real, sustainable ROI
๐ฃ๏ธ Quotes That Hit Hard:
โWe are people from the market, providing them a lot of cash โฆ not their culture.โ
โ10 Scrum Masters screaming at one paddling engineer.โ
โThis performance isnโt achievable with casual leadership.โ
๐ก If You Care Aboutโฆ
Keeping your team (and culture) alive during layoffs
Spending on tools or people that actually deliver ROI
Leadership that doesnโt cheat the process
โฆthis episode cuts through the noise.
๐ Stop Buying, Start Training
Want to stop lighting cash on fire?
Cut through the hype. Cultivate behavior. Build talent from withinโdaily.
Begin with a behavioral assessment and start evolving with the Unicornsโ Ecosystem.
๐ https://unicorns-ecosystem.com/
๐ฅ Subscribe & Stay Woke
Donโt miss the next episodeโhit ๐ and subscribe now.
๐ท๏ธ Tags
#DigitalTransformation #AI #Layoffs #Meta #EngineeringCulture #BehavioralEngineering #TechLeadership #Podcast #UnicornsEcosystem
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