Gen AI has rightly seized leaders’ attention. But is it also eclipsing lower-profile digital imperatives? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Rodney Zemmel and Kate Smaje, with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly, talk about ideas leaders risk overlooking with gen AI in the spotlight, and how to ensure your digital initiatives—including gen AI—work in tandem to drive meaningful value.

Gen AI has rightly seized leaders’ attention. But is it also eclipsing lower-profile digital imperatives? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Rodney Zemmel and Kate Smaje, with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/ten-unsung-digital-and-ai-ideas-shaping-business">talk about ideas leaders risk overlooking with gen AI in the spotlight</a>, and how to ensure your digital initiatives—including gen AI—work in tandem to drive meaningful value.

The McKinsey Podcast, our new flagship podcast series, takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

The McKinsey Podcast features conversations with experts from global management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company, focusing on the issues that matter most in business and management.

The McKinsey Podcast

Our flagship series The McKinsey Podcast takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey & Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

Our flagship series The McKinsey Podcast takes you inside our global firm, and features conversations with experts on issues that matter most in business and management. McKinsey &amp; Company is a management-consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations realize their most important goals. Topics covered in this series include strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, operations, organization, and the role of business in society.

Gen AI and beyond: Where else to focus now

A historic wave of ownership transitions is set to reshape the backbone of the US economy. The fate of jobs, local spending, and wealth creation all hinge on whether enough qualified—and diverse—buyers can step in to continue to pave the way for small business ownership. In this episode, Shelley Stewart III, McKinsey senior partner and Roberta Fusaro, editorial director, talk about the scale and stakes of the "Great Ownership transfer". After, Ken Yearwood, McKinsey partner, joins to talk about the risks of inaction and the practical pathways to making these transitions work. 

The McKinsey Podcast: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast

Shelley Stewart III: https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart

The Great Ownership Transfer report: https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/the-great-ownership-transfer-a-new-era-of-business-stewardship

McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility: https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/overview

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

A historic wave of ownership transitions is set to reshape the backbone of the US economy. The fate of jobs, local spending, and wealth creation all hinge on whether enough qualified&mdash;and diverse&mdash;buyers can step in to continue to pave the way for small business ownership. In this episode, Shelley Stewart III, McKinsey senior partner and Roberta Fusaro, editorial director, talk about the scale and stakes of the "Great Ownership transfer".&nbsp;After, Ken Yearwood, McKinsey partner, joins to talk about the risks of inaction and the practical pathways to making these transitions work.&nbsp;
The McKinsey Podcast: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast</a>
Shelley Stewart III: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart">https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shelley-stewart</a>
The Great Ownership Transfer report: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/the-great-ownership-transfer-a-new-era-of-business-stewardship">https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/the-great-ownership-transfer-a-new-era-of-business-stewardship</a>
McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/overview">https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/overview</a>
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Sell, close, or continue? The transfer of US businesses is at a crossroads

As generative and agentic AI reshape how work gets done, the real divide isn’t who has the best ideas—it’s who can turn them into real results at speed and scale. In this webinar, McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly speaks with Senior Partners Kate Smaje and Robert Levin about the updated Rewired playbook—and why winning with AI now depends less on ambition and more on building the organizational capabilities to deliver.

The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.

This conversation has been adapted from our McKinsey Live series.

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

As generative and agentic AI&nbsp;reshape how work gets done, the real divide isn&rsquo;t who has the best ideas&mdash;it&rsquo;s who can turn them into real results at speed and scale. In this webinar, McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly speaks with Senior Partners&nbsp;<a href="https://preview.mckinsey.com/our-people/kate-smaje">Kate Smaje</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://preview.mckinsey.com/our-people/robert-levin">Robert Levin</a>&nbsp;about the updated&nbsp;Rewired&nbsp;playbook&mdash;and why winning with AI now depends less on ambition and more on building the organizational capabilities to deliver.
<a href="https://preview.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>&nbsp;is cohosted by Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro.
This conversation has been adapted from our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-live">McKinsey Live</a> series.
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Rewiring for AI: From ambition to advantage

Most leaders herald the promise of AI, but many employees see it as a looming threat—a modern echo of Annie Oakley’s classic lines: “Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.” What does it take, then, to lead constructive partnerships between humans and AI agents at work? In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Alexis Krivkovich and McKinsey Global Institute Partner Anu Madgavkar speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about new research on what AI can and can’t do, where humans will continue to add value, and what needs to happen to help all of us work side-by-side with agents and robots successfully.

Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Most leaders herald the promise of AI, but many employees see it as a looming threat&mdash;a modern echo of Annie Oakley&rsquo;s classic lines: &ldquo;Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.&rdquo; What does it take, then, to lead constructive partnerships between humans and AI agents at work? In this episode of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-podcast">The McKinsey Podcast</a>, McKinsey Senior Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/alexis-krivkovich">Alexis Krivkovich</a> and McKinsey Global Institute Partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/anu-madgavkar">Anu Madgavkar</a> speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about new research on what AI can and can&rsquo;t do, where humans will continue to add value, and what needs to happen to help all of us work side-by-side with agents and robots successfully.
Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.

Gen AI and beyond: Where else to focus now

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