Tracy Hawkins, VP of Real Estate and Workplace at OpenAI, does not believe AI will replace the need for people to gather. When I sat down with her at OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco for this conversation, published in November 2025, we barely talked about office space. We talked about humanity, and what happens when technology becomes powerful enough to shape how our kids think, learn and connect.
I have known Tracy Hawkins for years, mostly over LinkedIn. She is one of those people who will kindly but directly challenge your assumptions. So when we finally met in person, I knew the conversation would be about much more than AI. It would be about what it means to be human in the age of it.
What was the most San Francisco moment ever?
Before our chat, I had what might be the most San Francisco experience of my life. I was standing on a street corner, waiting for a Waymo, and I pulled out ChatGPT to prep for the interview.
I typed, “I’m going to be interviewing the global head of real estate for the company that created you.”
ChatGPT replied, “Oh, that’s pretty meta and cool. I’m definitely here to help you prep.”
You can’t make this stuff up. It struck me how surreal it is that a tool we created has become both our collaborator and our counselor. My daughter doesn’t say Google it. She says Ask AI. That shift says everything about where we’re headed.
How should parents raise kids in the age of AI?
Tracy’s view is that parents, not schools, will play a huge role in shaping how children understand and use AI. She encourages her daughter to use it to learn how to think, not just to find answers: to ask how she should approach a problem instead of asking for the answer. That approach works as a blueprint for how adults should use AI too.
When I asked Tracy what it’s like to wake up and walk into OpenAI every morning, she talked about her daughter too. She said she wanted to be part of something that will shape her child’s world.
“I really love mission-driven companies. The idea of creating a level playing field around knowledge and communication, that’s what brought me here.”
Tracy Hawkins, VP of Real Estate and Workplace, OpenAI
One of my favorite moments was when she told me her daughter thought ChatGPT was called Jack GPT, like a friend who knew everything. It made us laugh, but it also revealed something profound. Kids don’t see AI as a search engine. They see it as a being, a helper, someone or something they can talk to.
Will AI replace the office?
No. Tracy does not believe AI will replace the need for people to gather. “There’s still so much nuance that happens only when humans come together,” she said. “I think there’s still room for that human discussion, that magic aspect of collaboration.” In an AI-driven world, the office stays valuable as the place where that nuance happens.
At OpenAI, occupancy is high because the mission is magnetic. People want to be there, drawn by the energy of building something that matters.
As someone who has walked dozens of offices since joining Kadence, I can confirm that very few feel like that. The difference isn’t policy or perks. It’s purpose. When the mission is clear, presence becomes voluntary.
Occupancy is the share of a workplace’s space that people actually use, as opposed to the space available.
How should workplace design change as AI changes work?
Workplace design should move from control to choice. Tracy argues that flexibility is key: spaces should support different types of people and different modes of work, from heads-down focus to collaborative bursts. She is thinking deeply about neurodiversity, data and how space can adapt over time as needs shift, rather than enforcing one way of working.
That is true at OpenAI too. And that, to me, is the biggest shift of all.
Neurodiversity describes the natural variation in how people’s brains process information, which affects how they focus, communicate and use space.
What does “build, measure, learn” mean for the office?
It means the office is no longer a fixed bet. Instead of building and hoping people come, workplace teams build, measure how people use the space, and learn what to change. For real estate and workplace leaders, that turns office design into an ongoing cycle driven by usage data rather than a one-time project.
When I reflected her ideas back to her, I said, “The office used to live by the rule if you build it, they will come. Now it’s build, measure, and learn.” She agreed.
“The office used to live by the rule if you build it, they will come. Now it’s build, measure, and learn.”
Dave Cairns, Future of Work Strategist, Kadence
It is the same principle we apply at Kadence: understanding how people use space, what creates friction, and how to design workplaces that remove it.
Tracy added that technology partners like us have a huge opportunity, and responsibility, to eliminate friction for employees the moment they walk through the door. That means making it seamless to find the right desk, connect with the right teammate, and get data that helps leaders make better space decisions. That is what we are building toward: workplaces that don’t just function, but flow. Kadence AI is part of that work.
What did Tracy Hawkins of OpenAI change her mind about?
Tracy used to think we all needed to be in the office all the time to do our best work. She has let that belief go. Now, she said, it’s not about being there. It’s about why you’re there. I asked her this at the end of our chat, and after a pause her answer was refreshingly honest.
That hit home. Like Tracy, I have shed my hard-line opinions about where work should happen. It’s about intention and seasonality. The right rhythm at the right time for the right team.
If there is one thing our conversation reaffirmed for me, it is that the future of work isn’t about AI or office real estate. It’s about agency, mission and meaning. When we design work that helps people connect with purpose, technology doesn’t replace humanity. It amplifies it. More on this in the guide to AI and the future of work, and in my other writing on the Kadence author page.
Frequently asked questions
What does Tracy Hawkins do at OpenAI?
Tracy Hawkins is VP of Real Estate and Workplace at OpenAI. In this conversation she discussed parenting in the age of AI, the future of the office, and designing workplaces for choice.
Does Tracy Hawkins think AI will replace the office?
Tracy Hawkins does not believe AI will replace the need for people to gather. She sees nuance and “that magic aspect of collaboration” happening when humans come together.
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