Iwo Szapar

Hybrid Work Expert

🚀 Remote-First Activist | Top 50 Remote Influencer | Since 2017, shaping the future of remote-first world

Aloha, I'm Iwo Szapar! Over the years, I've helped transform how over 3,000 companies approach work, leading to more efficient and enjoyable professional lives. 🌍

Key Achievements:

▪️Co-created the AI Maturity Index with Harvard researchers, democratizing access to enterprise-grade AI readiness insights
▪️Advised Ministry of Communications and Technology of Saudi Arabia on AI up-skilling for startups
▪️Launched world's first certification program for remote workers: Remote-how Academy, back in 2018.
▪️Established strategic partnerships with 150 companies, including Asana, Deel, Remote, and Safetywing.
▪️Created an expert community of 250+ consultants from companies such as GitLab, Netflix, and Hubspot.
▪️Co-organized 3 editions of Remote Future Summit, reaching over 11,000 attendees and featuring 140 speakers.

Born in Gdansk, Poland, I've embraced the 'slowmad' lifestyle, living in various countries while working remotely. This journey has enriched my perspective and fueled my passion for innovation. When I'm not working, you can find me reading history books, following international affairs, or indulging in my hobbies as a dog lover, amateur surfer, and DJ.

Connect with me to explore how you/your company can work smarter! 🚀

🚀Remote Work Advocate & Co-founder

Remote-how helps companies make remote & hybrid work, work. Since 2017. 

🤓 Remote-how Marketplace - the world’s leading remote & hybrid work experts marketplace. Work on your consulting and advisory projects with 200+ pre-vetted practitioners from top distributed companies. 

🚀 Remote-how Campus - a community where leaders of hybrid teams come to connect, learn and grow together with access to live leadership development programs, mentoring services, and more.

$50k revenue in three months from a side-project. Two other products in the making, while working my half-time job. 

No team. 
No VC. 
No startup story. 

A small, profitable product.

Just me + dozens of AI Agents, and an obsession of going AI-first with 99% of work tasks I do.

IE University's podcast asked what advice I'd give entrepreneurs. My answer surprised them. (I guess...😅 )

Forget the unicorn. 

Build small. 
Build profitable. 
Build alone if you have to.

Skip the unicorn obsession. 

The founders winning right now are the ones running lean, staying profitable, and using AI as their operating layer instead of a headline.

Now advantage goes to whoever moves before the playbook is written - right now, that's the lean operator, not the firm with 500 analysts."

Keep in mind that we're at maybe <5% AI adoption globally. 

Still the first inning. 

The window to figure this out before everyone else does is narrow.

Is the lean founder model genuinely better - or does it only work for certain product types?

Sooo... coming back to the interview: Ainhoa asked great questions, and our conversation went places I didn't plan for.

Enjoy tull episode in the video - link in comments.

Gracias Ainhoa for a super energising chat and Mercedes for the invite ❤️ 

Sending good vibes to my IE / South Summit friends and hope to see you in a few weeks in 🇧🇷 Victoria Juan Christopher Joe Francisco Geoffroy Nacho Liz João Camila Mateo Juan Andrea Emma María Maria Gabriela Fernanda

You read posts about AI every day. That does not put you in the top tier.

0.04% of humans use AI daily to ship real work. 

0.3% pay for any AI tool. 

The rest are observers.

Reading about AI, sharing posts about AI, attending AI workshops: none of that moves you up the distribution. 

Building something does. 

Running a model against your actual work does. 

Getting Claude Code to do a real task in your real environment does.

I deployed Second Brains for 85 people. 

The ones who moved tiers fastest did one thing differently: they stopped consuming AI content and started running experiments inside their own work.

The AI revolution people keep announcing has not happened. 

For 99.96% of people, it has not started.

You already know what to build. 

The gap is not ideas. 

Where do you stand with AI adoption?

Start here: https://lnkd.in/dgqpKJyd

AI Adoption Tiers among knowledge workers 2026 

I cancelled my ChatGPT subscription last year. Now OpenAI sees a mass exodus of users. Why? 

It’s following the deal with the Pentagon over AI military use, where Anthropic rejected the deal due to its firm position on AI ethics. 

The CEO Dario Amodei refused to accept the deal for two reasons: 
- the use of AI for mass surveillance of American citizens
- managing autonomous weapons.

Is this a temporary problem for OpenAI or a part of a bigger trend where they might loose the pole position in the AI labs competiton? 

PS. Have you cancelled your ChatGPT subscription - what was the reason? Have you joined the Claude Code family for good?

Thank you IE University for having me ❤️ Muchas gracias! 🫡

The latest episode of Venture Ahead explores the future of work with Iwo Szapar, an entrepreneur, writer and speaker and the founder of the AI Maturity Index.

From the rise of remote work to a world shaped by automation, augmentation and distinctly human skills, this conversation, recorded during South Summit Madrid, dives into the profound shifts redefining how we work and how we live. As AI agents move from prediction to reality, the question is no longer whether change is coming, but how we adapt to it.

For founders, leaders and professionals navigating this transformation, this episode offers a sharp look at what’s just beginning.

Watch now and #VentureAhead: https://lnkd.in/edN3fx8V

Ainhoa Valencia | Victoria Pérez Jiménez | Juan José Güemes | IE Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center | IE University Lifelong Learning

I built a tool that grades AI Second Brain setups. It gave my own setup a 76% 😅

Everyone assumes the person who builds the grading tool at least passes their own test.

Overall: 80% - Grade A. 

But Setup Quality scored 76%. 

That's a B.

397 out of 499 points across 140 automated checks.

Here's where it got embarrassing:

1. AI Fluency: 93%. Five checks scored perfect. Reference Integrity: 60%. My files point to things that don't exist. Embarrassing when you're the one who wrote the scoring logic. 

2. Setup Quality: 76%. Model Configuration scored 0%. Sandbox scored 13%. I literally skipped the config I tell other people to set up. Progressive Disclosure: 98%. 

3. Self-Correction and Compound Learning: both under 60%. The system I built knows I'm not using half of what it checks for.

The tool placed me at COMPOUNDING - fourth of five levels. 

Not yet Production-Grade. 

Which means there's a ceiling I haven't hit yet.

Three fixes would add 14 points:
- Auto Memory (+5)
- Quality Tracking (+5)
- Growth Log (+4)

Fifteen minutes of work I keep putting off.

The tool is Open Sourced - it's free. 

If you want to be publicly humiliated by your own setup, install it in one line:

claude mcp add second-brain-health -- npx second-brain-health-check

Read more: https://lnkd.in/dqnjpsrd

Full breakdown in the carousel.

What's the one part of your setup you know is broken but keep ignoring? 

Mine was Model Configuration. Scored 0%.

Second Brain Health Check Iwo Szapar 2026

AI tools made my clients productive. Then they asked me to remove every single one.

Not because the tools were bad. 

Because every tool came with the same trade-off: someone else owned the intelligence.

Notion AI? Your data on their servers. 

ChatGPT? Zero memory between sessions. 

CRM automations? Break the moment your workflow changes.

After building 81 Second Brains across 12 industries, the pattern is always the same. 

People start with tools. 
Then they want a system. 
Then they want to own it.

What they actually want is a fourth category that nobody talks about.

A system built to their exact workflow. 

Running on their own infrastructure. 

Vendor-independent. Claude today, GPT tomorrow, Gemini next month. 

You own it. Completely.

The discipline behind this is context engineering: managing what the AI knows, when it knows it, and how that knowledge compounds across sessions.

The industry default is renting intelligence from a vendor. More and more people want to own it instead.

Does that gap feel real to you?

I'm packaging v2.0 in the next 7 days.

Comment below what an ideal Second Brain should do for you 👇

AI is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get, but it will absolutely be confident it gave you exactly what you wanted.

Vnomic

I provide technical solutions for the companies from Fortune 100 list. I work on different platforms and applications (Excel, Access, PostgreSQL, Jira, Java, Python, Power BI, Power Query, Git) in order to integrate and deliver high quality data.

Software Engineer

CareerChange2IT

Since 2016, after many years of working with Polish candidates in the local job market, together with my wife Klaudia we decided to take our business to the international level. Why? Because we know our strategies work regardless of external factors: it’s about you, your strategy, and your skills.

We help career pivoters get into Tech in three key areas:
1) Knowing which IT role is right for you – business analyst or data analyst? That’s the question.

2) Planning your career change step by step – from gaining fundamental knowledge, identifying your skill gaps, to getting non-commercial practice in your new field.

3) Boosting your job search in a holistic way – instead of ONLY applying online, we combine the standard job search process with tapping into the hidden LinkedIn job market and landing your IT target role through referrals.

I know what a career change really means—because I’ve made several transitions myself: into Tech (from environmental protection), and later within Tech. Today, I work fully remotely in an international environment for a US company—earning in dollars while living in Poland.

If you want to find flexibility and balance in your life also, don’t wait - just contact me!

Career Coach

Dookoła Pracy

Together with Klaudia Jarych we created dookolapracy.pl to show that it is always a good time to change and find a job that is in accordance with your talents & values. We show how to change your branch/current profession into entirely new industry without having any experience in new position and not loosing money. 

Dookola Pracy is the place where I can use my biggest strenghts (technical, analytical & communication skills, business planning and strategy) & knowledge. The most important tasks are as follows:

☑ Managing relationships with Partners and Customers
☑ Matching Candidates with Employers
☑ Brainstorming & implementing the content strategy
☑ Preparing development strategy
☑ Preparing graphics, video, tools in Excel for articles
☑ Technical website support
☑ Acting as Marketing Manager and promoting website in social media (Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Youtube)

🏆 My actions led to the constant growth of the Portal (approx. 100% increase of uu each year)
🏆 High value of the artticles led to the invitation to the APMG Influencers Program. 
🏆 Apart from that, we started cooperation with well-known experts in the field of finance & enterpreneurship

...and this is just the begining! :)

Career Consultant

Softjar Łukasz Jarych

What I do? 
I help companies with identifying, mapping and improving/automating reporting systems. 
☑I create best reports solutions in Excel/Access using VBA 
☑I manage data and building reports in QlikView 
☑Integrating google cloud workflow using google apps script
☑Utilizing programming languages like python/java to deliver cleaned and valid data
☑Building and automating reports In Power BI and Microsoft ecosystem
☑Automating process workflows using n8n, make or zapier

Calculator created and Pomodoro Timer with audio in Excel as example in links below:

Company Owner/Software Engineer

Experts 4 Business

I was responsible for data workflow for whole HR department and managing different applications to work together (QlikView, Excel, Access, SAP etc.). I was building tools and improvements to make other coworkers life easier. I was a VBA mentor.

Senior Systems Analyst

• Gathering technical requirements for new systems
• Creating a full concept of IT tools including architecture and associated systems
• Leading user acceptance testings (UAT)
• Technical implementation of created solutions using IT tools – VBA, RDM systems (MS Access, SQL), QlikView, SAP
• Creating process improvements in MS Office environment and Windows Server – work automation (Redmine, Vbscript)
• Mentoring less experienced employees in order to train future Excel/VBA developers

IT Systems Analyst

Impel Business Solutions Sp. z o.o.

I was managing, developing and creating tools and reports for the whole HR department. Also, I was mapping business processes for each HR team and i was searching for improvements.

• VBA developer:
− Creating, improving and implementing new processes and tools from the beginning  to the end for internal and external clients within MS Office environment
− Providing first line support to end users, troubleshooting systems issues  and determining root causes of the problems
− Writing technical documentation
• QlikView developer:
− Transforming Data From different Systems (SAP, Probit, Impuls) in order to prepare data sources  for the whole HR Department
− Preparing reports for Managers (e.g. supported companies report, complaints report)
• Analysing clients requirements and changing existing processes (e.g. automatically pulling data from SAP to prepare reports using QlikView)
• Transformation of customer needs into detailed technical solutions – design and selection of technical concepts for HR Department
• Mapping business processes within different Teams using BMPN

Business Analyst

Impel S.A.

In 6 months i learned QlikView application and created successfully system of reports for management. Thanks to my natural talents I was able to strengthen the relationship between different departments.

Sales Analyst (QlikView Developer)
• QlikView Developer:
− Maintaining, verifying and designing algorithms for reports (Sales Department)
− Taking part in design review sessions with QV Team, planning and implementation of business requirements
− Providing input on proposing, evaluating and selecting appropriate design alternatives,
− Developing, testing, debugging and optimizing QlikView applications
− Preparing dashboards which meets business standards and senior management needs
− Creating technical documentations
− Searching for and implementing “best practices”
• Making reports and analysis for Sales Department
• Creating macros and process improvements using VBA
• Checking data quality

Sales Analyst

Hewlett-Packard

I used my biggest strengths which are communication and technical skills and became an IT Expert for the whole Team. I created tools which led to time and costs savings.

• The position of IT Expert:
− Initiating process improvements with IT tools (advanced excel, VBA)
− Taking part in SharePoint and Access courses and in mentoring programs with OPI Department
• Invoice/payments processing (SAP)
• Communicating with international clients

Account Payable with Russian

☑I help purpose-driven professionals to accelerate their career pivot into IT ☑100+ people successfully changed their careers into IT thanks to my proven formula and strategies ☑International Career Change Trainer

I believe 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 —whether in business or your career—requires both —𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 decisions.

As an Environmental Engineer turned Business Intelligence Analyst, I faced every career-changer’s challenge:
• Not enough experience (according to recruiters)
• No clear direction—testing different paths
• Unsure what to learn, wanting skills fast
• Struggled to communicate my value
• Worried I’d need to take a pay cut to enter tech

𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓?
Now, I help candidates skip those doubts and make smooth pivots into Tech—without losing money.
Most achieve this in just 5 to 9 months starting from scratch.

𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒
✅ “Out of 17 applications sent, I received 7 recruitment invitations and 2 job offers… Recruiters looked at me better in this way.”
— Tomasz, QA Specialist

✅ “Thanks to meetings … I discovered what matters most to me at work. … It really helped me convince recruiters.”
— Kamila, Data Analyst

✅ “Recruiters started inviting me to participate … I felt like a partner in the conversations.”
— Lukasz, No code Developer

More: careerchange2it.com/learning-inspirations/

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄
• I’ve done it myself—pivoting from engineering to BI/tech, landing a remote IT role with a 3x salary increase
• 100+ career changers supported (teachers, marketers, analysts, product owners)
• 9 years’ professional coaching experience

3-𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐄:
• Personalized step-by-step roadmap
• Resume/LinkedIn overhaul
• Networking & interview mastery
• Weekly coaching, unlimited support
• Proven frameworks—100+ clients landed new roles
Learn more: careerchange2it.com

Let’s talk if you’re ready to:
• Future-proof your career
• Find a more meaningful, flexible way to work
• Transform your business with automation and analytics

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𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒 & 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐄
• Built automated solutions with Power BI, Excel, VBA, QlikView, Access, Python
• Created analytics for Fortune 100 clients
• Developed sales report for 800 end-users
• Translating business needs into powerful technical results every day
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📈 Gallup Top 5: Restorative, Learner, Achiever, Individualization, Futurist
🌐 Fluent in English & Russian (also know German but basics)
💏 Father of two

Let’s talk about your needs:
📧 info@careerchange2it.com – career change
📧 luka.jarych@gmail.com – IT challenges

Luke Jarych

Wow, thank you very much, wonderful people, for following me – I’m now above 18,000! 🙏

It’s time to introduce myself to those who don’t know me yet:
1. I work daily as a Business Intelligence Analyst – designing scalable solutions for clients from the Fortune 500 list, including building dashboards, writing ETL scripts, and implementing AI agents.

2. After my tech job, my passion is making the job search process nice and smooth. I’m also a LinkedIn addict.

Working mainly with career changers, I show them how to get into Tech for roles like: Project Manager, Product Owner, Data Analyst, and Business Analyst (together with Klaudia Jarych, we have experience in these roles and have worked in startups, mid-size companies, and corporations).

3. I love playing football ⚽, doing yoga to relax my back 🧘‍♂️, and trekking in the mountains 🏔️

4. Father of 2 kids (6-year-old daughter  and 4-year-old son )🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒

What about you? Let's meet better!

#tech #career #it #happy #life

In the picture with Klaudia ❤️

I Help Mid-Career Professionals Make a Career Pivot Into Tech In Under 6 months | Career Change Strategist | 100 + advised | Business Intelligence Analyst (former Environmental Engineer) | Reporting, Automations, AI

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