In Part II of our recently released research survey, The state of finance hiring & careers, we analyzed which skills CFOs and other finance execs look for when filling finance roles.

More than three-quarters (77%) of finance professionals Morning Brew surveyed chose strategic thinking and problem-solving as the most important skills for the next generation of finance and accounting professionals. AI and automation proficiency (63%) and advanced data and analytics skills (59%) were the next most frequently chosen.

Those results reveal a “structural mismatch,” Trilogy Talent Advisors Managing Partner John Touey said, commenting on the results.

“Strategic thinking, AI fluency, and data analytics…are not areas in which we have traditionally trained our finance and accounting professionals,” Touey told us.

Continue reading our research report.—CV, AZ

The fallout from a data breach can have real staying power, be it a hit to the affected organization’s reputation or a class action lawsuit brought by customers whose data was leaked.

With these risks in mind, organizational leaders must perpetually review their data security controls and processes—because an annual review simply isn’t enough, according to finance and cybersecurity experts.

The risk of a data breach is “not just the short-term operational disruption,” Judson Dressler, head of cyber insurance and risk management firm Resilience’s Risk Operations Center, told CFO Brew recently. “It’s really the long-tail financial reputational exposure. It’s litigation, regulatory investigations, customer notification requirements, it’s reputation and PR to contain that.”

“The cost of not prioritizing [data security] is your brand, it’s your credibility—and those things are priceless,” Angela Lee, CFO of real-time data platform Hydrolix, told us.

Keep reading.—AZ

OpenAI is handing the government a cheat sheet on how to solve the problems its product might cause. Yesterday, the company released a policy blueprint to address the disruptions it expects impending AI superintelligence to bring—with tips ranging from embracing a four-day workweek to strategies on combating killer robots.

OpenAI’s policy menu comes as the public grows increasingly concerned about AI’s potential to cause economic chaos, with some asking the government to step in. The company is also facing questions about CEO Sam Altman’s character, given the potential disruption its product could cause.

New Deal 2.0. Sounding more like a union head, the $852 billion company says AI-driven gains should be shared with workers, with a big role for the government to play.

Read more on Morning Brew.—SK

As more companies embrace co-CEO structures, CFOs are learning how to manage two bosses at once. Finance leaders share how dual leadership affects decision-making, communication, and collaboration at the top.