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I began my career in neurosciencenot in business, not in engineering, not in HR. When I became head of product at GitLab, I hadnt managed a product team before. I didnt have the traditional credentials. But someone took a chance on me based on what I could contribute, not where I had worked. That moment changed the trajectory of my career. It also changed how I hire. At Remote, we focus on capability over pedigree. What someone can do matters far more than what their resume suggests. That mindset has always been useful. But with the rise of AI, its becoming essential. The shift were experiencing goes beyond productivity and automationits about how we define job readiness, recognize potential, and avoid replicating the exclusions of the past. AI is already changing how people work. But if we want it to improve how we hire, we must apply it deliberately. This shift is happening as attitudes toward traditional credentials are also changing. Amid rising tuition costs and mounting student debt, just 22% of Americans say a four-year degree is worth the cost if it requires loans, according to Pew Research Center. If companies keep leaning on degree requirements as a proxy for readiness, they risk missing a growing pool of skilled, AI-fluent talent who are proving themselves outside conventional pipelines. AI is changing who can contributeand how I view AI as essential. Its deeply embedded in my companys culture and how we function, and its ability to multiply talent has completely shifted how we, and many companies we support, function. Less talked about, however, is that it has also changed what it means to contribute. People with less formal training can do more, faster, if theyre equipped with the right tools and a clear mandate. Someone without a formal degree can use AI to complete tasks once reserved for experts such as analyzing data, drafting technical documentation, even writing code. A single parent in a rural town can contribute meaningfully to remote teams while spending each day with their children. The same tools that replace certain functions can also empower a much wider set of people to participate in the knowledge economy. That doesnt mean experience is irrelevant. It means the gap between being qualified on paper and being able to deliver in practice is narrowing, but our hiring systems havent kept pace. This shift demands a change in how we evaluate talent. If contribution no longer depends on pedigree, hiring systems built around degrees, brand names, and linear resumes start to fall short. Companies need to shift from resume screens to problem-solving prompts, or from interview panels to real-world trial projects. While the support for skills-based hiring has grown in recent years, a 2024 report from Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute found that fewer than one out of every 700 hires in the past year were made based primarily on skills rather than traditional credentials. The appetite for change is clear, but until hiring systems catch up, companies will keep filtering out exactly the kind of talent they say they want. The resume is losing signal The temptation is to believe that AI itself will solve that problemthat it will automatically surface hidden talent. But thats a dangerous assumption. Left unchecked, AI hiring systems can replicate and even intensify existing biases. Algorithms trained on historical data may favor candidates who resemble previous hires based on education, geography, or background. In some cases, automated filters penalize career gaps or overlook nontraditional applicants entirely. If were not careful, we risk embedding these filters deeper into the systems we use to scale. Access to AI tools and fluency with them is not evenly distributed. Candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, non-native speakers, or people living in under-resourced regions may not have equal exposure or confidence with these tools. Equity isnt just moral; its operational To spot the best talent, we need hiring practices that reflect modern skills: adaptability, communication, and the ability to learn quickly. My company uses asynchronous workflows that mirror how our teams operate. We emphasize clarity of thought, responsiveness, and problem-solving in context. Our internal documentation and onboarding approach are designed to help people ramp quickly, regardless of background or time zone. Those practices make it easier to evaluate candidates based on how they work, not just how they present. Remote work has already proven that talent doesnt need to be colocated to contribute. Its also exposed where structural inequities persist. Access to reliable infrastructure, tool fluency, and global employment systems still varies widely. Equity doesnt happen by default. It must be designed. AI is redefining readiness AI may accelerate tasks and reduce the cost of execution. But it doesnt eliminate the need for talent. It raises the bar for how talent is integrated and who gets a fair shot. The best candidates may not come through traditional pipelines, live in a major city, or have a college degree. But they are ready to contribute. What companies need now are hiring systems that prioritize contribution over credentialism. That includes making AI training a standard part of onboardingnot a perk for the technically inclinedand ensuring that workflows reflect how teams operate. If your work is async, global, or fast-changing, the hiring process should test for those dynamics. Heres where I recommend employers start: Test for how people will work, not how well they interview. Use trial projects, async exercises, or written problem-solving prompts that mirror real workflows. And yes, let them use AI. Make AI training part of onboarding for everyone and treat AI literacy as a standard skill to level the playing field. Audit your tools and data for bias. Regularly review which signals your systems reward and whether theyre excluding qualified, nontraditional candidates. The best candidates may not look like your past hires, but you might be surprised where you find talent ready to deliver. Job van der Voort is CEO and cofounder of Remote.
Category:
E-Commerce
When was the last time a brand didnt just catch your eye, but moved youmade you feel something real? Today, AI can produce logos, taglines, and campaigns at lightning speed. Algorithms can replicate styles, test headlines, even mimic tone. But as branding becomes more automated, a deeper question emerges: Can machines truly connect with human experience? Or does meaningful branding still depend on uniquely human emotions like empathy, intuition, and lived understanding? After 15 years of building brands across continents and causes, Ive learned that the most powerful branding isnt about perfection. Its about presence. When we show upreally listen, engage, and understandbranding becomes a bridge to transformation. Empathy isnt programmable Consider Sonia, a single mother in Delhi, India, who handcrafts beautiful bags. Her skill was undeniable, but her work was invisible to the market. She didnt need a new product to attract customersshe needed a platform. We helped craft Saffron, a brand that honored her artistry and gave her a place in the conversation. What followed wasnt just commercial growth; it was a personal awakening. Branding turned her story into strength. AI cant do that. It doesnt ask how someone feels, or why their work matters. It optimizesbut it doesnt understand. Intuition creates belonging In Hanoi, Vietnam, a small café run by recent graduates struggled to stay open. They had quality coffee and a noble missionproviding jobs for youthbut no clear identity. We repositioned the space as Friends Coffee Roasters, a name that invited connection and warmth. The transformation was immediate. Customers showed up, reviews surged, and the café became a local favorite on TripAdvisor. A new name didnt just save a businessit saved a dream. Branding didnt just describe what they sold; it reflected who they were becoming. Culture is not universal Technology can scan trends, but it cant live inside a culture. That mattersbecause branding without context can flatten identity instead of elevating it. In the Villa Rica region of Peru, the Yanesha tribe cultivates organic coffee to fund community development. Yet selling unbranded bulk beans kept them trapped in poverty. Working with the tribe, we codeveloped Tierra Fuerte, a brand rooted in resilience and sovereignty. With it came more than just packagingit brought pricing power, dignity, and visibility. A similar challenge arose in Mongolia, where limited access to fresh produce was impacting health. Partnering with local stakeholders, we created Smart Berry to introduce strawberries grown in high-tech smart farm. The brand became more than a productit sparked a national conversation about wellness, youth aspiration, and modern agriculture. In both cases, cultural insightnot codewas the true catalyst. Final thoughts These experiences remind us: While AI is a tool, human intelligence is the soul of branding. The ability to read between the lines, to feel the emotional undercurrent, to design not just for markets but for meaningthose are still human strengths. When branding is approached with care, it can uplift. It can build local economies, support social missions, and shift narratives. It doesnt just sellit serves. And in a time when design tools are increasingly automated, what sets a brand apart isnt how quickly its builtbut how deeply it connects. Sooyoung Cho is CEO of the bread and butter brand consulting LLC.
Category:
E-Commerce
If the last 10 years were about creators building audiences, the next 10 will be about them building infrastructure. Were entering the era of the creator-led studio. Its already happening. Creators are turning themselves into multi-dimensional entertainment businesses. Theyre not just building content pipelines; theyre building worlds, structuring teams, developing IP, launching products, and curating and hosting IRL experiences. Theyre weaving content, community, and commerce into something bigger with the mindset of founders and the ambition of studio executives. Creators are becoming studios Not in the traditional sensenot high rises, backlots, or broadcast slots, but in a way thats native to the internet and modern-day technologies: fast-moving, audience-first, built around trust and consistency. Its a shift from: I make content I build programmingI do brand deals I own the formatsI am the brand I build brands The best creator-led studios arent just launching formats, theyre building systems for turning creative point of view (POV) into repeatable output. Moreover, the creators who scale arent just building content engines; theyre building emotional frameworks. Call it voice, POV, or DNA, its what everything else ladders up to. And at the very bleeding edge, those doing it the best are expanding those frameworks beyond content into commerce, community, courses, products, and live experiences. They are building full-stack media businesses, looking to own the audience, the formats, and the infrastructure. Whats driving it? 1. Creators are maturing into operators Creators who have the desire to go after this opportunity are no longer solo acts. Theyre founders. Theyre hiring. Building teams. Thinking in pipelines, product-market fit, and distribution economics. Theyre not chasing virality, they are building staying power, and its working. I explored this previously, when I discussed the shift from creator to entrepreneur. Now, its evolving again, from entrepreneur to studio builder. One important callout, though. This isnt for every creator and isnt to diminish the incredible value to come from remaining small and mighty. There will be a thriving segment of creators who stick to what theyre doing. However, I believe that the biggest share of audience and money will be held in the relatively few who become studio builders 2. Trust is becoming the most valuable signal As AI floods platforms with synthetic content, trust becomes the premium. As Doug Shapiro put it: Trust is the new oil. Audiences wont just want content; they’ll want curation, context, and a point of view. The creators who earn and sustain that trust wont just be personalities. Theyll be institutions. 3. Audience expectations are shifting Were now in an era where consistency is currency. People want formats they can return to. They want creators they can rely on. They want editorial judgment, recurring presence, and recognizable rhythms. Thats not just a creative instinct; its reinforced by platform algorithms and audience psychology. Recurring formats increase watch time, retention, and subscriber loyalty. When content appears reliably and feels familiar, audiences are more likely to form habits around it. Creators who think in seasons, franchises, and formats wont just gain attention, theyll earn mindshare. 4. Metrics over meaning The traditional media and advertising worlds, in their obsession with hyperperformance, data precision, and efficiency, left behind something essential: emotional connection. In that creative and cultural vacuum, creators stepped in. Not with metrics, but with meaning. Creators are value driven. Theyre plugged into the nuances of pop culture. And theyre intimately connected to their communities through access, respect, and trust. They didnt just inherit the audience. They earned it. Not just as content creators, but creative directors of a new era. Bringing the kind of relevance, emotion, and resonance that modern culture wants. Were still in the early stages of this movement. But this shift is real. The creator economy isnt just growing faster, its growing up. Over the next few years, I believe well see more and more creators evolve from individual success stories into collective media companies. Studios. Networks. Brand ecosystems. Institutions in their own right. Because the future of media isnt just creator-led. Its creator-built. Neil Waller is co-CEO and cofounder of the Whalar Group.
Category:
E-Commerce
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