The conference room was called Aspen, though there was nothing mountain-like about it. Beige walls. A screen that flickered before presentations. Coffee that always tasted slightly apologetic.
Nalla Duarte stood at the front of the room fifteen minutes early, arranging her notes into neat stacks she would never use.
Today mattered.
Editors note: We are excited to release this special and timely report by Jenna Wells, CEO at Supply Wisdom. Jenna explores the most pressing developments in the current financial environment and examines their implications for CFOs with recommended actions they should be taking. It’s a roadmap for CFOs striving to become more strategic in their risk management role.
This edition highlights how AI is moving from experimentation to broad economic and operational impact. Stanford’s 2026 AI Index shows that AI adoption is accelerating at a historic pace, but public trust and workforce confidence are lagging far behind. The report points to a widening gap between expert optimism and public concern, especially around employment, with younger workers already showing signs of disruption.
Are you finding that employees in your organization are just holding on these days? I don’t mean holding on by a thread, although that’s the case for many workers. I mean holding unusually tightly to their jobs. Amid layoffs, economic uncertainty and automation anxiety, “job hugging” (clutching our current roles not because we love them, but because we’re afraid of losing them) continues to be on the rise.
