Bookmarked: Leading in the Age of AI Empires (10/2/25)

What does it mean to lead when AI runs on chokepoints — scarce chips, fragile grids, limited water, and rules that only a few players control? In this episode of Bookmarked, we crack open Karen Hao’s Empire of AI and explore how leadership is being redefined in real time.

We’ll break down:

• Why true leadership is different from management in an AI-driven economy.
• How NVIDIA’s chip monopoly forced OpenAI’s pivot from nonprofit to for-profit.
• The rise of the “hybrid empire” — where government and Silicon Valley quietly co-lead.
• Four models of leadership on display today: transactional, transformational, adaptive, authoritarian.
• What communities, policymakers, and companies must demand if they don’t want to just be managed — but actually led.

Empires look generous on day one, compulsory by year five. Leadership is deciding who carries the cost before the trench is even dug.

Press play and let’s talk about the kind of leaders the AI era requires — and the kind you’re becoming.

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