10:00–10:30

James Moore Theater

Welcome

Opening Remarks

Welcome to Responsive Conference!

Robin Zander
Founder, Zander Media
Executive Director, Responsive.org

10:30–11:00 

James Moore Theater

Opening Keynote

5 Principles To Transform Your Organization with AI

Rebecca Hinds, PhD

Most workers say AI makes them more productive. Most organizations say it isn't paying off.

In this talk, Rebecca Hinds, PhD, bestselling author, Head of the Work AI Institute at Glean, and Founder of the Work Innovation Lab at Asana, unpacks that paradox and shares five research-backed principles for closing the gap — from rethinking AI as a mindset shift rather than a tool, to redrawing the org chart around human-AI collaboration.

11:00 –11:05

James Moore Theater

Logistics

What is an un-conference? What are breakouts? What is an Interview-in-the-Round? What is a Fishbowl?

Most importantly, how can you get the most out of Responsive Conference 2026?

11:05–11:15

10-minute Transition

11:15–12:15

James Moore Theater

Breakouts

Teaming with AI: An Interview-In-The-Round

AI is changing the way work gets done, but most organizations are still responding at the individual level: giving people tools, encouraging experimentation, and hoping the learning spreads. What’s missing is the shared practices, conversations, and structures that allow people to learn together, make decisions together, and adapt together.

In a world where strategy and leadership can no longer live only at the top, teams need new ways to translate rapid experimentation into real progress.

Women’s Board Lecture Hall

Quantum Physics, Special Needs Kids, and Your Existential Dread

Femi Fadugba
Physicist and Author

Femi Fadugba has spent his career making the incomprehensible accessible — from writing physics fiction for kids in inner-city London, to teaching algebra to fourth graders with autism using virtual reality, to advising organizations on how to think clearly when the future stops making sense. His premise: the same frameworks that unlock mathematics for kids who've been told they can't learn it are the ones that help leaders navigate uncertainty without losing their minds.

In this workshop, Femi offers something rarer than a prediction about where AI is headed: a way of thinking about complexity that actually helps.

California Room

How Not to Practice Org Design in 2026

Tim Casasola
Org Design, Airbnb

Organizations today are constantly evolving. New technologies, shifting markets, and changing employee expectations require companies to rethink how they structure teams and make decisions.

In this session, Tim Casasola will share lessons from his work designing organizational systems at Airbnb. He will explore how companies can adapt structures without losing clarity, how leaders can guide teams through transformation, and how thoughtful organizational design can support innovation and resilience.

12:15—1:45

The Garden

Lunch

Live Music with M’Gilvry Allen

Safari Animals by Classroom Safari

Lawn Games with Offsite

James Moore Theater

Navigating Uncertainty: A Founders’ Fishbowl

Danielle Strachman, General Partner 1517 Fund
along with three early-stage founders

Innovation rarely follows a predictable path. Many of the most transformative companies begin as ideas that seem unconventional, risky, or even impossible.

In this interactive fishbowl, Danielle Strachman will explore what it takes to build bold companies in uncertain times. Panelists share unfiltered perspectives on navigating uncertainty — pivots, hard calls, and what it actually looks like to build a company when predictability is gone. 

Women’s Board Lecture Hall

How to Not Run Around like a Chicken with Your Head Cut Off

Jennifer Turner
Director of Organization Strategy at Alphabet

Why are leaders reacting to AI very differently than they did to mobile, social or the Internet?

Jennifer Turner, director of Organizational Strategy at Alphabet, says that it’s not the implementation that's breaking people, but the pace.

The workshop will explore how leaders can make thoughtful decisions when the path forward is unclear, how to communicate during times of change, and how to create alignment across teams facing complex challenges.

California Room

The ROI of Being in the Same Room

Mirit Cohen
Head of Global Experience @ Adobe

Jenny Sauer-Klein
Founder of The Primary Shift

Mirit Cohen has spent years building the business case for something most executives feel but struggle to prove: that bringing people together is one of the highest-leverage investments a company can make. In this on-stage interview, Jenny Sauner-Klein sits down with Mirit to unpack the data, the framework, and the stories behind Adobe's approach to intentional gathering — including one Halloween party that may have unlocked billions in revenue.

2:45–3:00

15-minute Transition

3:00–4:00

UNCONFERENCES

Garden

Un-conferences are informal, small-group sessions where attendees dive into topics they care about with a Responsive facilitator. These intimate gatherings offer a chance to ask questions, share experiences, and connect directly with fellow attendees.

4:00–4:15

15-minute Transition

4:15–5:00

Closing Keynote

James Moore Theater

Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great

Eric Ries
New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and Incorruptible

New York Times best-selling author of The Lean Startup and Incorruptible will sit down for a fireside chat about some of the most unusual organizations in the world, and what they do differently.

5:00—7:00

Mad Oak Bar & Grill

Happy Hour

Brought to you by StartupExperts