🎙️ EP66 - The $1M AI Mercenary Problem

💥 Your tech budget is burning—and hiring hype can kill your culture.Here’s the brutal truth:Boards are shelling out $1M+ to AI engineers—none of whom are scientists in the classical senseMeta’s Superintelligence Lab just dangled $100M–$300M packages for top AI talent, while tens of thousands of good people got laid offWorse: Investors are funding AI hires not to build software, but to create products that enable layoffs—fueling a toxic, nonsensical cycleIn this eye-opening episode, Michele Brissoni sits down with Sean Smith to reveal how hype hires destroy ROI, while true transformation demands behavioral discipline and operational mastery.🎯 What You’ll Discover:💸 The Meta Superintelligence paradox: sky-high compensation, no neuroscience depth🤡 Why the $1M AI hire is the ultimate mercenary—money in, culture out🧩 The blinding absurdity: “10 certified Scrum Masters shouting at one coder”🏎️ Why building like an F1 pit crew beats superstar hiring🔁 How small, disciplined steps produce real, sustainable ROI🗣️ Quotes That Hit Hard:“We are people from the market, providing them a lot of cash … not their culture.”“10 Scrum Masters screaming at one paddling engineer.”“This performance isn’t achievable with casual leadership.”💡 If You Care About…Keeping your team (and culture) alive during layoffsSpending on tools or people that actually deliver ROILeadership that doesn’t cheat the process…this episode cuts through the noise.🚀 Stop Buying, Start TrainingWant to stop lighting cash on fire?Cut through the hype. Cultivate behavior. Build talent from within—daily.Begin with a behavioral assessment and start evolving with the Unicorns’ Ecosystem.👉 https://unicorns-ecosystem.com/📥 Subscribe & Stay WokeDon’t miss the next episode—hit 🔔 and subscribe now.🏷️ Tags#DigitalTransformation #AI #Layoffs #Meta #EngineeringCulture #BehavioralEngineering #TechLeadership #Podcast #UnicornsEcosystem Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.