• Nvidia vice president Laura Fay has retired after a decade at the company.
• Fay grew Nvidia's enterprise marketing team from roughly 60 to 600 employees.
• Nvidia brought in Google Cloud's Alison Wagonfeld as its first chief marketing officer this year.

Laura Fay, a longtime Nvidia marketing executive who reported to CEO Jensen Huang, retired in July after roughly a decade at the AI chip giant.

Fay formerly served as Nvidia's vice president of global enterprise marketing, overseeing campaigns, events, analyst relations, and partner marketing. She said her team grew from roughly 60 to 600 people by the time she left.

Fay was among 36 employees on an internal list obtained by Business Insider last year of company leaders reporting directly to Huang. Prior to joining Nvidia, she spent 22 years at Cisco, concluding her tenure there as VP of global marketing.

Fay said Huang recruited her to build Nvidia's enterprise marketing organization as the company looked to expand beyond gaming.

"I want to change the world, and I want you to change it with me," she recalled him telling her on their first call.

Fay said she began considering retirement around her 10th anniversary in January, though a call from Huang congratulating her and expressing hope that she'd stick around for another decade persuaded her to stay a little longer.

Nvidia declined to comment.

Fay's retirement came as Nvidia also brought in new marketing leadership. In February, the company hired Google Cloud executive Alison Wagonfeld as its first chief marketing officer.

The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that Wagonfeld would oversee all marketing and communications teams and assume responsibilities previously divided among several leaders.

Those changes follow another longtime marketing departure. Greg Estes, Nvidia's former vice president of corporate marketing and developer programs, retired in 2025 after roughly 15 years at the company.

Several other longtime Nvidians have retired this year, including sales chief Jay Puri, chief accounting officer Donald Robertson, and VP of hardware engineering Robert Huang. Some retirees told Business Insider that Nvidia's exponential stock run helped precipitate their decisions.

Nvidia's communications organization has also undergone a shake-up as scrutiny around the company has intensified, with roughly 15 employees departing since 2025 amid a reorganization under new leadership.

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• AI is changing how executives oversee their companies, Eric Schmidt said on the "In Good Company" podcast.
• Google's former CEO described several ways execs he knows use AI agents to manage staff.
• He described one company that uses AI assistants to ensure that staff are following its core values.

Eric Schmidt thinks the CEO of the future will have an AI assistant that can see across the entire company. For employees whose job is to keep a sprawling business coordinated, that could be bad news.

In an episode of the "In Good Company" podcast, the former Google chief executive described assistants that check whether company activity aligns with a leader's values, follow up on projects, and help identify ways to increase profits.

He argued that the technology could make businesses faster and flatter, with fewer people needed to plan, relay information, and move numbers around.

Schmidt sees little time for companies to adjust. He said competition in AI is fiercer than the PC-versus-Mac or Android-versus-iPhone battles: a model can take roughly six months to build, another two to test, and then be overtaken within five months of release.

"Time compresses every cycle," he said.

He also rejected the idea that AI is a bubble, pointing to Anthropic's rapid revenue growth. Schmidt said the company had grown faster than a record set during his time at Google, calling it "real money with real customers."

The changes he envisions are already visible in smaller experiments, he said. Schmidt gave the example of two founders he knows who ask an AI assistant every Friday to flag anything happening at their company that conflicts with their values.

Another executive created an AI version of himself that checks on an employee's progress, gives him instructions, and responds when he needs help, Schmidt said. That exchange sounded potentially abusive and worried him, he added, though he also saw how it sped up the executive's decisions.

Schmidt said his days as CEO were consumed by meetings, 12 hours a day, five days a week, as he listened to people explain projects and decisions. He thinks AI platforms can eliminate much of that "coordination tax": the effort of gathering updates, passing them upward, and keeping teams aligned.

For a company with 10,000 employees, Schmidt guessed AI could leave "a couple of thousand people who you don’t need."

He cited a friend whose fast-growing company cut 20% of its staff, including the "glue people" who handled planning and coordination. The friend later told Schmidt he had received death threats over the cuts.

Schmidt said companies would still need people who build products, make sales, speak with regulators, and lead teams. His advice to workers whose roles were disappearing was that executives should transition them "legally and humanely."

• While pregnant with my second child, an RTO mandate was issued at work.
• Going into the office five days a week wasn't going to work for me, or for my family.
• I decided to take the leap and build my own business instead.

I never imagined myself starting a business, but after a return-to-office mandate that wasn't going to work for my family, I had to rethink what should come next in my career. I spent a lot of time networking on LinkedIn, and after some encouragement, I started asking myself, "Why not?"

I worked in marketing as a content writer, and I've always been ambitious. I was a top performer at my company, receiving glowing reviews and setting a record for campaign performance. However, there was always a constant pull between time at the office and time with my family.

Being required to show up to the office five days a week simply wouldn't work for me

The office was about an hour from my house, which was fine for two to three days a week, especially with the flexibility to work remotely for additional days as necessary. When they instituted the expectation for a full five days in office with no flexibility at the beginning of the year, I knew it wasn't going to work. I was expecting my second child, and my 5-year-old had a weekly appointment and some commitments I didn't want to miss.

Showing up to my kid's events often meant working from home an extra day or leaving the office early, and even though I was crushing performance metrics, those absences made me feel like I wasn't doing enough at work, especially as my department began focusing on new goals. Worse, as departmental pressure increased, my boss made a few comments that left me wondering whether he felt I wasn't sufficiently dedicated to the new direction and my role, adding a layer of fear about my job when I was trying to be present with my family.

Then, there were the moments I felt like I wasn't doing enough as a mom. I apologized on more than one occasion for a school closure or my kid getting sick, and I found myself checking messages while he napped in my arms. It was uncomfortable to acknowledge the guilt I felt across all aspects of my life.

The tug-of-war had become a constant since becoming a mom, and I kept thinking there had to be a way to be true to my high-achieving nature while still being the kind of loving, involved parent I aspired to be. After a series of coffee chats with other "mompreneurs" and marketing colleagues, I realized building a business, like motherhood, isn't about having it all figured out. I could chase entrepreneurship like I once chased accolades.

I've always been a writer. Communication and storytelling have been the constants in my career across industries and roles. I'd helped friends and family with marketing for their law firms while still working full-time; I'd worked in education, both in the classroom and in marketing. I realized my experience would translate to the kind of business I wanted to build: brand development, content strategy, and ghostwriting in higher education and law. I spent most of my third trimester balancing business planning and baby preparation.

I took the leap and started my own business

My LinkedIn community encouraged me to take the leap and supported me again as I began shifting my personal brand to support the business after my son was born. I signed my first client before he arrived, and had two referrals come in during my first couple of months in business.

By the time both my children started school and day care earlier this year, I'd built something that would support the life I wanted without requiring an apology. My first client was recommended in AI overviews after only 30 days. I was a guest on a podcast about AI visibility called Found In AI and invited on a few others focused on motherhood and ambition.

I build my own schedule. I work between pickup and dropoff, and I don't feel the need to check my phone while volunteering or at school events. I relish the details I get when my oldest hops in the car: the games at recess or the math facts that fascinated him in class. I build Magna Tiles cities and go for "treasure hunts" around the neighborhood without guilt or explanation. Sure, there are days when I'm logging back in after bedtime, but instead of putting in those hours to chase titles or prove something, I'm simply putting the work where it fits for me or pursuing something I'm genuinely excited about for one of my clients.

I spent a lot of my career frantically trying to prove that motherhood didn't lessen my capability, while simultaneously feeling guilty for every ask that mattered: the Halloween school parade or my child's sick days. I was afraid of losing respect at my job and afraid of missing out on my kids' childhood.

Now, I recognize that fear was holding me back from building a life that feels much more fulfilled. I've let go of the competition between the roles of "Mom" and "Career Woman." Three ghostwriting clients alone equal my monthly salary from corporate, which was the goal, and anything after that is a bonus. The control of my time is priceless; I'll never have to ask permission to be fully present with my children.

• Still dreaming of logging on in comfy clothes? Fully remote jobs are getting harder to land.
• Remote roles accounted for 9% of LinkedIn postings in September, yet drew 33% of applications.
• If you want a remote position, be prepared to show you can communicate well and thrive from afar.

When Andie Allan scans job listings, her dog, Luther, is never far from her mind — or her side.

The 92-pound German Shepherd has a spot on the couch in Allan's home office. Allan, a marketing manager who hasn't worked full-time in person in more than a dozen years, is looking for a job that lets her remain fully remote, in part so she can stay close to Luther.

More than six years after the pandemic ushered in a work-from-home revolution, many office workers have gotten used to skipping some commutes and having more flexibility outside their 9-to-5. Others have embraced a return to in-person collaboration.

Entirely remote work remains relatively uncommon: In September, 12.1% of US full-time workers were fully remote, according to Stanford data.

For some, these remote setups are a preference. For others, it can make holding down a job feasible alongside factors like caregiving responsibilities or disabilities.

The search for remote jobs can be tough, however, unless you have an especially in-demand or niche skill set. In the US, fully remote roles made up 9% of job postings on LinkedIn in September, yet drew 33% of applications, the company said.

Competition for those roles has also increased as many companies have returned to the office, at least part-time. The number of applicants per remote job rose 10% from a year earlier, according to LinkedIn.

Candidates seeking these roles might need to show employers they can succeed without regular office time — contrary to what some corporate leaders might prefer. Allan is using her track record of remote work as a selling point when applying. She points to the successful products she launched while working with global teams she rarely met in person.

Allan said she's happy being at home, even if it means forgoing opportunities. Commuting to an office from her home outside London could work, Allan said, "If I was 25 and had no ties and wasn't married to a German Shepherd."

More jobs require in-office time

Access to remote jobs also isn't evenly spread across industries. LinkedIn found that it was most common in technology, information, and media; financial services; and administrative and support services.

Winston Murdock, who's dialed in from home since 2010, works in one of the more remote-friendly corners of the job market as a software team lead. He and his wife bought their house outside Atlanta with an extra bedroom for his dedicated office.

Years ago, Murdock said, a recruiter approached him about a job that would have paid more but required a two-hour round-trip commute on weekdays. Murdock and his wife considered the added costs of childcare, gas, vehicle wear and tear, lunches, and work clothes fancier than a T-shirt.

"There's maybe a number that will get me to choose to be back in the office," Murdock said. "That number was not it."

Murdock said he loves his role at a Canadian software company and plans to stay, in part because of the remote arrangement. He would consider office work only if he lost his job.

How to find fully remote work

For workers looking for a new role, office time is increasingly part of the bargain. Robert Half, the staffing firm, said in a July report that a shift toward in-office work meant "more competition for fully remote roles and a near guarantee that new opportunities will come with at least some in-office time."

The relative scarcity of remote jobs makes a targeted search especially important, said Markos Korvesis, a career coach who helps people find such roles. He said job seekers often don't know how to tailor their résumés to show they are a good fit for logging on from outside an office.

Korvesis spends most of his time in Vietnam and has worked from more than three dozen countries over the last eight years. He recommends that job seekers highlight that they're up to date with AI tools and have solid experience using a variety of communication platforms, from Slack to Discord.

People should point to examples of how they've worked across offices, nations, and cultures, Korvesis said. It's important, he said, to be specific: If you've worked with teams in five time zones, say so.

Korvesis said those details can show that a candidate is prepared to thrive in a remote environment.

The challenges of WFH

Landing a remote job is only one of the difficulties. Chad Albert, who lives in South Florida and helps customize and sell software used in healthcare, said technology has made it easier to collaborate across distances, yet communicating through a screen can make it harder to connect with colleagues.

Albert said he makes an effort to pay attention when coworkers talk about their hobbies or what they did over the weekend.

The goal is to be a bit more outgoing and engage people in some side conversations, he said, adding that otherwise, "You wind up living on an island."

With fewer remote openings and more applicants per posting, the job search can demand persistence.

From her home southwest of London, Allan has been looking for a full-time marketing role since May 2025. Last year, she said she was in a "blind panic, applying for everything," submitting more than 1,000 applications.

Now, Allan said, she is being more deliberate. Unless she fully fits the criteria, she doesn't apply, she said. Allan also remains upfront with prospective employers about Luther, who gets at least three walks a day, including one at lunchtime.

"If they get me, great," she said. "And if they don't, well, maybe it's not a great fit."

Do you have a story to share about your work setup? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.

• Anthropic is hiring an executive communications writer for up to $345,000.
• A comms pro told Business Insider that "When speed becomes cheap, judgment carries a premium."
• 3 writing experts gave Business Insider tips for young workers on practicing critical thinking.

Anthropic's AI chatbot can draft a speech in seconds, but the company is now hiring a human writer — for $295,000 to $345,000 a year.

Anthropic isn't looking for just anyone with a way with words. It wants someone with at least 8 years of experience who can quickly grasp technical concepts, help executives sharpen their thinking, and remain composed when news breaks.

While some LinkedIn users reacted skeptically to the idea that the new hire's work would be used to train AI, with an Oregon-based author commenting that this is the job one would take if the "writer wanted to build their own gallows," communication pros say the Anthropic job offers clues about the enduring value of human creatives.

Three professional writers and comms experts told Business Insider that young writers need to understand that the work starts long before the typing does, and that being good with words is only part of the job.

“When speed becomes cheap, judgment carries a premium," Ann Handley, the chief content officer at MarketingProfs and author of “Everybody Writes,” told Business Insider. "I think we're seeing that value extended to the role of the writer.”

What AI could not achieve

The opening for an "Executive Communications Writer" comes as Anthropic’s own research shows how AI is reshaping its workforce. According to the company's report, junior workers accounted for 9% of hires in technical departments in June, down from 27% in early 2025.

In May, Anthropic CFO Krishna Rao said that AI already writes 90% of the company's code, which shifted hiring needs in all office roles toward oversight, judgment, and strategy, away from the actual execution. Rao also added that the company may actually expand hiring because "there's no shortage of work to do."

Handley said that successful corporate communicators need to become strategists for the company's leaders, rather than simply polish their language.

"Good writers have always been strategic, in the sense that they have always made choices about what goes on the page, and what does not," Handley said.

"The successful candidate isn't merely shaping language, but shaping thought leadership and how the team is presenting to the world," Handley added. "That means knowing which ideas are worth owning, which are worth exploring, and which are just plain dumb."

Joseph Braue, the executive editor of Content Marketing Partners, told Business Insider that a large part of the job as a corporate writer is to challenge unsupported claims, avoid overpromising, and resist pressure to publish weak material.

“The decisions I’ve regretted the most were times I didn’t push back enough on corporate or customer executives,” Braue said, adding that while many writers do collaborate with AI, they must control the narrative and ensure accuracy.

Measure your impact

The compensation for Anthropic's communication role is high compared to similar openings, and professional writers said that there are ways a new hire in such a role could prove they are worth the expense.

By comparison, Amazon Web Services has a job opening for an Executive Communications Manager based in Seattle, offering between $126,700 and $171,400 in annual pay.

Josh Bernoff, an author on business strategy and former executive with 20 years of experience, told Business Insider that a bigger pile of content isn’t proof of a writer’s value in a company, and that to get promoted, writers need to collect evidence of the impact of their writing.

“If your job is to create market research reports, then you're only effective if people read those reports and say, 'here are the changes we're going to make on this product,'" Bernoff added. "Your job is to move people and think about how to do it before you start writing."

Braue, who leads a content strategy team, said that writers looking to prove their value need to understand business language and check whether internal partners and key sales leaders are using their content.

“Learn basic marketing analytics. Understand attribution, conversion, and how a pipeline works," Braue said. "Writers who speak revenue get promoted."

Build evidence that you can think

For young graduates, the pros recommend practicing original thinking while learning to use AI deliberately, even if you don't intend to be a writer.

Bernoff said he would urge all early-career workers to take writing classes and to practice using AI for research and efficiency while composing the words themselves.

Bernoff, who conducts an annual survey on how writers use AI, said he found last year that writers commonly used AI as a thesaurus or search engine, but fewer than 10% used it to create content intended to be published as is.

"If you're in a position to move your fellow students or people reading a school newspaper or your professors, then you're going to be taking the first step that's necessary to be able to move people in a corporate environment," Bernoff said.

Handley said she recommends that early career professionals start a newsletter and publish at least every two weeks, even with a small audience.

“Maybe you'll learn to interview people or ask better questions or notice things others don't," Handley said. "In doing so, you'll build a body of work that shows a potential employer that, sure, you can write, but most importantly, you can think, and you can engage on the page.”

UK defence secretary had been due to unveil proposals on Thursday until concerns were raised at 11th hour

Wes Streeting has been forced to delay the publication of a plan to get more young people into defence industry jobs after pushback from trade unions, the Guardian understands.

The defence secretary had been due to announce the proposals on Thursday, but some unions in the sector are understood to have reacted angrily to the plans, accusing the government of bypassing their members and minimising their roles in job creation.