The T5 Revolution: How a Simple Idea Can Transform Leadership Communication

Imagine this: Every week, employees across an organization pause to send a short update directly to their CEO, listing the top five things they’re working on, thinking about, or prioritizing. These updates aren’t filtered through layers of management or lost in the noise of sprawling meetings. Instead, they go straight to the top, giving the leader a clear view of the pulse of their company.

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario. It’s a real practice championed by Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, and it’s become a cornerstone of how he stays connected to his company. Huang calls these updates "T5s," short for "Top 5." It’s simple, powerful, and deeply effective. But as genius as the practice is, there’s a challenge: How does one person, even a visionary CEO, process hundreds or thousands of such updates every single week?

The answer lies in technology. With the right tools—AI-driven platforms, to be precise—the T5 practice could go from a niche management technique to a universal standard, reshaping how leaders engage with their teams in organizations of any size.

Why T5s Work So Well

Let’s start with why the T5 system is so effective. At its heart, the T5 is easy and scalable. Write a T5 every week and submit it. It's not a status update. It's whatever feels important. It could be a new technology trend. For employees it's a way to stay connected to the upper echelons of the company and feel heard without any filtering.

For leaders, the T5 is a direct line to the ground. It cuts through the noise of hierarchical filters, which often sanitize or dilute messages by the time they reach the top. When a leader like Huang reads a T5, they’re seeing raw, unfiltered snapshots of the company’s inner workings, straight from the people doing the work.

"Strategy is not what I say, it's what you all do," Huang is famous for saying.

This practice also builds a sense of connection. Employees feel seen when their updates are acknowledged, and leaders stay grounded in the realities of their organization. It’s a two-way street, fostering transparency and trust in an organic, human way.

Scaling the Magic: The Role of AI

But there’s a catch. As brilliant as T5s are, they don’t scale easily. A small startup with 20 employees can manage this process through sheer willpower. The CEO can read every T5, maybe even respond to a few. But for a company like NVIDIA, with thousands of employees, reading and processing every submission becomes impossible. The magic of the T5 risks being drowned in its own success.

This is where AI can step in and make all the difference.

Imagine an internal app or platform where employees submit their T5s. Instead of emails piling up in a leader’s inbox, the updates flow into a system designed to handle them intelligently. AI could analyze the submissions, identify patterns, and summarize the key insights. What are the recurring themes this week? Are there emerging challenges that need immediate attention? Who’s contributing standout ideas that deserve recognition? With the help of AI, the sheer volume of updates transforms from an overwhelming flood into a manageable and actionable resource.

Even better, this doesn’t have to be a standalone system. Companies could integrate it into tools they’re already using. Workday, for example, could add a T5 module alongside its other HR and workflow features. Employees would submit their updates directly within the platform, and leaders could view AI-generated dashboards highlighting everything they need to know at a glance and they could drill down into the actual T5s themselves so the employee's authentic voice doesn't get lost.

The Human Touch, Enhanced by Technology

The beauty of this approach is that it doesn’t replace the human connection at the heart of T5s—it enhances it. AI isn’t there to depersonalize the process; it’s there to make it scalable and actionable. Leaders still have the opportunity to dive into individual updates when they want to, responding personally to ideas or concerns. What changes is that they no longer have to wade through a sea of text to find the gems. The system does the heavy lifting, leaving them free to focus on what matters most.

And let’s not overlook the benefits for employees. In a traditional T5 system, there’s always a risk that submissions might feel like they’re disappearing into a black hole. With an AI-driven platform, employees could see how their updates are contributing to larger insights. They could receive feedback faster, creating a virtuous cycle of engagement and communication.

A Tool for the Future

What makes the T5 system so exciting isn’t just its practicality—it’s the cultural shift it represents. In many organizations, communication between employees and leadership is heavily mediated. Messages get filtered, rephrased, and polished before they ever reach the C-suite, if they make it there at all. The T5 system flips that script, creating a direct, unvarnished dialogue between the top and the rest of the organization.

Scaling this idea with AI takes it one step further, turning it into a tool for organizational intelligence. It’s not just about individual updates anymore; it’s about seeing the organization as a whole. Leaders could track trends over time, spotting opportunities or risks before they fully emerge. They could identify which teams are thriving and which need support. They could even use sentiment analysis to gauge morale or predict areas of burnout.

This isn’t pie-in-the-sky speculation. The technology to do all of this already exists. It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together—combining the human wisdom of T5s with the analytical power of AI.

A Universal Practice

The brilliance of the T5 practice is its universality. It’s not tied to any particular industry or type of work. Any organization—whether it’s a tech giant, a nonprofit, or a government agency—can benefit from adopting it. The key is to tailor the system to fit the organization’s scale and culture, using tools like AI to bridge the gaps where human effort alone can’t keep up.

Think of it as a modern take on an ancient principle: Communication is the lifeblood of leadership. The T5 system, enhanced by AI, is a way to keep that lifeblood flowing, no matter how large or complex the organization becomes.

"Strategy is not what I say, it's what you all do," Huang is famous saying.

The Future of Work

In a world where innovation and agility are critical, practices like T5s offer a way to stay grounded. They remind us that even in the most cutting-edge industries, success starts with something simple: clear communication, focused effort, and genuine connection. With AI tools making this practice scalable, there’s no reason it shouldn’t become a standard across industries.

So here’s the challenge: If you’re a leader, why not start your own version of T5s? And if you’re in the business of building tools for the future of work—like Workday or other HR platforms—why not create the system that makes it seamless? The potential is enormous, and the rewards—for employees, leaders, and organizations as a whole—are well worth the effort.