Inflection Point

After nearly eight years at Accenture Song, I’ve decided to enroll in Northwestern Kellogg’s joint-degree MBAi program. It’s a chance to build the technical foundation I believe every business leader will need in the age of AI.

Why make a change now?

I believe a conflation of factors has shaped an inflection point for white-collar working professionals like myself. We are now presented with the decision to invest in reinvention in hopes of remaining competitive in future labor markets or ride out the current wave and risk being caught flat footed.

Why I’ve Chosen to Reinvent

1. AI is here to stay

Like prior platform shifts (think mobile or cloud), AI is re-shaping how we live and work. However, unlike prior shifts, this one is maturing much faster. Step change tool and model improvements are launching weekly, businesses are scrambling to integrate AI into their workflows, and the expectations of employees is rapidly evolving.

2. Individuals are leading the charge

This is the first tech wave in recent memory where adoption has been largely bottom-up. Past tech waves started at the enterprise level and trickled down to consumers. AI flipped that, with millions of consumers jumping in first. That inversion has created friction within larger organizations, where enthusiastic operators can find themselves ahead of the corporate curve and pushing mud uphill.

3. There is a home for the savvy generalist (for now)

Agentic AI seems to be better positioned to automate vertical, function-specific workflows before opaque, cross-functional requests. We could see a world where product:software role ratios drop to near close to 1:1. I am hoping to evolve my skills to be that product <> strategist hybrid, knowledgeable in how to use AI tools to accomplish more with less without relinquishing my agency and human creativity.

4. Building has never been easier (upside)

AI is making entrepreneurship more accessible. The barriers to building digital products have never been lower, and AI tool literacy has become the great equalizer. ARR:employee ratios are taking off. I’m especially curious about what new, AI-charged workflows can do for solo founders and small teams.

What Makes Me Cautiously Optimistic

1. We should be weary of blind adoption

AI's "shiny object" is efficiency gains, but the implications of persistent adoption go beyond productivity. It is influencing how we think, relate to each other, and interpret truth. There are second and third order consequences we may not yet understand or fully appreciate. We need to wrestle with questions like: what does it mean to learn when answers are instant? How does it shape our attention, judgment, or creative capacity?

2. The human experience should still matter

For the moment, most AI tools live behind screens. That doesn’t change the fact that we’re still human. We crave clarity, meaning, connection— most of which is elevated through less screen time, not more. I’m especially interested in how pervasive AI use might unintentionally (or intentionally) negatively shape societal social dynamics, critical thinking, and emotional resilience.

3. This moment is volatile - but full of leverage

AI has the potential to dramatically reduce operating costs. In competitive markets, that often translates to labor reduction. But the more we outsource our knowledge base and workflows to agents, the more we risk losing valued skills and expertise. This is not new, but hopefully we manage this transformation in a way that minimizes turmoil.

4. Building has never been easier (downside)

The ability for AI to aid or outright autonomously develop digital media and digital products is dumping AI slop into our social feeds and app stores. Untested teams are building with haste and forgetting the fundamentals that make products scalable and secure for broad consumer adoption. For the consumer - this makes separating signal from noise even more difficult, and for the business - brand and distribution become a critical edge.

In Summary

I’m excited for what’s ahead at Kellogg—and grateful to be surrounded by classmates and faculty eager to wrestle with AI’s potential and its challenges.

If you’re interested in following along, I’ll be documenting my journey and sharing what I’m learning about AI, entrepreneurship, and digital product building in the open.