Live Wire
Welcome to Live Wire, a weekly jolt of candid thinking for CEOs, founders, and people leaders who know culture isn’t a side project; it’s how a business performs.

Every Tuesday, you’ll receive stories, hard-earned lessons, timely news, and practical advice on leadership, talent, and building stronger companies and the people systems that make them work. Written by Anita Grantham, a longtime Chief People Officer and operator who believes people strategy is business strategy.

Most Recent

Sep 29, 2026

When AI Leads the Work, Who Is Managing Whom?

If your employee approves the answer but didn’t direct the work, what exactly are they accountable for?

Sep 22, 2026

Give away your job, or stay this size. Pick one.

A customer threatened to walk. In the same week, a brand-new customer came on and broke everything. That's the week a founder I'm working with knew she couldn't grow the company alone anymore.

Sep 15, 2026

You can cut the managers. You can’t cut the management.

Uber announced this week that it is reducing its workforce by about 10%, removing management layers, and consolidating teams.

Sep 8, 2026

Your values are a poster. Ann Rhoades says they should be a metric.

On our season finale of the Culture Creators podcast, I asked Ann Rhoades the same question I asked Johnny Taylor in episode one. Same answer, ten episodes apart. Here's what she says every CEO needs to know before they touch their culture again.

Sep 1, 2026

AI didn't decide who got cut. Someone did.

OpenAI's own CEO admitted in February that companies are "AI washing" layoffs. Six months later, AI is the top reason for a record share of job cuts, and several of the biggest names in tech are suddenly refusing to say the word.

Aug 25, 2026

Are you sure you know who you hired?

A California defense contractor was compromised by someone hired through a completely normal interview process; here's what that means for how you vet remote hires.

Aug 18, 2026

What a 30% Raise Actually Tells You

A big number can be a good reason to look. It should never be a reason to stop looking.

Aug 11, 2026

A Question I Can't Stop Asking Leaders

The worst thing that can happen isn't having no policy. It's building one in the middle of someone's worst week.