Summary
Balancing Power, People, and Progress in an AI-driven World In this talk, I aim to explore the nexus of power concentration within big tech, AI-driven automation, and the ramifications on the tech job market, with a specific focus on design operations and adjacent roles. By examining the underlying dynamics behind power, the recent tech layoffs, and the rapid AI takeover of many aspects of our professional and personal life, I seek to understand the broader impact to the tech industry and the evolution of the profession of Design Operations. This discourse serves as a call for mechanisms to create the pathways for rapid learning and unlearning, and keep pushing designers to reinvent themselves.
Key Insights
-
•
Design’s promise of user-centricity is compromised by exploitative business practices like dark patterns and neglect of accessibility.
-
•
Tech layoffs in 2022-2023 largely stem from social contagion, not strictly performance or financial reasons, disproportionately affecting underrepresented groups.
-
•
Design operations roles face dilution, merging with general operations, which threatens their strategic influence and specialization.
-
•
AI heightens 'layoff anxiety' but also offers opportunities to automate routine tasks, requiring design ops professionals to upskill and adapt.
-
•
Design work shares qualities with care labor, emphasizing relational and emotional value often overlooked despite high salaries in tech.
-
•
Efficiency gains through AI or process improvements often lead to more work and potential burnout, not necessarily leisure.
-
•
Design ops must shift from delivery-focused, reactive roles to strategic facilitators bridging human and machine collaboration.
-
•
Cross-functional collaboration extending beyond product teams to include marketing, sales, and customer support strengthens design impact.
-
•
Engaging end users as equal partners in the design process promotes ethical, human-centered design practices.
-
•
Continuous learning, ethical frameworks, and systemic change activism are essential for design ops professionals to maintain relevance and advocate sustainable design.
Notable Quotes
"Design is navigating through unprecedented times."
"Dark patterns like Airbnb's price concealment and Twitter's neglect of accessibility were designed decisions, whether designers were involved or not."
"Tech industry layoffs are basically an instance of social contagion—companies imitate what others are doing."
"AI can standardize work, but it's on the designer’s court now to bring humanity, emotion, and originality to the work."
"Efficiency doesn’t necessarily reduce workload; it often results in burnout rather than leisure time."
"Design operations facilitates and magnifies the care that designers can provide to a user's experience."
"Many companies view design operations as a nice to have, rather than essential, making these roles prime targets in layoffs."
"We have to turn to our more humanistic traits in a landscape that focuses on efficiency and profit maximization."
"Collaboration should include stakeholders beyond the product trio, from marketing to sales and customer support."
"There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"We should open our profession to fresh graduates and those without traditional design research backgrounds."
Yoel SumitroActions and Reflections: Bridging the Skills Gap among Researchers
March 9, 2022
"When we protect our rest, we also protect our dreaming."
Zariah CameronReDesigning Wellbeing for Equitable Care in the Workplace
September 23, 2024
"In 2023, design leaders were being restructured out and design relegated to a tactical, downstream function."
Doug PowellDesignOps and the Next Frontier: Leading Through Unpredictable Change
September 11, 2025
"By observing Jeff's concerns and asking questions, I was able to show empathy and distract myself from getting defensive."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Position your discovery work as de-risking investments rather than just fuel for innovation or empathy building."
Mike OrenWhy Pharmaceutical's Research Model Should Replace Design Thinking
March 28, 2023
"My job is to make the head of design look super good."
Jacqui FreyScale is Social Work
March 19, 2020
"Values determine the team environment you create; they permeate through leadership and affect performance and happiness."
Kim Holt Emma Wylds Pearl Koppenhaver Maisee XiongA Salesforce Panel Discussion on Values-Driven DesignOps
September 8, 2022
"Accessibility is innovation and the kinds of features people with disabilities need are incredible conveniences for the rest of us."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
September 10, 2025
"This is not a checklist or promotion tool; you don’t have to excel in everything to grow."
Laine Riley ProkayHow DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All
September 30, 2021
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What role does storytelling at project milestones play in communicating design work to leadership in the federal government?
Why is it important to include people with disabilities early in discovery and usability research?
What challenges exist in getting developers and non-design teams to adopt accessibility principles?