---
id: "quote-technology-only-works-through-people"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ The Empathy Advantage"]
tags: ["core-thesis", "human-centric-design"]
related: ["concept-ai-for-interdependence"]
speaker: "Jamil Zaki"
speakers: ["Jamil Zaki"]
sources: ["adoption"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-adoption"
originDay: 9
articleStem: "hbr-edu-42-empathetic-leadership-ai-adoption"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/04/empathetic-leadership-can-make-or-break-ai-adoption"
sourceTitle: "Empathetic Leadership Can Make or Break AI Adoption"
---
# Technology Only Works Through People

> "As this all makes clear, companies are failing to leverage AI because many executives have forgotten that technology only works through people, and people work best when they feel cared for."
> — **Jamil Zaki** ([[entity-jamil-zaki]])

The thesis statement in a sentence, and the philosophical root of [[concept-ai-for-interdependence]]. It compresses the entire argument into a syllogism: technology → routes through people → people require care → therefore empathy gates technical success.