Microsoft EVP Rajesh Jha on leading with courage in the AI era
38Rajesh Jha is Microsoft’s EVP of Experiences + Devices, which means he oversees a wide range of products, from Microsoft 365 productivity tools and Surface devices to Copilot. Jha played a pivotal role in integrating AI into the company’s offerings, and he joined the WorkLab podcast to share insights on navigating the complexities of becoming an AI-first organization. He also offers actionable advice on how leaders can adapt and compete while bringing their teams (and customers) along.
00:00 – The Future of Work and AI
00:25 – Meet Rajesh Jha, EVP at Microsoft
00:38 – Lessons from Leading a $100B Business
01:54 – Balancing Innovation and Predictability
02:24 – AI Transformation: A Call to Courage
03:42 – Going All-In on the Cloud: A Leadership Lesson
07:01 – Controlled Chaos and Guardrails in AI
12:12 – The GPT-4 Demo That Changed Everything
14:42 – From Digital Clerk to AI-Enhanced Leader
17:37 – Customer Stories and Copilot Adoption
20:03 – Best Practices for AI Implementation
21:56 – The Role of Leaders in AI Transformation
23:19 – AI Agents and the Rewiring of Workflows
29:00 – The Power of Microsoft Graph and Digital Labor
31:25 – Satya Nadella’s Leadership Questions
32:52 – Lessons from Microsoft’s Reinventions
34:40 – Rajesh’s Favorite AI Use Cases
37:25 – Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Work
38:30 – Closing Thoughts and Takeaways
Find this episode on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worklab/id1582908812
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vApnLW5XfXoP8WDYGzFkT
WorkLab Podcast: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/podcast/
About the WorkLab Podcast:
Join host Molly Wood as she explores what leaders need to know to prepare their organizations for the innovations and disruptions that are transforming the way we work. Listen to her conversations with leading economists, technologists, and researchers on everything from how to use AI effectively to what it takes to thrive in a digital age.
Sign up for the WorkLab newsletter to get the latest AI research, insights, and trends delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/newsletter
For more insights on the future of work, visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/
Subscribe to Microsoft on YouTube here: https://aka.ms/SubscribeToYouTube\n\nFollow us on social: \nLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/ \nTwitter: https://twitter.com/Microsoft\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Microsoft/ \nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/microsoft/ \n \nFor more about Microsoft, our technology, and our mission, visit https://aka.ms/microsoftstories