Run of Show

We open Tech Talent Summit 6.0 with the leaders building Phoenix's future.

Every AI breakthrough runs on something physical: land, power and the people who build it. Arizona is now the #2 data center market in the country, home to Apple, Google and Meta, and Anita Verma-Lallian is at the center of it, with more than $1.5 billion in AI data center land deals, including a unanimous zoning win in Buckeye.

AI can make every team faster, but can it make your people stronger? Founders and people leaders share how they hire for talent density, decide what goes to AI agents versus people, and keep top talent growing and engaged as the org chart shifts, all without trading people for performance.

When teams are leaner, every hire matters more. What makes someone worth the investment, and how can leaders recognize it? Founders and talent leaders explore the changing expectations behind hiring, from AI fluency and human judgment to communication and problem-solving, and how candidates can show the business impact they bring.

Companies are hiring fewer juniors while AI handles work that used to train them. Is this the end of the career ladder, or the fastest on-ramp ever built?

Three Arizona startups, five minutes each, in front of investors who can say yes. Grab lunch and watch the next wave of Arizona's builders make their case.

Five candidates, two minutes each, pitching the companies hiring in the room.

Fresh off the pitches, our investors get candid about what they're backing now: lean teams, output per person, and how AI changes what a fundable company looks like in Arizona.

AI is moving off the screen and into factories, energy grids and supply chains, creating roles most people haven't heard of yet. Cognite's Mayur Patel and Nader share the skills industrial orgs are hiring for, accessible ways to upskill now, and why systems thinking takes you from 1 to 10. Live AMA to close.

Why positioning, creative strategy, and differentiation matter even more as AI increases the volume of content and advertising.

Pre-selected candidates meet hiring founders and employers in timed rounds. You will be emailed if selected.