The 2026 Comp Playbook: Precision Budgeting, AI Skills, and Data-Driven Hiring

As we enter 2026, business leaders are facing a paradox: budgets remain tight (with performance-based salary increase budgets hovering around 3.2–3.5%), yet the cost of specialized talent—particularly those with AI skills—continues to skyrocket. The "one-size-fits-all" approach to compensation is no longer just inefficient; it’s a retention risk.

Watch this recording for a practical, "how-to" session featuring Liz McConnaughey and Rani Mavram, two business leaders who are navigating these exact waters, alongside Carta’s product expert. We’re moving past high-level insights and getting into the weeds of how to build a compensation strategy that is both fiscally responsible and aggressively competitive.

In this session, we cover:

Strategic Budgeting: How to move away from broad-based raises toward data-driven adjustments that protect your high-impact players.
Pricing the "AI Premium": How to value and benchmark "hybrid" roles where AI expertise and cross-functional skills are rewriting traditional job descriptions.
Closing the "Expectation Gap": Strategies for navigating compensation conversations with candidates who use AI to research pay, ensuring your data remains the "source of truth."
Real-Time Market Intelligence: How to use Carta Total Comp to gather the data you need, allowing for mid-year agility without breaking the bank.

Who should watch: People & HR Leaders, Finance Partners, and Founders and COOs looking for a tactical roadmap to compensation for Q1 2026.

Featuring

Liz McConnaughey
Head of People & Talent
Wisp

Rani Mavram
CEO & Founder
Complete

Josh Steinfeld
Principal Product Strategist
Carta