Bob Pulver sits down with community builder and HR influencer Enrique Rubio, founder of Hacking HR. Enrique shares his journey from engineering to HR, his time building multiple global communities, and why he ultimately returned “home” to Hacking HR to pursue its mission of democratizing access to high-quality learning. Bob and Enrique discuss the explosion of AI programs, the danger of superficial “prompting” education, the urgent need for governance and ethics, and the risks organizations face when employees use AI without proper training or oversight. It’s an honest, energizing conversation about community, trust, and building a responsible future of work.
Keywords
Enrique Rubio, Hacking HR, Transform, community building, democratizing learning, HR capabilities, AI governance, AI ethics, shadow AI, responsible AI, critical thinking, AI literacy, organizational risk, data privacy, HR community, learning access, talent development
Takeaways
-
Hacking HR was founded to close capability gaps in HR and democratize access to world-class learning at affordable levels.
-
The community’s growth accelerated during COVID when others paused events; Enrique filled the gap with accessible virtual learning.
-
Many AI programs focus narrowly on prompting rather than teaching leaders to think, govern, and transform responsibly.
-
Companies must assume employees and managers are already using AI and provide clear do’s and don’ts to mitigate risk.
-
Untrained use of AI in hiring, promotions, and performance management poses serious liability and fairness concerns.
-
Critical thinking is declining, and generative AI risks accelerating that trend unless individuals stay engaged in the reasoning process.
-
Community must be built for the right reasons—transparency, purpose, and service—not just lead generation or monetization.
-
AI strategies often overlook workforce readiness; literacy and governance are as important as tools and efficiency goals.
Quotes
-
“Hacking HR is home for me.”
-
“We’re here to democratize access to great learning and great community.”
-
“Prompting is becoming an obsolete skill—leaders need to learn how to think in the age of AI.”
-
“Assume everyone creating something on a computer is using AI in some capacity.”
-
“If managers make decisions based on AI without training, that’s a massive liability.”
-
“Most AI strategies can be summarized in one line: we’re using AI to be more efficient and productive.”
Chapters
00:00 Catching up and meeting in person at recent events
01:18 Enrique’s career journey and return to Hacking HR
04:43 Democratizing learning and supporting a global HR community
07:17 The early days of running virtual conferences alone
09:39 Why affordability and access are core to Hacking HR’s mission
13:13 The rise of AI programs and the noise in the market
15:58 Prompting vs. true strategic AI leadership
18:21 The importance of community intent and transparency
20:42 Training leaders to think, reskill, and govern in the age of AI
23:05 Dangers of data misuse, privacy gaps, and dark-web training sets
26:08 Critical thinking decline and AI’s impact on cognition
29:16 Trust, data provenance, and risks in recruiting use cases
31:48 The need for organizational AI manifestos
32:47 Managers using AI for people decisions without training
35:12 Why governance is essential for fairness and safety
39:12 The gap between stated AI strategies and people readiness
43:54 Accountability across the AI vendor chain
46:18 Who should lead AI inside organizations
49:28 Responsible innovation and redesigning work
53:06 Enrique’s personal AI tools and closing reflections
Enrique Rubio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubioenrique
Hacking HR: https://hackinghr.io
For advisory work and marketing inquiries:
Bob Pulver: https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver
Elevate Your AIQ: https://elevateyouraiq.com
Substack: https://elevateyouraiq.substack.com
Powered by the WRKdefined Podcast Network.
Sponsors
