FutureWork Playbook

Vanta, a company that helps customers get compliant and build security programs, uses an AI tool to answer security questionnaires. Where humans had once spent hours on the task, the tool completes it quickly and accurately. Vanta’s customers love it.That’s not to raise the specter of automation stealing human jobs, explains Vanta’s chief legal officer and chief people officer, Ari Shahdadi. “We certainly don’t see this as a thing that’s threatening to anybody or going to replace anybody so much as drive future efficiency and accuracy and how people do their jobs,” he says.Ari joins host Natalie Pierce and Steve Baglio, both former colleagues from Ari’s earlier role at Gunderson Dettmer, to discuss how technology intersects with people, particularly in the legal HR context. Their conversation covers how small, focused teams can prioritize business outcomes; how in-house professionals must become flexible in today’s fast-paced environment; and how the lawyer is moving away from being an “oracle of knowledge,” as Steve says, to becoming an expert in making good judgment.“If you can put yourself in a position where you’re able to be flexible and develop other operational skill sets, you can have a role in a company like a chief judgment officer, right? Instead of a chief legal officer,” he suggests.Episode HighlightsVanta uses a recruiting tool called Ashby but also has a rigorous, structured interview process designed to bring in strong talent and get them productive as soon as possible.Will AI replace lawyers? “I think they’re useful as tools to kind of help you with general tasks, but I am not going to ask one what the law is on something because I might get a wrong answer,” Ari observes.Today’s general counsel is branching into integrative roles within an organization, such as COO or deputy CO, Steve says.   While Vanta isn’t in a highly regulated sector, it has a robust compliance team because, as Ari explains, “if we’re not using our own product, then should our customers?”AI systems excel in areas of subject matter expertise, Ari says – “but they have to be trained properly and designed properly.”The silos around lawyers are breaking down as companies find success by running legal with business development or other functions, Ari says.💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guests 💡Name: Ari Shahdadi Organization: Vanta Connect: LinkedIn | EmailName: Steven BaglioOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedInContact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | X | Gunderson Dettmer☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Guests Dazza Greenwood and Dr. Lance Eliot explore the benefits of generative AI in the legal field, discussing the power of legal prompt engineering and the high-value use cases for AI in law. They emphasize the importance of well-constructed prompts and human oversight, while also highlighting the need for lawyers to embrace AI to stay competitive. The speakers also share their favorite books, movies, childhood inspirations, and discuss the importance of curiosity and playful creativity in facing and adapting to big changes in the world.

Charlene Li, an expert in transformative technologies, discusses the future of work and the potential of generative AI to drive innovation. Companies can benefit from embracing generative AI for data analysis, collaboration, and customer experiences. Developing a strategy in the first 90 days is crucial. Data governance and ethical use of generative AI are essential for protecting employee and customer data. The episode also explores the power of generative AI in making correlations and highlights the importance of executive leadership in adopting generative AI.

Helping Legal Teams Leverage Generative AI: A Conversation with IronClad Co-Founder, Cai GoGwilt. In this episode, Natalie dives into the world of AI-powered business contracts and how the legal industry may be leading the way. They discuss IronClad's commitment to responsible AI deployment, the transformative impact of generative AI tools, and the revolutionizing of contract creation and management. Don't miss out on uncovering the future of work and the power of AI in the legal industry.

“Right now, we have this great opportunity to create a balanced and reasonable law that works for an industry that also protects individuals.”In this episode, Natalie welcomes Anna Westfelt, the Head of Gunderson Dettmer’s Data Privacy Practice, to discuss the growth of AI technology, the possible negative and positive effects, and how individuals can prepare themselves for this changing landscape.Gunderson boasts an emerging company and venture capital (EC/VC) firm focused on, as Natalie puts it, “building the firm of the future.” For example, generative AI can potentially turn data into a gold mine. As the world continues to receive more regulatory updates in the privacy space with AI, Anna’s team is working diligently to provide counsel and education to clients who are eager to leverage these powerful tools with privacy and security at the core of their development. Tune in to learn more about generative AI regulations and what the Gunderson Dettmer team expects on the horizon.💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Anna Westfelt Organization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Gunderson Dettmer Website☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

When it comes to integrating AI technology in the workplace, uncertainty and fear can blind business from innovation and advancement. In this episode, host Natalie Pierce, dives back into the discussion of generative AI.  The episode kicks off with a discussion of the recent Generative AI webinar series presented by guests and colleagues Katie Gardner and Aaron Rubin, two partners in Gunderson Dettmer’s Strategic Transactions & Licensing Practice.Katie and Aaron report the wild success of their informational webinar series about AI technology, but both guests also caution against the uncertainties of this rapidly developing field. With Gunderson’s focus on the venture-backed ecosystem, key concerns that clients are raising include the risks of using AI for code development and concerns over how employees are sharing company data while using generative AI technology.Tune in to hear about applying generative AI to the workplace as well as an insightful discussion on why the fear and uncertainty about AI may be eased through the implementation of learning tools. 💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Katie GardnerOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn Name: Aaron RubinOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedInContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

In this podcast, Natalie Pierce speaks with Joe Green and John Scrudato from Gunderson's practice innovation group. They discuss the evolution of knowledge management and its impact on the legal industry, the role of data and technology in legal innovation, the career path and requirements for legal innovation, and the implications of auto-generative AI in the legal industry.

The ESG standards have seen much attention from the SEC in the last several years. Now, the debate of including an “H” stands in line to extend the framework and consider the well-being of individuals with a more concentrated pillar. In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with Dr. Bonny Forrest, a Principal at FirmLeader. Bonny is a renowned psychologist and former big law litigator and in-house counsel who now serves as a Board Consultant and Advisor. Bonny advises company boards on how to evaluate and implement ESG practices and provides coaching to board members on creating value with ESG for their companies.Natalie and Bonny discuss the importance of incorporating mental health programming as part of companies’ ESG framework.  While some have been slower to buy in, companies that are currently investing in mental health are largely focusing on employee burnout and depression, and allowing flexibility in order to keep everyone engaged and thriving.🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode★   Benefits of Prioritizing Mental Health: When organizations prioritize mental health, it benefits both employer and employee alike–it helps employers retain talent and leads to more progress and bigger profits.★   Successful ESG Initiatives: In order to successfully incorporate mental health into the company culture, organizations must have someone who both manages its initiatives and champions them. While many companies have yet to fully dive into the mental health space, companies that are currently addressing mental health focus on burnout, depression, and flexibility.  ★   How Companies Can Prioritize Mental Health: The best ways to prioritize mental health within your organization are to listen to your employees, start small, identify leaders with healthy habits for success within your company, learn how to resolve conflicts, and embrace difficult conversations.💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Bonny ForrestOrganization: Firm LeaderConnect: LinkedInContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

“The term ESG, it's a term that gets applied to a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we're really just talking about looking at the risks and opportunities of investing in a company. And we're making it good data.”In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with Lorraine Wilson, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Novata, to discuss the importance of ESG metrics and how Novata helps companies incorporate them.Novata's goal is to empower private markets to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism. They make it easy for organizations to incorporate ESG metrics so that value is measurable.🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode★     Novata’s ESG Initiatives: Novata's mission is to make it straightforward for companies to incorporate ESG metrics so that value is measurable. This empowers private markets to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism.★    Leveraging ESG Practices to Attract Investors: Novata helps companies report their ESG metrics, offering features like data quality guardrails and benchmarking and analytics to contextualize the data.★    The Future of ESG Reporting and Tracking at Novata: Novata will continue to incorporate more regulatory frameworks as they develop. They’ll also focus on content creation to support growing demand.💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Lorraine WilsonOrganization: Novata   Connect: LinkedInContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

In this episode, Sarah Milby, the founder and CEO of Valor Performance, joins host Natalie Pierce to discuss the importance of coaching and upskilling in the modern workforce. Valor Performance combines human coaching with technology to provide a personalized coaching experience for leaders while offering data-driven insights to organizations to help make decisions around leading their workforce. We also hear of examples of how Valor's coaching programs have helped brands increase sales, retain top talent, and enhance work engagement, showing the positive impact of investing in human performance. 🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode★   The Power of Personalized Coaching: Sarah emphasizes the power of combining human coaching with technology to provide tailored coaching experiences for leaders. This can lead to better decision-making, improved retention, and higher engagement in the workplace.★   Coaching Fosters Behavior Change and Connection: By focusing on areas such as communication and confidence, coaching can promote behavior change and help remote workforces use digital platforms to grow connections and contribute to company culture.★   Prioritizing Human Performance Sustainability: Sarah envisions a world where brands value the sustainability of human performance alongside financial growth, with coaching as a vital tool to achieve this goal. This focus on human capital can lead to increased sales, retention of top talent, and improved work engagement.💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Sarah MilbyOrganization: Valor PerformanceConnect: LinkedInContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.