Smiley is one of the top future of work, company culture & workplace belonging keynote speakers in the world for the technology and AI industry.
Technology & AI Keynotes
↓ INDUSTRY CLIENTS ↓
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“Smiley helped our team come up with new and exciting ideas for how to recruit and retain top talent.”
- Scott Leatherman, Vice President, SAP -
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“Smiley’s talks were fun and insightful. He shared excellent stories and practical tips for our team on how to build human connections, support compassion and empathy in the hybrid world. Feedback from our global team has been incredibly positive. As a business partner, Smiley was top-notch. It was fun and easy to work with him. He took the time to understand our audience, objectives, and tailored his narrative to meet our needs. We’d love to work with him again.”
- Veronica Rodriguez, Sr. Manager Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Xilinx
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“Your keynote was absolutely phenomenal – so well received by our audience and it hit home so much for me personally as well! I was also grateful you were able to join us for more of the event as well including the drone show.”
- Megan Howse, Senior Vice President, Marketing, iQMetrix
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“Smiley was wonderful to work with during all 6 global sessions he did for EO's virtual Future of Work Lab. He shared cutting-edge data, insights, and actionable tips on navigating the multigenerational workforce, hybrid work, AI's impact on employees, and how to build a culture of belonging in challenging times. Smiley also dedicated additional time to interviewing multiple EO members, integrating their insights on work culture into the content to tailor it for our audience. Best of all, many of our members have already begun implementing Smiley's ideas and strategies at their companies. We would love to work with him again in the future.”
- Jess Owens, Learning Manager, Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) -
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“Smiley delivered an engaging virtual talk on Public Speaking on live stream! With his practical, inspiring presentation, we would welcome Smiley back to Google for future sessions.”
- Bianca Fernandez, Google -
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“I first saw Smiley speak at Culture Summit, and knew he was the perfect person to speak to the rest of MailChimp about having a career with purpose. The office was buzzing all afternoon after Smiley's Coffee Hour talk. I was thrilled that we brought Smiley in to speak to our employees.”
- Ashley Wilson, Employee Engagement Specialist, MailChimp -
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“Amazing! So positive and engaging.”
- Jill Musser, Senior Director of Benefits, Penn State University
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“Smiley was a great speaker! He was energetic, motivational, and was able to engage with a room of over 100 people of all ages and levels of experience. As a company that is scaling fast, it was great to have Smiley help us all think a little bit more about our individual sense of purpose and how we can most effectively collaborate across generational groups."
- Brett Chereskin, Chief of Staff to the Chief Revenue Officer, Affirm
↑ INDUSTRY TESTIMONIALS ↑
Future of Work Keynote Speaker for Technology and AI Companies, Specializing in Workplace Culture, Team Connection & Belonging
The Future of Tech is Human Connection.
The tech industry in 2026 is driven by a commitment to attract and retain top talent and increased competition for skilled talent, amidst rapid technological advancements, new investments in power and data infrastructure, evolving regulatory conditions, and ethical and security considerations regarding AI. AI is rapidly transforming tech, from data to SaaS, IT and cybersecurity, yet prioritizing human connection remains essential. Flexibility, curiosity, empathy, coaching, and emotional intelligence skills are paramount to engage the multigenerational hybrid workforce, navigate complex cultural and global environments, and prioritize employee well-being and mental health in the age of distraction and overwhelm.
Tech leaders have a critical role in the Age of AI and Overwhelm: to harness the power of human connection to drive profitable growth and business innovation. With so many coworkers and colleagues not seeing each other regularly in a hybrid workplace, connection is the most valuable currency at work. Companies that treat culture like a product will thrive. Ones who don’t evolve their culture will fail. Culture isn’t just HR’s job. Culture is everyone’s job.
In an AI-driven workplace, human connection is our moat, relationships are our true competitive advantage.
In a nonstop, disengaged, overwhelmed workplace; with wall-to-wall Zoom meetings, 24/7 Teams messages, AI agents, and the rapid adoption of GenAI & ChatGPT; the value of meaningful human connection increases exponentially and business is about building belonging for your people, your employees, your customers, and your community. High-levels of employee belonging create a 56% increase in job performance, lead to a 50% drop in turnover risk, and can save a company $52 million a year.
Smiley’s practical keynotes provide an actionable toolkit for technology and AI leaders to drive positive cultural transformation, enhance the employee and customer experience, attract and retain Gen Z talent and talent across generations, increase employee connection, innovate our products, engage high-performing teams, and create a workplace culture of belonging for our teams, customers, and the communities we serve.
Speaking Reels
2026 Keynote Preview
2026 Speaker Reel
Smiley’s Keynote Outcomes:
Learn 5 ways to increase human connection at work
Foster higher levels of psychological safety on your team
Deepen trust + build high-value relationships
Navigate uncertainty, drive massive business growth in the age of AI
Lead through change + build culture transformation
Keynote Topics for Tech & AI Industry.
How Tech Leaders Can Foster Innovation, Drive Collaboration, and Build Belonging in An AI-Driven World
Creating Cultures of Employee Connection and Human-Centered Innovation in an Era of Disruption, AI, and Overwhelm
How to Attract, Retain, and Engage Talent and Drive Innovation Across Generations
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Building High-Performing, Super-Connected Teams to Embrace Disruption, Transform Culture, and Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Workplace
Building a Culture of Care to Improve Collaboration, Support Employee Well-Being, Reduce Burnout, and Foster Creativity and Connection in the of Era of Disruption
Client Value Cycle
Pre-Keynote
Exploratory call to align on client vision and event goals
Deep dive pre-event call
Smiley customizes his presentation to meet your audience’s unique needs and priorities; interviews 3-4 leaders, team members, clients or partners to customize for your event
Customize through connection
Smiley delivers a high-energy, inspiring, interactive and practical keynote
Smiley models connection+ belonging in how he shows up, whenever possible, he’ll stay for client dinners, attend post-event cocktail receptions, moderate Q&As or breakout discussions, sign books, do video interviews or podcasts, and make cross-promotional social media posts.
Post-Keynote
All attendees receive Smiley’s hand-designed practical resources and guides:
Custom Slides
1-pager with key takeaways
Belonging Toolkit (70 pages)
Connect at Work Guide (30 pages)
Optional book bulk buy discount
Thank you video from Smiley
Access to 6 short videos to keep doing the work and implement Smiley’s culture of connection tips
30-days later 20-minute After Care Debrief Call with Smiley to discuss post-event progress and explore future collaboration options (including ongoing masterclass and Virtual Q&A/ Focus Group Series)
Keynote
Deliver exceptional keynote experience that models connection
After care resources to implement tools and take action post-event
Speaking Video Clips
The Power of Making the Ask
Being Human in the Age of AI
Human Connection in the Age of AI
Audience Customization Example
Create a Sense of Belonging
Communicate Across Generations
Flexibility at Work
Team Psychological Safety at Work
Culture of Care
Employee Engagement
From Hustle to Human Connection
Culture Transformation
From Hustle to Human Connection
The Myth About Workplace Belonging
Hybrid is How We Connect
Empowering Tech & AI Leaders to Thrive Through Uncertainty
“One of the Top Human Resources Keynote Speakers.”
“One of the Top 12 Speakers who will inspire you.”
