Envoy CEO Tells Staff to Study AI on Their Own Time

Larry Gadea, founder and CEO of workplace software company Envoy, sent a company-wide memo reviewed by Bloomberg. He told staff that learning AI tools is part of their job. Some of that learning will happen during work hours. Some will not.

Envoy offers hackathons, training sessions, and mentoring programs during the workday. Gadea said those are not sufficient. Employees should expect to spend some personal time getting comfortable with the technology.

"We can give you the tools and the time during the day to learn," Gadea wrote. "What we can't do is learn it for you."

The memo is not a threat. It is a statement of reality. AI tools are evolving quarterly. Companies that adopt them faster gain a competitive edge. Workers who lag behind risk becoming obsolete.

Envoy is not alone. Across tech and finance, companies are pushing employees to adopt AI. The line between work time and personal development time is blurring. Hackathons and lunch-and-learn sessions run during business hours. The expectation is that workers also experiment at home.

A survey from consulting firm Mercer found that 62% of large employers now offer some form of AI training. Most of those programs are voluntary. Fewer than one in five companies pay overtime or offer comp time for the extra study. The data point highlights a broader shift. Companies are moving away from one-time certification courses toward continuous, self-directed learning. The cost of that shift falls partly on the worker.

For employees, the dynamic creates a tension. The employer provides the platform and the permission. The employee provides the hours. Gadea's memo made the trade-off explicit. Envoy will host internal AI workshops and pair staff with mentors. The final push to proficiency rests with the individual.

Some employees welcome the autonomy. They see it as a chance to build skills that will make them more valuable. Others view it as unpaid work creeping into evenings and weekends. Labor lawyers say the arrangement is legal as long as the training is voluntary. The employee is not required to achieve a specific proficiency level to keep their job.

The approach mirrors a broader shift in corporate training. As AI tools evolve rapidly, companies are moving away from one-time certification courses toward continuous, self-directed learning. The cost of that shift falls partly on the worker.

At least three other tech companies in the Bay Area have issued similar memos in the past six months, according to recruiters who spoke on condition of anonymity. They were not authorized to discuss internal policies.

The message from leadership is consistent. AI is not a passing trend. Companies that fail to adopt it will fall behind. Workers who fail to learn it will fall behind with them.

Gadea's memo ended with a note on pace. "I don't expect anyone to become an expert overnight," he wrote. "I do expect everyone to be further along in six months than they are today."

For investors, the trend raises questions about labor costs and productivity. Companies that successfully train their workforce on AI may see faster innovation and lower costs. Those that create resentment may face higher turnover and recruitment challenges. The memo from Envoy, a relatively small company, is a sign that the expectation is spreading across the industry.