Jacob Morgan

Professionally Trained Futurist, Best-Selling Author & Keynote Speaker, Founder: Future of Work Leaders

Expert on

  • AI
  • Leadership
  • Futurist

Fee Range

$50,000–$70,000

Travels from

Biography

Jacob’s family is from The Republic of Georgia which used to be a part of the former U.S.S.R. They came to America with no money, no possessions, and without speaking a word of English. Through sheer hard work, determination, and will, they were able to build a life for themselves and their family. Jacob was raised with the belief that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything, that it’s always better to lead instead of follow, and that anyone has the potential to lead.

After graduating with honors in business management economics and psychology from the University of California Santa Cruz, Jacob was excited to join the corporate world. At his first job he was told that he’d be traveling the country, meeting with executives and entrepreneurs, and doing all sorts of exciting work. A few months in, he was stuck doing data entry, cold calling, and PowerPoint presentations. One day the CEO came out of his nice corner office, handed Jacob a $10 bill and said, “I’m late for a meeting, go grab me a cup of coffee, and get something for yourself as well.” That was the last corporate job he ever had.

Today, Jacob Morgan is a trained futurist and one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership, the future of work, and employee experience, He speaks in front of tens of thousands of people each year and his content is seen over a million times a year. Jacob is the best-selling author of five books: Leading With Vulnerability (Wiley 2024), The Future Leader (Wiley 2020) The Employee Experience Advantage (Wiley, 2017), The Future of Work (Wiley, 2014), and The Collaborative Organization (McGraw Hill, 2012). He speaks at over 50 conferences a year including TED Academy which is one of the largest TED events in the world. In addition Jacob provides advisory and thought leadership services to various organizations around the world.

Speaker Videos

Future-Ready Leadership: The Skills and Mindsets to Lead In The New World of Work

How do you lead when everything is changing—from AI to employee expectations—and the old playbook no longer applies? Discover the four mindsets and five skills today’s leaders need to thrive in a world being reshaped in real time.

Leadership is being redefined in real time—and the pace of change isn’t slowing down. From AI to hybrid work, shifting employee expectations to global disruption, today’s leaders are navigating uncharted territory. It’s never been more challenging to lead, but it’s also never been more important.

So what does it take to lead in this new world of work?

In this eye-opening and actionable keynote, Jacob reveals the new rules of leadership based on his in-depth research with over 140 of the world’s top CEOs and nearly 14,000 employees. His work uncovered a powerful model of four mindsets and five essential skills that all leaders must embrace to thrive in the future.

This isn’t about theory—it’s about transformation. Through compelling stories, cutting-edge insights, and practical takeaways, Jacob guides your audience on how to become the kind of leader people actually want to follow—today and tomorrow.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Uncover the 4 mindsets and 5 essential skills that define future-ready leadership.
  • Understand why traditional leadership approaches are failing—and what’s replacing them.
  • Gain a proven framework to lead confidently through disruption, transformation, and uncertainty.
  • Learn how to build trust, drive engagement, and lead high-performing teams in any environment—remote, hybrid, or in-person.
  • Discover how to think like a futurist and act like a coach to stay relevant and resilient.
  • Walk away with actionable tools to transform leadership behaviors immediately.

The Human Edge: Why Leading With Vulnerability Wins in the Age of AI

 

Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s a leadership superpower. This keynote reveals how combining vulnerability with competence builds trust, deepens connection, and drives real results.

Vulnerability isn’t just a personal trait—it’s a leadership superpower. It builds trust, drives performance, unlocks potential, and fuels transformation. But there’s a catch: vulnerability for leaders isn’t the same as vulnerability for everyone else.

In this powerful keynote, Jacob shares breakthrough insights from interviews with 100+ CEOs and data from 14,000 employees that reveal what it really means to lead with vulnerability—and why it’s so misunderstood.

This session isn’t about being soft or emotional—it’s about learning how to combine vulnerability with competence to become a truly future-ready leader. Packed with personal stories, real-world examples, and actionable frameworks, Jacob will show your audience how to use vulnerability the right way—so it strengthens leadership, deepens connection, and drives results.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the difference between “being vulnerable” and “leading with vulnerability”—and why it matters.
  • Learn the 8 key attributes of vulnerable leaders—and how to build them into your leadership style.
  • Discover why vulnerability fails for some leaders—and how to avoid the common traps.
  • Explore the proven ROI of vulnerable leadership on trust, engagement, and performance.
  • Gain a research-backed framework to lead through uncertainty, change, and challenge with credibility and heart.
  • Walk away with a practical roadmap to become a more authentic, respected, and impactful leader.

8 Laws Of Employee Experience: How To Build a Future-Ready Organization That Attracts Top Talent

The future of your organization hinges on one thing: the experience you create for your people.

In an era defined by AI, disruption, and changing expectations, organizations can no longer rely on outdated models of work. The most forward-thinking companies know that when people thrive, the business does too. Employee experience has become a strategic lever—driving innovation, engagement, and long-term performance. The companies that will lead tomorrow are building smarter, more human workplaces today.

In this transformative keynote, Jacob unveils the 8 Laws of Employee Experience—a bold, futurist-driven framework for designing organizations that attract top talent, unlock potential, and accelerate business success. Drawing on research from over 100 of the world’s leading companies, Jacob delivers an actionable roadmap for building human-centered, high-performing, and truly future-ready workplaces.

Whether you’re a senior executive, HR professional, or team leader, you’ll walk away with the inspiration and tools to reimagine the employee experience—and elevate your organization to the next level.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Unlock the 8 Laws of Employee Experience—and learn how to use them to drive transformation and business impact.
  • Understand why employee experience is no longer just HR’s job—it’s a mission-critical leadership priority.
  • Discover how the best companies build workplaces that are human-centered, performance-driven, and future-ready.
  • Explore the four employee experience futures—and learn how to shape the one you want.
  • Master futurist tools and frameworks to future-proof your employee experience strategy.
  • Learn why top organizations are ditching gimmicks and getting back to basics—and what your company must do now.

The Future of Work: How AI Is Reshaping The Workplace And The Powerful New Role Humans Play

AI is reshaping work—fast. This keynote shows how leaders can harness AI while doubling down on human strengths to build future-ready organizations.

We’re not just living through an era of change—we’re living through a change of era. Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of how we work, from decision-making and collaboration to hiring, learning, and innovation. But as machines take on more tasks, a critical question emerges: What is the uniquely human role in a world powered by AI?

In this provocative keynote, Jacob takes audiences on a journey into the evolving world of work, where algorithms make decisions, machines learn, and automation accelerates everything. But while technology is advancing fast, the human element is more important than ever.

Jacob unpacks how leading organizations are redesigning jobs, workflows, and business models to work with AI—not against it. And most importantly, he reveals the rising value of human traits that machines can’t replicate.
This keynote isn’t about fear or fantasy—it’s a call to action for leaders and organizations to embrace AI while doubling down on what makes us truly irreplaceable.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand how AI is reshaping business models, workflows, and the very nature of work.
  • Explore the major shifts redefining jobs, industries, and organizational design.
  • Learn how to prepare your organization for the new roles and capabilities emerging in an AI-augmented world.
  • Identify the risks of over-automation—and how to balance efficiency with human judgment.
  • See how leading companies are using AI to elevate human potential, not eliminate it.
  • Walk away with strategic foresight tools to navigate disruption and build a resilient, future-ready organization.