🗞️ Here’s the Tea:

🤔 Zoom CEO says work-life balance doesn’t exist: ‘Work is life, life is work’—but there’s one exception…

The TL;DR: Zoom CEO Eric Yuan declares work-life balance a myth (“work is life, life is work”), admits he’s ditched hobbies for his $20B company—but insists family trumps work conflicts. He predicts AI could slash workweeks to 2-3 days eventually, while warning Gen Z to prep for an AI-dominated job market.

My POV: First, I respect his honesty. He’s saying what a lot of leaders don’t usually say out loud but his “all-in” mentality made my alarm bells go off because it isn’t really sustainable or aspirational (to most). 

Is there a reality where you can do REALLY great work and also have a REALLY great life? I certainly hope so… 

This article also brought up a few questions for me like:

• What if we designed work in a way that didn’t make us need full weekend detoxes? (the dream) 
• Why do we still glorify overwork Monday through Friday? (IDK!!!) 
• How do we actually build leadership cultures that don’t require sacrificing hobbies, health, or humanity?

What do you think?

🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:

“Late-stage capitalism has us moving so fast, we’ve lost the plot—and people have hit their limit.”

On the mic this week: Zach Nunn is the founder and CEO of Living Corporate, a media and consulting company reshaping how workplaces treat marginalized professionals. With a background in organizational change and DEI strategy, he’s worked with global brands to help them move from performative allyship to real, measurable accountability. Zach’s work blends sharp insight, lived experience, and a zero-bullshit approach to fairness at work.

Pin this: 

• Performance management systems are often deeply flawed, rewarding tenure over talent.
• Fair workplaces aren’t about complicated DEI theater, they’re about treating people with respect and listening when they speak. It’s pretty simple, actually!
• HR’s role is often stuck between advocacy and risk mitigation, but good data can help them push for real change.
• Employees are over the performative stuff! They want receipts, not statements.

My H*ly Sh*t Moment:  Fairness isn’t aspirational, because it’s measurable. And if your data says people are disengaged, underpaid, or overlooked, your org’s future is already at risk. 😬

▶️ Press Play

📊 Data Is My Love Language:

Stat: The worker shortage is a skills blindspot in disguise. While companies chase degrees, Gen Z builds empires outside traditional roles.

My spiral: Basically, employers want tech skills, workers have creative hustle, and the disconnect is costing everyone!

Lemme elaborate: We’re staring down a paradox. Employers are screaming for tech/digital talent while universities keep pumping out graduates in unrelated fields. 

But here’s the kicker…Gen Z isn’t unemployed, they’re just rewriting employment (2M creators hitting six figures proves traditional roles aren’t the only path to value)!

HR either adapts to this skills revolution or keeps fighting a losing war for “perfect” candidates who don’t exist.

🛠️ In Your Toolkit 

Looking to add public speaking to your list of skills?

✨LOOK NO FURTHER ✨

The I Hate it Here ecosystem is looking for speakers across live, virtual and podcasts! 

Have a viewpoint you want to share? Maybe a story of something great you implemented?

Then I want to hear from you! My goal is to elevate folks from across HR so that we don’t have to hear from the same 5 speakers constantly. 🙂 

Submit your info and maybe we can collab…