Charlene Li

Founder & CEO,

Quantum Networks Group

The biggest risk with AI isn't moving too fast — it's hesitating too long. Hesitation, not technology, is what kills companies. Stop asking if your AI is ready. Ask if your strategy is.

THE PROBLEM AFTER NEXT: Everyone is racing to hand entry-level and analyst work to AI, and the near-term productivity math looks great. But that grunt work was never just output — it was the training ground where people built the judgment, intuition, and wisdom that seasoned leaders run on. In three to five years, organizations that automated away their junior tier will discover they also automated away their bench, and there's no AI to backfill the very human traits their top jobs require.

POD: Leading Disruption

BOOK: Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success

BIO: Charlene Li is an expert on business transformation strategy and disruptive leadership, and the NYT bestselling author of seven books. Her latest book is "Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success," co-authored with Dr. Katia Walsh. Charlene has worked with hundreds of top companies, ranging from Adobe to Southwest Airlines, and advised 49 of the Fortune 100 companies. She has spoken at events like the World Economic Forum, TED, and South by Southwest. Previously, Charlene was the founder and CEO of the disruptive analyst firm Altimeter Group and Chief Research Officer at PA Consulting. She has returned to her entrepreneurial roots, running her own firm, Quantum Networks Group. Charlene is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School and was named one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company.