Managing the Future of Work

Mindy McKnight leveraged social media to build a multi-million-dollar business, starting with YouTube hairstyle tutorials in 2009 and expanding into brand sponsorships, licensing, and product ownership. By 2024, she and her twin daughters had amassed over 40 million followers and launched two successful brands. As McKnight prepared to expand her brand into new stores, she faced strategic decisions on sustaining growth and adapting to an evolving social media landscape.

Chime Solutions, a customer contact firm focused on hiring from underserved communities, faced major challenges when the COVID-19 pandemic forced nearly all employees to work remotely, disrupting its employee-focused model and increasing attrition rates. Meanwhile, the company was growing rapidly but struggled with mounting debt from maintaining facilities in multiple locations. To sustain its mission of uncovering hidden talent, Chime needed to address both its talent retention and financial stability.

In 2014, Lindsay Jurist-Rosner (MBA '09) founded Wellthy to help working professionals coordinate care for loved ones with chronic illnesses or aging parents. Wellthy's growth remained slow until she piloted a B2B product. Jurist-Rosner wondered whether Wellthy should fully pivot from B2C to B2B, how fast she should ramp up the recruitment of care coordinators, and as she looked to raise another round of capital, whether she should position Wellthy as a B Corporation.

Generative AI seemed poised to reshape the world of work, including the higher-wage, white-collar jobs typically pursued by MBA graduates. Informed by the latest research, this case explores generative AI's potential impacts on work, productivity, value creation, and the labor market.