Not long ago, IBM quietly made headlines; not for launching a new product, but for reducing 8,000 roles in its workforce. Most of them? From HR. It wasn’t a traditional restructure. It was an AI-era reset. The message was clear: the rules of work are changing fast. Faster than most of us expected. And it’s not just IBM. From Shopify to Amazon, CEOs are issuing bold memos, declaring that AI isn’t optional. That hiring will slow unless tasks can’t be automated. That productivity gains are now tied to prompt fluency, not headcount growth.
I spoke to a friend at another big-tech company, who manages 60 people and has been told to lay off 12 of his team (i.e. 20%) by August. This has suddenly thrown the culture out of the window. Apparently no one is collaborating with anyone, and everyone is out to protect themselves. You can feel it, can’t you? Strategy is suddenly louder. Sharper. Faster.
Culture, once the quiet heartbeat of an organisation, feels like it’s trying to catch its breath. So, it’s fair to ask: does that old saying still hold?
“Does culture still eat strategy for breakfast?” The honest answer: yes.
Culture is still what makes change possible. It’s what determines whether people lean in, burn out, or walk away. But in the age of AI, strategy is no longer just a side dish. It’s the full meal because companies will be redefined by how fast they adapt, and some won’t survive the shift. The trick isn’t choosing one over the other. It’s learning how they dance.
When Strategy Leads the Dance
Sometimes, strategy takes the first step. Take Shopify. CEO Tobi Lütke issued a clear directive: before hiring anyone new, teams must first prove they’ve explored every possible AI solution. This wasn’t a gentle nudge — it was a firm line in the sand. At Amazon, Andy Jassy made it clear that generative AI is not just a tool but a foundational shift. He told employees to “be curious, educate yourself, and experiment”. It was a message that sounded encouraging on the surface but came with an undertone: adapt, or risk being left behind. These are moments where the strategy leads. Fast. Bold. Unapologetic. And culture? It has to move quickly to keep pace. But even in these cases, strategy alone isn’t enough. Lütke ended his memo with something softer: “We want to make sure we’re not just working harder, but smarter.”
It was a cultural cue. A reminder that, without belief and trust, even the best-laid strategy stumbles.
When Culture Sets the Tempo
Other times, culture leads. Accenture didn’t start with a top-down AI directive. Instead, they upskilled more than 500,000 employees. Not as a symbolic gesture but as a statement: we’re in this together. Google is doing something similar, funding AI training through public libraries. No mandate, no corporate spin. Just access and trust. A cultural investment in the broader workforce. These companies know that fear doesn’t drive transformation:
- Confidence does.
- Inclusion does.
- Culture does! Because when employees feel supported and part of the story, they don’t just comply with the strategy — they power it.
The Tempo Has Changed
What’s shifted most in this new era isn’t just the technology. It’s the speed. Announcements that once unfolded over quarters now unfold in days. A CEO memo hits inboxes in the morning. By lunch, it’s being shared on Slack. By evening, it’s a trending post on LinkedIn. There’s less time to align, less space for reflection. And that’s why the dance between culture and strategy matters more than ever. A misstep can cost trust. A misread tone can spark fear. A rushed strategy without cultural alignment? It doesn’t just fizzle — it fractures.
Where Hoogly Helps
At Hoogly, we don’t believe culture happens in all-hands meetings or poster campaigns. It happens in the in-between moments. In how people feel about their team. In what they’re willing to say and what they hold back. In how change lands when no one’s watching. That’s why we built a platform that listens — quietly, honestly, and often. Venn, our AI culture coach, chats privately with employees.
It surfaces what’s really going on — the hesitation, the excitement, the burnout signals.
It gives leaders early insight, and personalised nudges to act meaningfully, not performatively.
Because culture doesn’t block change. It makes it possible.
So, Does Culture Still Eat Strategy for Breakfast?
Yes. Always.
However, the companies that win won’t be the ones with the loudest strategy or the softest culture. They’ll be the ones that understand the rhythm. The timing. The trust it takes to lead and follow at once. They’ll know that sometimes strategy steps forward. Sometimes culture takes the lead. And when both move in sync — that’s when real transformation begins. At Hoogly, we’d love to help you find your rhythm. Lock in a time with us.
