Robert F. Smith, the CEO of investment firm Vista Equity Partners, said on Thursday that AI will overturn the job market and lead to layoffs for most finance professionals.

Speaking at the SuperReturn International private capital conference in Berlin, which attracted over 5,500 attendees, Smith predicted that by next year, 40% of finance professionals at the event would be using AI agents while the remaining 60% would be searching for new employment. AI agents are programs that run autonomously to perform complex, multi-step tasks.

Related: AI Is Dramatically Decreasing Entry-Level Hiring at Big Tech Companies, According to a New Analysis

“We think that next year, 40% of the people at this conference will have an AI agent and the remaining 60% will be looking for work,” Smith said, per Bloomberg. SuperReturn claims to be the world’s largest private equity event, with senior leaders from major investment firms, such as Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, in attendance.

^{Robert F. Smith, billionaire and chairman and chief executive officer of Vista Equity Partners. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Smith emphasized in his remarks at the event that “all of the jobs” currently carried out by one billion knowledge workers today would change due to AI.

“I’m not saying they will all go away, but they will all change,” Smith said. “You will have hyperproductive people in organizations, and you will have people who will need to find other things to do.”

Vista is one of the largest private equity firms in the world, with over $100 billion in assets under management. The company focuses its investments on software, data, and technology businesses.

Related: AI Could Replace 200,000 Jobs on Wall Street, According to a New Report. These Are the Jobs Most at Risk.

Reports show that jobs in the financial sector are ripe for replacement or augmentation with AI. Citigroup released a report on AI in finance in June 2024 that found that 54% of finance jobs “have a high potential for automation,” and an additional 12% of roles could be “augmented” or improved with AI. The report stated that AI could cause the banking industry’s global profit pool to rise from $1.7 trillion to almost $2 trillion by 2028.

Meanwhile, a survey of chief information and technology officers, released in January by Bloomberg Intelligence, showed that AI could cause as many as 200,000 job cuts on Wall Street within the next five years.

As chief marketing officer of the Tim Moran Auto Group, which runs Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai dealerships, I’ve discovered the hard way that the best marketing campaigns don’t always originate in the boardroom, but in the news cycle.

Recently, news of fresh 25% tariffs against imported vehicles and automotive parts lit up the headlines and sent shock and confusion throughout the business community. Decisions like these can ripple through global supply chains, dealer inventories and customer bank accounts. But for companies that move quickly, changes in policy can also turn into moments of connection, urgency and growth.

In our situation, consumer behavior was directly affected by the announcement. The day after the news became public, we saw traffic to our dealerships surge. Phones rang nonstop. Customers were suddenly jolted into an action that they had deferred for weeks.” The message was obvious: urgency had washed into the market, and we had to act.

Related: How Trump’s Tariffs Are Reshaping Startups and Venture Capital

What tariffs on cars would mean for the auto industry

Tariffs, in essence, increase the cost of importing vehicles and parts. Domestic production has cushioned some of the blow, though a lot of vehicles continue to depend on parts or manufacturing procedures that come from abroad. For dealers, that could mean higher wholesale prices, tightened inventory and some models cutting into consumers’ budgets, making cars less affordable.

But here’s the catch: Those increases won’t occur overnight. There’s a window — some days, some weeks — where it’s unaffected, whatever the current inventory happens to be. And there is a huge marketing opportunity in that window.

We saw it firsthand. Staring down tariffs, we initiated campaigns encouraging customers to “lock in current pricing before prices went up.” Our messaging was all about transparency and value: “These vehicles, they’re on the lot now at today’s prices. They will probably cost more in the months ahead. Act now.” We were not fearmongering — we were providing our customers with a heads-up and helping them to make informed decisions.

Three brands, one clear message

While each brand we represent — Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai — brings its own strategy to the table, they’re all preparing for the same reality: potential price increases driven by incoming tariffs that could impact parts, manufacturing and ultimately, sticker prices. That’s why our group’s message is simple and urgent: Get in now, while current on-lot inventory is still protected from these changes. Once that inventory is gone, replacements could cost thousands more — and no one can say for certain how steep those increases might be.

Ford has leaned in with one of the strongest consumer incentives we’ve seen in years: employee pricing for everyone through July. That alone creates a major opportunity for savings before any tariff-related effects are felt. We’ve emphasized that this is a rare moment — with deep discounts available now, and a finite window before future inventory may carry higher costs due to global sourcing.

Chevrolet and Hyundai, meanwhile, are both offering aggressive financing programs across popular models. These offers give customers a way to lock in low rates on current inventory before any upstream cost increases work their way into pricing. Our messaging has focused on clarity: All three brands will likely feel some level of tariff impact, especially when it comes to parts and production costs. So the time to act — to save and secure the best value — is before those effects ripple through the supply chain.

Related: Historic Perspectives on Tariff Policies and Modern Impacts

Marketing in uncertain times

When you’re in the middle of a fast-moving story like this one, clarity and nimbleness are essential. We leveraged various platforms — email, paid search, social media and even radio — to communicate a consistent message: Tick-tock, time’s a-wasting. Customers seemed to appreciate the forthrightness. We weren’t pushing products to meet targets; we gave them the opportunity to front-run the system before prices moved.

We’ve had success with strategies such as:

• Time-locked events: “Tariff Countdown Sales” and “Beat the Price Hike” weekends built urgency and provided a clear rallying point for our teams.
• Incentive layering: Adding the tariff message to existing rebates or financing programs made the deals seem even more attractive.
• Concise deadlines: Whether it was a deadline for a tariff or the close of a promotion, we were always crystal clear when customers would no longer be able to take advantage and why they must act now.

And, perhaps most important, we taught our sales teams to have conversations, not just close sales. We armed them with talking points about how tariffs might affect pricing down the line and how current offers could help customers get ahead of those price increases. This helped build trust and establish our team as trusted advisors, not mere salespeople.

Related: 5 Startup Marketing Moves That Work Even in Uncertain Times

Sage advice for entrepreneurs of every variety

The auto industry may feel the impact of tariffs most acutely, but the larger strategy we used can work for any business.

Here’s some advice for entrepreneurs who want to capitalize on external events as marketing fodder:

• Stay plugged into the news. Having ripplecalling here means that, say, if there are legislative changes, economic changes or changes around the world, that affect your industry, you can end up seeing ripple effects through it. The quicker you can spot those changes, the quicker you can craft the judicious value-based message.
• Create urgency with truth. Here are the only two things that motivate people: scarcity and deadlines — but only when they’re real. Don’t invent panic. Rather, describe to your customers how an event (such as a tariff or new regulation) will impact your prices, availability or service offerings — and be upfront while you do so.
• Frame the case in terms of what’s good for the customer. Instead of “We need to move inventory,” it’s “You can save money by buying before X happens.” Articulate the benefit and put your customer first.
• Spend time building campaigns and testing everything. Some of our messaging was about “tariff alerts,” while other sessions delved into more traditional, seasonal language. Through A/B testing, we learned what angle is most relatable to various segments, and we adapted accordingly.
• Lead with value, not fear. But it doesn’t have to all be bad. Emphasize what your customers get by acting now, not just what they lose by waiting.

In a constantly changing news world, agility is one of the most powerful weapons in a marketer’s arsenal. The tariffs are only one example, but the principles we used work whether you are selling cars, real estate, software or services. When the winds of change from the outside are blowing into your industry, do not turn back. Step up, speak clearly and turn that moment into momentum.

We don’t control the news. But we do have control over how we react to it — and that’s where true opportunity resides.

You’re bringing in more revenue. You’ve hired. You’ve expanded. But every time you ask for a margin report or runway forecast, the answers are vague. Everybody seems to have their own version of those numbers.

Sound familiar?

I work as a Fractional CFO with growing businesses across the world, typically between $2 million and $25 million in revenue. Here’s what I’ve seen again and again: The business scales. But finance stays stuck.

The books are late. The metrics are unclear. Budgets are more of a guess than a plan. And somehow, even with all the success, the founder feels anxious about cash every month.

Here are 7 things every growing business must fix, before your finance function becomes the bottleneck to everything else.

Related: I Created a Meeting to Call Out My Team’s Mistakes. What Happened Next Surprised Me.

1. Accounting is not a checkbox. It is the foundation

One of the first things I often ask is, “How long after month-end do you close your books?”

If the answer is over 15 days, we’re already late.

At scale, you can’t afford delays. You need accurate, complete and timely financials — every month. And that too, on time! That means:

• Revenue and costs are recorded in the right periods
• Clear chart of accounts
• Proper treatment of accruals, taxes and adjustments

If your numbers aren’t current, you’re running your business in the dark. That’s not a system. That’s survival mode.

2. Revenue means nothing if you’re not collecting it

I’ve seen companies with strong sales pipelines that still struggle to make payroll on time. Why? Poor collections. Invoices go out late. Follow-ups are inconsistent. Credit terms are unclear. And receivables balloon quietly in the background. And the worst thing is that finance and operations are disconnected. You keep serving the customer, despite knowing that they’ve not paid for 180 days.

If you’re not turning revenue into cash, you’re not scaling — you’re just accumulating receivables. Every growing business needs:

• Defined billing and collection cycles
• Weekly cash collection tracking
• Account-level credit limits and aging reports

The moment finance is treated like an afterthought to sales, cash gets squeezed. Scale only magnifies that pain. And one day, you will wake up thinking, “Why don’t I have enough money in the bank?”

3. Your budget can’t just be a rough estimate

Budgeting isn’t just about controlling spend — it’s about giving the business a plan.

I help founders move beyond ballpark targets by installing three key tools:

• A 13-week cash flow forecast that updates weekly
• A 12-month budget with functional accountability
• A 3-year directional forecast tied to milestones

The businesses that feel in control aren’t always the ones with the most cash.

They’re the ones with the clearest view of how it’s being used — and why.

Related: Here’s How I Drove My Company’s Revenue By Taking One Often-Overlooked Step

4. Not all revenue is equal — focus on what earns, not just what sells

It’s amazing how many founders grow topline revenue while quietly subsidizing low-margin customers.

I’ve worked with service businesses where 60% of revenue came from clients who, once delivery costs were factored in, barely broke even.

At scale, gross margin discipline matters more than volume. You should know:

• Which products or services have the highest contribution
• Which customers or segments consistently drive profit
• Where discounting is eating into your margins

As I often say, “You don’t scale by selling more. You scale by selling more of what actually works.”

5. Overheads aren’t strategy. They’re investments with ROI

As companies grow, overheads tend to expand without much scrutiny. You hire faster. Upgrade tools. Expand office space. Add layers. Social media has made it worse because you want to be seen as the next Google!

But more headcount, more software, and more structure don’t always mean more output.

In my CFO role, I often ask:

• Is this a “must have” or a “nice to have”?
• Can we tie this cost to an outcome: efficiency, revenue or scalability?
• Are we layering cost without accountability?

Growth without discipline leads to burn without returns.

Related: Understanding Cash Flow in Your Business

6. If you can’t measure it, you can’t fix it

When I onboard a new client, I rarely look at the P&L first. I look at the reporting structure.

Are you:

• Reviewing burn rate monthly?
• Tracking actuals vs. budget?
• Watching margin compression over time?
• Measuring CAC, LTV and churn (if applicable)?

Most financial reporting is either too late, too basic or too bloated.

What you need is reporting that helps you act. Not just admire the problem. Good reporting turns finance into a decision-making engine. Bad reporting just tells you what already went wrong.

7. Finance isn’t back office. It is the foundation for decision-making.

Founders often tell me they’ll “get to the finance stuff later.”

But here’s the reality: finance always catches up with you. In diligence. In investor meetings. In cash crunches. In expansion stumbles.

The founders who stay ahead are the ones who:

• Hire finance professionals not just to record, but to plan
• Build internal monthly rhythms
• Tie finance into strategy(not just compliance!)
• Demand ROI from every dollar they deploy

These businesses don’t grow with anxiety. They grow with clarity.

And when the next big decision comes — fundraising, a major hire, a new market — they already know what’s possible, what it costs and what it returns.

Final thought

Your revenue may be growing. But if your finance function isn’t evolving alongside it, you’re not scaling — you’re guessing.

That guesswork becomes expensive: poor pricing, delayed collections, bloated teams or missed decisions.

But it’s also preventable. You don’t need a finance department to start. You need financial visibility, financial rhythm and financial discipline. Because the moment you stop guessing and start seeing, everything changes.

Last month, I stared at my screen as an email forwarded from one of my managers hit my inbox:

“According to available industry data, the average annual salary for a Coordinator in New York ranges from approximately 73k to 82k. Given my performance over the past year and the increasing scope of my responsibilities, I believe it is reasonable to request a salary adjustment that aligns with the value I contribute to the team and my ongoing commitment to the role.”

I knew immediately that the text was AI-generated. Not because of the wooden phrasing or precise salary range. I knew because nobody asking for their own money sounds this afraid of wanting it.

My manager’s response was equally robotic:

“Thank you for reaching out about your impressive progress and growing contributions. While we value the impact you’ve had, we are currently unable to accommodate the salary increase at this time. We remain committed to recognizing your growth and will continue to evaluate opportunities…”

Two emails, two different people, and every word sounded like it came from the same ChatGPT template.

Because it did.

Welcome to the feedback loop from hell

We’re watching the death of workplace communication and the birth of a new kind of cowardice: one where being professional means being processed, sounding smart means sounding artificial and where the most human thing to do is let a machine speak for you.

AI isn’t the culprit here. It’s a mirror. It reflects a workplace culture that avoids discomfort in the name of professionalism.

Here’s what happened: An employee working remotely in Portugal used AI to request New York wages (the employee’s old address). The manager used AI to reject the request without addressing the geographic complexity.

It was like watching people argue through Google Translate, except the translation was into Corporate Speak and back again.

This is the ChatGPT generation’s version of hiding behind email instead of picking up the phone, except now we’re hiding behind algorithms instead of being ourselves.

I faced a choice: fire up ChatGPT for my own response or be a human being.

I chose humanity: “Let’s chat live on Thursday. Copy HR.”

Related: ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here’s How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

The business cost of artificial communication

This isn’t a story about AI making us lazy. It’s about what happens when we use technology to avoid the conversations that matter most and that cost our businesses.

The employee who used ChatGPT wasn’t trying to deceive anyone. She was trying to sound “professional” while navigating a complex reality that requires actual negotiation.

We avoided a conversation that needed nuance and ended up with a conversation that had none.

What are we afraid of when we avoid direct conversation?

But here’s the harder question: What conditions did I create that made my employee believe only AI could speak for them?

This wasn’t just about a fear of being direct. It was about a workplace culture where authentic requests felt too risky to voice. Where being ‘professional’ had somehow become more important than being human.

The manager could have broken this chain by responding to the person, not the prose. I could have broken it sooner by creating conditions where people felt safe asking for what they’re worth in their own words.

Are we outsourcing judgment or just conflict?

But when an employee outsources asking for a raise to ChatGPT, what they’re really saying is: “I don’t trust my own words to be worth your time.” And when a manager responds with AI, they’re saying: “Your request isn’t worth my authentic attention.”

This is how relationships die in the workplace — not with conflict, but with the slow suffocation of genuine communication. And dead relationships don’t drive business results.

Related: Different Types of Toxic People in the Workplace

The competitive advantage of human leadership

When I insisted on a live conversation, something remarkable happened. Within 20 minutes, we’d worked out a solution that acknowledged both the employee’s contributions and the realities of our global compensation structure.

We discussed:

• The employee’s actual value creation (significant)
• Geographic pay considerations (complex but manageable)
• Career progression opportunities (more valuable than immediate salary bumps)
• Performance metrics tied to future increases (clear and achievable)

None of this could have emerged from an AI exchange. The solution required human judgment about fairness, business constraints and individual circumstances.

While competitors let AI handle their “difficult” conversations, we’re building stronger relationships with our people. In a remote-first world, authentic communication has become our secret weapon for talent retention.

Conversations about money, fairness and contribution are too important to delegate to code. They call for presence, humility and often, when there are people on the other side, live dialogue.

Why this matters for every business leader

We’re creating a world where the most important conversations sound like they’re happening between chatbots. When someone’s livelihood is on the line, they deserve a human response.

The fix isn’t banning AI from workplace communications. It’s recognizing when the stakes are too high for artificial responses.

I didn’t just end an AI feedback loop when I insisted on talking live. I reminded everyone involved that some problems are too complex for anything other than genuine human conversation.

In a world where we’re teaching machines to sound human, the most radical business act is ensuring humans sound human when it matters most.

So here’s our policy now: if the conversation feels hard, we have it live. If it involves money, fairness or the future, we show up in person or as close to it as we can. No scripts. No templates. Just two people, trying to get it right together.

Tom Brady may have retired from playing football (twice!), but the man is clearly not looking to sit back, polish the seven Super Bowl rings he’s won over his incredible 23-year NFL career, and relax. There is no “chill switch” on the all-time winningest quarterback in NFL history.

He owns the wellness brand TB12, the apparel company Brady Brand, the media company Religion of Sports, and he is also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and Birmingham City Football Club. And on an upcoming episode of the How Success Happens podcast, he talked about his latest venture, GOAT Gummies, an organic vegan gummy snack he developed as part of his ongoing multi-year partnership with consumer goods and food delivery company Gopuff. They’re $4.99 and can be ordered and delivered to your door in 15 minutes.

Tom, as most people know, is extremely serious about nutrition, but he let his hair down (and took his shirt off) to get the word out about GOAT Gummies.

I didn’t get a ton of time with Tom, who spoke with me from what appeared to be a very stylish SUV. But as anyone who has ever watched him play against their team knows, this man can get an awful lot done in a very short amount of time.

Here are some highlights from our conversation — check out How Success Happens next week for the full conversation and a post-chat analysis from a very special guest. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Dan Bova: Tom, I wanna start by apologizing to you for all the terrible things I’ve said to you through the television scream while you’re playing the Jets.
Tom Brady: Oh man, I’m sorry. You’re a Jet fan. That must have been rough growing up. Holy cow. But you know what? I appreciate your loyalty. You never left them. There’s something to be said for that.

Talking about preparing for a football game, you’ve described yourself as “hyper competitive” and “a psychopath.” Is that the same way you approach business?
Actually, no. That’s what I need help with. And that’s why I have business partners who are psychopaths. They cross every t and dot the i’s. I approached football in a very different way — I was into the nuances of the sport I understood so well. And I’m realizing that in business, those details are what matter, too. Especially against tough competition. Partnering with great people in the end is what matters the most. You’ve got to bet on people who have vision, experience, a great work ethic, and great teamwork. And you know that in business, just like sports, things don’t always go your way. So you’re always going to have to figure out ways to overcome adversity and beat the competition.

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So, when you think about Gummi Bears, do you look at them like the Jets, and you just want to kill?
Yeah. I was hands-on from the start with GOAT Gummies. It was super important to develop something that I would eat. that my kids would eat. I want things to be accessible, fun, and with Gopuff, they’re delivered to you in 15 minutes, so what more can you ask?

How does hoisting a bag of GOAT Gummies compare to hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy?
Oh man. The Vince Lombardi trophy. Seven times in 23 years is pretty great, but it’s only less than a third of the time. Hopefully, we hoist these GOAT GUMMIES up much more than a third of the time. We’d love to have these in people’s hands every single day. There are great flavors. There’s a sweet version, a sour version, a tropical fusion. And they’re way better for you than the crap you mentioned earlier.

Credit: GOAT Gummies

If you could share one piece of advice for entrepreneurs who are looking to level up their business game, what would it be?
Just assume that things will never work out, and that you always have to continue to reinvent yourself and find different ways to succeed. So even when things are good, always look for where the problems could come from and never take your eye off the ball. You don’t want to spend all the time looking in the rearview mirror, but you’d better understand and learn from all your mistakes. And, you know, that windshield up ahead of you is big and wide, and that’s where you need to focus, but also know that there are always people tracking you down. And it’s the same way in sports. You’ve got to stay ahead, don’t ever think you’ve got all the answers and things are figured out.

I spoke with Shaquille O’Neal recently about how he set the tone in the locker room when he went to a new team. He said, “I tell them to do things my way or I’ll punch them in the face.” What’s the Tom Brady approach?
Well, I’m not 7′ 2″ and 350 pounds, so it’s not necessarily my style. Mine is probably to introduce myself and to get to know the other person so that they can develop some trust in the way that I see things as well. I think there’s a collaboration. It’s always about understanding what people want and their motivations. That’s what teamwork’s all about. And that only comes from trust and shared experience.

What does the word success mean to you?
I think everyone has different versions of that. And your actions reflect your priorities. Everyone has different goals in life. Some people want to win seven Super Bowls, some people want to be in business, some people want to be in politics. When you wake up, whatever priorities you have, do you work your day toward what you want to accomplish? Do you eat, breathe and sleep it? And if it’s an off day, is it a good off day? And if it’s a travel day, is it a good travel day? So I think those are all the important things. And no punching anybody in the face.

You’ve tried melatonin. You’ve tried magnesium. You’ve even tried those bizarre weighted eye masks. Still, you’re wide awake at 1:47 a.m., staring at the ceiling and thinking about tomorrow’s workday. There’s a new method gaining traction among the exhausted, and it has nothing to do with pills or warm-milk concoctions.

Those who’ve heard of sleep headphones or meditation won’t be surprised that more people are turning to both of these practices for a harmonious blend of wonderful sleep. And you can grab this Bluetooth sleep headband and meditation breathing light bundle from our shop for $116.99 (reg. $138.90).

HoomBand: Sleep audio for busy brains

Worn like a comfy headband, HoomBand is built with flat, breathable Bluetooth speakers. Pair it with the Livlab app to discover more than 100 hours of hypnotic stories, meditations, and soundscapes designed by sleep experts. This acts like a sleep coach in your ears, using tools like hypnosis, binaural beats, and five-sense visualization to guide you out of your thoughts and into restful sleep.

Of course, you could also pair the sleep headphones with Spotify or YouTube to listen to a podcast or music to fall asleep, but many will probably find this too distracting to actually fall asleep.

Dodow: A breathing light that tells your brain it’s time to sleep

If stress keeps your mind buzzing well past midnight, Dodow tackles it from a different angle—your breath. Place this compact, cordless light on your nightstand, tap to begin, and you’ll see a soft blue light gently expand and contract on your ceiling.

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Raising capital is about more than just the pitch—it’s a complex process that requires strategy, preparation, and the right relationships. Join us on June 16th at 3pm ET for an exclusive webinar with Jonathan Hung, Managing Partner at Entrepreneur Ventures and one of the most prolific angel investors in the country.

Jonathan will share insider strategies and hard-earned lessons from reviewing hundreds of deals and supporting founders through every stage of the fundraising journey. Whether you’re seeking your first investment or preparing for your next big round, you’ll walk away with actionable advice to help you secure the right funding and partners for your business.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to identify and build the right funding opportunities—beyond just pitching

• The art of selecting and vetting investors with clarity and confidence

• How to drive results by under promising, overdelivering, and collaborating effectively

• Why experience and mentorship matter as much as money—and how to access both

• How to turn your unique edge into motivation and growth

• Why aligning your fundraising strategy with your life and business stage leads to long-term success

Jonathan’s hands-on approach and global experience will give you a behind-the-scenes look at what truly moves the needle in today’s competitive fundraising landscape. Don’t miss this chance to get your questions answered and learn what top-tier investors are really looking for.

About the Speaker:

Jonathan Hung is a successful VC and entrepreneur. He has evolved from his role as a prolific angel investor with over 125+ pre-seed and pre-IPO investments under his belt to becoming the Managing Partner for Entrepreneur Ventures.

Jonathan is a driver of value creation who supports entrepreneurs, investors, startups, and high-net-worth individuals seeking capital and exposure. His work at Entrepreneur Ventures and Trousdale Ventures demonstrates his strategic expertise and investment acumen. He encourages growth through finance, business development, networking, data analysis, and leadership excellence.

Jonathan’s hands-on approach focuses on long-term success and seamless expansions into new global markets. He provides intuitive business mentorship based on his experience running the US and China offices as President of United Overseas Textile Corporation and work as a Financial Adviser at Morgan Stanley and UBS. He believes every company deserves genuine mentorship despite its size or niche.

Mr. Hung rounds out his time as a Managing Member of his family office fund, J Heart Ventures. He leverages prestigious degrees from renowned institutions, such as the University of Southern California (BSc Business Administration), London School of Economics (M.Sc. History of International Relations), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (M.Eng.Supply Chain and Logistics), and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (MBA).

Uber is launching Senior Accounts, a new service geared toward older users.

The company says it offers a simplified app experience and new features, including ride updates for riders’ family members, saved destinations (like doctor offices), and the ability to use a family member’s card for payments.

Simple Mode offers visuals with larger text and icons, and the screen will have fewer buttons than the typical Uber screen.

Related: Uber CEO: Autonomous Vehicles Will Take Over Drivers Soon

“Senior accounts and Simple mode represent an important milestone in Uber’s ongoing commitment to accessible transportation,” said Ashu Manohar, Director of Product Management at Uber. “These features reflect our dedication to designing technology that meets people where they are and supports mobility at every stage of life.”

How Senior Accounts Work

To enable it, Uber users can invite an older adult to join their Family profile through the app. They’ll get a link to create their senior account and set it up themselves or with the help of a family member.

Senior accounts and Simple Mode are now available in the U.S. and in select cities in other countries. (Get the full list here.)

Uber said senior users can add their Medicare Flex card to pay for eligible medical visits.

Digital clutter is a productivity killer, whether it’s a barrage of ads interrupting your research or banners and pop-ups taking up your bandwidth. Add in the risk of privacy breaches, accidental clicking of unsafe links, and just the sheer volume of distractions, and the average work session feels more like a minefield.

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I recently came across a job ad from a boutique U.S. agency that read:

“If you prefer a clock-in, clock-out mentality, we’re not a good fit,” and
“Specific work hours don’t matter when you’re hungry to grow.”

I’ve been around the block enough to know what that really means: long hours, weekend emails and a blurred line between work and everything else.

We like to believe we’ve moved past hustle culture and into the era of workplace wellness. But job postings like this prove many employers are still selling burnout, just wrapped in the language of “ambition.”

I’ve lived both versions of the founder journey: the always-on grind and the wellness-first rebuild. I know exactly what the hustle takes from you — and how small, intentional changes can help you feel better, lead better and build a business that doesn’t burn you out.

Related: Don’t Underestimate The Importance of Employee Well-being. Your Business Will Suffer The Most

When hustle becomes your identity

And why is that a problem?

Startup culture glorifies the idea that more hours equals more achievement. And sure, early wins feel good — that dopamine hit keeps us grinding. Until one day, the hustle is your identity.

In the early days of my company, I lived by this mantra: “If you’re heading home and your competitor’s lights are still on — turn around.” It worked. We scaled from three scrappy founders to a global team of 500. But eventually, I realized: if I didn’t put my team’s wellbeing first, we wouldn’t last. Playing the long game takes more than stamina — it takes sustainability.

The data backs this up. In a recent survey of 138 startup founders, over half reported experiencing burnout in the past year. Two-thirds had seriously considered walking away from the very companies they built. That’s not grit — it’s a system failure.

Even high-profile success stories aren’t immune. Take Loom co-founder Vinay Hiremath. After helping scale the company to a near-billion-dollar exit, he admitted: “I am rich and I have no idea what to do with my life.” His solution? Jump back into hustle culture — because it’s the only thing he knows.

Burnout is a silent epidemic. The World Health Organization formally recognized it as an “occupational phenomenon” in 2019. It rarely makes headlines, but it robs us of focus, clear decisions, and, ultimately, the longevity of the businesses we’re building.

Related: 5 Leadership Strategies That Actually Prevent Employee Burnout

What I did to break the cycle

Health fuels performance — and it starts with you.

When leaders are well-rested and engaged, everything works better: decision-making, team morale, product velocity. And it’s not just a feel-good theory. A 2024 Gallup study of 183,000 businesses across 90 countries found that prioritizing employee wellbeing is a business advantage. Here’s what they found:

• 78% less absenteeism
• Up to 51% lower employee turnover
• 32% fewer errors and defects
• Up to 20% higher productivity
• 23% greater profitability

These results aren’t magic — they’re the compounding effect of cultural choices. And those choices start at the top.

For me, the turning point was simple: I got tired of being tired. I shifted from obsessing over hustle to building a rhythm that supported performance and wellbeing.

Here’s how that looked:

• I set hard boundaries on work hours. I used to wear 14–16 hour days like a badge of honor. But after 8 p.m., I’d spend twice as long on basic tasks. Now, I aim to wrap by 6:30 p.m., which forces better focus— and leaves energy for life outside work.
• I prioritized consistency over hacks. No detoxes or cold plunges. Just a steady rhythm of short breaks between meetings to stretch, breathe, and reset. It keeps mental fatigue from building.
• I moved my body instead of chugging coffee. Short workouts replaced endless caffeine. Even a five-minute break helps reset my energy and cognition. Trying new sports also improved my mental flexibility in surprising ways.
• I let my mind wander on purpose. Some of my best ideas show up when I’m doing nothing—walking, meditating, or scribbling thoughts in a notebook.
• I protected my attention like it was my most valuable resource. Two hours of deep focus every day—no meetings, no multitasking — lets me explore ideas, shape strategy, and think long-term without working late.

And it wasn’t just about me. I brought wellness into our team culture with walking meetings, breathwork breaks and light-hearted wellness challenges. Because a business is only as healthy as the people building it — not just the founder.

Related: Why Being ‘Always On’ Is Killing Your Innovation, and How to Truly Disconnect

If you do just one thing — do this

Give yourself permission to fully disconnect. When you log off, really log off.

No weekend emails. No late-night Slack messages. Don’t say you have “limited access” in your out-of-office message. Say you’re offline — and mean it. That’s how you build a culture where rest is respected, not resented.

The truth is, I still struggle to fully clock out sometimes. When you’re building something you care about, it’s hard to let go. But if you want what you’re building to last, you have to protect the person building it — you. Wellness isn’t a retreat. It’s not a reward. It’s your foundation.

And if we want a new era of work, it starts with building companies where people thrive, not just survive.