A Nod to Someone Special

In early 2023, I was reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography.

There’s a moment where Jobs describes his 30th birthday. Not just who showed up, but how he designed the room.

It stayed with me.

Within minutes, I decided to host a two-day event for my network, for my own birthday.

Then reality hit.
“How am I actually going to pull this off?”

The answer came quickly. Start with the right people.

Great speakers attract great people.
Great people create rooms that matter.

At the time, we had just started talking with Charlene Li.

So I thought, maybe Charlene would do it. She didn’t hesitate, said yes, and showed up fully both days. Then led the opening talk.

That moment stayed with me. Not because of the event, but because of how clearly she understood what leadership looks like in moments of change.

And that is exactly the moment we are in right now with AI.

Most people are waiting to feel ready.
Waiting for clarity.
Waiting for a roadmap.

But moments like this do not reward hesitation. They reward movement.

Charlene stepped in before the path was clear. That is what leaders do.

Sometimes you do not get certainty.
You get a signal.

And if it is directionally right, you go.

Not because you know the outcome.
But because standing still is the bigger risk.

Why Charlene Li Matters

First, her new book Winning With AI is landing at exactly the right moment.

Second, I spend a lot of time studying how thought leadership actually works. Not at the surface level, but what creates real, lasting visibility and credibility.

Charlene is one of the clearest examples of how to do it right:

1. The brand is bigger than the book
Her books (see her published work here) extend her thinking. They do not define it.

2. A message that evolves without drifting
She is anchored in disruption, but adapts as technology and markets shift. That is why she stays relevant and never gets boxed in. (See her website here.)

3. Long-term consistency over short-term wins
15+ years of showing up. Not for immediate ROI, but to build reputation, trust, and opportunity over time.

4. A real content ecosystem
Newsletter (close to 10k subscribers), LinkedIn (281k+), and soon expanding across podcast and video channels. This is not random. It is intentional visibility.

5. Staying ahead of the curve
She is leaning into AI with clarity, not noise. And teaching others how to do it.

What this means for you

Most leaders think they have a visibility problem.

They don’t.

They have one of three gaps:

1. No clear narrative
They are sharing content, but it is not anchored in a core idea.

2. No consistency
They show up in bursts, then disappear. Nothing compounds.

3. No ecosystem
They rely on one channel instead of building a system that reinforces itself.

Charlene has all three.

Most people have none.

Why Winning With AI Matters Now

Most leaders are still trying to answer a basic question:

“What is our AI strategy, and how do we act on it?”

When ChatGPT first came out, most people hesitated.

Charlene did not.

Most companies are still treating AI like a tool upgrade.

The ones who win will treat it like a leadership shift.

She had already been thinking about this shift, and now the market has caught up.

Her work meets leaders exactly where they are today:
→ How to define an AI narrative
→ How to build an actual roadmap
→ How to implement it in a way that drives real outcomes

Given her background in leadership and disruption, the timing could not be better.

Check out her book here (and see below for a special invite).

A Special Invite | March 26 at 10 AM PT

Charlene Li + Deb Liu

AI is changing how companies operate.

But the real shift is happening at the leadership level.

We are bringing together Charlene Li and Deb Liu (former CEO of Ancestry, longtime Meta executive) for a focused conversation on what it actually takes to lead at this moment.

We will break down:

• Where AI creates real leverage (and where it does not)

• How leaders can elevate decision-making without losing judgment

• What it takes to scale influence while protecting culture

This is not about hype. It is about clarity.

If you are thinking seriously about where you need to go next as a leader, you should be in this room:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G9RX_cD0SSitPLiuR7tauw

41 people are registered.
2 book giveaways.
Should be a packed event!