AI Adoption Stalls, Ghost Jobs Surge, Gen Z Misunderstood, and New 2026 Work Trends Every Leader Must Know

Novemner 18, 2025:

Today's episode breaks down seven of the most important stories shaping the future of work.

We explore why AI adoption is stalling inside organizations—and why companies are turning to internal influencers to drive real behavior change. We look at the surge in "ghost job" postings that are distorting the labor market and frustrating job seekers, and we explore the surprising history of the 40-hour workweek and whether it still makes sense in the age of AI.

Next, we dive into brand-new data from Glassdoor's Worklife Trends 2026 report, which reveals rising distrust in leadership, declining career visibility, and how early-career workers are reshaping expectations. We also unpack a Guardian story showing that criticism of Gen Z is nothing new—it's a historical pattern that repeats in every era of disruption.

We then examine why Big Tech companies are cutting jobs despite record profits and record AI investment, and we close with an Inc. story about an "AI error" that turned out to be human error—a reminder that the biggest risks of automation come from governance, not algorithms.

If you want to understand the signals, trends, and shifts reshaping the future of work, this episode connects all the dots.