Why Forward-Thinking Leaders Reward Employees for Building Their Own Replacements

The future of work may not belong to those who resist automation—but to those courageous enough to embrace it. That is the provocative argument advanced by Prof. Dr. Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj, Executive Chair, CEO, and Editorial Director of CEOWORLD Magazine. His vision challenges long-standing fears about artificial intelligence (AI) displacing human labor. Instead, he suggests a radical inversion: companies should reward employees who build AI systems capable of automating their own roles.

“Imagine if our employees replace themselves fully,” Dr. Amarendra explains. “If you replace yourself by building an agent that does everything you do, and does it better, we will forward-vest your equity. Then you can go work on something else.”

This idea flips the prevailing narrative of automation as a threat into an opportunity for reinvention, efficiency, and growth. For leaders navigating an uncertain future, it raises an urgent question: should firms create incentives for employees to accelerate their own obsolescence?

The Case for Self-Automation

Executives know that AI adoption is no longer optional. Goldman Sachs estimates generative AI could increase global GDP by 7% over the next decade, while McKinsey projects annual productivity gains worth $4.4 trillion. Yet many organizations remain constrained by legacy structures, rigid job descriptions, and cultural resistance to change.

Incentivizing employees to automate themselves could break that inertia. Instead of fearing replacement, workers would be rewarded for driving it. The organization gains efficiency; employees gain freedom to innovate, retrain, and move into higher-value opportunities.

The model is particularly attractive to C-suite leaders balancing shareholder expectations with workforce realities. Rather than laying off employees as technology advances, firms could transform jobs into springboards for innovation. Employees who successfully automate their own tasks not only cut costs but also become architects of new growth.

Reframing the Value of Work

The heart of Dr. Amarendra’s argument is that AI should handle what is routine, repetitive, and rules-based—liberating people to focus on what cannot easily be codified.

“So what is left for people to do if AI can sell, pitch, negotiate, and onboard?” he asks. “The empathy side. I do not think they will ever have the empathy that we have and the feelings that we have in the heart. Humans can go back to being more heart-centered.”

This vision resonates with recent insights from Harvard Business Review and Deloitte: as AI takes over technical functions, human differentiation will increasingly hinge on emotional intelligence, creativity, ethical judgment, and relational leadership. By incentivizing employees to automate their roles, companies accelerate the transition from transactional work toward uniquely human contributions.

Strategic Implications for the C-Suite

For CEOs, CFOs, and board members, the implications are significant:

Redefining Incentive Structures: Traditional compensation frameworks reward efficiency gains through performance metrics. A forward-vesting equity model, as suggested by Dr. Amarendra, directly links technological adoption to shareholder value.

Future-Proofing Talent: Incentivized self-automation turns employees into continuous learners. As roles evolve, firms reduce the risk of skill obsolescence while cultivating a culture of adaptability.

Ethical and Social Considerations: By allowing employees to author their own replacement, companies avoid the reputational risks of sudden layoffs. Self-automation reframes the AI transition as a collaborative, empowering process rather than a corporate imposition.

Capital Allocation and Investor Relations: Investors, particularly private equity firms and hedge funds, will likely favor companies that integrate automation without eroding morale. A workforce incentivized to evolve becomes an intangible asset in its own right.

Risks and Realities

Of course, this approach is not without challenges. Not all employees possess the technical literacy to design AI systems. Companies would need to invest in training, infrastructure, and cultural readiness. Incentive structures must also be carefully calibrated to prevent abuse—such as employees deliberately under-performing to make automation easier.

Moreover, policymakers and regulators will scrutinize how such models impact labor markets. Wealth managers, institutional investors, and policymakers will need to assess whether incentivized self-automation creates broader inequities or drives sustainable value creation.

Yet the greater risk for executives may be inaction. Firms that fail to integrate automation at scale may find themselves outpaced by competitors willing to embrace radical new models of talent and technology.

Toward Human-Centered Growth

If Dr. Amarendra’s vision sounds radical, it is also deeply pragmatic. Automation is coming regardless of whether employees are rewarded for it. The question for leaders is whether they will harness it in ways that unleash—not diminish—human potential.

“Humans can go back to being more heart-centered,” he reminds us. Freed from repetitive tasks, employees can bring greater empathy, creativity, and authenticity to their roles. In a world where machines can execute logic flawlessly, the leaders who thrive will be those who nurture what machines cannot replicate: trust, vision, and human connection.

The Bottom Line for Executives

For C-suite leaders, private equity investors, and wealth managers, the strategic calculus is clear: incentivizing employees to replace themselves with AI is not a dystopian fantasy but a blueprint for resilience and growth. It transforms fear into opportunity, labor into innovation, and equity into a shared stake in the future.

As with any paradigm shift, success will depend on bold leadership. The companies that seize this moment will not merely survive disruption—they will set the terms of the future of work.