What Most Companies Get Wrong About AI: Angela Liu & Tom Simon Break It Down

AI is reshaping every job, every industry, and every leadership team — but most organizations still don’t know how to adopt it without causing chaos. In this episode, we sit down with Angela Liu (Founder & CEO, Ikaru Consulting) and Tom Simon (Growth Architect, Walk West) to cut through the noise and get real about what AI adoption looks like inside actual companies.

We get into the hard parts — the human resistance, the fear, the bad messaging from leadership, and the pressure to “just be curious” without any real training. Angela breaks down why protecting human dignity matters more than ever, and Tom calls out the ethical landmines leaders keep stepping on when they blame layoffs on AI.

If you're leading teams, navigating digital transformation, or trying to get your workforce future-ready, this conversation gives you a clearer path: what to prioritize, what to avoid, and how to build a culture that actually learns together instead of bracing for impact.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Why human dignity still matters in the AI era
03:12 — What Angela learned at the AI Forward Conference
07:20 — Diversity, representation, and who’s missing from the room
10:05 — The environmental cost of AI no one talks about
14:30 — Small models, energy limits & the future of training
17:03 — Why leaders keep getting AI adoption wrong
20:12 — How culture shapes success (or failure)
25:45 — The messy reality of layoffs, scapegoating & ethics
28:50 — What an “AI-ready” workforce really looks like
31:22 — How Walk West built massive AI adoption internally
35:40 — Angela’s personal workflow with Claude
42:55 — The part nobody wants to admit: technology vs. humans
47:00 — Last Chat: what they’re actually using AI for
48:50 — Closing thoughts: What leaders must do now

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