Urmi MR - Director, People Products
Jeff M. - Vice President, Talent Acquisition
The world of work is evolving at an unprecedented pace. As leaders in the People Team, we see this not as a challenge to be feared, but as an opportunity to be seized. Our guiding principle has always been to build exceptional human experiences, and in the age of AI, that mission has never been more critical.
This led us to a fundamental question. It wasn't if we should use AI, but how we could use it to amplify our humanity, empower our people, and make work better for everyone. The inspiration came from a simple but powerful idea: to democratize innovation. Instead of solutions being handed down, we wanted to empower our teams—the people closest to the daily challenges and opportunities—to become the architects of their own future.
And so, we launched our People AI Transformation, a company-wide journey that we kicked off with our inaugural hackathon—a bet on our people's creativity and their deep expertise in the employee experience.
From the beginning, we knew this couldn't be just another tech event or top-down transformation. Our approach was driven by a deep sense of purpose: intentional learning, collaborative building, and an unwavering focus on how AI can enhance the human experience, not replace it.
Externally, the trend is undeniable: AI is becoming a fundamental part of how work gets done. To sit back and wait would be to fall behind. Internally, like any growing organization, we face the challenge of scaling our impact without scaling our complexity. We needed to streamline processes and free up our team to focus on the high-touch, strategic, and deeply human aspects of their roles.
Our Chief People Officer, Mike Gutner, set the stage perfectly, challenging us to "design and build the processes and tools your future self wishes you had." It was a call to action to make our day-to-day easier and, ultimately, deliver better human service.
To bring that vision to life, our first priority was making AI accessible for everyone. Since the People team is often thought of as a non-technical function, making this transformation feel unintimidating was crucial. We focused on two principles:
To truly spark creativity, our kick-off blended deep learning with playful participation. We were thrilled to host Johannes Sundlo, a recognized top 100 HR leader in AI, who shared powerful insights emerging AI trends and real-word use cases. He gave our teams a tangible sense of what’s possible.
Inspiration doesn't just come from presentations; it comes from participation. To demystify AI and model our hands-on culture, we hosted a Leadership Cook-Off, where each leader had to use AI to develop a business case for their recipe. This event embodied Toasters’ love for food while showing our leaders joyfully and humbly experimenting. This immediately broke down barriers and made it safe for everyone else to try, learn, and even fail.
To translate this inspiration into action and fast-track our transformation, we hosted the initiative's first major event: the People & Places Hackathon. With our global, cross-functional teams ready, the energy was electric. Our guiding principle was to prioritize learning and demonstrate impact. We chose a three-day duration—the sweet spot to allow teams across time zones to collaborate on a meaningful minimum viable product (MVP) while maintaining high energy.
We provided access to powerful, user-friendly tools like Google Gemini, complete with prompt cheat sheets, and offered licenses for platforms like Replit and Google Notebook LLM for teams that wanted to build more complex solutions. The goal wasn't to standardize the tools but to empower every participant.
Submissions were structured as pitch sessions where teams presented their problem, solution, MVP, and its potential impact. This leveled the playing field, ensuring the best ideas—not just the most complex code—could win. The result was incredible: 23 distinct hacks were created, each one a potential solution to a real-world challenge.
One of those hacks perfectly illustrates the event's power. Charlotte Holler, Director of Global Benefits & Mobility, shared her experience tackling a core strategic challenge: operationalizing our Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
"I went in with a bit of trepidation, as I primarily use Gemini for day-to-day tasks. My colleague, Sammy Viger, sparked the idea: 'We should do a hackathon focused on operationalizing our EVP.' I was a little unsure how AI could tackle something so strategic and, honestly, still in draft form. But the thought of dedicating two days to this with an amazing team was incredibly appealing!
Our team—including Sammy Viger, Vivek Muthappa, Christina Asadorian, and Aimee Snyder—dove in, first familiarizing ourselves with the tools. We spent a lot of time discussing the EVP and creating specific 'proof points' to define it. We reached out to other teams for artifacts and leveraged all of these inputs to create a Training Module to upload into Gemini. Seeing Gemini analyze the documentation, surface strengths, and highlight key opportunities—aligning with what we would have recommended—was incredibly impactful!
Another fantastic aspect of the Hackathon was collaborating with colleagues we don't typically interact with. We had enough time and space to think big-picture and even have a little fun playing around with the technology. Finally, the hackathon event itself was inspiring. Hearing all the innovative ideas from other teams and then presenting our work to the judges for their feedback was invaluable. It was a truly great experience, and I'm genuinely excited to learn more about AI and how it can continue to enhance our daily work on the People team!”
Charlotte’s story encapsulates the outcomes we hoped to inspire: a new confidence in our teams, practical solutions to real problems, and a cultural shift toward continuous innovation.
The impact extends far beyond the hackathon projects. We didn't just build projects; we built confidence. We've since launched 23 agile, product-oriented 'dream teams'—a term coined by our own employees—that now involve 72% of our People and Places workforce. These teams are actively shipping projects that enhance productivity and daily experiences for everyone. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many calling it one of the most memorable and impactful transformations they have experienced. Our story seems to resonate with leaders outside our walls as well, sparking discussions about our people-first approach—focusing not just on AI, but on amplifying the human experience through intentional learning, empowerment, and playful experimentation.
Today, our winning teams are receiving leadership coaching and funding to bring their projects to life, while other promising hacks have been added to our product backlogs, and several have already shipped—delivering immediate value and improving daily work for our employees. The result is a new sense of agency and curiosity across our People team, with colleagues now regularly asking, "How can AI help us amplify the human experience?"
This kick-off event was the start of a movement, proving that when you empower your people with the right tools, training, and a culture of fearless creativity, they will design a better future. This was a pivotal moment, marking a new chapter in the story of People. And we’re just getting started.
For any leader looking to plan a similar transformation, here is our advice:
Are you interested in joining a team that’s revolutionizing the People & Places space? Check out our open jobs here!
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