She’s Seen Tech Booms Come and Go—Her Advice for Workers Entering AI: ‘Don’t Be a Fraud’

Gabrielle Heyman, 53, has lived through enough tech cycles to know what survives hype—and what doesn’t. As vice president of global brand sales and partnerships at Zynga, she’s seen trends rise, collapse, and reinvent themselves. Her advice to anyone diving into the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence today? Be real.

“Don’t be a fraud,” she says. “You’ve got to know your s—.”

Heyman didn’t always plan to work in tech. Growing up in Los Angeles, she assumed she’d work in film, like many of her family members. But after a string of assistant jobs where the culture felt toxic, she pivoted. While at CBS in 1998, she spotted a job opening on the newly formed internet ad sales team. It was the early days of the web—and the people, she noticed, were much kinder.

That single step kicked off a decades-long career in digital media, including roles at Yahoo, BuzzFeed, and Electronic Arts. While the landscape constantly changed, one thing stayed the same: people rushed into buzzy new industries when the money was good, and rushed right back out when the market cooled.

Today, she sees the same pattern playing out with artificial intelligence.

‘There’s a lot of riff raff’ in boom times

Heyman recalls the internet gold rush of the early 2000s—and how fast it all unraveled. Companies with shaky business models folded overnight. People who got into tech just for the buzz or the payout didn’t last.

“When the hype dies down, a lot of riff raff gets cut out,” she says. The same will happen with AI.

Right now, investors are pouring billions into AI startups, and job seekers are flooding the space. But not all companies—or workers—are built for the long haul. Some are chasing headlines, not solving real problems. That’s where Heyman says it’s critical to separate short-term noise from lasting impact.

If you want to stay, you have to care

What helped her survive in tech wasn’t just talent—it was curiosity. The people who stick around in new industries like AI, she says, are the ones who are constantly learning.

“You have to read the articles. Play with the tools. Stay curious about what’s next. Be up on what clients are doing,” she says. “That’s the difference between someone who’s genuinely invested and someone just cashing in.”

She also encourages job seekers in AI to ask smart questions during interviews. Look at how a company is investing—not just in product, but in talent, infrastructure, and leadership.

“It’s not hard to spot the difference between a company building something meaningful and one that’s just chasing the trend,” she says.

The AI boom, like those before it, will eventually cool. But the people who put in the work, who genuinely care about the space—they’ll still be standing.