Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI

On March 31, 2026, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky and Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman released Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Limited, the book serves as a practical guide for professionals, business leaders, and entrepreneurs seeking to navigate the rapid transformation of the global labor market caused by artificial intelligence.

The publication is based on a combination of Microsoft research and real-time insights gathered from more than a billion professionals on the LinkedIn network. The authors use this data to reveal how AI is currently reshaping jobs, companies, and the broader trajectory of professional careers.

Roslansky, who also serves as the Executive Vice President of Microsoft Office—where he leads engineering for Copilot, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint—argues that AI is accelerating a fundamental shift in the nature of employment. He notes that the traditional model of the career ladder, where progress was predictable and titles strictly defined a person’s function, has been evolving for years and is now being transformed more quickly by AI.

Adapting to the New World of Work

According to the authors, the outcome of the AI transition is not yet predetermined. They describe the new world of work as being assembled in real-time, task by task, policy by policy, business by business. The book suggests that the future will be defined by the choices of the people who actively participate in building this new system.

A core thesis of the book is that the future of work belongs to those who adapt to change rather than those who resist it. To achieve this, the authors emphasize the development of uniquely human skills that AI cannot replace. These include:

• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Communication

By leaning into these human-centric capabilities, the authors argue that professionals can become irreplaceable and use AI as a tool for empowerment rather than viewing it as a threat to their livelihood.

Frameworks for Career Future-Proofing

To provide actionable steps for readers, Open to Work includes practical frameworks and a 90-day action plan. This structure is intended to help individuals engage with AI technology before they are forced to do so, focusing on elements of their professional lives that they can control.

The book has received endorsements from several prominent figures. Adam Grant described the work as an instantly useful guide to futureproofing your career, while Brené Brown stated that the book lays out a smart and clear path to the future of work. Jay Shetty added that the guide helps professionals stop fearing the future and start shaping it with purpose.

Integration with Microsoft and LinkedIn Strategy

The principles outlined in the book also inform the internal product and organizational strategies of Microsoft and LinkedIn. The authors state that their shared goal is to connect people to opportunities by turning everyday productivity tools into a canvas for human and AI collaboration at scale.

This approach is centered on the belief that technology should serve people and that AI should help humans, rather than the reverse. By focusing on the intersection of how work is performed and how careers are built, the companies aim to use AI to expand professional opportunities and help users build confidence and momentum in their careers.

The release of the book coincides with broader efforts to redefine the relationship between human labor and automated intelligence, moving away from a model of replacement toward one of collaboration.