egta Talks with Jack Myers: Leadership, AI, and the Future of Media

Anne-Laure: As a longtime egta friend, I'm sure you agree that TV is a people business where relationships make all the difference. While it's true that the industry is increasingly driven by data and technology, people still play a crucial role. One of your recent books explores leadership and how it is transforming in the age of AI, particularly through The Tao of Leadership. Do you think our business is shifting from a people-driven industry to a data-driven one?

Jack Myers: Oh, absolutely! Back when I was selling for CBS Television, I would call on agencies and clients, and maybe I needed to know two dozen key people managing the business for a major client or agency. Today, that number has grown to 2,000 people, each touching a piece of the business from start to finish -- whether it's procurement teams on the client side, in-house agencies, external agencies, or data centres. By the time the process reaches the stage where personal connections come into play, it’s almost at the very end of the planning and buying process.

Anne-Laure: I agree that technology has transformed the industry, but if it were truly a data-driven business, wouldn’t we be much more objective about how ad spend is allocated? In reality, spending decisions still seem to be influenced by subjectivity, industry hype, and trends -- like the push to be on social media to reach younger audiences, despite issues like misinformation and flawed data reporting. Given the recurring scandals on digital platforms, why do you think these challenges don’t seem to significantly impact advertising decisions?

Jack Myers: I agree, data hasn’t been particularly beneficial for the television business. The more data we've introduced into the model, the more commoditized the industry has become. As a result, budgets have shifted more towards digital platforms -- Meta, Google, TikTok, and now even retail media, where billions of dollars are flowing in.

Data has taken over, and it's made it increasingly expensive for TV networks to invest in all the different currencies that keep emerging. Agencies are leveraging these currencies to negotiate better deals, and it's also contributing to the commoditization of the industry. The people side of the business, especially the creative and idea-driven parts, like sponsorships, have become less and less relevant to clients as they focus more and more on data.

Anne-Laure: I’d like to start by asking you what your definition of a leader is, because we often associate leadership with C-suite executives or top management, the "big boss" that most of us don’t interact with on a daily basis. But the truth is, there are leaders at every level within a company. Who, in your opinion, would benefit most from reading your book, and how can it help transform their understanding of leadership in today’s world?

Jack Myers: My book, The Tao of Leadership in the AI Era, is centered on the idea of harmonizing technological innovation with human creativity. The definition of leadership is evolving, becoming more humanistic. It’s a return to some timeless principles, and I draw inspiration from Taoism, which dates back 3,000 years in ancient China.

I define leadership today using five core Taoist principles: harmony, flexibility, balance, stability, and integrity. What’s interesting is that when I initially developed these principles, I didn’t consciously link them to Taoism. But upon reflection, I realized they align perfectly with its teachings.

Harmony isn't about avoiding conflict; it’s about alignment -- bringing people together with a shared purpose. Flexibility is essential in a world of constant disruption. Rigid organizations fail, but those that can adapt thrive. Balance is crucial: AI brings speed, but leaders bring soul. It’s the art of blending efficiency with empathy, creating organizations that are not just high-performing but deeply human. Stability is about grounding your organization in shared values and a clear, collective vision for the future, while integrity serves as the foundation of trust -- doing what’s right not just for shareholders, but for society as a whole.

In industries like television, where organizations must consolidate capabilities and break down silos, leadership with integrity and empathy is more important than ever. We must shrink teams yet do so in a way that recognizes the human implications and builds them into our leadership model. So, at its core, leadership today is defined by these five principles -- harmony, flexibility, balance, stability, and integrity.

Anne-Laure: How do you practically apply the principle of harmony in such a challenging environment? You’ve mentioned some of the issues TV sales houses and the industry at large are facing today, but what we often hear in the press is far from harmonious. There’s pressure from stakeholders for better bottom-line performance, networks pushing for more revenue, and management struggling to get teams to embrace transformation, especially when the infrastructure is still outdated. This often leads to difficult decisions -- job cuts, cost-saving measures, and a shift in how people work, all of which can create friction. How do you navigate all of this while maintaining harmony, and do you have any concrete strategies for making it happen?

Jack Myers: That’s the key question. It’s about asking the right questions today, just as much as having the answers. In my book, I lay out a blueprint for leadership in the AI era. We’re undergoing a technological shift that is far greater than anything we've experienced before in our business. When we introduced cable to the broadcast model, it was a big change, and we had to adapt. But this is different, it’s not about transforming the past or building bridges to the future. It’s about building portals to entirely new realities in our business. There are new capabilities, new resources, and we have to figure out how to maintain our current business models while simultaneously introducing completely new ones.

I suggest following an 80/20 rule: 80% of the television media buying and selling business is becoming commoditized and data-driven, while 20% of your inventory, your most valuable inventory -- should be focused on an idea-based culture, using AI to help develop those ideas. AI is extraordinary for learning, research, and understanding. What used to take consultants millions of dollars and months of research can now be done in minutes using AI tools like ChatGPT. You can quickly learn about client needs, goals, and strategies, and then apply that to your own inventory opportunities.

AI offers so many possibilities, many of which are still yet to be fully realized. That’s the challenge. The speed at which technology is advancing today is so fast that it’s hard for humans to keep up. So, take that 20% of your inventory, and get creative with it. Be open to innovation and experiment with how you use it.

Anne-Laure: So, do you allow your whole team to be creative with 20% of inventory? Is this something that’s encouraged at the management level, or is it more of a bottom-up approach where ideas are thought of outside the box? Or do you see this purely as a leadership function?

Does everyone have the potential to be a leader? I no longer believe in a strict hierarchy. Experience is no longer a prerequisite for responsibility, and knowledge and experience aren’t necessarily the best tools for moving forward.

Jack Myers: I believe that the youngest and newest people in an organization are often the best ones to turn to for fresh ideas. Give them the opportunity to ask, "What would you do?" and "How do we utilize where technology is headed, not just where it is today?" We need to break away from the data models that are driving commoditization.

In many ways, it's a return to the roots of the television business. If you think about how the original television business model and the Upfront model were built, it was centred around sponsorship -- specifically single program sponsorships. I do think there’s a lot of untapped potential in sponsorship. To do it effectively, you need to truly understand your client base, and that requires research. This is where AI can be incredibly helpful.

Anne-Laure: Sponsorship is closely linked to live events, like sports, which have always been a foundation of TV. This makes sponsorship opportunities highly effective and relevant, it makes a lot of sense.

Jack Myers: I also believe there are tremendous opportunities in news programming.

Anne-Laure: Even in news programming, AI could potentially replace journalists, as we've seen cases where a single journalist's work is translated into multiple languages, something that previously required multiple journalists in different locations. However, in sports, I don't think we'll be replacing football players with AI anytime soon. That aspect of the industry will likely remain very human, and live events will continue to bring people together in ways that won't change anytime soon.

Jack Myers: Let me offer a thought on creativity. Throughout history, every major technological disruption has been accompanied by a surge of creativity. Take the printing press in the 1500s, which sparked the Renaissance, with Leonardo da Vinci embodying the intersection of technology and creativity, much like Steve Jobs did in his time. The rise of the internet led to an explosion of user-generated content, with platforms like YouTube and TikTok fueling creativity that was waiting to be unlocked.

We’re at a similar moment today, on the cusp of a creativity explosion. We could sit here and brainstorm ideas all day, but creativity is already bubbling up, much like lilies growing beneath the surface of a pond. Eventually, they will bloom, and soon, the pond will be covered.

This is the opportunity for TV houses, sellers, and buyers: to be open to this creativity, to not be so tied to legacy business models, data, or the traditional funnel. TV’s core value has always been emotion -- the ability to use creativity to create a human connection between the brand and the consumer. But today, it’s increasingly focused on just driving transactions, and that’s not a healthy direction for the industry.

Anne-Laure: It's true that we’re seeing TV move further down the funnel, with many of our members emphasizing that TV is an outcome-driven media. They’re focusing on proving the effectiveness of TV using outcomes-based KPIs, not just reach for the sake of reach. Do you think that this shift is causing TV to lose sight of its core values, and should we be focusing more on the top part of the funnel instead?

Jack Myers: The economics clearly show that the further we’ve moved from TV’s core values, its unique ability to use video and audio to drive emotional connections, the more we've focused on responding to the digital media marketplace. As a result, the market cap of television companies has consistently declined, while the market caps of companies like Amazon, Meta, and Google Alphabet have exploded. The economics definitely confirm what you've just said.

TV is doing both, its the 80/20 rule. So, 80% of your business is moving toward that data built commoditized commerce media, which needs to be viewed as an opportunity as well. But 20% should be put into future based ideas.

Anne-Laure: I like the term we’ve coined “data-infused legacy media.” It reflects the idea of keeping the power of the traditional media knowledge -- understanding your audience, their preferences, and cultural context -- while infusing it with data to transform into a digitally led business. It’s a whole new business model.

This brings me to the younger generation. There’s a lot of talk about Gen Z and even Generation Alpha now. These generations seem to be carrying their habits with them. While we’ve often said that once they reach certain life stages—like becoming parents -- they’ll return to linear TV, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. They’re continuing with their digital habits, logging into platforms like Netflix, HBO, and even YouTube, instead of sticking with traditional linear channels.

If we bring this conversation to the workplace, where your book focuses on leadership and transformation, what do you think the younger generations expect from the workplace today that’s so different from what current leaders understand? What might be surprising to leaders about what younger generations really want and need?

Jack Myers: That’s an interesting question. I’ll go back to the 80/20 rule and how I see the future unfolding. Ten years from now, your organization should be 80% focused on the human relationships with agencies and clients—on the opportunities, creativity, ideas, collaboration, and coordination. The remaining 20% will be about navigating and managing the machines, which will become very task-oriented and data-driven. Machine intelligence is advancing so rapidly that humans will rely on machines to manage the data side of things, while humans will lead the creativity and ideas.

For the younger generations growing up today, especially Gen Z and what I call the Nexus Generation, those at the intersection of machines and they will grow up with machines as partners and collaborators, fully integrated into their lives. In the future, we’ll likely see a world shaped by transhumanism and the singularity movement. So, we need to evolve as leaders to recognize that these young people will view machines as collaborators.

They need to be invested in, supported, and guided by AI and machine intelligence. Some will thrive in a task-oriented environment, working closely with computers, while others will want to be empowered to use their creativity. As leaders, it’s essential to recognize the diverse needs and skills of the younger generation entering the workforce, embracing their diversity of thought, life experience, and the realities they face, whether it’s spending time on TikTok or watching television.

Anne-Laure: It’s about understanding what younger generations want and how they perceive quality, which can be very different from how we view it. We talk about premium inventory, but "premium" is subjective. What they consider premium might not align with what older generations think, and that’s something we need to accept.

Speaking of diversity, it's a crucial issue, especially in the U.S. right now. Unfortunately, diversity and inclusion are being deprioritized in some areas. You’re living there, what do you feel is happening? Is the advertising industry fighting back? Are advertisers still committed to diversity and inclusion in their programming, or is the momentum from the past few years suddenly scaling back or crumbling fast?

Jack Myers: There’s currently no room in the political or corporate environments in the U.S. for any public discussion or demonstration of diversity, inclusion, equity, or even accessibility. These topics are being removed from public reports, websites, and presentations, which is truly disheartening. Having spent much of my career working on advancing diversity and inclusion, it’s challenging to see the funding for these initiatives dry up. Nonprofits and organizations dedicated to fostering a more inclusive environment are no longer being supported, and even speaking about it has become difficult.

The political landscape is so polarized that it’s hard to know who is supporting diversity efforts and who isn't. From a media ecologist perspective, I believe the media and advertising industries are doing a real disservice to our nation and our culture by not taking a stronger stand on these issues. When you see the largest media companies -- Meta, Apple, Amazon -- aligning with certain political figures, it sends a troubling message. We’re seeing the rise of an oligarchic society in the U.S., and unfortunately, the advertising and media industries are not responding to this in any meaningful way.

Anne-Laure: It’s really concerning. Do you think this shift might lead to a divergence between Europe and the U.S.? We’ve been moving towards globalization, but with the changes happening in the U.S., it feels like the decision-making process is becoming less unified. In Europe, there’s still a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, and I suspect some companies are intentionally maintaining those values here. Does this mean that decisions, especially for advertisers, might need to be handled separately in the U.S. and Europe moving forward? What are your thoughts on that?

Jack Myers: It's a really challenging question. I do think we’re seeing a shift in the way things are being handled. Companies are adjusting their language and changing the semantics behind diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to try to keep the focus on accessibility of opportunity. But we’re also seeing the legal landscape change. For example, in education, affirmative action is no longer allowed due to a recent Supreme Court ruling. Universities, where I sit on a couple of advisory boards, have seen their ability to bring in diverse students diminish in the last two years as a result. This trend is likely to extend to organizations as well, making them more homogeneous.

Merit-based hiring is a positive idea, but the definition of "qualified" is evolving. In the world of data, AI, and machine intelligence, younger people are often the most qualified -- and by definition, they are more diverse. But how do we engage this younger, diverse audience when we're unable to communicate with them effectively, recruit them into our industries, or retain them as employees? It’s an unhealthy situation, and one that, in many ways, the science fiction writers, like Aldous Huxley in Brave New World, and Neil Postman in Amusing Ourselves to Death, anticipated. We’re facing a public discourse that has become more about show business than about honest, transparent news or communication. This situation is concerning for the future of our industries.

Anne-Laure: I hope this change faces resistance and businesses have the courage to close the loop. How do you implement a shift from fear-based leadership to one that embraces a leader mindset, creating a more harmonious environment as we discussed earlier? And as we approach the end of our conversation, could you share one final piece of advice for leaders who are looking to transform their businesses in this way?

Jack Myers: Over the past 50 to 70 years, leadership has often been defined by the ability to manage technology and data, which has been very top-down and task-oriented. The introduction of technology into businesses has created a fear-based dynamic, where employees worry about what will happen when they are called into their boss's office. To eliminate that fear, leadership must shift toward a humanistic model, grounded in the five principles of harmony, flexibility, balance, stability, and integrity. Integrity, in this context, also includes empathy, recognizing ingenuity, creativity, and innovation. Leaders should encourage ideas from all employees and integrate AI into daily operations rather than restricting it.

Leadership through empathy and understanding is key, especially as we face significant technological disruption. Fear-based leadership is one of the most destructive models, and maintaining it only increases its negative effects. The strength of industries like television will come from moving in the opposite direction -- by reducing fear and focusing on humanistic, empathetic leadership. The leaders of tomorrow will be those who lead with empathy, creativity, and innovation, focusing on supporting and empowering their employees.

Anne-Laure: I believe I heard this idea in one of your podcasts, apologies if I don’t remember exactly who said it, but it struck me. The concept was about adding value to the office experience. In the past, we would leave the office for retreats, think tanks, and away days to rethink and re-energize. However, this guest suggested that the leadership and inspiration we often sought in those offsite events should now be present in the office itself, creating an environment that makes people want to come back. Do you have any thoughts to add on that?

Jack Myers: That’s actually Rishad Tobaccowala, and his new book Rethinking Work is something everyone should read and definitely follow his podcast. He has this great point in his blog, which he publishes at MediaVillage.org You can’t put tomorrow into the containers of yesterday.

Before COVID, when we needed fresh ideas, we'd go offsite -- gather people away from the office. The office wasn’t seen as the creative hub, it was more about the day-to-day tasks. But now we need to rethink how we use the office space. The office should be the place for ideation. People can do their tasks at home, but when they’re in the office, it should be about creativity, innovation, and coming together as a team. Rishad believes that we should actually be in the office more, but with a focus on these higher-level, human interactions and creative work, rather than just the tasks and computers.

Anne-Laure: There's a lot to unpack here, and we could easily spend much more time diving into it. Especially in a world where everyone is constantly rushing from one thing to the next. We've already covered a wealth of insights, and I encourage everyone to pick up your book. In fact, I remember you even mentioned in one of your newsletters that if someone doesn’t find value in it, you’d personally offer a refund—because you’re that confident it will make a meaningful impact.

Jack Myers: Thank you for the opportunity to speak to your egta audience. I truly appreciate it. I’d also like to mention that The Tao of Leadership: Harmonizing Technological Innovation and Human Creativity in the AI Era is currently available on Kindle and hardbound at all booksellers and discounted for a limited time on Amazon. The hardcover edition, which had a slight delay, is now available in Europe as well. And yes, if you purchase the hardcover and don’t find value in it, I’ll personally refund the full price. Hi to my egta friends, I would love to hear feedback on the book.