By Alice Tecotzky
Publication Date: 2025-12-01 17:03:00
As AI gets smarter, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says that humans can’t rely on their brains alone to succeed at work.
In a recent conversation with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, Nadella said he agrees that emotional intelligence, or EQ, is becoming increasingly important at work as AI handles more technical tasks. Axel Springer is Business Insider’s parent company.
“IQ has a place, but it’s not the only thing that’s needed in the world,” Nadella said on an episode of Döpfner’s “MD Meets” podcast that aired November 29. “I’ve always felt, at least leaders, if you just have IQ without EQ, it’s just a waste of IQ.”
Nadella added that social intelligence is also key, and has previously said that empathy is an important business skill, not just a soft skill.
Döpfner also asked whether the importance of empathy is part of why Microsoft is calling more people back to the office, starting early next year. Nadella said that, in the age of AI, it’s even more…
