From Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt on Role of Sustainability in Big Business | Sustainability Imperative · · The Hill Events
“I think climate change is real, it's caused by man, it's existential. But it's complicated and hard and in today's environment, you know, unless we change we're not going to solve this problem. So I would really love to see President Biden take the time to build a real coalition about around the work that needs to be done to solve this and that means both bringing the oil industry with him but also forging forward to these next generation of technologies.”
On , Jeffrey Immelt, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at GE Aerospace, spoke about climate change during Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt on Role of Sustainability in Big Business | Sustainability Imperative on The Hill Events.
Jeffrey Immelt, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric, participated in two public events in May 2026. At the Imagine 2026 conference on May 19, Immelt discussed leadership during technological disruption and the adoption of AI. He stated that an "AI winter" is inevitable, where people may say "it doesn't work" or that too much money has been spent, and emphasized the importance of perseverance through such crises. Immelt also said that AI will differentiate performance between hospitals, banks, and airlines, and that leaders must "exercise new muscles." He advised that tech professionals should not be the ones to explain technology to the public, saying "we should never let tech people talk about tech." On May 1, Immelt appeared as the inaugural Teevens Center Leadership Fellow at Dartmouth College. During the conversation, he said that leadership involves giving people truth and context, and that "there are two magic words to being a leader: blame me." He reflected on his own experience with imposter syndrome, stating he was "not comfortable enough in my own skin to say, I don't know." Immelt also commented on organizational culture, saying "your culture is only as good as the worst person you're willing to tolerate." He praised Dartmouth's current position, calling it "the best house in a bad neighborhood" and a "differentiated opportunity."