When the Axios CEO Says "Plunge In," It's Probably Worth Listening

When the Axios CEO Says "Plunge In," It's Probably Worth Listening

My friend Janette Roush shared a video last week that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. It's Axios CEO Jim VandeHei giving what he calls "blunt advice" about AI in a letter to his family. 

Not a keynote. Not a company memo. A letter to his kids.

His message wasn't theoretical. 

It was urgent: Plunge into AI and use it aggressively and daily.

He went further: You're committing career suicide if you aren't spending time trying to figure out how AI can be a force multiplier for what you do.

That's strong language. But I think he's probably right.

Why this matters for destination marketing

VandeHei predicts that within the next year or two, AI will fundamentally change (or replace) roles centered on research, entry-level marketing, and basic programming.

If you work at a DMO, that should hit pretty close to home. A lot of what we do every day falls into those categories.

But here's the thing: I don't think this is a reason to panic. I think it's a reason to lean in now, while there's still time to get comfortable.

The "force multiplier" idea

Most DMOs run lean. Small teams, big ambitions, never enough hours. VandeHei describes AI not as a replacement for people, but as a force multiplier. He shared a story about building an interactive app in 90 minutes using Claude, something that would have taken a team of 20 and months of work before.

For a small marketing team at a DMO, that's the shift. It's not about doing less. It's about what becomes possible when the grunt work gets easier.

Need to analyze a few thousand visitor reviews to find patterns? AI can do that in seconds. Need 10 variations of a press release for different audiences? Same thing.

With the power of AI, the "we don't have the budget or staff" excuse is getting harder to justify.

Entry-level work is changing fast

VandeHei specifically called out entry-level marketing as a job category that won't exist in its current form much longer.

The data backs this up. A recent report found that AI poses a risk of eliminating 10-20% of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next few years. And 78% of marketing leaders are now offering higher salaries specifically for AI skills.

In the DMO world, a lot of entry-level work looks like drafting social posts, writing content variations, updating listings, etc.. If that's still how someone spends most of their day, it's worth thinking about what comes next.

The shift isn't about being replaced. It's about moving from writing the first draft to editing the strategy. From doing the task to directing the output.

Protecting the human stuff

One of the parts that stuck with me was VandeHei talking about his daughter, who was skeptical that AI would steal her creative voice.

His advice to her wasn't "let AI do everything." It was "let AI handle the research and logistics so you can focus on the art."

I love that!

She used AI to build a business plan, pricing model, and pitch for a podcast in 24 hours. Not because she couldn't do it herself, but because it freed her up to focus on the creative work that actually mattered.

For DMOs, I think that's the mindset. Use AI for the market research, the data cleaning, the itinerary scheduling. Save the human energy for building relationships with partners and crafting the emotional narrative of your destination.

That's the stuff AI isn't going to do well anytime soon.

The hiring reality

This was probably the most jarring part of the video. VandeHei said he can't imagine hiring anyone going forward who isn't sophisticated in using AI to expand their work.

Not familiar with AI. Sophisticated.

That's the bar now for a lot of employers. And honestly, it makes sense. If two candidates can do the same job, but one of them can also use AI to do it faster and better, that's not a close call.

The bottom line

I don't think any of us fully know where this is heading. But I think waiting to figure it out is probably the riskiest option.

VandeHei's advice to his family was simple: don't be a "boring lemming." Don't just read about AI. Use it to solve a problem on your desk today.

For what it's worth, that's pretty much where I've landed too. Not because I have it all figured out. But because the cost of sitting this out feels higher than the cost of jumping in and learning as you go.

Here's the video if you want to watch it yourself:

Thanks to Janette Roush for sharing it.

If you're wondering what this could look like in your own work, set up a demo. We'd love to show you how Swix AI fits into your day-to-day.

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