Two Friends, Two Paths. One Future.

As a headhunter hiring leaders for tech companies for over 10 years, I often see how professionals adapt—or don’t—to new technologies. Over dinner yesterday, I had a fascinating conversation with two friends that perfectly illustrated this divide.

Friend #1: The AI Skeptic

A 6-figure investment banker, firmly rooted in the old school. His routine? Flipping through physical newspapers and jotting down notes with a freshly sharpened pencil—or, on important days, his Montblanc pen. He’s heard of GPT but never used it, and “Claude” might as well be his neighbor’s dog. In his world, insights come from printed balance sheets and quarterly reports, meticulously highlighted by hand. Innovation, to him, means replacing his fancy watch with the latest Garmin. AI? Not on his radar—and was perfectly fine with that. At least, until we showed him its power.

Friend #2: The AI Power User

A former tech CMO, facing a tough job market filled with low salaries and stock options he insists are worth less than Monopoly money after two runs failed to exit. Two months ago, he made a bold pivot: taking on an executive role in a highly profitable, traditional, and admittedly boring real-world industry. His secret weapon? AI.

He uses AI for everything—and I mean everything. Recording meetings, summarizing calls, creating presentations, and even training company materials using tools like NotebookLM. Need a business plan with dozens of slides? AI whipped that up in a week, complete with charts and catchy bullet points for their board.

But it doesn’t stop there. AI drafts his emails, cracks jokes for his team, picks his vacation spots, and even converts those endless WhatsApp audios into text because he “doesn’t have time to listen.” Seriously, he hasn’t heard a voice message in months.

His old-school CEO thinks he’s a modern-day Einstein, blown away by his “genius efficiency.” The truth? He’s just mastered the art of letting AI do the heavy lifting while everyone else is still stuck wrestling with spreadsheets and unread voice messages.

The question isn’t whether AI will change your industry—it’s whether you’ll use it to change your career before it does.

Takeaways

1. It’s Never Too Late to Start. The banker could use a nudge, but for most, learning AI is easier than you think. Start today.

2. Bring Others Along. Help your friends and colleagues adapt—those who don’t will get left behind.

3. Rethink “Tech.” Tech companies aren’t the only game in town. Every company will become a tech company as software and marketing costs approach zero.

4. Explore Traditional Industries. The cultural slowness of traditional sectors can be your greatest advantage. By leveraging AI in industries that haven’t caught up yet, you can create massive opportunities.

Time to write this: 10 minutes

Tools I’ve used:

1. OpenAI – for writing

2. Ideogram – for the image on top

3. Napkin – for images within the text

Tools my early adopter friend is using:

1. Gamma – for his presentations

2. Claude – for analyzing data sets and writing

3. NotebookLM – for training his company data and learning

4. Blip’s Vira Texto – for transcribing WhatsApp audios. Perfect for when you’re in a meeting and need to catch up fast. It’s free and brilliant.

Prefers a podcast vs article?

Video here.

(powered by Buzzprout + NotebookLM)

What other tools are you exploring? Time to level up. ??

Identified a friend in or two? Tag them below ??—either the traditionalist who still loves their Montblanc pen or the AI power user turning WhatsApp audios into text. Let’s see who’s ahead of the curve! ??