The Crazy One
The Crazy One
Stephen Gates
Ep 144 AI: Your Company Decided Your Value Before AI Existed
22 minutes Posted May 6, 2026 at 12:00 am.
Hook: Getting Laid Off Mid-Success
Welcome to Episode 144
The Question Everyone Is Asking
AI Didn't Decide Your Worth — Your Company Did
The Starwood Story
The Value Framework: Above or Below the Line
The Four Quadrant Model
We Own Part of the Problem
The Hardest Truth
The Questions You Need to Ask
Self-Reflection and What to Do Next
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Show notes
AI didn't build the case to replace you. It just gave companies the tool to finally act on a decision they'd already made. In this episode, Stephen Gates gets brutally honest about what's actually happening underneath the wave of creative layoffs — and why asking "is AI going to take my job?" is already the wrong question. Using a framework he's shared with teams and mentors for over fifteen years, Stephen maps out the four quadrants that determine your real value inside any organization: hum...