Mona Sabet is the co-author of Sail to Scale: Steering Startups Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit and currently serves as SVP, Strategy, Projects, and Operations at GCG. With a track record of driving growth and strategic transformations, she has held executive roles at VulcanForms, UserTesting, and Cadence Design Systems. At UserTesting, she played a pivotal role in securing $100M in funding, leading acquisitions, taking the company public, and negotiating its $1.3B sale to Thoma Bravo. Beyond her corporate leadership, Mona is a passionate advocate for women in tech, law, and policy, having co-founded ChIPsNetwork.org and leading HiPower, a community dedicated to empowering executive women shaping the future of technology.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The critical mistakes startups make at different growth stages—Mona shares insights from Sail to Scale on why companies struggle to scale and how to avoid common pitfalls.
• How founders should "fire themselves" to scale effectively—Why transitioning from founder to CEO requires a mindset shift, and the biggest mistakes leaders make in this process.
• The AI bubble: hype vs. reality—Mona explains why overfunding in AI-first companies mirrors past tech bubbles and what it means for the future of the industry.
• Why acquisitions should be a long-term strategy, not a last-minute decision—The importance of planning exits early and why companies that wait too long often fail to sell at the right valuation.
• The evolving landscape of M&A and IPOs—How companies can differentiate themselves in a crowded market of late-stage startups waiting for an exit.
• The unseen biases keeping women out of leadership—Mona’s perspective on why brand bias impacts diversity in tech and what leaders can do to create real change.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Mona on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On How to how AI is changing the entertainment industry

Coinciding with International Women’s Day this week, this special episode of AI and the Future of Work highlights key conversations with women leading the way in AI ethics, governance, and accountability.

In this curated compilation, we feature four remarkable experts working to create a more equitable, trustworthy, and responsible AI future:

🔹 Navrina Singh (Founder & CEO, Credo AI) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14341487

🔹 Meredith Broussard (Author, Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12284213

🔹 Juliette Powell (Co-Author, The AI Dilemma: 7 Principles for Responsible Technology) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14435648

🔹 Merve Hickok (Founder, AIethicist.org) – Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/11801221

Bias, lack of transparency, and ethical concerns in AI are some of the most urgent issues of our time. These leaders are shaping the policies and frameworks needed to ensure AI serves everyone—fairly and equitably.

Resources

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter: https://aiandwork.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Data Privacy Day Special Episode: AI, Deepfakes & The Future of Trust: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16554098

Dr. Brandeis Marshall is a leading advocate for responsible data science and the CEO of Dataedx Group, a data ethics and learning development agency dedicated to helping teams identify and address discrimination in data. Previously, she was a professor of computer science at Spelman College and a faculty associate at Harvard. Dr. Marshall holds a master’s and Ph.D. in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why AI-powered companies should be regulated like scientific entities—and the hidden ways they optimize human behavior.
• The role of data ethics in AI—how companies can prevent bias and why everyone in the data pipeline is responsible for ethical decision-making.
• Why most businesses struggle with AI adoption—Brandeis explains how companies can bridge the AI gap and align data strategies with real business impact.
• The future of healthcare data—how a patient-owned, portable medical record system could revolutionize access and transparency.
• How AI can be leveraged to expose systemic inequalities and provide better opportunities for marginalized communities.
• Why AI should be seen as a support tool, not a replacement—Brandeis shares how AI can help neurodivergent individuals and enhance human decision-making.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Brandeis on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On Using AI to Unlock Human Potential