Show Notes
Technology isn’t the biggest obstacle to AI adoption. People are. In this episode of Let’s Solve IT!, Matt Brown talks with Hem Nerkar, NetApp Senior Vice President and CIO, about why AI adoption is fundamentally a cultural transformation, not just another technology rollout. They discuss how CIOs can overcome fear, build trust, align leadership, and create an environment where employees feel empowered to experiment, learn, and embrace AI as part of their daily work. You’ll hear:
Why AI represents a cultural shift far bigger than a technology upgrade Why fear, not technology, is often the biggest barrier to AI adoption How executive alignment creates confidence across the organization Why communication, empathy, and transparency are critical to successful AI initiatives How measurable AI goals encourage experimentation instead of perfection How NetApp IT is building an AI-first culture through leadership, training, and Centers of Excellence Why organizations should focus on progress over perfection as AI continues to evolve
If AI changes technology overnight, how do you prepare people to change with it? You are not alone. Let’s Solve IT.
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Episode overview In this episode of Let's Solve IT!, host Matt Brown interviews Hem Nerkar, NetApp's Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, about how large organizations adopt AI. Hem Nerkar argues that AI is not another technical wave like the personal computer or the internet. Hem Nerkar describes AI as a cultural tsunami, a disruption larger than anything organizations have faced before, and frames that scale as an opportunity rather than a threat. Hem Nerkar explains that the role of IT is shifting from a support function to a strategic enabler of business transformation and shareholder value. That expanded role now includes managing organizational psychology, which covers employee fear, governance, and adoption. Hem Nerkar's central claim is that AI will augment jobs rather than replace them. AI moves teams from a traditional pyramid structure to a diamond structure, where more employees focus on higher-value work while AI handles routine tasks. NetApp uses specific mechanisms to drive AI adoption. NetApp established Centers of Excellence (COEs) to share best practices across the company, created secure innovation labs for experimentation inside the firewall, and embedded AI objectives into annual employee reviews. NetApp reports measurable results in quality assurance, where AI reduced testing time, and in IT infrastructure, where AI accelerated the vulnerability patching lifecycle. Throughout the conversation, Hem Nerkar identifies empathetic, continuous communication as the factor that makes AI transformation stick. Key takeaways The episode gives IT leaders a practical framework for moving an organization past fear and into measurable AI adoption. Each takeaway below stands on its own.
AI adoption is a cultural challenge first and a technical challenge second.
NetApp's organizational model is shifting from a pyramid structure to a diamond structure, where AI handles routine tasks and employees focus on higher-value work.
Centers of Excellence (COEs) capture and share AI learnings across NetApp so teams don't repeat the same work.
Innovation labs give NetApp employees a secure, low-risk environment to test AI use cases inside the firewall.
AI objectives embedded in annual employee reviews turn adoption into a tangible, measurable goal.
Anonymous employee surveys give NetApp leadership an honest read on how comfortable teams feel with AI.
Empathy combined with constant communication is the primary driver of successful AI adoption, and Hem Nerkar states that no amount of communication is enough.
A "fail fast" mindset gives teams permission to experiment and values the atte
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