AI is making productivity obsolete. The leaders who thrive next will have something machines can’t touch

For most of modern history, human worth was measured by output — how much you produced, how fast you moved, how efficiently you performed. The modern economy was built on this premise. Factories needed workers who could produce more units. Corporations rewarded leaders who optimized systems. Knowledge work elevated those who could analyze faster and process more. In a world where intelligence and information were scarce, productivity created advantage.

But something fundamental has changed.