The uncertainty surrounding AI and its impact has not only led to layoffs but a good deal of uncertainty. Particularly in such unsettling times, leaders are expected to sound confident about things that are still unfolding.

I was reminded of this recently while re-watching an interview with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, in the days following the OpenAI governance turmoil. You can feel it in the questions he was asked and how they were framed. 

What stayed with me wasn’t what he said about OpenAI. It was how deliberately he avoided saying what couldn’t yet be known.

In situations like this, the temptation is to reach for certainty. I should know, having been there. You want to project confidence, to promise outcomes and to smooth over ambiguity with optimism.

That’s not what happened here.

Instead, Satya kept returning to something else entirely: the capabilities Microsoft already has, the breadth of its work in AI, and the continuity customers could rely on regardless of how the OpenAI situation evolved.

He did not speculate. Nor did he provide dramatic reassurance. And most importantly, he did not attempt to control the narrative. Just a steady insistence on what was already true.

Seen through a storytelling lens, this is a subtle but important shift. 

When outcomes are uncertain, the story moves away from the future and anchors itself in the present.

Most people think storytelling is about painting a compelling picture of what’s next. And often, it is.

But there’s another, quieter role stories play — especially in moments of instability. They help people locate solid ground when the path ahead isn’t clear.

In this case, the story wasn’t “Here’s how this will turn out.” It was “Here’s what doesn’t change.”

Capability instead of prediction.
Continuity instead of certainty.
Presence instead of promise.

That kind of storytelling doesn’t generate excitement.
It generates something more valuable in moments like these: trust.

Here is Satya Nadella’s interview. What struck me most was how much restraint is required to stay grounded than to want to sound inspiring.

Harder yet to crisply name what holds than to announce what’s coming. And certainly for me, hardest to let uncertainty exist without trying to resolve it prematurely.

That’s storytelling doing real work by containing anxiety and resisting the urge to add meaning.

Most of us will never be asked to comment on OpenAI governance on live television. But we will face moments when:

The next time you’re asked to speak about something that isn’t fully settled yet, try this. Before you rush to reassure or predict, pause and ask:

You don’t need to resolve uncertainty to lead through it.

Sometimes, the story people need most is simply knowing what remains steady while everything else is still finding its place.