Building the Future of Work in Kansas City
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Lead sits at the intersection of banking, technology, and public policy, and we see part of our role as bringing those worlds into the same room. That's why we were honored to host Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling at our headquarters in Kansas City this week, alongside leaders from the Missouri Division of Finance and several of our fintech clients, for a conversation about AI, job growth, and how Americans will build careers in a rapidly changing economy.
The headline from the day was clear: AI is creating new kinds of jobs, and employers will need to evolve how they train people for them. Deel, which pays two million workers at 40,000 businesses around the world, described a wave of specialized, AI-adjacent roles that didn't exist a few years ago. Fundbox and Rho, both growing quickly, are building teams around AI tools while hiring for the client-facing roles that growth demands.
Preparing people for those jobs means moving from learning first and working second to learning continuously, throughout a career and in new formats: online platforms, AI-based training, and hands-on development built into the flow of work. The companies best positioned for the AI economy won't simply hire for the skills they need today; they'll help their people develop the skills they'll need tomorrow.
We also talked about why the Midwest should be central to this story. Kansas City punches above its weight in banking, technology, and entrepreneurship. Missouri is home to 184 state-chartered banks and a regulator that approaches its work as a transparent partner to the industry, and that is actively focused on bringing the next generation of talent into banking. The region has the companies, the talent, and the momentum to be a place where people don't just find jobs, but build careers.
At Lead, we're working to put these ideas into practice. We've built a culture that encourages people to keep learning as they work, whether that means developing fluency with new AI tools, taking on challenges outside their traditional roles, or learning from colleagues across disciplines. Preparing for the future of work doesn't mean predicting every skill that will be needed. It means creating an environment where people have the tools and opportunities to keep learning.
That philosophy extends beyond our own workforce. We want Lead to be a convener, a place where technology companies, employers, policymakers, and regulators can sit around the same table and talk candidly about what's changing, from conversations with federal leaders in Washington to our ongoing engagement with the Missouri Division of Finance closer to home.
As AI creates new opportunities across the economy, bringing those perspectives together will be essential to making sure people are ready for them. We're grateful to Acting Secretary Sonderling, the Missouri Division of Finance, and our clients for spending the day with us in Kansas City. We're excited to keep building the future of work from the middle of the country.
