problem. Either way, for Weening, disagreement creates information. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, might see Weening as a Ruler-Warrior gradu- ally becoming a Mentor-Sage. In this view, the Warrior acts while the Ruler organizes. And the Sage listens, integrates, and teaches. The danger arises when the War- rior believes every problem needs to be defeated or every disagreement conquered. The developmental task is integrating vulnerability, patience, ambiguity, and the parts of leader- ship that are not organized around winning or fixing. Weening appears aware of that challenge – readily acknowledging that he may not be the smartest person in the room. That approach matters more coming from a forceful leader than from a naturally deferential one, and power becomes more productive when it becomes permeable. Calix’s company culture results
provide external evidence that something is working. In 2026, Fortune ranked Calix number 85 on its 100 Best Companies to Work For list. It also ranked among leading large technology workplaces, while Newsweek gave the company 4.5 out of 5 stars on its 2026 Greatest Workplaces in Tech list.
NO FAIRY DUST Weening brings the same im- patience with wishful thinking to artificial intelligence. He sees extraordinary potential there, while also saying many companies are approaching AI backward. He warns companies against building every- thing in-house. He believes enter- prise IT departments risk becoming intoxicated by how easy AI makes prototyping. A clever prototype can create the illusion that a company should develop and maintain its own AI applications. But software has a lifecycle. It
requires security, maintenance, inte-
SELLING POWER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | 19 © 2026 SELLING POWER
Calix: A Company Collecting Recognition
Calix says it has earned 81 culture and innovation awards since 2025 while serving more than 1,200 customers on a platform built through more than $2 billion of investment over 15 years.
SELECTED 2026 RECOGNITION: • Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For – No. 85 • Fortune Best Large Workplaces in Technology – No. 21 • Fortune Best Large Workplaces in the Bay Area – No. 18 • Comparably Best Company Outlook – No. 1 • Comparably Best Companies for Diversity – No. 9 • Comparably Best Leadership Teams – No. 10 • Comparably Best Companies for Women – No. 14 • Comparably Best Marketing Teams – No. 3 • Comparably Best HR Teams – No. 4 • Comparably Best Engineering Teams – No. 7 • Comparably Best Sales Teams – No. 8 • Glassdoor Best Companies in Tech & AI – No. 22 • Newsweek Greatest Workplaces in Tech – 4.5/5 stars • Reppy Award – Top Rated Sales Organizations at Public Companies
RECOGNITION FOR
MICHAEL WEENING: Weening was named a Comparably Top CEO in both 2024 and 2025. In March 2026 he took the main stage at Mobile World Congress Barcelona in its “Architects of the AI Age” program, where he discussed agentic AI and an “experience of one” alongside prominent AI scholar Kate Crawford.
WHAT LEADERS SAY: • Carl Russo, Calix founder and chairman: “Michael has the right vision and leadership for Calix.” Russo credits Weening as a core strategic contributor who helped lead the company’s execution and platform transformation.
• Fortune/Great Place to Work: Employee feedback highlighted Calix’s work-life balance, empowering culture, career development, and what respondents described as “visionary leadership.”
• Mobile World Congress: Its 2026 main-stage program placed Weening among the “Architects of the AI Age,” reflecting Calix’s emergence from broadband infrastructure player to a prominent voice in the agentic-AI conversation.
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