Super IC or Manager? How To Move Up as AI Transforms Orgs

Hosted by Yue Zhao and Hilary Gridley

Tue, May 19, 2026

7:00 PM UTC (45 minutes)

Virtual (Zoom)

Free to join

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AI Executive Communication Certification
Yue Zhao
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What you'll learn

How "middle management" is changing

Rise of Super ICs, VPs going back to building. Learn how the "management path" is evolving at the leading companies.

What Factors Are Critical To Consider

How to decide whether to go Super IC or Manager. How to break down your decision process.

Where To Invest

What skills and traits are important to develop regardless of the path

Why this topic matters

With the rise of AI, small teams are doing work that previously required hundreds of people. Experienced IC will manage teams of Agents and own director-level scope. What does this mean for your career path? Should you move into managing or become a super IC? Come hear from Hilary and Yue, experienced CPOs, on how to think about your career next steps.

You'll learn from

Yue Zhao

Chief Product & Technology Officer, Executive Coach (Instagram, McKinsey, Thumbtack), Founder

Yue is a CPO & CTO turned executive coach and writer. She has 15+ years of product leadership experience across Meta, Thumbtack, and Instagram.

Yue coaches L6+ leaders at Tier 1 AI and Tech companies, teaches a course on Executive Presence & Communication, and writes weekly for 24k+ subscribers at her newsletter, The Uncommon Executive.

Hilary Gridley

Product Leader & Writer | WHOOP, Dropbox, Big Health

Hilary Gridley was most recently the Head of Core Product and AI at WHOOP, overseeing the company's AI coaching platform and core app experience. She teaches best-selling courses on practical AI for managers and writes a popular newsletter called Writerbuilder. Her work focuses on how AI is reshaping how we work, think, build, lead, and live.

Previously at

WHOOP
Instagram
Thumbtack
Dropbox
McKinsey & Company
See all products from Yue

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