From Albania to Amazon, Irena's story is incredible:

• 2013: Left Albania to chase a dream in the US

• 2015: Juggled a full-time job, PhD studies, and raising two kids

• 2021: Applied to ONE tech job - and got into Amazon

• 2025: Leading Amazon’s AI revolution and inspiring change

She shares her hard-earned lessons on resilience, embracing uniqueness, and her vision of the future with AI.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections

3:35 Academic and Professional Challenges

8:14 Balancing Family and Career

14:48 Leadership and Mentorship

21:39 Embracing AI at Amazon

29:20 Testing AI's Strategic Thinking

30:29 AI in Education: Pros and Cons

31:55 Incorporating AI in Academic Courses

38:30 Ethical Use of AI in Universities

44:12 Navigating Career Transitions

48:55 Future Skills and AI Integration

56:36 Final Thoughts and Advice

Episode Links:

Irena's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipxhurxhi/

Podcast Links:Substack:

https://thinkingthomas.substack.com/⁠

X/Twitter: https://x.com/fortoulthomas⁠

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nUcKzoV5nHhwFqZrIit9w

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-tech/id1797833313

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-fortoul/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ONyHJ7p13KQrYyOH1WPAh