Canva CPO Flags 2 AI-Proof Hiring Traits as Curiosity and Initiative

1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 16

Jennie Rogerson said Canva screens every candidate for two traits she sees as durable in the AI era: curiosity about change and the initiative to act on what they learn.
At Charter's June 9 summit in New York, Rogerson said curiosity is now a baseline, spanning both interest in tools like AI and understanding why past decisions were made.
She tests that in interviews by asking what candidates learned outside their core discipline and how they turned it into practical impact, including experiments such as vibe coding.
Initiative matters just as much, she said, because Canva wants "givers" who improve products or team culture beyond their formal remit by fixing problems, pitching ideas or starting clubs.
The view aligns with broader executive thinking that human traits such as curiosity, proactive learning and cross-functional contribution remain hard to replace as AI reshapes work.