MPL Live San Francisco (2026)
Operating Without a Map: Leading HR in the AI Era
How People leaders are making decisions when there's no playbook.
What this is
MPL Live isn't a conference.
It's a curated, one-day experience for senior People leaders making real decisions in the AI era — built for clarity, not volume. One room, one day, one shared problem: how to lead when the playbook doesn't exist yet.
Small room. High signal. Built for operators, not spectators.
Why now
HR leaders aren't short on information. They're short on certainty.
AI is accelerating everything — but the hard part was never the tools. It's deciding what to do, when to move, and which tradeoffs to make without a map. This day is built for exactly that moment.
The day, act by act
We designed the day to move the way real decisions do: slow down, see clearly, confront the hard tradeoffs, and leave with something you can actually act on.
Act 0 — Reset (Platinum)
An optional, wellness-forward start before the noise begins. Arrive grounded, not rushed.
Act 1 — Innovation Hall
The day opens in a curated showcase of the HR + AI landscape: a hand-picked set of partners, real use cases, and the workflows actually reshaping People teams. No vendor-hall sprawl — just the tools worth your attention.
Act 2 — Purpose & Work (Keynote + Fireside)
A keynote on why purpose and work still matter in the AI era — from a leading voice in People Ops — tracing the line from People Ops as product to where work is heading next. Followed by a live fireside and open audience Q&A.
Act 3 — The Future of Work Face-Off
Our signature live debate. Experienced operators take opposing sides on the questions the field is actually arguing about — and then the room votes. On the table:
Is People Ops a system to engineer, or a craft to practice?
Wellbeing or performance — can you really build for both?
Reinvent work, or prove what already works?
No consensus. No safe answers. Just sharper judgment by the end.
Act 4 — The Weight of the Role (Live MPL Podcast)
A live recording of the MPL podcast: a small group of senior People leaders, candid about the cost of leading in ambiguity — the calls made without enough data, and what the role really asks of you now.
Close + After Party (Platinum)
We close with a commitment to act — then keep the conversation going somewhere a little less formal.
Who you'll hear from
A few of the operators taking the stage:
TBD
Keynote speaker — announced soon. More names to come.
Who's in the room
80–100 senior People leaders. Heads of People, CPOs, and seasoned operators from companies in the 50–1,000+ employee range. People actively making the calls — not just exploring ideas. If you've ever wished you could compare notes with the handful of peers who actually get it, this is that room.
Tickets
Two ways in:
Gold Pass — Full access to the MPL Live experience across the day.
Platinum Pass — Everything in Gold, plus:
The morning wellness reset
Additional moments for deeper connection
Exclusive swag and a few more surprises
The After Party
Space is deliberately limited — when the room is full, it's full.
Tickets are non-refundable.
Location
Envoy, Downtown San Francisco
410 Townsend St 4th floor, San Francisco, CA 94107