MIHIR SHUKLA is the Chairman and CEO of Automation Anywhere, one of the world's leading AI and agentic automation companies that partners with the world's largest enterprises across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and beyond to drive AI transformation. Under his leadership, Automation Anywhere has achieved rapid global growth and earned widespread recognition for its groundbreaking technology and customer-first approaches. A highly regarded speaker and advisor, Mihir works with boards, CEOs, policymakers, and public-sector leaders around the world on the strategic adoption of AI and the future of work.

NANCY HAUGE is Chief People Experience Officer at Automation Anywhere and the first-ever winner of HRO Today's CHRO of the Year Innovation Award in 2023. A Silicon Valley veteran with over 30 years of leadership experience across seven IPOs and five acquisitions, her workplace transformation approaches have saved 24,000 manual hours and achieved 80% reduction in processing times for her current team alone. She has served on boards for Holy Names College and Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Introduction: Reflections from Mihir and Nancy ix

Part I The Exponential Era
Chapter 1 The Unparalleled Pace of Change 3
Chapter 2 Why the Industrial Mind Won't Let Go 17
Chapter 3 Paying More for Less 27

Part II The Four Illusions Holding Us Back
Chapter 4 The Illusion of Incremental Change 37
Chapter 5 The Illusion of Human-Only Work 49
Chapter 6 The Illusion of Hierarchical Control 65
Chapter 7 The Illusion of Technological Servitude 77

Part III Becoming Future-Ready
Chapter 8 Designing for Outcomes-Driven Leadership 91
Chapter 9 The Age of Personalization 107
Chapter 10 The Trust Economy 118
Chapter 11 The Skills Race No One Can Sit Out 132

Acknowledgments 149
Authors' Biographies 151
Notes 153
Index 167