Resilience, Priorities, and What "People First" Really Means
While I was running AI experiments, life ran its own on me. A brain tumor diagnosis. A redundancy letter. Two shocks that taught me more about resilience than any book ever could.
While I was running AI experiments, life ran its own on me.
A brain tumor diagnosis. A redundancy letter. Two shocks that taught me more about resilience, priorities, and what "people first" really means than any book, keynote, or workshop ever could.
The Diagnosis
For years I told myself my symptoms were burnout, stress, or just a lack of focus. Doctors hinted it was "all in my head."
Turns out, they were right. A scan revealed a tumor. It really was in my head — just not in the way anyone thought.
That moment flipped everything. Metrics, deadlines, and titles disappeared. My only questions became: How much time do I have? Who do I want it with? What actually matters?
Redundancy
Not long after came the letter: your role is at risk.
Redundancy sounds neat and clinical. But when it's you, it feels like erasure. Combined with a health crisis, it didn't feel like resilience. It felt like collapse.
And yet, collapse can bring clarity. I began to see resilience differently.
Resilience, Reframed
Resilience isn't pushing through at all costs. It isn't heroic burnout.
Resilience is knowing when to stop. It's rest. It's admitting you need space. It's the strength to return because you respected your limits, not because you ignored them.
I realized this while pushing AI models to their limits. Machines can keep going. People can't. And that's the point — fragility is what makes us human.
What "People First" Really Means
Every company says they put people first. Posters. Decks. All-hands.
But "people first" isn't a slogan. It's a choice.
It means asking: Who's struggling right now? What would it take for them to feel safe saying so? And what if the answer is me?
It's noticing the quiet colleague. It's creating space to step back without guilt. It's choosing empathy over efficiency.
Priorities, Rewritten
Here's what I learned:
Family over deadlines. Work can wait. Loved ones can't.
Health over output. Burnout isn't a badge of honor. It's a warning sign.
Honesty over bravado. Saying "I can't" is leadership, not weakness.
Simple ideas. Radical in practice.
Looking Ahead
AI will keep scaling. Productivity will keep climbing. But none of it matters if the humans behind the screen are burning out, checking out, or being left behind.
In the AI era, "people first" means:
Designing tools that lighten the load, not increase it.
Encouraging genuine rest.
Valuing empathy as much as efficiency.
Machines will always be better at being machines. Our edge is to get better at being human.
Closing
When you're staring at a brain scan or a redundancy letter, you stop caring about job titles. You care about people.
Family. Friends. Colleagues. The ones who notice when you're struggling, and the ones you notice in return.
That's what "people first" really means. Not a phrase. A decision. Every single day.
Connect & Continue the Conversation
These stories matter. The human side of tech, resilience, and real leadership. Let's talk about what "people first" means in your world.