Interesting Article from the Information: "Amazon is among a growing list of tech giants that are tracking workers’ internal AI usage and using it as a factor in decisions on pay and promotions." Amazon prides itself on being data obsessed, and its approach to tracking its own employees’ use of AI has been no different. Amazon has been using an internal system called Clarity to track how often employees use AI tools in their work, two people with knowledge of the tracking said. (Clarity also tracks other things about employees, such as in-person office attendance, the people said.) That includes data on overall AI usage by team and—for at least some managers—details on which AI tools people are using, including Amazon’s coding tool, Kiro. Amazon says it encourages employees to use its in-house AI tools as well as certain approved tools made by other companies. "Understanding how employees adopt new technology helps us support them in using the latest tools to innovate in their day to day and deliver for customers,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “We focus on AI adoption and sharing best practices to celebrate innovation and operational efficiency gains across the company—whether that’s during a review process or throughout the year.” Apart from tracking time spent on AI tools, some leaders in Amazon have been asking for more details on how employees are using AI to work more efficiently. That includes the company’s supply chain optimization technology team, known as SCOT, which has played a key role in managing costs in Amazon’s massive retail and logistics business, such as figuring out how to balance speedy delivery with keeping fulfillment costs low.

You may have seen this one making the rounds this week. It's a well-done analysis from the perspective of one man, who's knee-deep in AI. Even if he's only half right, the implications on your business, your career, and your team are as dramatic as you may think. Worth 10 minutes of your time: https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening

This group is a little more in tune with AI than the average manager so I thought I'd ask the question. What do you think most business managers actually struggle with when it comes to the notion of this generation of AI (meaning generative AI, not reasoning and planning models). Is there a fundamental misunderstanding of what it is? Maybe they don't fully understand the implications, or what? Not thinking of the CEO and executive team when I'm asking this, I'm thinking more the middle managers in non-tech companies (you know, the ones that drive the US or NA economies that aren't sexy).

Pinterest just laid off 15% of its workforce to "redirect resources toward AI." Then some of its engineers built a tool to figure out exactly who got cut. Pinterest fired them too. The CEO called it "obstructionist behavior." The engineers say they just used the company's own staff directory. Either way ... the message was clear. We're restructuring. Don't ask questions. Here's the thing. Pinterest's stock is down 20% this year. They're scrambling to compete with Meta & Google on AI-powered ads. And now they're burning trust with the people who survived the cuts. That's the cost of doing AI transformation the wrong way. (Remember: The tech will sort itself out; the "people part" of AI will prove to be the most challenging) So here's the strategic question most leaders aren't asking: When AI automates a process & frees up headcount ... do you cut those roles or redeploy them? Both paths are 100% legit. Path 1: Reduce headcount. You pocket the savings. Margins improve. Wall Street loves it. That's the Pinterest play. Path 2: Redeploy headcount. You move those people into growth roles ... sales, innovation, customer experience. Profits take longer but compound harder. High-class problem either way. But here's what's true regardless of which path you choose ... You can't make that decision until you've proven AI actually works in your operation. You need Pilots that deliver real, measurable results. That's what gives you the credibility (and the data) to go to your Board and say "here's what we're doing with the people this frees up." No results? No leverage. No leverage? No strategic choice. You're just guessing. That's exactly what today's *live* session is about. I'm walking through the "AI Pilot to Profit" framework ... the step-by-step system for going from AI idea to measurable ROI in 6 weeks. Today (2/5) at 1pm ET / 12pm CT / 11am MT / 10am PT Join us live. Here's the Zoom link.

When the opening ceremonies for the 2026 Winter Olympics take place this Friday in Milan-Cortina, the flame will burn bright for athletes who earned their spot. 🔥 But here's the harder truth the cameras won't show: the tryouts that ended in heartbreak. The skaters who practiced for years but couldn't land the triple axel when it mattered. The hockey players who gave everything but still got cut. 💔 They weren't bad people. They just weren't Olympic-ready. Sadly, you have the same people on your team right now. I call them "The Resisters" ... and they're threatening to freeze your AI transformation before it even begins. These aren't necessarily your longest-tenured employees. Tenure has nothing to do with it. I've seen 20-year veterans embrace AI like it's the best thing since direct deposit. And I've watched people hired 20 months ago dig in their heels like they're defending a castle. The Resisters share something deeper than a start-date. Here's what they have in common: 1️⃣ They've built their identity around how they do the work, not what they accomplish. The process is the point. Challenge the process, and you've challenged their very worth. 2️⃣ They see AI as a referendum on their career. If a machine can do it, what does that say about the last decade? 3️⃣ They're skilled at sounding reasonable. "I just want to make sure we're being thoughtful" is Resister code for "I'll slow-walk this until everyone forgets." Here's how to spot The Resisters in the wild: 👀 They ask for "more research" on tools that millions are already using successfully. They volunteer for the AI committee ... then miss every meeting. They find 1 edge case where AI got something wrong & treat it like they've discovered plutonium. 👀 Watch for the person who says "I'm not against AI" and then follows with "but" and 17 reasons to wait. Their favorite season? An eternal winter of delay. Now, here's the part no one wants to talk about: You have to manage them out. Soon. 🚪 Not because they're bad people. Not because they haven't contributed. But because your transformation will die if you don't. And that's no longer an option.