#asynchronous-workflows

#asynchronous-workflows

This same sense of uncertainty can be triggered in software products. Many digital experiences consist of background tasks, file imports, system updates, and other long-running processes that run quietly and invisibly, leaving users with no indications of progress or feedback. The user initiates an action, like a sync, a publish, or a bulk update, and is responsible for the outcome, while the system does all the work out of sight.

But Brian O'Kelley, the tech founder who sold AppNexus to AT&T for $1.6 billion in 2018, has a message for Jamie Dimon, Andy Jassy, and any CEO demanding a return to the office: You're not serious about AI. The 48-year-old serial entrepreneur has worked in tech for the past two decades. He's currently building his third startup, Scope3, a supply-chain emissions data company. And O'Kelley argues that return-to-office mandates mark the line between companies that are truly preparing for an AI-first future-and those stuck in the past.