Ryan Roslansky tells companies the speed of change means employers should adjust how they design roles, manage performance and plan talent pipelines
The CEO of LinkedIn has challenged career advice norms, warning both employees and employers that the pace of change renders long-term planning “outdated”.
Ryan Roslansky, the top executive at the Microsoft‑owned professional networking platform, urged people to move away from rigid five‑year career plans in favour of shorter‑term goals focused on learning and experience, arguing that AI and rapid business change have made traditional roadmaps obsolete.
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For HR leaders, his comments highlight a growing tension: employers still rely on structured career frameworks and succession plans, while the labour market is shifting toward non‑linear, skills‑based careers that are difficult to map more than a year or two ahead.
Roslansky was blunt about this mismatch. On a recent podcast appearance, he took aim at the standard prescription that ambitious employees should “have a five‑year plan” that charts what the next five years of your life are going to look like.
He also described that approach as “outdated” and “a little bit foolish” given the speed at which AI is reshaping work.
Short‑term goals, long‑term implications for HR
Roslansky is not advocating aimlessness. In an interview about how professionals should navigate today’s market, he encouraged people to focus on near‑term learning and adaptability rather than distant milestones, arguing that meaningful opportunities will emerge from that process.
According to a report by Data Economy, the World Economic Forum estimates that roughly 39% of core skills will be transformed or obsolete by 2030, underscoring how quickly job requirements are evolving.
If workers are told to abandon fixed five‑year plans and pursue shorter learning sprints, employers will need to adjust how they design roles, manage performance and plan talent pipelines. Static job descriptions and linear “ladder” promotions sit uneasily with a market in which skills can become outdated quickly.
From ladders to lattices
One implication of Roslansky’s stance is that the long‑standing metaphor of a career “ladder” is losing relevance. The emerging model looks more like a lattice – sideways moves, project‑based assignments and periodic reskilling.
Roslansky highlighted the importance of gaining experience and remaining open to non‑linear paths, suggesting that if individuals keep acquiring skills and taking on new challenges, “a lot of your career path will open up for you.”
For HR, that points toward internal mobility strategies that make lateral moves normal, not remedial; career frameworks built around skills and capabilities instead of fixed titles; and promotion criteria that recognize breadth of experience, not just vertical progression.
It also amplifies pressure to maintain robust learning ecosystems. If employees are treating every 6–12 months as a new career “chapter,” organizations will need always‑on learning and reskilling, with clear visibility into emerging skills so people can align short‑term goals with real opportunities.
AI as a catalyst – and a planning risk
Roslansky ties his argument directly to AI’s impact on the labour market, noting that technology is remaking jobs fast enough to make detailed long‑range planning questionable.
For employers, that is a governance issue as much as a career‑advice debate. Multi‑year workforce plans based on today’s job architecture may quickly become outdated as AI tools are deployed, tasks are reconfigured and new hybrid roles emerge.
HR leaders may need to shorten the planning horizon for workforce and skills forecasting, build scenarios for different levels of AI adoption, and give managers permission to revisit development plans more frequently as tools and business models evolve.
