Inside the Minds of Over 2,000 Business Decision-Makers: Burnout, Hiring Struggles, and the AI Paradox

As you might expect, the modern decision-makers at businesses large and small have a lot on their minds lately. And as the most engaging business media company in the world, we wanted to know exactly what was keeping them up at night and what they are facing as they work to keep their businesses afloat. That’s why we surveyed over 2k business decision-makers (BDMs) across industries and job functions through our proprietary insights community, The Breakroom. What we found was both eye-opening and urgent: Burnout is at crisis levels, hiring has never been harder, and while AI holds promise, trust remains a major roadblock. Here we’ll unpack the data, revealing the biggest pain points executives face and the opportunities for companies to step in—not just as solutions providers but also as trusted guides in a rapidly changing business landscape.

Burnout Spares No Victims, and Hiring Is Harder Than Ever

The people making the biggest business decisions are barely keeping their eyes open. According to our survey, 88% experienced burnout in the past year, and 93% said that exhaustion and a lack of accomplishment are their new coworkers, neither of which are great at hitting quarterly goals 😉.

What’s more is that while executives struggle to stay afloat with their own workloads, they also face a historic hiring crisis, with 82% saying it’s harder than ever to find quality employees. When the people in charge of hiring are too drained to function, the cycle of exhaustion continues.

One-third of decision-makers predict increased investment in talent acquisition in 2025, signaling that companies are willing to throw more money at the problem. But recruitment dollars don’t magically turn into great hires. Without a compelling work culture and a strategy to manage workload, companies may just be buying fancier deck chairs for the Titanic.

The Love/Hate Relationship With AI as a Lifeboat

AI is supposed to be the antidote to burnout and inefficiency, yet decision-makers remain torn between optimism and hesitation. While 57% believe AI will improve workplace dynamics and help with talent management and productivity, 87% struggle with adoption, citing data privacy, compliance, and integration issues as major hurdles.

Despite technology and IT being the top budget priority across industries, AI remains a puzzle that leaders aren’t sure how to solve. They want AI to ease their workload but fear missteps, whether in hiring, automation, or regulatory risk. The last thing they need is a solution that creates more problems.

Translation: Executives want AI to save them but they don’t trust it yet. That presents a massive opportunity for AI, HR tech, and leadership training companies to not just sell solutions but also to bridge the education gap, remove adoption barriers, and provide a clear, risk-mitigated path forward.

The winners in this space won’t just build AI; they’ll build trust in AI.

The (Content) Times Are A-Changin’

If decision-makers are overworked and overwhelmed, where do they turn for guidance? The answer is content, and 95% of BDMs learn about business trends through Morning Brew Inc. products, including newsletters, events, and podcasts.

And they don’t stop at just one format. The average decision-maker consumes business trends across five different formats, underscoring the notion that brands need multimedia storytelling to break through to customers and prospects. The decision-making audience isn’t passively scrolling—they’re actively listening, engaging, and seeking expertise from trusted sources to help them make more informed decisions at work.

Here’s where it gets even more interesting:

• The Morning Brew Inc. audience of decision-makers are 2.3x more likely to listen to business podcasts than other decision-makers.

• They are 1.3x more likely than their peers to attend in-person events.

Translation: The playbook marketers should be using in B2B is three-dimensional. Audio, live engagement, and deep storytelling…not just another white paper collecting digital dust in a Google Drive graveyard.

Conclusion: The Companies That Lead Will Be the Ones That Teach

• Burnout isn’t a trend; it’s an urgent crisis. 

• Hiring isn’t just hard; it’s broken. 

• AI isn’t just innovative; it’s misunderstood and lacks trust. 

Decision-makers aren’t just looking for tools; they’re looking for guides. They don’t need more complexity. They need clarity, confidence, and trusted voices to help them navigate the chaos of modern work. Companies that recognize this shift won’t just sell solutions. They will shape the conversation. The brands that educate, reassure, and simplify adoption will be the ones decision-makers turn to when it’s time to act.

This moment isn’t just about offering products. It’s about owning the narrative. The companies that lead in AI, HR, leadership, and workplace innovation need to step forward not just as providers but also as thought leaders and educators.

Source: Morning Brew Inc. Business Decision Maker Survey, Fielded the Week of 1/7/2025 to 2,031 managers or above via our Proprietary Insights community panel: The Breakroom.