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Michael George, CEO of Synchro, and Dee Zepf, Chief Product Officer, discuss the evolving landscape of managed service providers (MSPs) and the transformative potential of AI in their operations. They reflect on how automation has been a longstanding goal in the industry, but recent advancements in AI and technology have accelerated this evolution. The conversation highlights Synchro's strategic shift towards leveraging AI and automation to enhance their platform, particularly through the launch of their XMM platform, which integrates RMM, PSA, and Microsoft 365 management.The XMM platform aims to simplify the management of Microsoft technologies for MSPs, allowing them to deliver better security and efficiency to their clients. Dee shares insights on the rapid adoption of this platform among existing partners, emphasizing how it has streamlined operations and improved security management. The discussion also touches on the competitive landscape, with Michael noting that while Microsoft is increasingly moving towards the MSP space, Synchro views their relationship as complementary rather than competitive.As the conversation progresses, they explore the importance of workflow efficiency for small and midsize businesses, suggesting that MSPs should focus on enhancing their service offerings to remain competitive. Michael emphasizes the need for MSPs to evolve from traditional IT support roles to strategic partners that help clients leverage AI and automation effectively. This shift is seen as crucial for MSPs to differentiate themselves in a market where many are at risk of falling behind.Finally, the discussion delves into the implementation of AI technologies within Synchro's products, particularly in areas like smart ticket management and sentiment analysis. Dee explains the challenges of measuring the quality of AI-generated responses and the importance of maintaining a human element in the process. They conclude by encouraging MSPs to start small with AI implementations, helping clients understand its potential and gradually integrating more advanced solutions into their operations. All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech
Crowdfunding: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Ecommerce with CrowdCrux | Crowdfunding Demystified
How do you launch a rugged, modular battery system and raise over $100,000 with your first product? In this episode, we speak with Marco Vanella, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of MAAK Outdoor, the company behind the Scout Battery. Designed for off-grid professionals, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who needs reliable power in the field, the Scout Battery is a smart, stackable energy solution that just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign. We talk about: The origin story of Scout and how it solves real-world energy problems Marco's background in industrial design and product development How MAAK overcame the challenges of launching a hardware product What worked in their campaign strategy — and what they'd do differently If you're building a hardware product or launching something rugged and outdoorsy, this interview is packed with practical insight. Resources and Tools Mentioned: Book a coaching call Subscribe for Weekly Crowdfunding Tips Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist FREE Kickstarter Course Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook Scout Battery: Smart, Rugged, and Modular Power on Kickstarter MAAK Outdoor Website
In this special episode of Hacking Humans, while Joe and Maria take a well-earned summer break, we're joined by a special guest host: Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at ThreatLocker. Rob dives into the tactics and profile of the cybercriminal group known as Scattered Spider—a crew that's gained notoriety for its cunning use of social engineering over traditional hacking techniques. Known for being young, agile, and highly manipulative, Scattered Spider has successfully bypassed security measures not by breaking systems, but by fooling the people who use them. Tune in for a fascinating breakdown of how this group operates and what you can do to defend against them. A listener caught this catch of the day on campus—an email claiming a “salary increase” and urging them to click a sketchy link. It came from outside the company, was riddled with grammar issues, and asked for info HR should already have. Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Resources and links to stories: Scattered Spider weaves web of social-engineered destruction Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.
SMBs are drowning in a sea of disconnected financial tools, juggling separate platforms for banking, payments, accounting, and lending. Many business owners find themselves logging into five or six different systems just to manage their daily operations, creating inefficiency and driving up costs at a time when economic pressures are mounting. U.S. Bank's latest 2025 Small Business Survey shows that SMBs are looking to their FIs to collapse these various digital solutions into one integrated experience. "They are overwhelmed by the number of standalone software solutions which exist in the marketplace," explains Shruti Patel, Chief Product Officer for the Business Banking segment at U.S. Bank. "They would like to consolidate these so that they're not constantly juggling with multiple tools or playing mental gymnastics, all while streamlining costs." The survey data, drawn from approximately 1,000 SMB owners across the country with revenues up to $25 million, shows a clear trend toward viewing banks as comprehensive financial hubs rather than simple repositories for funds. SMBs are seeking integrated solutions that combine banking, payments, and software capabilities under one roof. Listen to this podcast to learn about U.S. Bank's Shruti Patel is helping U.S. Bank position itself as the primary re-bundlers of financial services in the post-pandemic era.
We revisit our conversation with Frances Ibe, Chief Experience Officer at Tide. Frances shares invaluable insights on her journey from developer to product leadership and how to avoid common pitfalls during the discovery process.Chapters01:07 – Meet Frances Ibe02:05 – Common Discovery Pitfalls03:34 – Embedding Continuous Discovery04:51 – The Myth of Talking to 20 Customers06:38 – What is a Data Prototype?08:03 – Building Confidence in Product Bets10:42 – Sharing Insights Across the Business13:52 – Keeping Sprint Reviews Engaging15:49 – Discovery Through Observation17:21 – Responding to Data-Driven Disruption18:30 – The Power of Storytelling20:49 – Training Teams in Storytelling22:36 – Maintaining Message Consistency23:48 – Collaborating Across Disciplines25:01 – Francis' Game-Changing AdviceFeatured Links: Follow Frances on LinkedIn | Tide | 'Six things we learned at the Pendomonium and #mtpcon roadshow - London 2024' feature by Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
Rare Beauty just dropped its most personal product yet — a fragrance — and we're giving you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how it came to life. Joyce Kim, Chief Product Officer at Rare Beauty, joins us to talk about what it's like working with Selena Gomez and what it takes to create products that truly resonate, beyond just going viral.We get into the development journey behind Rare Beauty's new scent, Rare Eau de Parfum (including how our Glams got to test it first through Gloss Angeles Confidential!), the global inspiration behind the ingredients, and how the team prioritized inclusivity in every design detail, down to the bottle cap.Join our Slack for testing opportunities!Shop this episodeWatch our episodes!CALL or TEXT US: 424-341-0426Instagram: @glossangelspod, @kirbiejohnson, @saratanTwitter: @glossangelespod, @kirbiejohnson, @saratanEmail: glossangelespodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bret is joined by Andrew Tunall, the President and Chief Product Officer at Embrace, to discuss his prediction that we'll all start shipping non-QA'd code (buggier code in production) and QA will need to be replaced with better observability.
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Fernando Fanton is one of the most respected product leaders in Europe, having held Chief Product Officer roles at Monzo and Just Eat. He previously led product and tech at Rappi, one of Latin America's most valuable startups. Today, Fernando is the CPO @ Property Finder; one of the biggest breakout unicorns from MENA. Agenda: 00:00 – Is “having a vision” actually killing great product teams? 03:15 – Why do most products suck—and what separates the great ones? 07:20 – Should we kill the PM role entirely? Fernando says maybe. 11:45 – Is Monzo's obsession with trust more powerful than speed? 16:10 – What's the #1 reason internal tools will never replace SaaS? 21:00 – Will AI wipe out the need for designers and PMs? 26:30 – Is it arrogant for product teams to protect users from “bad” choices? 32:15 – What's the future of product when OpenAI controls the whole stack? 37:40 – What Monzo product blew up—and why no one saw it coming? 42:55 – Can a bank built on principles really become a $100B company?
What does it take to turn social media into a serious business driver for B2B companies? Chris Hackney, Chief Product Officer at Meltwater, joins the show to unpack how his team connects social engagement to pipeline and revenue. In this episode, we dive into Meltwater's approach to content strategy, channel differentiation, and analytics that prove impact across the funnel. Chris also shares how his team structures workflows, leverages influencer voices, and balances brand personality with professionalism in a global enterprise. Full Episode Details Chris joins hosts Zontee Hou and Jennifer Harmon on this episode of Social Pros to share how Meltwater's social media strategy drives real business outcomes, especially in the B2B space. He breaks down how the team maps social content to different stages of the funnel, tailors messaging by channel, and uses data to prove the impact of social on both awareness and pipeline. Chris discusses how Meltwater's global team balances centralized governance with regional execution, and how they tap into employee voices and influencer partnerships to expand reach and relevance. Chris also shares lessons from recent initiatives like their Meltwater Champions program, and explains why social media teams should think more like editorial hubs than traditional marketing arms. Chris reflects on the rise of AI in social workflows—calling it “in its toddler phase”—and urges marketers to stay curious as the tools mature. He also shares his take on where social apps are headed next, predicting even deeper tribalism and fragmentation across platforms. All that and more on an all-new episode of Social Pros! In This Episode: 1:50 - Protecting your brand and earn back trust in the face of disinformation 6:02 - Opportunities for AI in marketing and communications 10:56 - Chris's advice for success in human team members meeting AI technology 14:41 - How to connect one-to-one when platforms are constantly changing 17:51 - How Chris manages which platforms to invest time, energy, and money into 20:12 - Using tools like media intelligence to stay on top of trends 22:34 - Producing a framework to keep on top of the things you need to know, and how to empower your team to react in real time 31:24 - Chris's advice for aspiring social pros Resources: Connect with Chris on LinkedIn Visit the Meltwater website Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.
Salon Tech Talks is my 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Phorest Salon Software's Chief Product Officer, Paddy Monaghan. With a clear passion for professional salon and spas, Paddy brings a unique perspective on how to leverage the growing power of technology to support the aspirations of business owners and their team members. Paddy shares insights into the innovations most likely to revolutionize salons in the near future — and how to make smarter tech choices today to get ready for what's coming tomorrow.
Erica Wass, Principal Product Consultant at Brainmates, joins the Product Experience podcast to share pragmatic tools for building strategic foresight into your roadmap. From horizon scanning to backcasting, this episode explores how product teams can harness future-focused techniques—bolstered by generative AI—to improve decision-making, resilience, and impact.Chapters:0:00 – Why foresight matters in product1:00 – Introducing Erica Wass2:30 – How product is changing3:45 – The value of strategic foresight5:00 – Clarifying the term and its importance7:00 – Who owns foresight in the product org10:00 – Techniques: Horizon scanning, scenario planning, backcasting14:30 – Horizon scanning in action: Google & Android16:00 – Scenario planning for resilience21:00 – Tips on running scenario sessions23:45 – Backcasting: Vision-first roadmapping26:00 – Using AI to accelerate foresight30:00 – Product team dynamics in the AI era33:00 – Mistakes to avoid and balancing action with foresight37:00 – Wrap-up and takeawaysKey Takeaways— Horizon scanning helps teams identify early, weak signals that may grow into significant trends.— Scenario planning enables resilience by preparing teams for a range of plausible futures.— Backcasting flips traditional planning by working backward from a long-term goal to define near-term milestones.— Generative AI can democratise access to foresight tools—when used with critical thinking and proper validation.— Product professionals should take a proactive role in guiding strategic conversations, regardless of their title.— Avoid extremes with AI: neither fear it nor over-rely on it. Use it as a pairing partner rather than a replacement.Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
How do 100X engineers, cheap development, and AI-everywhere workflows flip slow-moving industries and legacy business models? AffiniPay CEO Dru Armstrong joins to discuss how vertical fintech and generative AI reshape professional services, the evolution of a new small-business software stack, and Austin's climb to a top five tech cities. Highlights00:00 AffiniPay overview & mission02:57 Why solo firms need vertical SaaS05:45 Unified platform vs best-in-class tools08:26 AI's early impact on law and accounting11:39 Billable-hour model under pressure14:20 Where AI in services is heading next17:03 Culture change: adopting AI at work20:14 Automating routine legal workflows30:19 Manufacturing Cost crashes & roles31:40 Austin emerging as a FinTech frontier34:54 Building a legal-payments platform locally39:34 Generative AI's effect on big-law practice45:55 Faster product cycles with AI tools48:35 How engineering roles are evolving53:34 What's Next Austin" “I want Austin in the top five."Guest BioDru Armstrong is the Chief Executive Officer of AffiniPay, LLC, a leading financial technology software provider for professionals, since July 2021, where she has implemented and executed a new strategic direction for the business, including its transformative acquisition of MyCase. Prior to joining AffiniPay, Ms. Armstrong served as Chief Executive Officer of Grace Hill, LLC, a real estate technology and software provider, from June 2016 to July 2021, and as Chief Product Officer from September 2015 to May 2016. Ms. Armstrong received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University.Episode LinksDru ArmstrongAffinipayKaleidoscope September 2-4, 2025 -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack
In this episode, Aydin sits down with Rob Williams, a former Chief Product Officer turned AI consultant, to explore the future of work, apps, and personal development—powered by generative AI. Rob demos Limitless, an AI pendant that helps him become a better human, and Claude Code, an agentic AI development environment that builds apps like a team of tireless developers. Plus, he shares his game-changing discovery-to-deliverable workflow that cuts a week's worth of consulting into a single day.Timestamps:01:00 – Rob's tech background and founding an AI consultancy05:01 – Demo 1: Limitless AI pendant – the wearable mentor08:19 – Rob's daily AI automations for personal growth10:28 – The privacy dilemma and how Rob handles it13:35 – Society's shifting comfort with constant recording18:20 – Rewind: screen-tracking AI and quantified work21:16 – Dystopia or augmentation? Competing views on AI ubiquity27:02 – Demo 2: Claude Code – a real agentic AI dev experience33:10 – Claude Code spins up dashboards from Excel in minutes37:39 – Debugging and security auditing with Claude40:20 – Rob's gamified AI-powered habit tracker41:47 – Claude Code for prototyping with dev teams44:47 – Implications: Will dynamic apps kill the App Store?47:00 – AI as the new operating system50:26 – Future: UIs disappear, apps build themselves52:00 – Demo 3 (Explained): Deep research AI for consulting workflows54:00 – Talking for the AI: How Rob narrates calls for context58:30 – Why you must rethink—not just speed up—your workflows59:36 – Two more tips (in newsletter only!)Tools & Technologies Mentioned:Limitless (limitless.ai) – Wearable AI pendant that records, transcribes, and summarizes your day with daily automations and feedback loops.Claude Code – Anthropic's CLI tool for building full applications using agentic AI workflows, including dependency management and debugging.Rewind – Screen-capturing app that logs your activity with searchable recall capabilities.Fellow – AI meeting tool that transcribes and summarizes meetings. Used by Rob for work-related action tracking.Typora – Markdown editor Rob uses to annotate and refine AI outputs.Deep Research – Rob's name for his long-context LLM-based analysis prompt stack, used for summarizing 20+ hour discovery projects.RescueTime – Productivity analytics tool used to track app usage and categorize time spent.
Today's interview is with Toni Keskinen, who is the Co-Founder, Chief Product Officer & Chairman at 180ops, a revenue intelligence platform built on account-based customer data that empowers B2B businesses to drive revenue growth, optimize operations, and enhance customer lifetime value. Toni joins me today to discuss five different blind spots that he believes many organisations suffer from when it comes to understanding their customers, driving growth, and where they should focus their resources, particularly in sales and account management. This interview follows on from my recent interview – SRM and why it matters to growth and customer experience – Interview with Ryan Hamilton – and is number 548 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders who are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.
In this episode of Deciphered, Mike Cashman, partner, Bain & Company is joined by Ricardo Correia, partner, Bain & Company, Dante Disparte, CSO and Head of Global Policy and Operations, Circle, Jane McEvoy, SVP Fintech, BVNK and Cindy Turner, Chief Product Officer, WorldPay to discuss the state of stablecoins in 2025.Timestamps:03:22 Stablecoin infrastructure providers and enterprise integration04:53 WorldPay's stablecoin payout solutions for marketplaces06:11 Stablecoins disrupting traditional cross-border payments10:00 Singleness of money and stablecoin interoperability14:40 Elasticity of money and stablecoin reserves17:41 Productization of stablecoins in payouts and escrow27:03 Regulatory harmonization for stablecoins across jurisdictions31:27 Future use cases of stablecoins beyond cross-border paymentsPlease subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Mike Cashman hereYou can find Ricardo Correia hereYou can find Dante Disparte hereYou can find Jane McEvoy hereYou can find Cindy Turner hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain's website
In this essential episode, Lane Shackleton shares crucial insights about navigating AI's transformation of product management. From the concept of a "multi-agent world" to practical frameworks for building resilient product teams, Lane provides a roadmap for product leaders who want to thrive rather than just survive the AI revolution. Key Takeaways
In this episode, I speak with Simon Cross, Chief Product Officer - now Chief Product & Technology Officer (congrats, Simon!) - at Native Instruments, a company at the heart of global music production. Music lover Simon's journey spans broadcast engineering at Global Radio, product roles at the BBC, product leadership at Meta, and now, shaping the future of audio tools for creators worldwide. We cover a lot, including: What Native Instruments actually does: From DJ hardware to post-production tools for Netflix and the BBC, plus powering other companies' products via their platform. The intersection of creativity and technology: How Native Instruments empowers artists with tactile, high-fidelity tools, and why they're a side-gig for superstar DJs on staff. AI in music creation: Where it fits, where it doesn't, and the ethical principles Native Instruments uses to ensure artists retain full creative control. Product in a hybrid model: Balancing perpetual licences and growing subscription models, and how business models shape product release strategies. Pragmatism over idealism: Why product managers must adapt frameworks to the business "physics" of their company, especially in an era of tighter budgets. A unique form of product management: Building physical hardware, mission-critical desktop software, and cloud services... all under one roof. Team structure and specialisms: How PMs, designers, engineers, QA, and unique "sound designers" collaborate to shape sonic outcomes. Why legacy is both a strength and a constraint: Navigating customer expectations, technical debt, and platform longevity. Why big-shot product leaders from established big tech companies need to take a pause and not just try to install something that worked before in a company with a very different context. Check out Native Instruments Check out Native Instruments' website: https://www.native-instruments.com/, or their careers page: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/careers/. Connect with Simon You can connect with Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sicross/.
This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by Andrew Welker, Chief Product Officer at Colquhoun Audio Laboratories, owner of Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab, This podcast is a first for us: it is recorded entirely inside an anechoic chamber! The two discuss Welker's history with hi-fi, as well as the importance of having a human element in quality control despite the fact that we're living in an increasingly automated world. Sources: “Axiom Audio's Ian Colquhoun and NRC”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/axiom-audio-s-ian-colquhoun-and-nrc-origin-dr-floyd-toole-music-types-twin-tweeters-measurements/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:31 Introductions and a personal history with audio 00:04:23 The Paul Barton connection 00:05:44 A fortuitous education 00:11:55 Ian Colquhoun enters the chat 00:13:52 The basics of quality control 00:27:06 Problem solving and preparedness 00:31:55 Outro music: “How We Fell in Love” by Tom Meira Armony
Featured Links: Follow Brigitte on LinkedIn | DrDoctor | European Commission Public Health 'Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare' featureOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
Today's guest is Phil Christianson, Chief Product Officer at Xurrent. Xurrent is an IT service management platform that helps large organizations coordinate incident response and improve system reliability. They serve clients across healthcare, government, and financial services and are known for their focus on post-incident accountability and automation. Phil joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello on today's episode to explore how AI can help break this cycle and build lasting resilience, drawing from years of experience in fintech, e-commerce, and enterprise IT. Phil outlines how war rooms — once a necessary constant in tech operations—are evolving with automation and machine learning, enabling faster response times, cleaner postmortems, and real accountability. He emphasizes how IT's central role in most organizations uniquely positions the function to lead AI adoption — provided the right technology, executive backing, and cultural readiness are in place. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the ‘AI in Business' podcast! This episode is sponsored by Xurrent. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.
During the recent Dublin Tech Summit, I recorded a series of podcasts. In my second podcast I caught up with Oisin Hanrahan, the Co-founder and CEO of Keychain who I had interviewed the year before at last year's Dublin Tech Summit.Oisin talked about what has happened since we last spoke, AI, Trump's tariffs, his talk at this year's Dublin Tech Summit and more.More about Oisin:Oisin Hanrahan is the Cofounder and CEO of Keychain, a manufacturing platform for the packaged goods industry that is backed by $18 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, BoxGroup, and SV Angel. Prior to founding Keychain, he served as the CEO of NASDAQ-listed Angi Inc. Before becoming CEO, he served as Chief Product Officer of Angi, where he was responsible for all product and technology strategy.He joined Angi in 2018 when Handy, the company he co-founded and led as CEO, was acquired by the company. Mr. Hanrahan built Handy to hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue, and raised over $100 million in institutional capital. Mr. Hanrahan served the US Commerce Secretary on the Digital Economy Board of Advisors from 2016 to 2017. While working on the issue of worker classification, he addressed unions, congressmen, and senators, including the US Senate Democratic Caucus.His work has been covered extensively by major media, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Forbes. He has appeared frequently on CNBC, MSNBC, Fox and Bloomberg and has given talks at conferences, including Milken Institute and Web Summit. He is an active angel investor and advisor, with a portfolio of over 50 companies. Mr. Hanrahan studied for his MBA at Harvard Business School, earned a Masters in Finance from the London School of Economics, and a Business and Economics degree from Trinity College Dublin.
Loretta Tioiela is the founder of Next Sequence, a venture capital firm at the forefront of one of the most exciting fields in science and technology: the convergence of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology.With a rich background in deep tech, holding strategic leadership positions at global giants like Huawei and Samsung, and working as Chief Product Officer at cloud innovator Scaleway, Loretta possesses a unique and powerful perspective.⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.comNext Sequence website - https://www.thenextsequence.vc/Loretta Tioiela on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorettatioiela/
During the recent Dublin Tech Summit, I recorded a series of podcasts. In my second podcast I caught up with Oisin Hanrahan, the Co-founder and CEO of Keychain who I had interviewed the year before at last year's Dublin Tech Summit. Oisin talked about what has happened since we last spoke, AI, Trump's tariffs, his talk at this year's Dublin Tech Summit and more. More about Oisin: Oisin Hanrahan is the Cofounder and CEO of Keychain, a manufacturing platform for the packaged goods industry that is backed by $18 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, BoxGroup, and SV Angel. Prior to founding Keychain, he served as the CEO of NASDAQ-listed Angi Inc. Before becoming CEO, he served as Chief Product Officer of Angi, where he was responsible for all product and technology strategy. He joined Angi in 2018 when Handy, the company he co-founded and led as CEO, was acquired by the company. Mr. Hanrahan built Handy to hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue, and raised over $100 million in institutional capital. Mr. Hanrahan served the US Commerce Secretary on the Digital Economy Board of Advisors from 2016 to 2017. While working on the issue of worker classification, he addressed unions, congressmen, and senators, including the US Senate Democratic Caucus. His work has been covered extensively by major media, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Forbes. He has appeared frequently on CNBC, MSNBC, Fox and Bloomberg and has given talks at conferences, including Milken Institute and Web Summit. He is an active angel investor and advisor, with a portfolio of over 50 companies. Mr. Hanrahan studied for his MBA at Harvard Business School, earned a Masters in Finance from the London School of Economics, and a Business and Economics degree from Trinity College Dublin. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
IT support is changing fast, and the old service desk model is starting to feel like a relic from another era. In this episode, I spoke with Samuele Gantner, Chief Product Officer at Nexthink, about what comes next and what companies need to do now to prepare for it. With Nexthink sitting at the forefront of Digital Employee Experience (DEX) technology, Samuele offers a grounded, thoughtful look at what a "ticketless" future might look like. One of the boldest predictions shared is a 90 percent reduction in IT support tickets by 2027. That is not marketing spin. It's a vision rooted in practical shifts toward proactive support, real-time observability, and AI-powered automation. Samuele explains how organizations can move away from reactive models by embracing intelligent agents that solve problems before a ticket is even raised. Instead of asking employees to fix things themselves, IT support is quietly transforming into something far more sophisticated and intuitive. We talked about what drives this change, from millennial and Gen Z expectations to the technological leap enabled by large language models and automation. Samuele breaks down why old attempts at self-service failed and how today's AI agents are finally equipped to handle objective complexity with empathy, scale, and context. He also shares examples that bring this future to life, including a retailer that avoided a costly outage through predictive alerts, a healthcare provider saving millions through experience-driven device refreshes, and an energy firm preventing disaster in a virtual desktop environment. These are not theoretical case studies. They are live proof that DEX is not just buzz. It works. We also explored what skills IT teams need to thrive in this shift. It is not all about tech. Emotional intelligence, cross-functional collaboration, and a proactive mindset are just as important. Whether you're a CIO or a support engineer, there is something here that will challenge how you think about IT's role in the business.
Angela Vranich is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Little Spoon, a company that's become the go-to destination for fresh, healthy meals for kids.Angela's journey to transforming kids' food was anything but traditional. While still in college, she was cold-calling brands and building a grassroots food marketing startup out of her dorm room, eventually growing it to over 100 team members nationwide. After graduating, she landed a job in food television, thinking that was her dream, until she realized she didn't just want to talk about food, she wanted to change it. That spark came when she walked down the baby food aisle and saw how outdated it all felt. The idea for Little Spoon was born, but turning it into a real product was far from easy. Angela had zero experience bringing a physical product to life, had to shut down her first business, and was constantly figuring things out as she went. Still, she launched Little Spoon in 2017, and it took off, selling over a million meals in its first year. Since then, it's become a go-to for parents across the country, delivering over 35 million fresh meals for babies, toddlers, and big kids.In this episode, Angela gets real about the emotional rollercoaster of building a company from scratch, the pivots, the rejections, and the moments she questioned it all. We talk about the power of what she calls “healthy naiveté” and how sometimes not knowing what you're up against is what gives you the courage to take the leap anyway. She opens up about shutting down her first venture after college and the biggest lessons she learned there about what to do and not to do in business. We also dive into what it actually takes to scale fresh food at a national level, why going direct-to-consumer gave Little Spoon a major advantage, and how Angela learned to surround herself with the right people, ask for help, and celebrate the small wins.In this episode, we'll talk to Angela about:* Surrounding yourself with experts can guide your journey. [03:00]* How healthy naivete fuels bold decisions. [04:04]* Lessons from launching a business in college. [07:28]* Managing people as a first-time student founder. [11:52]* Shutting down her first venture and pivoting. [14:03]* Spotting a gap in the baby food market. [17:54]* The first steps in building Little Spoon. [20:28]* Figuring it out: cold calls and scrappiness. [23:49]* Product challenges in fresh baby food. [26:53]* Retail hurdles and going DTC instead. [30:48]* Building brand awareness from scratch. [34:51]* Why a strong team makes all the difference. [36:19]* Staying grounded through business highs and lows. [40:24]* Delegating and making the most of your time. [42:38]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Angela: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelavran/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlespoon/* Website: https://www.littlespoon.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dive into a recent collaborative research project conducted by ASUG and SAP focused on one of the chief focuses (and challenges) for ASUG Members: integration. Members of the ASUG Research Team, Blake Baltazar and Marissa Gilbert, join ASUG Talks host Jim Lichtenwalter to go over the second iteration of this research, specific trends they are seeing, and how ASUG Members are approaching their integration strategies. Key Topics: Integration challenges respondents reportedChanges from last year's research How the 2027 deadline is impacting organizations' integeration effortsRelated content: Join us for an ASUG Community conversation on July 22 focused on the difference between private and public cloud versions of SAP S/4HANARead insights from ASUG's recent conversation with Balaji Balasubramanian, President and Chief Product Officer, SAP CX and Consumer Industries, about the growing impact of AI
Sarah Edwards talks about how professional services firms can use AI to streamline project delivery and drive better results. Sarah is Chief Product Officer at Kantata, an innovative project management solution tailored for professional services. She drives solutions that improve collaboration and guide teams toward more efficient and successful outcomes. Host, Kevin Craine Want to be a guest? https://DigitalTransformationPodcast.net/guest Do you want to be a sponsor? https://www.digitaltransformationpodcast.net/sponsor
Dive into an engaging speed round from THINK Business LIVE with Jon Dwoskin and Grant Farhall, Chief Product Officer of Getty Images and iStock. These quick-fire questions and candid answers reveal best advice, favorite books, and personal insights. Watch the full episode Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big! Connect with Grant Farhall: Website: https://www.gettyimages.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-farhall-95640921 *E – explicit language may be used in this podcast.
In this episode of Builders Wanted, we are joined by Deepak Singh, Vice President of Developer Agents and Experiences at AWS, and Inbal Shani, Chief Product Officer and Head of R&D at Twilio. They discuss what it means to build with AI, the evolution of developer tools, and how they are assisting customers in leveraging AI for customer engagement and innovation. The conversation covers the importance of curiosity, adaptability, and trust in this new era of AI-powered development.-------------------Key Takeaways:Developers need to be curious and adaptable to thrive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.Successful AI implementation relies on building trust, simplifying processes, and focusing on customer outcomes.Enabling experimentation while managing risk helps organizations fully leverage the potential of AI.-------------------“It is very easy for a dev team or a product team to say, ah, this is the best way of doing something and we are going to follow this through wherever we want to. Instead of working with customers to understand, do you even care? I think with AI it's very important to take constraints away. So if you combine listening to customers and unconstraining your thinking, you can accomplish a lot.” – Deepak Singh“ When you're using AI, you need to understand that using a model, training a model, having the data, having a feedback loop, all of that is not a magical thing that just happens by itself. It requires investment and you need to be serious about it. When looking to take AI into production, you need to understand what is the complexity of the problem you're trying to solve, and how to deploy the right AI solution to really solve that problem versus swinging by.” – Inbal Shani-------------------Episode Timestamps:*(02:35) - What it means to be a builder and the hardest part about building tools *(10:50) - The most exciting shift happening in the developer ecosystem*(21:17) - How to manage risk with the pace of innovation *(26:15) - What people underestimate about building AI products at scale *(40:57) - A recent signal that excites Deepak and Inbal about the future *(43:52) - Quick hits-------------------Links:Connect with Deepak on LinkedInConnect with Inbal on LinkedInConnect with Kailey on LinkedInLearn more about Caspian Studios-------------------SponsorBuilders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what's next? Learn more at twilio.com.
Before a power crew rolls out to check a transformer, sensors on the grid have often already flagged the problem. Before your smart dishwasher starts its cycle, it might wait for off-peak energy rates. And in the world of autonomous vehicles, lightweight systems constantly scan road conditions before a decision ever reaches the car's central processor.These aren't the heroes of their respective systems. They're the scouts, the context-builders: automated agents that make the entire operation more efficient, timely, and scalable.Cybersecurity is beginning to follow the same path.In an era of relentless digital noise and limited human capacity, AI agents are being deployed to look first, think fast, and flag what matters before security teams ever engage. But these aren't the cartoonish “AI firefighters” some might suggest. They're logical engines operating at scale: pruning data, enriching signals, simulating outcomes, and preparing workflows with precision."AI agents are redefining how security teams operate, especially when time and talent are limited," says Kumar Saurabh, CEO of AirMDR. "These agents do more than filter noise. They interpret signals, build context, and prepare response actions before a human ever gets involved."This shift from reactive firefighting to proactive triage is happening across cybersecurity domains. In detection, AI agents monitor user behavior and flag anomalies in real time, often initiating mitigation actions like isolating compromised devices before escalation is needed. In prevention, they simulate attacker behaviors and pressure-test systems, flagging unseen vulnerabilities and attack paths. In response, they compile investigation-ready case files that allow human analysts to jump straight into action."Low-latency, on-device AI agents can operate closer to the data source, better enabling anomaly detection, threat triaging, and mitigation in milliseconds," explains Shomron Jacob, Head of Applied Machine Learning and Platform at Iterate.ai. "This not only accelerates response but also frees up human analysts to focus on complex, high-impact investigations."Fred Wilmot, Co-Founder and CEO of Detecteam, points out that agentic systems are advancing limited expertise by amplifying professionals in multiple ways. "Large foundation models are driving faster response, greater context and more continuous optimization in places like SOC process and tools, threat hunting, detection engineering and threat intelligence operationalization," Wilmot explains. "We're seeing the dawn of a new way to understand data, behavior and process, while optimizing how we ask the question efficiently, confirm the answer is correct and improve the next answer from the data interaction our agents just had."Still, real-world challenges persist. Costs for tokens and computing power can quickly outstrip the immediate benefit of agentic approaches at scale. Organizations leaning on smaller, customized models may see greater returns but must invest in AI engineering practices to truly realize this advantage. "Companies have to get comfortable with the time and energy required to produce incremental gains," Wilmot adds, "but the incentive to innovate from zero to one in minutes should outweigh the cost of standing still."Analysts at Forrester have noted that while the buzz around so-called agentic AI is real, these systems are only as effective as the context and guardrails they operate within. The power of agentic systems lies in how well they stay grounded in real data, well-defined scopes, and human oversight. ¹ ²While approaches differ, the business case is clear. AI agents can reduce toil, speed up analysis, and extend the reach of small teams. As Saurabh observes, AI agents that handle triage and enrichment in minutes can significantly reduce investigation times and allow analysts to focus on the incidents that truly require human judgment.As organizations wrestle with a growing attack surface and shrinking response windows, the real value of AI agents might not lie in what they replace, but in what they prepare. Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at ThreatLocker, points out, "AI can help you detect faster. But Zero Trust stops malware before it ever runs. It's not about guessing smarter; it's about not having to guess at all." While AI speeds detection and response, attackers are also using AI to evade defenses, making it vital to pair smart automation with architectures that deny threats by default and only allow what's explicitly needed.These agents are the eyes ahead, the hands that set the table, and increasingly the reason why the real work can begin faster and smarter than ever before.References1. Forrester. (2024, February 8). Cybersecurity's latest buzzword has arrived: What agentic AI is — and isn't. Forrester Blogs. https://www.forrester.com/blogs/cybersecuritys-latest-buzzword-has-arrived-what-agentic-ai-is-and-isnt/ (cc: Allie Mellen and Rowan Curran)2. Forrester. (2024, March 13). The battle for grounding has begun. Forrester Blogs. https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-battle-for-grounding-has-begun/ (cc: Ted Schadler)________This story represents the results of an interactive collaboration between Human Cognition and Artificial Intelligence.Enjoy, think, share with others, and subscribe to "The Future of Cybersecurity" newsletter on LinkedIn.Sincerely, Sean Martin and TAPE3________Sean Martin is a life-long musician and the host of the Music Evolves Podcast; a career technologist, cybersecurity professional, and host of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast; and is also the co-host of both the Random and Unscripted Podcast and On Location Event Coverage Podcast. These shows are all part of ITSPmagazine—which he co-founded with his good friend Marco Ciappelli, to explore and discuss topics at The Intersection of Technology, Cybersecurity, and Society.™️Want to connect with Sean and Marco On Location at an event or conference near you? See where they will be next: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-locationTo learn more about Sean, visit his personal website.
In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith and Randy Silver speak with Dee Miller, Director of Product Strategy and Insights for Product Equity at Adobe. Dee shares her personal journey into inclusive design, and discusses how Adobe is moving beyond accessibility compliance to build genuinely usable, inclusive, and emotionally accessible products. Featured Links: Follow Dee on LinkedIn | The Adobe Accessibility Checker | Listen to previous The Product Experience episode: 'Building Accessible Products' with Jonathan Hassell (CEO & Founder, Hassell Inclusion) Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
In this episode of Recycled Content, host Kara Pochiro is joined by Meredith Boyd, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Unifi, to discuss the innovation behind REPREVE®, which received the APR Recycling Technology Innovation Award. Together, they explore how REPREVE® has transformed textile recycling by leveraging multiple sources into different sustainable fibers. Meredith shares insights on the importance of transparency, sustainability, and market diversity in building a true circular economy, as well as why textile recycling is about longevity, rather than “downcycling.” The conversation highlights how policy and mindset shifts drive change, the challenges of the recycling industry, and offers insights into what the future holds for textile recycling. Tune in!
This episode of The Shipping Podcast is brought to you by Veson AI can provide valuable decision-making support in maritime supply chain management and it is not just a dry academic exercise: in this podcast we hear that we should play with it and have some fun along the way Eric Christofferson is Chief Product Officer at Veson Nautical, which is a provider of maritime data and freight management solutions to support global commerce. His experience with AI outside maritime reveal interesting insights in how to approach AI and get the most from it. Eric Christofferson shares his perspective on AI's role in the maritime industry coming from the fintech industry. There are some interesting differences between them, in particular its management of data standards and information. In this podcast, he discusses how shipping relies heavily on what he calls traditional tools, such as emails and messaging services, saying that managers have to “mine that information and … structure the unstructured data.” In fintech, data is more organised. Algorithms can execute trades based on such parameters as price points and market movements but shipping has not yet reached a level of standardisation that would allow AI to make equivalent decisions. “In this industry, I haven't seen a clean enough data set for that type of guidance to be given,” Mr Christofferson says. But in this podcast, he is confident that solutions that Veson and others provide offer “really compelling workflows and solutions” that can address this situation, bringing together data from disparate and unstructured sources. He explores whether decisions are better if they are supported by AI and believes it can play an important role in decision making. During the podcast, he offers some practical advice on getting the best out of AI-based decisions, saying that it is important to decide where in a workflow they will add value. This is how Veson approaches its work with clients and within its own organisation when introducing AI across its portfolio of solutions. He also shares why it's important to avoid “trying to ‘AI' everything”, why not everything is suitable for an AI solution and how to make using AI fun in an organisation. He tells the podcast that it is important to build trust for AI-generated decisions, describing that process in a similar way to developing a human relationship; “you can trust it, but you verify it,” he says. And because it can streamline data input and communication between systems, it enables people to focus on other decision-making priorities and allows them “to connect with each other at a human level” he says.
Next in Media discusses the evolving role of influencers in marketing with Megan Pagliuca, Chief Product Officer at Omnicom Media Group, and Khurrum Malik, Head of Marketing for Walmart Connect, focusing on how data and new strategies are integrating influencers into broader media plans to drive sales and brand building.
We are LIVE with a powerful kickoff episode featuring Jeetu Patel, Cisco's President and Chief Product Officer. In this kick-off episode, Jeetu reveals the core philosophy reshaping Cisco: “Quality is priority zero.” This is not the Cisco you knew 20 years ago. It's a company redefining itself as an AI market leader, the incredible impact of Cisco SEs and Partners: “we've got to take the message and go to every single customer to re-educate the market on who Cisco is.” Hear directly from Jeetu how Cisco is “side by side with our partner community fighting the fight” in this new era of monumental change. If you're excited to hear more about Cisco's relevancy spanning across all verticals, you'll definitely want to tune in!
Ingram Micro suffers a ransomware attack by the SafePay gang. Spanish police dismantle a large-scale investment fraud ring. The SatanLock ransomware group says it is shutting down. Brazilian police arrest a man accused of stealing over $100 million from the country's banking system. Qantas confirms contact from a “potential cybercriminal” following its recent customer data breach. The XWorm RAT evolves to better evade detection. Cybercriminals ramp up fraudulent domains ahead of Amazon Prime day. Apple sues a former engineer allegedly stealing confidential data. Our guest is Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at Threat Locker, discussing why 'Default Deny' could be the Antidote to Security Fatigue. AI image editing blurs the evidence. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest On our Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at Threat Locker, discussing From Noise to Control: Why 'Default Deny' Is the Antidote to Security Fatigue. If you want to hear more from Rob or Threat Locker, you can listen to them here. Selected Reading Ingram Micro outage caused by SafePay ransomware attack (Bleeping Computer) Police dismantles investment fraud ring stealing €10 million (Bleeping Computer) SatanLock Ransomware Ends Operations, Says Stolen Data Will Be Leaked (Hackread) Police in Brazil Arrest a Suspect Over $100M Banking Hack (SecurityWeek) Qantas Contacted by Potential Cybercriminal Following Data Breach (Infosecurity Magazine) Arbor Associates reports data breach exposing patient information (Beyond Machines) XWorm RAT Deploys New Stagers and Loaders to Bypass Defenses (GB Hackers) Amazon Prime Day 2025: Deals Await, But So Do the Cyber Criminals (Check Point) Apple Accuses Ex-Engineer Of Stealing Vision Pro Secrets, Silently Accepting Job At Snap Inc., And Covering His Tracks By Wiping Data From Work Laptop (WCCF TECH) Cops Use ChatGPT to Edit Drugs Bust Photo, Goes Horribly Wrong (PetaPixel) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
AGNTCY - Unlock agents at scale with an open Internet of Agents. Visit https://agntcy.org/ and add your support. How AI Is Transforming the Physical World | Samsara's Vision for the Future of Operations In this episode of Eye on AI, Craig Smith sits down with Kiren Sekar, Chief Product Officer at Samsara, to explore how AI, edge computing, and IoT are revolutionizing the world of physical operations - from fleets and factories to farms and field teams. Samsara has quietly become the digital backbone for thousands of frontline businesses, collecting trillions of data points across vehicles, tools, and teams. Kiren explains how they're building AI-powered systems that don't just collect data, they deliver real-time safety alerts, optimize routes, track fuel efficiency, and even coach drivers automatically. Whether you work in tech, operations, or AI, this episode shows how AI is finally meeting the real world. Check our Samsara, AI Build for Physical Operations: https://www.samsara.com/ Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Preview (02:01) Kiren Sekar's Background and Why Samsara Was Founded (06:38) The Real-World Impact of Samsara's AI Systems (09:04) What Changed After Samsara Went Public (11:09) How Samsara Gives Businesses Visibility Into Operations (13:08) The Hardware and Cellular Network Powering Samsara (14:13) AI to Detect Driving Risks (23:13) Tracking Every Asset: From Cranes to Toolkits (25:20) Why Even Mid-Sized Companies Can Use Samsara Easily (27:25) Regional Dashboards and AI Insights for Executives (29:57) How Samsara Decides Where to Apply AI (32:54) Can AI Read Handwritten Forms? (35:31) The AI Models Samsara Uses (39:21) What Samsara Processes at the Edge vs in the Cloud (43:00) Why Samsara Keeps Its R&D Team Small and Fast (46:35) Why Legacy Industries Are Finally Adopting AI (49:12) What Agentic AI Workflows Look Like at Samsara (54:53) What's Next: AI Voice Assistants for Field Worker
Multi-agentic AI is rewriting the future of work.... but are we racing ahead without checking for warning signs?Microsoft's new agent systems can split up work, make choices, and act on their own. The possibilities? Massive.But it's not without risks, which is why you NEED to listen to Sarah Bird. She's the Chief Product Officer of Responsible AI at Microsoft and is constantly building out safer agentic AI. So what's really at stake when AIs start making decisions together?And how do you actually stay in control?We're pulling back the curtain on the 3 critical risks of multi-agentic AI and unveiling the playbook to navigate them safely.Newsletter: Sign up for our free daily newsletterMore on this Episode: Episode PageJoin the discussion: Have a question? Join the convo here.Upcoming Episodes: Check out the upcoming Everyday AI Livestream lineupWebsite: YourEverydayAI.comEmail The Show: info@youreverydayai.comConnect with Jordan on LinkedInTopics Covered in This Episode:Responsible AI: Evolution and ChallengesAgentic AI's Ethical ImplicationsMulti-Agentic AI Responsibility ShiftMicrosoft's AI Governance StrategiesTesting Multi-Agentic Risks and PatternsAgentic AI: Future Workforce SkillsObservability in Multi-Agentic SystemsThree Risk Categories in AI ImplementationTimestamps:00:00 Evolving Challenges in Responsible AI05:50 Agent Technology: Benefits and Risks09:27 Complex System Governance and Observability12:26 AI Monitoring and Human Intervention15:14 Essential Testing for Trust Building19:43 Securing AI Agents with Entra22:06 Exploring Human-AI Interface Innovation26:06 AI Workforce Integration Challenges28:22 AI's Transformative Impact on JobsKeywords:Agentic AI, multi agentic AI, responsible AI, generative AI, Microsoft Build conference, AI governance, AI ethics, AI systems, AI risk, AI mitigation, AI tools, human in the loop, Foundry observability, AI testing, system security, AI monitoring, user intent, AI capability, prompt injection, Copilot, AI orchestration, AI deployment, system governance, Entra agent ID, AI education, AI upskilling, AI workforce integration, systemic risk, AI misuse, AI malfunctions, AI systemic risk, AI-powered solutions, AI development, AI innovation, AI technology, AI security measures.Send Everyday AI and Jordan a text message. (We can't reply back unless you leave contact info) Ready for ROI on GenAI? Go to youreverydayai.com/partner
Empowering Innovation with Steve Hatchett – The Story Behind Prism iOIn this eye-opening episode, Steve Hatchett, Nu Skin's Chief Product Officer, shares the remarkable journey behind Prysm iO—the groundbreaking evolution of the BioPhotonic Scanner. Discover how a bold challenge to make cutting-edge wellness technology portable, affordable, and intelligent sparked a wave of innovation powered by machine learning, AI, global research partnerships, and 26 million data points.Steve walks us through how Prysm iO represents a massive leap in personalized nutrition—delivering real-time biomarker scans, custom supplement recommendations, and business tools that could revolutionize how people build and scale wellness enterprises. This is more than a product launch—it's a glimpse into the future of intelligent wellness, accessible to millions.
New research estimates the value of Zero Trust. Using the Marsh McLennan Cyber Risk Intelligence Center's proprietary cyber losses dataset from the past eight years, researchers estimated that overall cyber losses could have been potentially reduced by up to 31% had the organizations widely deployed zero-trust security. This adds up to a projected reduction of up to $465 billion in global annual total economic losses. But Zero Trust projects have struggled due to complexity. Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at ThreatLocker, joins Business Security Weekly to discuss the simplicity of Zero Trust Endpoint Protection and how it can drive value. Rob will discuss how the ThreatLocker® Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform offers a unified approach to protecting users, devices, and networks with ease of deployment and management. Zero Trust doesn't have to be complex. This segment is sponsored by ThreatLocker. Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/threatlocker to learn more about them! Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/bsw for all the latest episodes! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/bsw-402
In this episode, Rehman Baig, Chief Product Officer at FlexFactor joins Drew Edmond to talk about how FlexFactor is rethinking payments optimization through a Merchant of Record model. For most people in the industry, “Merchant of Record” is usually associated with global tax compliance and marketplaces, not optimization. But FlexFactor is using it to directly address failed payments and auth rate challenges in a way that merchants simply can't do on their own. This is a fascinating conversation for anyone working to solve performance issues at scale, especially if your team has ever looked at your decline rate and said, “We've tried everything. What now?”
In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy speak with Faith Forster about the art of aligning product work with commercial outcomes. From redefining velocity as a function of customer value to implementing impact models that quantify ROI, Faith outlines practical frameworks to help product teams think commercially without compromising user value. She also explores the evolving role of AI in product development, the necessity of syncing planning cycles with business units, and why happy teams are the cornerstone of faster, better delivery.Key takeawaysVelocity = Value: Product velocity isn't about coding speed—it's about reducing time to customer value to improve ROI and lower opportunity cost.Impact Modelling: A disciplined approach to estimating commercial outcomes before development helps product teams understand and justify their work.AI Integration: Teams are expected to primarily use AI tools within three months to boost delivery speed and build organisational capability.Viability from Day One: Pricing and revenue potential must be considered from the outset—not after feature completion.Cross-Functional Alignment: Successful planning requires synchronising product cycles with finance, sales, and marketing calendars.Happy Teams, Better Results: Reducing friction between design, engineering, and product roles directly impacts delivery speed and feature quality.Chapters00:00 – Redefining velocity: Why speed isn't just about code01:05 – Faith's journey from Dex to Legal03:02 – Introducing the commercial value talk04:51 – Understanding the P&L from a product lens08:07 – Why team cost-awareness matters10:00 – Building better impact models12:25 – Increasing ROI through value velocity16:37 – The AI imperative: Adoption, anxiety, and accelerationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
Michael Sacca didn't start out coding - he started out as a musician. In college, he studied music business and wanted to go into that world. Eventually, he figured out that people didn't care that you had a music business degree, and he ended up waiting tables for a few years. After watching his roommate write software and get paid well to do it, he decided to learn to code himself. Outside of tech, he lives in Vancouver with his wife and 2 kids, coaching soccer and flag football. He mentioned it can be a pain to go out to eat with him cause he has celiac, and avoids gluten.Prior to his current role, Michael was the Chief Product Officer at Dribbble. After he left that company and dabbled in some other ventures, he was approached about a CEO role at a well known darling company in Minneapolis.This is Michael's creation story at Leadpages.SponsorsPaddle.comSema SoftwarePropelAuthPostmanMeilisearchMailtrap.TECH DomainsLinkshttps://www.leadpages.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsacca/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/code-story/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Jeetu Patel, President and Chief Product Officer at Cisco, joins Ann on this week's episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. Jeetu shares insights on the urgent need for machine-scale defenses, the potential for defenders to finally tip the scale against attackers, and the importance of collaboration across the industry. They discuss the evolution of agentic AI, the challenges of innovation fragmentation, and why cybersecurity must become more accessible and effective to keep pace with modern threats. Resources: View Jeetu Patel On LinkedIn View Ann Johnson on LinkedIn Related Microsoft Podcasts: Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast The BlueHat Podcast Uncovering Hidden Risks Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.
Tomer London is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Gusto, the payroll and people platform used by over 400,000 businesses. He grew up helping run his dad's clothing store in Israel — an experience that sparked his mission to build better tools for small business owners. After moving to the US for a PhD at Stanford, he met his co-founders and started Gusto. In today's episode, we discuss: Reinventing payroll without any prior experience Why you should hire for humility, not just talent Gusto's scrappy customer research: cold calling from a walk-in closet Why founders should embrace customer rejection Why “emotional urgency” matters more than polite feedback The weekly co-founder ritual that built trust How Gusto expanded from payroll to a multi-product platform Building products customers actually love And so much more Referenced: ADP Eddie Kim Gusto Intuit Josh Reeves Paychex Steve Jobs' “Secrets to Life” clip Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech Wells Fargo Y Combinator Where to find Tomer: LinkedIn Twitter/X Where to find Brett: LinkedIn Twitter/X Where to find First Round Capital: Website First Round Review Twitter/X YouTube This podcast on all platforms Timestamps: (00:00) How a childhood around SMBs shaped Tomer's founder mindset (03:24) The three things that led to the creation of Gusto (07:17) Hiring for humility, not just talent (09:28) The tug-of-war test for product-market fit (11:58) Why founders should actively seek rejection (15:34) Gusto's scrappy customer research: cold calling from a walk-in closet (17:45) Betting on SMBs – and ignoring investor advice (20:44) “It's not an MVP, it's something that wows people” (24:09) Serving SMBs vs. startups (28:36) How to find the right co-founders (31:09) The weekly co-founder ritual that built trust (35:02) Reinventing payroll without any prior experience (38:49) Gusto's “start small” GTM playbook (42:16) The big opportunity Gusto wishes they tackled sooner (43:58) How switching costs became Gusto's moat (47:25) The two lucky breaks that gave Gusto an edge (51:56) What Tomer learned about customers from his dad's clothing store
In this episode of Passion to Profession—presented by eBay—we sit down with Tim, the founder and Chief Product Officer at COMC. What started as a side hustle built to simplify card buying and selling has grown into one of the largest platforms in the hobby.Tim shares the original spark that led him to build COMC after leaving Microsoft, what it means to solve real problems for collectors, and how staying close to the cards—both as a developer and a collector—shaped every decision along the way.We talk about passion, product, and what's next for COMC as they prepare to roll out innovations two decades in the making.Plus, Tim opens up about his WNBA collection, including his 2019 Optic Gold Vinyl Sue Bird 1/1 PSA 10 and what drives him to keep building for the hobby he loves.A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | TiktokFollow COMC | Website | eBay | Instagram
Send me a messageProcurement has come a long way, from back-office cost-cutting to a central role in driving sustainability, risk management, and supply chain resilience. In this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I sat down with Pierre Laprée, Chief Product Officer at SpendHQ, to unpack what that transformation looks like in practice.Pierre shares sharp insights on how procurement teams can baseline and reduce scope 3 emissions, track supplier diversity, and manage supply chain risk, not with static spreadsheets, but with actionable, real-time data. We explored how supplier risk has expanded from purely financial to include cyber threats, ESG exposure, and geopolitical volatility, and how too many organisations are still flying blind.He explains how SpendHQ's performance management platform helps procurement leaders move from annual targets to rolling forecasts, enabling faster course correction and real impact, not just reporting.We also discussed:Why ESG issues like forced labour and deforestation are no longer just reputational risks, they're operational liabilitiesHow procurement can help suppliers get better, not just cheaperThe critical role of data quality in turning AI from buzzword to business toolIf you're in supply chain, procurement, or sustainability and trying to make sense of today's risk landscape, this episode is for you.
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Cem Kansu is the Chief Product Officer at Duolingo, where he leads product strategy for over 90 million monthly active learners. Since joining Duolingo, Cem has played a pivotal role in driving record user engagement, revenue growth, and product innovation, including the launch of Duolingo Math and the wildly successful Duolingo Music. Under his leadership, the company has consistently ranked as the #1 education app globally. In Today's Episode We Discuss: 04:12 – Cem's Origin Story: From Google Ads to Saving Duolingo's Business 06:45 – “Mini CEO” Myth: Why PMs Need to Ditch the Ego 08:55 – The Truth About Design Speed and Pixel Perfection 11:30 – The INSANE Story Behind Duolingo's Viral Chess Launch 14:42 – Why Smaller Teams Are the Future of Product 17:20 – Duolingo's AI Playbook: How They're Building 10x Faster 20:05 – Will Engineers Even Exist in 5 Years? Cem Gets Real 26:10 – Do AI Tools Have ANY Defensibility? Cem Doesn't Hold Back 29:00 – Why Duolingo Took So Long to Monetize (And What They Learned) 33:05 – Cem on Killing Ads, Tasteful Monetization, and Investor Doubt 38:30 – The Secret to Duolingo's Paywall Strategy (And What Not to Do) 42:05 – Cem's Weirdest Retention Hack? A Single Emoji… 46:25 – The Crazy Science Behind Push Notifications at Duolingo 50:00 – In-App Purchases Done Right: GEMS, Freeze, and the Psychology of Value 53:15 – Why Cem Thinks Daily Retention Is the King Metric 55:10 – The ONE Product Feature That Changed Duolingo Forever 57:45 – Will Duolingo Become the Disney of Gen Z? 01:00:00 – Dating on Duolingo?! Cem Reacts to Harry's Craziest Product Ideas 01:03:45 – Cem's Biggest Product Mistakes — And What He'd Kill Tomorrow 01:12:00 – The One Thing Every PM Must Do to Survive the AI Wave 01:14:00 – Duolingo in 20 Years: Cem's Wildest Vision Yet