Jennifer Salinas on career decisions
From 45 - Jennifer Salinas / EVP, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel at Cerence AI · · A LA LATINA Podcast
“I took a huge pay cut initially going from being a partner to going in-house. When I say huge pay cut, I mean I was going to be making a third of what I was making. But I took the leap of faith because I wanted to be the general counsel of a public company.”
On , Jennifer Salinas, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel & Secretary at CERENCE INC, spoke about career decisions during 45 - Jennifer Salinas / EVP, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel at Cerence AI on A LA LATINA Podcast.
About Jennifer Salinas
Jennifer Salinas, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary at Cerence AI, appeared on the podcast "A La Latina" in July 2025. Salinas described Cerence as providing voice AI to approximately 52% of vehicles worldwide, and characterized the automobile as "the next smartphone" that will act as a personal assistant. She discussed her career trajectory, including taking a significant pay cut to move from a law partnership to an in-house role at Lenovo, where she eventually became head of global litigation and general counsel of a business unit. Salinas spoke about the importance of knowing one's value, stating that "knowing your value means knowing it so that people cannot devalue it." She noted that she has had to work harder than others due to assumptions about her background, and advised listeners to "learn about niche areas like AI" because "it's a level playing field." Salinas also recommended not sacrificing personal values, citing a decision to leave an abusive boss for the sake of her career and mental health, and advised her younger self to "not be so hung up on what people think."