Podcasts about companies

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Phil Gusmano, vice president of Better Made Snacks and chair of SNAC International, shares how snack manufacturers can take advantage of the opportunities a diversified snack industry present. 

Elevating Customer Support Teams with Smart AI Integration  Shep interviews Sam Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of 8x8. He talks about the evolving role of AI in business communications and why customer experience professionals should be recognized as revenue generators rather than cost centers.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What impact does self-service technology have on customer satisfaction?  How can AI self-service and human support work together effectively?   What drives customers to switch companies due to poor self-service?  What makes customers more forgiving of mistakes by human agents than AI systems?  Why should businesses view customer service as a revenue center rather than a cost center?  Top Takeaways:    Relying exclusively on self-service or automation is not enough. Customers should always have a way to speak to a real person when technology can't meet their needs. AI-powered solutions work well for routine requests, but there must be a seamless failover to a human agent when things get complicated or the customer is dissatisfied.  California has enacted a law requiring companies to offer a quick, clear option for customers to connect with a human representative if their self-service solutions, often powered by AI, don't deliver satisfactory results.  AI and automation in customer service are growing, reducing the volume of easy, repetitive cases handled by humans. More complex and sensitive issues are go to human agents and as a result, today's customer support agents are required to handle more complex issues and provide a higher level of expertise and empathy, making them specialists rather than agents.  The customer support department is a revenue center. Delivering consistently excellent experiences leads to higher retention rates, repeat business, and positive reviews.   Customers of different ages have distinct preferences for how they interact with support. Older customers lean towards phone support, while younger generations prefer chat or digital channels. But both demographics still want the assurance of being able to call a support agent if their problem isn't resolved online.  Leading companies like Amazon have set the standard for customer support by combining AI for routine tasks with proactive escalation to human agents when needed. They have created a seamless customer experience by enabling quick, easy connection with knowledgeable support agents and avoiding the need to repeat themselves to get their issue resolved.   Regular customers sustain and grow a company. Regular customers drive steady revenue and are typically the brand's biggest advocates.  The future of customer service lies in integrating effective technology with empowered employees. Companies that invest in effective digital solutions and well-trained customer specialists are best positioned to create positive experiences, adapt to customer preferences, and succeed in a competitive marketplace.  Effective customer support isn't rocket science. The technology exists today to empower both businesses and consumers with choice and flexibility, and it is more affordable than it was five or ten years ago. The real differentiator is the willingness to implement these solutions and put the customer's needs first.   Quote:   "One of the great mistakes tech companies make is we talk too much about features and don't talk enough about our customers."     About:    Sam Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer of 8x8, with over 25 years of experience in finance, investment, and sales. He has held several key leadership roles at 8x8, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Customer Officer.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allen reports live from ACP OM&S in Orlando, where the crew discusses high attendance costs, a pay-to-play model that shuts out newcomers, and how the event compares to WOMA. Plus, Vestas CEO Henrik Anderson says he’ll leave Denmark if proposed wealth taxes go through, sparking a debate on executive pay and Danish culture. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! [00:00:00] The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by Strike Tape, protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit strike tape.com And now your hosts. Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. I’m your host Allen Hall, and I’m here with Yolanda Padron, Rosemary Barnes and Matthew Stead. I am at ACP OM&S in Orlando. Home of Mickey Mouse and we’ve had, uh, this is our second day at OM and S and this is the conference where all the operators and the maintenance and the ISPs and all the new technologies show up to, to discuss their products and try to get some work for the summertime. Uh, so there’s a, a good number of vendors here. Solars here, not as much best as I would as expected, and obviously a lot to do with wind. [00:01:00] Uh, I know we’ve been talking internally on Slack and amongst one another. This is one of the, the most expensive conferences I have ever attended. It’s about $2,200 to attend just to get yourself into the door. Rosemary Barnes: And that’s US dollars too.  Matthew Stead: Real dollars.  Allen Hall: Green backs.  Rosemary Barnes: That’s like three and a half times what our event cost. What warmer cost. If you do the conversion  Allen Hall: yes.  Rosemary Barnes: And you get access to what? An exhibition and all of a whole bunch, a variety of amazing, informative, technical topics included with that ticket price, right?  Allen Hall: No. You get access to the exhibition, they will feed you some, uh, enchiladas and some, uh, free beer, but all the technical talks are extra. You have to pay. Uh, a couple hundred dollars  Rosemary Barnes: enchiladas and beer are a must have that everyone obviously wants, but talking about wind energy, totally optional. Nobody. Now, obviously not everybody is gonna wanna talk about wind energy, [00:02:00] so that’s, that’s an extra ticket that you need for that one. Allen Hall: Well, in order to go to the, I would call them technical talks, you have to pay for those. They have an A space in the middle of the convention where they’re doing what they call powered cast. Which are kind of modeled on podcasts, uh, that are sort of a produced thing where they have a panel up there. It’s similar what to where you’d done in Melbourne with Woma, but not with real technical people. The more polishing people. That’s what I saw. I don’t know a lot of the names and I’m pretty used to, to recognizing names of wind and it looks like to be a lot more policy people not. Blade experts or people like that. Rosemary Barnes: I’m a little bit confused because it’s very different to, you know, I love to complain about the Australian wind energy events, but this sounds very different to the way that it’s run here. Like usually at the exhibitions, the exhibitors pay like a bunch of money to be there, and what they want is people to come see it. So [00:03:00] usually here the exhibition is. Free to attend because you are there to be advertised to, you know, like it’s not some like amazing, valuable thing to you. It’s super valuable to the exhibitors. That’s why they have to pay, you know, $10,000 plus to, to be there. Right, but you are saying that they’re, they’re charging the, the attendees are, they’re giving the exhibition space away for free then? Allen Hall: No, the exhibition space costs a tremendous amount of money for a little tiny space. I’m actually in our slot, we share. A slot because the prices are so high, we’re sharing it with AC 8 83 who we love and with C and C onsite, who also we love. So it’s a good combination ’cause we like one another. We’re fun to hang out with, but it’s probably a nine by nine space. Uh, and then you have to pay for carpet and all the furniture that happens inside of that space, you can easily spend. $10,000 on a salon.  Matthew Stead: Question for you, Allen. So, um, how [00:04:00] does, how does the industry foster, you know, new, new technology, new companies, you know, growth of the industry, new ideas, so, you know, how does this event, um, foster those sorts of things? Allen Hall: It doesn’t because it’s really, it’s pay to play as Rosemary has pointed out a number of times and is frustrated by. In order to get heard, you have to pay to one, have a booth, or if you want to get up on stage, it costs money. It’s, it’s not a small amount, by the way. So, uh, if you’re a new company, you got a great idea. You even have traction. Say you’re TRL seven plus and you want to connect with operators, it’s hard to do that here. Uh, the operators tend to be a little gun shy and, and they’re. Off on the side. I, I know some of them obviously, ’cause I, I know who they are, but it isn’t like, uh, the operators are walking around necessarily talking to all the exhibitors. That’s not how this [00:05:00] works. What generally is happening is the operators are talking, uh, to people that are selling products in these conference rooms on the side. So those things are completely off the show floor. It’s not the best situation. Like, I gotta admit, I’ve been to a lot of other conferences like in aerospace. Those tend to be a little more free flowing.  Rosemary Barnes: It’s interesting ’cause it’s like, obviously you go to the events because everybody goes to the event and I’m sure you’ve had some great conversations. Um, however, you don’t need to go inside. Like when you go to one of these huge events, you’re trapped inside a windowless room for all day, every day for several days in a row. Like, why does it need, why does it need to be there if they’re discourage, actively discouraging people from going to any presentations? Why couldn’t you just grab a bunch of friends, you know, put on an open invite, Hey, we’re all gonna the beach this week. Let’s go talk wind energy at the beach. Like, I, I don’t understand why we need to subject ourselves to this sort of, this sort of event. Like I [00:06:00] just, it it’s gotten out outta control, don’t you think?  Allen Hall: It has. I would never talk wind energy while I’m at the beach. I go, that’s probably one place where I’m not talking wind energy, but there are other nice places you could be. To talk about what’s happening in the industry and, and that’s one of the frustrating pieces about this is, although I love a lot of the people that are here, it’s not a great place to share new ideas or to learn something new. It’s, it’s mostly a, a meet and greet and catch up a reunion in a sense. Of, Hey, we’re the survivors. That’s it. Part of it is that feel right.  Rosemary Barnes: It’s pretty hard though if you are not like, you know, everybody you need to talk to. And I started doing the same thing, like at the um, one, one of the recent events or one of the events last year in, in Australia. I was so fed up with it the year before. I’m like, I’m not giving them any money this year. I was at least allowed to go to the exhibition for free at that event. So, you know, at least that’s something, but I mean, I barely even did that. Anyway. What I did was I set up at a cafe near to the event and just, I just [00:07:00]scheduled meetings like back to back for two days. Um, everyone just came to the cafe. But that’s ’cause I know everybody, right? Like, it’s like someone that’s new to the industry can get nothing out of these events. Now it seems like it’s just, it’s so, it’s so sad. Like where, how, how are you going? Like, you know, people brand new to the industry. You used to be able to go to an event and just be like, okay, I’m gonna just have information overload for two or three days, meet a bunch of great people and I’ll come away feeling like I’m part of this industry. I just can’t imagine. That happening at the event that you are describing, that someone would, would show up and, you know, come away knowing a lot more about the industry and with, with a bunch of useful connections. Am I right?  Allen Hall: Uh, I think you’re right. There’s were a couple of people that I ran into that were new to the industry, trying to start a service provider or repair business, generally speaking that, or a drone business that we’re trying to get into the, the industry and we’re reaching out and talking to people and. The thing about [00:08:00] wind is when you actually get ahold of somebody, they will help you. It’s, it’s very, uh, open. What do you do? What are you trying to do? Wherever you talk, who you talk to, here’s some names that will happen, but it is daunting because there’s a lot of people here. You don’t know anybody, and there’s no way to really introduce them. I think that one of the things that, uh, American C Clean powered. Did, uh, that I noticed was they had like a first timers reunion space, so, or a meeting space so that it had some beach balls and a little Tahiti hut or whatever those tiki hut or whatever that was where you could kind of hang out because you knew. But I’m not sure that’s the best way to do that. I think, you know, American clean power could do a much better job of knowing who’s first time and connecting them. If the industry’s gonna grow, you need to be taking in new people and new ideas. To it. The only way you’re gonna be able to do that is if you actively make it happen. Matthew Stead: Did you learn anything new [00:09:00] so far?  Allen Hall: Not new. Uh, I, because we’re doing the podcast and we’re recorded several episodes in the last two days, I was able to ask specific questions like, what are you working on? What’s new? What’s coming out? And that’s the way to get to those answers. But if you’re walking the exhibit four, you would not see a lot of new technology and. Three years ago, I think four years ago, especially like during COVID, there was some pretty cool technology out on the show floor, uh, but not so much Today, the industry’s matured and, and it’s a tough industry to, to survive in. So what you generally see is companies that have been around 3, 4, 5 years that have made it, that are profitable, that are making good and income, and are providing a service and have sustained businesses, that’s what’s here today. Yolanda Padron: I think that a CP, the intent behind events like the one you’re, and Allen and the one we’ve, the ones we’ve all been to are, the intent is great, but the [00:10:00] execution isn’t super great. Not just from the the point of view of people coming in from new to the industry and wanting to start an ISP or something, but just from the owner operator. Point of view, you know, you’re, if you have to pay to go to specific talks or to go to technical talks that you don’t really know how much they’ll benefit you until basically the end of it. Once you see the information that’s gone into it and the practicality of everything that they, they’re talking about, and then when you’re walking in the showroom like four, like it’s a little bit daunting sometimes. There’s hundreds of companies. Sitting around in kind of like a maze, right? And it’s not always like, oh, you need lightning protection. Like that’s that area. Or you need better locks for your o and m buildings or for your towers or something. It’s that section like you’re just walking around everywhere. And then just. It kind of turns [00:11:00] into, like sometimes it can turn into just a game of like, if you’re going with a lot of colleagues, like a kind of a drinking day or a day to just see who can collect more freebies. Like I remember one year we had a group chat of like, oh, like every time you saw something cool that was like a, a merchandise thing, like you would put it in the group chat, like E 46 has this. And then we would all go and get it and it was. I don’t think that’s the intent behind what, what we wanted to do. It really wasn’t what we saw at oma if we’re being completely honest.  Matthew Stead: What I’m hearing is that there’s a really strong need in the US for another event. Is that, is that what I’m hearing?  Allen Hall: I think there needs to be a real technical event run by people who are technical experts. I think that’s it because there are a lot of new solutions out there, but you’re not gonna find them at OMX. That’s just not the place. Now, I’m sure a CP would dispute that and that’s fine. They [00:12:00] have their own opinion. But I think having attended this for several years and a CP and a number of other, uh, conferences in wins, there’s a small subset that are sharing solutions. It’s small and maybe there is need for one in America. It’s hard saying, Matthew, I. I think that maybe there’s is a time and place for it. I’m not sure America’s ready for it in, in a broader scope, but maybe something small. Maybe that’s the way to start off, is to do something small. Bring in the people we know and love from around the world have, go back to Rosemary’s point. Maybe we do something by the, by the pool or by the ocean. Maybe we do talk wind energy for, for an afternoon.  Rosemary Barnes: I understand why you can’t, um, have an event at. A resort. And it was suggested actually to me a couple of times, like people when we were organizing Wilma, why is this in Melbourne? Why isn’t this in the Maldives? Or you know, some, something like that. And the [00:13:00] one of the reasons like for us, ’cause in our Melbourne event it’s a, you know, it’s a very low cost event. We don’t make any money from it. It’s small. At least half of wind energy People in Australia are living in Melbourne, so it’s very, you know, easy for them to go to that it doesn’t, it doesn’t cost much or take much time. So that was that reason. But I think that, you know, more broadly, like say we did a global event and we put it in the, in the malice or in Fiji or Hawaii or whatever, like, people aren’t gonna get that approved from their managers, right? So even though you know, you’ve spent, I don’t know how much the technical sessions were, but by the time that you’ve gotten to a CP, if you had to. Even, you know, fly there in Australian hotel for a few nights, like it’s gonna be, you know, four grand or something. You can get to a nice location, probably an all-inclusive resort for a week, somewhere nice for similar money. Like you would spend more time having quality conversations and it would be, you know, nice and enjoyable, but [00:14:00] your manager is never gonna approve that. So I think that’s the challenge. To find somewhere that’s like nice and conducive to being relaxed and open, but that doesn’t sound like. So obviously a junket that no one will get approval to go to it. That’s the, that’s the challenge.  Matthew Stead: Um, just this week we got the feedback from the WMA conference. So we got, um, some of the results from the survey and I think, uh, probably the key thing to me was that we achieved 4.6 out of five, um, star rating. Um, everyone gave it a four or a five. And we know people that give things four out of five actually mean five. So I think we did really well. So, uh, and the feedback was also, um, you know, the technical content, but people want more, more and more, uh, technical content and, and the interaction with people. Rosemary Barnes: That’s a really, a really key thing to get feedback on if there are. Experts or categories of information that you would like to see covered that haven’t been, because I think, like we talk a lot about how, what the [00:15:00]problems are with a pay to play kind of model where speakers pay and get up and give a sales pitch and you know, there’s a lot of problems with that. But then when it’s the other way around and you know, we’re choosing speakers that we know are good, then you fall into the risk of having it become cliquey where it’s just, you know, like all our friends over and over again. It’s uh, like hard for us to both vet the quality and bring in people that we don’t know. So that’s where the outside feedback is gonna make that a lot better. Um, and it takes a long time, you know, you do, ’cause you, you do need to get to know a speaker before you can decide whether they’re gonna get up in the acne. You don’t sell at you for half an hour when they were supposed to, you know, do something informative. So, would love to hear that feedback.  Matthew Stead: I think the proof is in the pudding because, uh, at for woma, no one said that they were unlikely to attend.  Allen Hall: Oh, I, I would hate to see what the numbers are gonna be for OMS this year. Uh, ’cause you know, you know why I say that? Because a lot of people that have exhibited in the past do not have a booth this year, and they’re walking [00:16:00] around the show. And to me that’s an alarm signal. They should have a booth. They have good things to talk about. They’re a successful company. They’re doing great things to win, but they feel like this is just too much. It’s too much. Eventually you reach too much. I think we’re there.  Rosemary Barnes: I think it’s been a really good, like, uh, a big event with an exhibition can be a real money maker. And for, you know, like, uh, assuming that SAP uses this. The money that they make from this event to deliver services for the American Wind Industry. Uh, I mean, you, you know, you can probably argue about how well or not they do that. I don’t have an opinion ’cause I’m not in America. But, you know, like, I, I’m not saying that that’s not the, um, a, a noble goal and a good thing to, for the business to be doing. However, I think that it, that you can overshoot and, you know, so you can make a, a bunch of money for a few years. You know, you’ve got a good reputation for your event. You’ve got everybody comes to it. You can charge squillions to exhibitors. You can charge squillions more to speakers. You can even start charging people to watch the speakers who have [00:17:00] paid to be there. Probably, I don’t, I don’t actually know in this case, my assumption. Um, but at some point. Like you’ve cottoned on that, hey, it’s not actually worth paying extra for the, um, you know, to go watch the speakers. And the last one of these, you know, similar Australian events I was at, I was like, Hey, it’s not actually worth me paying to go into there because I can get all the benefits by just being near to it, like then. Once you don’t have heaps and heaps of people moving through, then exhibitors don’t wanna pay $10,000 to be there. Um, and so like, it’s just, it’s not sustainable to run the event like that. And that’s what I don’t think that, um, a lot of these event organization companies, especially the ones that aren’t run by an industry body, um, the ones that are just run by a company who exist to make money off events. You know, like they’re not, I don’t think that they’re planning these events to be sustainable in the long term and to improve the industry.  Matthew Stead: Can I ask, um, a question for Yolanda and Allen. Um, so assuming this money for a CP [00:18:00] ends up as lobbying money, do you think lobbying at the moment actually helps? Allen Hall: Here’s the feeling about it on the floor, and I haven’t talked to everybody here clearly. But the significant percentage I had talked to thinks that the policy efforts have not borne fruit, and that in some aspects, uh, they have increased the tension. Whether they’ve intentionally have done that or not, I don’t know. But I think the feeling on the floor here, the last two days has been the industry is in a quote unquote downturn or a pause, and they’re waiting till 2028 to see what happens. That’s not the answer I wanted to hear. And also at the state level, I think, uh, the amount of policy changes that are happening are not pro wind, pro solar or pro best, except maybe in a couple of states. So, uh, you feel like although [00:19:00] American clean power is on a national level, you will also like them to be at a state level, helping move some things forward and stop some of the prohibitions that are happening, or to get some of the permits issued. That’s one of the things that popped up today, talking to someone in the know as that permits are hard to get hold of in some states. Well, American Clean Power is supposed to be helping with that. I’m not sure that they are, at least if they are, you can’t see anything visible happening. From the outside, which is a shame. That’s really a shame. So, you know where we go from here? I, I, I’m kind of in Rosemary’s camp. I had no idea. Uh, next year gonna be really interesting. I, I don’t know what the numbers of attendees are. Uh, I’m guessing a couple thousand people are here. I’m guessing, let’s just say it’s 2000 people. I may be off plus or minus. Well, not on the negative side. It’s more than a thousand people here, but it’s not 10,000. That’s for sure.  Yolanda Padron: I think that, uh, someone at Woma summed it up really [00:20:00] well when they said that, um, we need to shift the conversation from this is the right thing to do to this, is this, we should make this to be cost effective and it should be the obvious decision to make. Right? Just from a financial standpoint. Uh, and I think, I think that’s right from my, uh. Personal interactions with a lot of people in dc I think that lobbying really helps regardless of the political party that one is affiliated to. Um, just, just the way that sometimes our, our system seems to. I not, not to say that anything’s negative, I think it’s, I mean, it’s just the, the way things pan out, uh, oftentimes in the [00:21:00] us. Um, yeah, I mean, I’ve, I’ve heard from. From both sides.  Allen Hall: Well, to Yolanda’s point, I would say we don’t belong to American clean power because one, it’s expensive and as a small business, does it make sense as the changing policy that helps me? The answer to that historically has been no. It doesn’t mean it’s not gonna happen in the future. I think a lot of. Companies of our size are saying the same thing. There are some that have been here a lot longer that have knew a CP before it was a CP when it was a, a slightly different organization and they’ve continued on on, on some level just I think because they’re familiar with it. But I think the newcomers are having a heart attack. And I would consider me to be a newcomer that we’ve been in wind since about 2012 or 2013, so we’ve been in it quite a while at this point. But there’s some old guard here. The new. The new players though, I think are struggling. I think there’s very few new companies that are flashy. Like we saw in San Antonio a [00:22:00] couple of years ago at American Clean Power. We’re like, wow, there are some boosts here. And man, there’s some firepower happening and some really good marketing and some new products and new ideas. That’s not. That’s not here. Not, not this year. Delamination and bottom line, failures and blades are difficult problems to detect early. These hidden issues can cost you millions in repairs and lost energy production. C-I-C-N-D-T are specialists to detect these critical flaws before they become a. Expensive burdens. Their non-destructive test technology penetrates deep to blade materials to find voids and cracks. Traditional inspections completely. Miss C-I-C-N-D-T Maps. Every critical defect delivers actionable reports and provides support to get your blades back in service. So visit cic ndt.com because catching blade problems early will save you millions.[00:23:00] Denmark has long been the home of the wind industry, but now our proposed new wealth taxes threatening to push one of its most prominent executives out the door. And Henrik Anderson, chief executive officer of Vestas says he will leave Denmark rather than pay the new tax, even if it costs him tens of millions of Broner and exit fees. Uh, Anderson earned 32 million Kroger last year, and estimates he pays an effective tax rate of 60% already. He argues Denmark already leads Europe in income taxation and adding a wealth tax crosses the line and he, if he goes, he warns senior leadership could follow. Now, that’s a pretty bold statement for someone who was seen as one of the leadership. Uh, a group of Denmark on the industrial side. Of course,  Rosemary Barnes: I’d argue it’s also culturally, [00:24:00] culturally not a super Danish thing to, to say at least publicly. Um, yeah, I dunno how many Danish listeners we’ve got, but one thing that I learned when I lived there, they’ve got this thing called yte Long. I think it comes from an, an old book, like fictional book, but it does pretty. Well, Danish people say it pretty accurately describes Danish culture. I’ve just, uh, looked it up. But, um, so it’s Y Y’s law and that has 10, there’s 10 rules in Y’s law and they are, one, you’re not to think that you are anything special. Two, you’re not to think you are as good as we are. Three, you’re not to think you are smarter than we are, or you’re not to imagine yourself better than we are. You know, it can, it continues down like that. But I just wonder like, is the Danish wind industry, have they flown too close to the sun? Have they become too thought themselves too special? Is this an example of where Denmark Danish people would say, you know [00:25:00] what? Who do you think you are when dentistry, you think that you’re better than us? You think you’re smarter than us? Do you think that you don’t deserve to contribute to society? Because that is one of the biggest cultural differences that I found in in Denmark, was that people genuinely think that they have the um, responsibility when they’re doing well to make sure that everybody else in society is doing well. This is an interesting cultural moment for Denmark, is all I would try to say that this to me, I’m very interested to see how Danish people respond to this idea that. We’re gonna, we’re gonna leave now because we don’t wanna share our, uh, wealth with the Danish, with Danish society as a whole  Allen Hall: 32 million kroners, that’s actually extremely low and in the United States. Uh, there are thousands of companies, much smaller than Vestas, where the CEO is making a lot more than that, and to give half of that, more than [00:26:00] half of that away, so the CEO is taking home a million and US dollars, like 1,000,002, that’s not a tremendous amount of money. I for the responsibility which are on that person’s shoulders. I could see being a little upset about that. And obviously he travels in circles in which he meets a lot of people that are making a lot more money come to America, stop at a, I don’t know, there’s a lot of places, machine shops that’ll make more money than that. Uh, so I think there’s a right to be upset about it. You know, the, everything that’s happening in Denmark at the moment, I’m trying to. I feel like Denmark is getting it together. And then these things happen and I start to worry again. Uh, there’s, there’s so many things that have happened in the United States. They’re pushing against Denmark, and I feel, I’m always apologizing to my people I know in Denmark and like, this is another one. Like, oh, geez, yeah, we, you know, vest can move to America. Oh, no, no, no, no. I want buses to be where it is. Stay [00:27:00] there. But I think there’s opportunities for investors to move and you kind of get the feeling that they’re leaving Denmark slowly. Have you noticed that recently?  Rosemary Barnes: Maybe. I mean, uh, all of those Danish wind energy companies used to manufacture in Denmark and barely, there’s barely any Danish manufacturing now. So I mean, to a certain extent this is, you know, started a long time ago, but I also think that the, what you described at the tax of the CEO income and the income not being high, it’s not just, uh. Top 1% kind of issue. That’s something that I, I definitely felt it when I worked there, but I think that like, would your average Danish person wish that CEOs were paid more like Americans and that Danish society became more like American with a huge wealth inequality? I, I’m gonna go out in a limb and say. 90% plus of Danish people would absolutely abhor the idea of that happening there. And they will be very firmly on side of you should be, um, CEOs should not be [00:28:00] making that much money and people that are making a lot of money should be paying a lot of tax to support the rest of society at just, I, I, I’m. Pretty sure that he is like a really core cultural value.  Matthew Stead: I think he is good at, I mean, things don’t change unless things change. And, um, uh, I think it’s good for him to be pushing and, you know, making this a, a public discussion and a public topic. I mean, if he hadn’t have come out talking about this problem, we wouldn’t have been talking about it. So, uh, I think yeah. Good on him for raising it and for being brave. I mean, you, like you say, Rosie, um, is not traditional cultural. Values in, in, in Denmark, but, you know, good on him for, for pushing the, pushing the, the, the barrow.  Allen Hall: It’s, it’s hard, right? I think Vestas works in a global community and they see all different kinds of cultures and all kinds of economic systems, and they operate in all of ’em. And, uh, the CEO of Vestus were in the United States and they have a large manufacturing presence in the United States. Let’s face it. [00:29:00] Uh, easily making 10 million in the United States, maybe more easy. And I don’t think they’re paying him nearly enough for the work that he has done and things that he has accomplished. You have to admit, the CEO of Vestus has really put a lot of time and effort into that company and has improved it in ways that are somehow, uh, never discussed, but are, in my opinion, immeasurable. So for the long-term health of that company, they are seen as the preeminent wind turbine manufactured today. That’s hard to do. That wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on LinkedIn and don’t forget to subscribe to you. Never miss an episode. And if you found value in today’s this conversation for. Please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show for Rosie, Yolanda and Matthew. I’m Allen Hall, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy [00:30:00] Podcast.

The Motley Fool's Hidden Gems team discusses some historical disruptions in the energy market, explaining why they're facing the uncertainties with timeless Motley Fool investing principles. The team also talks about how trends in semiconductors are reshaping the S&P 500, as well as looking at why Hims and Hers stock is soaring. Jon Quast, Matt Frankel, and Rachel Warren discuss: -Oil's rapid price increase and market jitters. -The S&P 500 reshuffling. -Trends in AI and data centers. -Hims and Hers stock's big jump. Companies discussed: OXY, VRT, LITE, COHR, SATS, MTCH, MOH, LW, PAYC, ORCL, HIMS, NVO Host: Jon Quast Guests: Matt Frankel, Rachel Warren Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new era of Amazon reselling is emerging for those who understand the power of building a large catalogue and monitoring it with AI powered software (aka 3PMercury.com)   If you want to speed up the process of building a large list of ASINs to monitor, one option you have is to use a leads generating service.   Today we bring back a trusted student success story, who became a coach and then became an ASIN leads list ninja!   Today we get an update from Travis Sears on the specific results they are seeing with the leads they are generating for their clients. He has a huge discount for you as well if you'd like to try them out!   Watch this episode on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/SdxbPIS9wKg   Show note LINKS:   OaProfitPipeline.com - Coupon Codes: Break Even Database Builder 15% off 3 months:  15OFF3MONTHS Garnet Mixed Category List 25% off 3 months:  FEBGARNETDEAL Topaz Mixed Category List 25% off 3 months: FEBTOPAZDEAL   3pmercury.com/friends - The best pricing on 3pMercury software!   ProvenAmazonCourse.com - The comprehensive course that contains ALL our Amazon training modules, recorded events and a steady stream of latest cutting edge training including of course the most popular starting point, the REPLENS selling model. The PAC is updated free for life!   SilentJim.com/kickstart - If you want a shortcut to learning all you need to get started, then get the Proven Amazon Course and go through Kickstart.   TheProvenConference.com - Learn more about our upcoming August 2026 event! The longest running annual event for Amazon sellers in the world!   SilentSalesMachine.com - Text the word "free" to 507-800-0090 to get a free copy of Jim's latest book in audio about building multiple income streams online (US only) or visit SilentJim.com/free11   SilentJim.com/bookacall - Schedule a FREE, customized and insightful consultation with my team or me (Jim) to discuss your e-commerce goals and options.   My Silent Team Facebook group. 100% FREE! Facebook.com/groups/mysilentteam - Join 83,000 + Facebook members from around the world who are using the internet creatively every day to launch and grow multiple income streams through our exciting PROVEN strategies! There's no support community like this one anywhere else in the world!          

While Gerard is fixing his knee, Laurent invites Chris Seiple, Vice Chairman of WoodMac Power & Renewables group, to try to make sense of the scale of the coming power demand surge and the strain it is placing on today's US market structures.AI-driven datacenter growth is pushing the US power system into uncharted territory. Roughly 180 GW of U.S. electricity commitments tied to datacenters represent about 30% incremental demand. Hyperscaler CAPEX is exploding. Demand is accelerating far faster than new supply can come online, setting up a near-term imbalance. In response, the U.S. utility sector is preparing for a potential $1.4 trillion investment supercycle over the next five years.In regulated markets, utilities are under pressure to modernize cost-of-service models and deliver massive capital programs while keeping electricity affordable. Companies such as Duke Energy, Southern Company, Entergy, and CenterPoint Energy are planning investments that run into the hundreds of billions.In deregulated markets, players like Constellation Energy, Vistra Corp., and NRG Energy face a structural mismatch: datacenters can be built faster than power plants, while price signals may not rise quickly enough to incentivize new generation. Some customers are exploring off-grid solutions, but these bring technical and economic challenges.The conclusion is clear: load growth is staggering. Parts of the system may move toward re-regulation, but that alone will not be enough. Rapid innovation—decentralized solutions, grid-enhancing technologies, faster interconnections, and deeper digitization—will be essential as utilities relearn how to build at scale and speed.  Check an excellent WoodMac report on the Datacentershttps://www.woodmac.com/horizons/us-data-centre-power-demand-challenges-electricity-market-model/  

Here is a FAQ Video on the Courses: https://youtu.be/0F7imrzjXWs Here is a deep dive into which course is best for you: https://youtu.be/JM_jgS8M-iU https://www.b2bRevenue.com - Get Your Free E-Book on How Companies make Decisions. FAQ: 1 YEAR ACCESS, PAY MONTHLY OR ANNUALLY NOT A SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE HOURS EVERY  OTHER WEEK VIA ZOOM. 1 HOUR GROUP Q&A. UNLIMITED 1-ON-1'S  ARE FREE AS LONG AS THEY CAN BE SHARED IN THE COURSE. 1-ON-1 ARE FULL ACCESS ON DAY ONE - NOTHING IS GATED OR TIME RELEASED. ALL CONTENT IS VIDEO BASED AND SELF PACED I RECOMMEND TAKE COURSE ONCE WITHOUT NOTES OR APPLYING IT SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE FIRST. THEN TAKE AND APPLY IT STEP BY STEP. YOU START WHEN YOU WANT AND GO AS FAST OR SLOW AS NEEDED.   Email me additional questions: briangburns@me.com     — SAMPLE EMAIL TO EXPENSE THE COURSE MGR,   I have been listening to the brutal truth about sales podcast for X months and it speaks to the issues we face.   They currently offer a course that includes video instruction, group Q&A and One-on-One coaching. I'm committed to my own personal development and would like your help in expensing the course.   It would pay for itself if I closed only one new deal of $X value.   Please let me know by Friday if I can move forward with this 1 year course.   Thanks, ME Here are some student interviews from the courses:      ———————————————————————————————————— Audible 30 day Free Trial: http://www.audibletrial.com/BrutalTruth  

John and Ryan open the episode with their latest game pickups. Ryan is currently playing Resident Evil Requiem and shares his initial thoughts on the atmosphere, pacing, and early gameplay feel. John, meanwhile, continues his play of Valkyrie Profile. Ryan also brings updates from his ongoing grind in Guilty Gear Strive, talking about fundamentals, improvement, and the competitive mindset. That leads into a look at the fighting game community as he prepares for an upcoming event in Seattle and reflects on the energy of in‑person tournaments. John shifts the discussion to Magic: The Gathering, breaking down the latest Universes Beyond release and why the TMNT crossover is struggling to gain traction. From there, the guys explore the downfall of High Guard, the launch of Marathon, and what these releases reveal about current industry trends. The future of Xbox takes the spotlight as they discuss Project Helix and how it could shape Microsoft's long‑term strategy. They also recap the biggest highlights from Pokémon Day, including new releases and updates worth watching. The episode continues with a look at Sony's evolving PC porting strategy before wrapping up with the Inflation Deflation Game of the Week. This week's pick is McDonald's Treasure Land Adventures, as the guys revisit the Sega Genesis platformer and debate its place in today's retro market. 00:00 Introduction to the Game Deflators Podcast 01:19 Recent Game Pickups and Current Playthroughs 08:47 Resident Evil Requiem: Gameplay Dynamics and Mechanics 14:50 Plucky Squire: Game Completion and Future Plans 19:51 Striving for Excellence in Guilty Gear Strive 26:46 Magic: The Gathering and Universes Beyond 31:40 High Guard's Demise and Industry Insights 36:27 Marathon's Launch and Player Reception 42:28 Project Helix and the Future of Xbox 44:22 Pokemon Day Highlights and New Releases 54:55 Sony's Shift in Game Porting Strategy 01:01:21 The Legacy of McDonald's Treasure Land Adventures   Find us on TheGameDeflators.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/GameDeflators Facebook - www.facebook.com/TheGameDeflators Instagram - www.instagram.com/thegamedeflators   The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely those of the author. The content within these recordings are property of their respective Designers, Writers, Creators, Owners, Organizations, Companies and Producers. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted. Permission for intro and outro music provided by Matthew Huffaker http://www.youtube.com/user/teknoaxe 2_25_18

Tim Nagy of Samsara talks about tech & AI: what workers really think; agility; retaining talent; & shifting from reactive to predictive road safety & logistics.    IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [02.41] An introduction to Tim, his role as a sales engineer, and a reminder of how Samsara helps their customers. "You get two different kinds of engineers: the kind who don't really want to be out in the field talking to customers, they do the coding and product development. And then you get my team, who love to be out there. We get to see a lot of different tech, and a lot of different businesses!" [04.34] The biggest conversations happening at Manifest 2026, are about the impact of AI across the industry. "There's a lot of talk about the impact of AI on supply chain and operations." [06.59] How Samsara can monitor real-time issues, from weather to driver behavior, to help businesses shift from reactive to predictive road safety and logistics. "Our job is to prevent accidents before they happen and AI, tech in general, is making that possible now. We're able to detect when a driver is becoming drowsy… and tell the driver to pull over." [09.56] Samsara's recent advert at the Super Bowl, and their first celebrity coaching avatar. [11.42] How Samsara see workers thinking about technology and AI, and a real-world example of driver feedback on Samsara solutions. [14.33] How technology and AI can help businesses attract and retain talent, and Samsara's success with the gamification of driver safety. "Driver churn is a big issue, it's hard to keep people employed and happy in a role that can be physically challenging and difficult… When you make their lives easier, it makes the world of difference." [17.41] The continuing problem of data siloes, how Samsara are helping bridge the gap, and why that's so important. "Companies have data in many different systems – even in physical operations, it's not uncommon for us to speak to people who have more than 10 systems just for transportation. And when data exists in different environments, it's almost impossible to make any correlations between it – even with AI." [22.01] Why unification is so important, and how siloes prevent the success of new technology projects. [23.31] The role of technology in supply chain agility. [25.56] From routing efficiency to idling reduction, how sustainable decisions can also be leveraged for cost savings. "A big part of environmental responsibility comes from using fuel efficiently, but right now it's surprising how many vehicles are still idling in supply chain fleets… If you take control of idling you can really drive down cost, and help the environment." [28.48] The big challenges and opportunities for Samsara customers and the industry over the next year.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to Samsara's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Samsara and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X (Twitter), or you can connect with Tim on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Samsara, check out episode 524: Increase the Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability of Your operations, with Samsara. Check out our other podcasts HERE.

CJ sits down with Marshall Hawks, a 20-year veteran of venture lending and author of Venture Debt Deals. They cover the real rules of thumb behind deal sizing, why lenders underwrite likelihood of raising again (not breakout outcomes), how banks and private credit differ, the three real sources of repayment, and how to actually run a venture debt process without blowing your legal budget.---SPONSORS:Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/runAbacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.aiBrex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you're scaling on an ERP that wasn't built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjLINKS:Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsNMarshall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallhawks/Marshall's website: https://www.marshallhawks.comCJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comTIMESTAMPS:0:00 Preview and intro3:23 Marshall's background and the book4:47 Venture Deals as inspiration6:30 Companies Marshall has worked with6:49 The venture debt sweet spot8:01 Why venture debt follows equity raises10:55 The 25–40% rule of thumb12:08 AI companies and the limits of the rule13:58 Sponsors — Abacum | Brex | Metronome17:15 How lenders think vs. investors19:12 The three sources of repayment21:37 Venture debt and the AI boom23:52 Banks vs. private credit26:28 Sponsors — RightRev | Rillet | Tabs29:57 Private credit pricing and warrants33:04 Syndicated deals35:04 Legal timelines38:13 Who pays the legal bill?40:06 Why your GC shouldn't quarterback the deal41:30 What forecast to give your lender43:37 Reporting cadence45:57 Bad news should travel fast47:49 The Twitch case study50:19 Are we over our skis in 2026?54:50 Where to get Venture Debt Deals55:09 Credits

Today, we're pulling back the curtain on something people don't usually say out loud: RELOCATION COMPANIES. If you're moving to Dallas-Fort Worth because your company is relocating you, or if you know someone who is, this is a must-watch episode. On paper, relocation packages look amazing. Movers paid for. Temporary housing covered. Extra cash incentives. It feels like your company is rolling out the red carpet. But here's the hard truth (based on 20+ years in residential real estate): Relocation companies often create unnecessary complexity, charge massive referral fees (sometimes 40%+ of an agent's commission), and limit your ability to choose the best agent for you and your family. This isn't about being dramatic. It's about helping you protect yourself, your equity, and your family during one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make. If you're relocating to Dallas-Fort Worth or anywhere else with a corporate package, advocate for yourself. Ask questions. Understand the structure. And make sure you're choosing the right representation, not just the one assigned to you. If this episode helps you (or someone you know), share it. If you disagree, drop it in the comments, we're here for the conversation. Subscribe for weekly insights on navigating the DFW market like a pro. And if we can help you call or text anytime 214-310-0008.

Companies Complying with or Directly Impacted by Transparency Laws Major generative AI developers are broadly subject to AB 2013, which requires them to publicly disclose high-level summaries of the datasets used to train their models.OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google were among the first companies to voluntarily comply with the law, publishing the required training data documentation on their websites when the law took effect on January 1, 2026.Meta is also heavily impacted by these laws and is frequently cited for its extensive efforts to harvest public and copyrighted data across the internet to train its foundation models.Companies Actively Challenging the LawxAI (founded by Elon Musk) is the primary company fighting the legislation. In late December 2025, xAI filed a federal lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta to block the enforcement of AB 2013. xAI argues that forcing it to disclose its training data constitutes an unconstitutional taking of its trade secrets and violates its First Amendment rights. In March 2026, a federal judge denied xAI's request for a preliminary injunction to halt the law.Separately, xAI is under investigation by the California Attorney General and received a cease-and-desist letter over its AI chatbot, Grok. The tool's "spicy mode" has allegedly been used to generate nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material.Companies Sued Over AI Training Data and Copyright The push for transparency laws like AB 2013 and AB 412 stems largely from a massive wave of lawsuits filed by authors, artists, and media companies who allege that AI developers misappropriated their intellectual property to train models. Companies currently defending against these copyright lawsuits include:OpenAI and Microsoft (sued by The New York Times, The Daily News, the Authors Guild, Raw Story Media, and others).Anthropic (sued by Concord Music Group and various authors).Google and YouTube (sued by Mike Huckabee, David Milette, and others).Perplexity AI (sued by Dow Jones, The New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune).Stability AI, Midjourney, Runway AI, and Deviant Art (sued by visual artists and Getty Images).Meta, Nvidia, Databricks, and Mosaic ML.AI audio, music, and voice generation companies like Suno, Udio, Lovo, and ElevenLabs.Ross Intelligence (sued by Thomson Reuters for allegedly using copyrighted Westlaw data to train its own legal search tool).Other AI Companies Facing State ScrutinyCharacter.AI: Sued by the Kentucky Attorney General in January 2026 for consumer protection violations, alleging the company's companion chatbots preyed on children and contributed to psychological manipulation and self-harm. Google was also sued in related private litigation due to its substantial investment in Character.AI.Clearview AI: Cited by privacy advocates as a notorious example of unethical data sourcing, having scraped billions of images from social media to build a massive facial recognition database.

“By far, the greatest danger of AI is that people conclude too early that they understand it” —Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI researcher AI is everywhere today, and there are many exciting claims about what it can do to help us be more productive. But, is this just hype, or are there aspects of AI that can improve our productivity?  That's the question I am answering today.  Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin The Hybrid Productivity Course  Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page Script | 407 Hello, and welcome to episode 407 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show.  You may have noticed AI is everywhere. Our favourite apps seem to be adding more and more AI capability with each new update. And then there's almost every video and article on productivity warning us that if we don't get on board with this, we'll be left behind on the scrap heap.  It's also an exciting time, and there's no doubt that things are changing, and people are finding new ways to use AI to help us do our work.  But beyond the hype, how are current AI models really helping with productivity, and what will this mean for us as we try to manage our time in the future?  That's what I am looking at this week, and to get us started, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question.  This week's question comes from Chris. Chris asks, Hi Carl, I haven't heard you talk much about AI in your videos or articles. How do you see AI helping us with our time management and productivity in the future?  Hi Chris, thank you for your question.  The reason I have not written or spoken much about AI is that I am waiting to see where it settles down.  Currently, it's hard to work out what is true and what is pure hype. I saw a lot of noise about OpenClaw—an AI-type personal assistant that, if you give it access to your computer, can do a lot of things, such as make appointments for you, book flights, sort and reply to your emails and much more.  That was certainly interesting, but once I discovered that I would need to hand over all my passwords and credit card numbers to OpenClaw, I lost interest.  Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not comfortable giving up my passwords, credit card and banking details to a third party. Certainly not one that could be hacked very easily.  Last year, I read Dominic Sandbrook's series of books on British history from 1956 to 1982. That period covered some very interesting developments in technology, from the dawn of the nuclear power age to the introduction of the personal computer. In the late 1950s, it was predicted that we would all be driving around in nuclear-powered cars and that our homes would have their own nuclear power generators that would only need recharging every 10 to 20 years by the end of the century. Hmm how did that work out?  To better answer your question, Chris, I stepped back and looked at how I am using AI today. My main use of AI is searching for specific information. In a way, AI has replaced how I search the internet. I use Google's Gemini, and it is fantastic at collecting the information I want.  No longer do I have to open multiple websites to try to find the information. This has significantly reduced the time I spend going down rabbit holes looking for something specific and being pulled down holes I never intended to go.  I also use AI to generate subtitles and timestamps for my YouTube videos. Without AI, these jobs would take hours. AI can do it in minutes.  I use Grammarly to spell-check my writing, and I believe it uses AI in the background to suggest how sentences are written.  I rarely accept Grammarly's sentence suggestions. It seems to destroy my voice and turn sentences into bland perfections that lack resonance or feeling.  Beyond that, I am not knowingly using AI for anything else. I asked my wife how she is using it. My wife's a full-time student, studying physical therapy, so she's learning a lot about human anatomy and medical terms.  She's using AI to simplify complex concepts. She also occasionally uses Google's Nano Banana to generate graphics for her presentations.  So, if I look at how AI might help us with time management and productivity in the future, it does look like there will be some aspects of our work that AI can significantly speed up. In my case, generating subtitles and time stamps for videos is a great example.  However, when it comes to managing our calendars and task lists, I'm not sure you would want AI getting involved.  One thing I've always been acutely aware of is that much of what makes us feel overwhelmed is the sense that we have no control over how we spend our time.  We have calendars full of meetings, and sometimes we find ourselves double and even triple-booked. And then we have long lists of to-dos in our task managers with no sense of when or even how we will ever get that work done.  At best, AI may be able to break down those tasks into what it thinks are manageable chunks, but that won't take into consideration how you are feeling physically, whether you slept well last night or had a rather heavy lunch with an important customer.  AI can certainly suggest ways to manage your tasks and calendar, but you will still need to show up to those meetings and do that work.  Yet that will inevitably leave you feeling less in control of your time. Particularly if you use one of those AI-enabled calendars that suggest when you should be doing something.  What happens if you disagree with the suggestion, or you cannot make it? You feel guilty, or you start to think something is wrong with you.  Yet, there's nothing wrong with you. You're human, and you are going to feel tired sometimes or not in the mood to do that type of work.  The one area I would say you want to avoid AI getting involved in is how you manage your time. That should always be your responsibility and choice.  The idea that a computer tells you what to do and where to be is scary. Deciding what you do right now is what makes you human. You've chosen to listen to this podcast at this time. AI would likely tell you that, rather than listening to this podcast, you should be finishing that report you've been trying to finish all week. I also read about the excitement over the idea that AI could reply to your emails for you. Hmm, for me, that is a red line I will not cross.  Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that if someone has taken the time to write to me, I have an obligation to reply personally. That is just basic integrity. Now, it is true I don't reply to all emails. I don't respond to spam emails; for example, I simply delete them if they get through. How hard is that?  I'm fortunate that I'm old enough to remember several technological advancements. It started with the Internet, then email, the smartphone and cloud computing.  I cannot remember a technology being forced upon us, but it feels like AI is being forced on us, whether we like it or not.  And then there are the frightening ads that claim if you are not on board with using AI, you will be left on the career scrap heap by the end of the year. Nobody needed to do that with smartphones or email.  Companies, focused on making the technology user-friendly in such a way that we all wanted to adopt it eventually. The fear-mongering I see around AI makes me deeply suspicious of it. Why do they need to do that?  Perhaps that question is for people better qualified than I am.  Anyway, AI is here, and it's not going to go away.  Where I think AI will be a huge help to us is in repetitive, mundane work. I mentioned that I use AI to create subtitles and timestamps for my YouTube videos. That's been a huge time saver for me.  But if you follow my email processing system, you will find that you are faster than AI. I can clear 80 emails in my inbox in less than 10 minutes. It's also important that I do this, as I want to get a heads-up on my day. To know if there are any emergencies, what I want to read later and what I can delete.  What AI would do is categorise your emails between what it thinks is important and what is not. Trust me, you will do a far better Job of that than AI will.  The problem here is that you will not trust AI 100%, so you will still go through the emails it thinks are not important, just to check that it got it right.  And that's a big problem with AI today, although I accept that in time this may change; people don't trust it, which is a good thing, as AI can hallucinate and give you incorrect information. This means you spend time coming up with the right prompt, get the answer, and then have to check that it's correct.  The question then is: did it really save you time?  I am monitoring AI carefully. I know that in time, it will bring us some productivity benefits, new technologies always do. But there are a few areas where I won't use AI personally.  Writing emails and answering user comments. That's a personal integrity thing to me. Your principles should tell you that.  Managing my calendar. That's another personal thing, and giving control to any outside influence would always be problematic at a human level.  Creating content. If you've read an AI-generated blog post or watched an AI-created YouTube video, you can tell. Large Language Models will always default to the average, not just in the content, but in the words used. It's horrible, and nothing unique will ever come from it.  And finally, deciding what I will do at a task level and when. That's another one that, as a human, I will retain control. I had scheduled to write this podcast script at 11:30 today, but I had a cancellation at 8:00 am, so I switched things around.  I could have gone back to bed, but I felt great, so I decided to get on with this podcast script. My choice, made in the moment.  Thank you, Chris, for your question and thank you to you, too, for listening. It just remains for me now to wish you all a very, very productive week.   

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM  Sam Fankuchen shares how organisations can move beyond AI hype to build real capability. The discussion focuses on creating an AI-ready culture, using AI agents with human oversight, and adopting AI responsibly in regulated environments. Sam explains why transparency, ethics, and experimentation matter, and why delaying adoption carries its own risks. The conversation is grounded in practical experience, showing how AI can scale human impact while keeping people, trust, and quality of life at the centre. 

“The fatal error is ours. Legislators set out a regulatory regime that keeps regulation at bay. The only other industry with a similar protection is the gun industry.” — Olivier SylvainThere are certain words in book titles that provoke. “Reclaiming”, for example. My guest today is happy to defend the provocation. Fordham law professor and former FTC senior advisor Olivier Sylvain argues in his new book, Reclaiming the Internet, that the internet was never really ours to begin with—and that the story about user control, free speech, and digital democratisation was always more nostalgia than reality.But Sylvain's argument in Reclaiming the Internet: How Big Tech Took Control—and How We Can Take It Back is not the usual big-tech-is-bad narrative (yawn). He doesn't blame the companies. He blames us—or rather, Congress. The fatal error, he says, was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996, which created a blanket immunity from liability for companies trafficking in user-generated content. The only other industry with comparable legal protection, he says, is the gun industry. That immunity enabled the attention economy's business model. Infinite scrolling = infinite advertising = infinite profit.What follows from that error is now everywhere: autoplay, algorithmic recommendation—design features engineered to hold your attention, not to facilitate free speech. Sylvain insists these companies aren't really platforms. They are, instead, services delivering content pursuant to their bottom line. And now the same Nineties playbook—innovation, user control, free speech—is being replayed with AI. Companies are deploying chatbots before they're ready, racing each other to market. A young man killed himself after a Gemini chatbot told him to and Google invoked the First Amendment in its defence.The fix, Sylvain argues, is not to abolish Section 230 but to attend to the business model itself: data minimisation, purpose limitations, and the kind of product-safety regulation that every other industry—from automobiles to toys to food—already accepts. I should disclose that my wife runs litigation at Google, so I'm all too familiar with the counter argument. But Sylvain makes a persuasive case even if his reclamation project is still a little too Rousseauean for my Hobbesian taste. Five Takeaways•       The Fatal Error Was Ours, Not Theirs: Sylvain doesn't blame big tech. He blames us—or rather, Congress. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act created a blanket immunity from liability for user-generated content. The only other industry with comparable protection is the gun industry. That legal shield became the business model.•       These Are Not Platforms: The word “platform” implies a neutral conduit connecting users. Sylvain says that's wrong. These are companies engineering your experience—infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendation—to hold your attention and serve their bottom line. The free speech story is cover for a commercial design.•       The Same Mistake Is Happening with AI: The nineties playbook—innovation, user control, free speech—is being replayed with AI. Companies are deploying chatbots before they're ready, racing each other to market. Internal documents show they knew the dangers. A young man committed suicide after Gemini told him to. Google invoked the First Amendment in its defence.•       Data Protection Is the Real Fix: Sylvain argues for data minimisation and purpose limitations—rules that would only allow companies to collect information consistent with the purposes a consumer signed up for. Not to monetise it for opaque reasons. That would dampen the incentive to engineer addiction without touching free speech.•       There's a Bipartisan Consensus—but Only for Children: Something is shifting. Courts are rejecting Section 230 defences. Legislators on both sides agree something must be done. But the consensus only extends to protecting children. Sylvain thinks that's a mistake: a 36-year-old man just killed himself after talking to a chatbot. Adults are vulnerable too. About the GuestOlivier Sylvain is a professor of law at Fordham University, a former senior advisor to the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, and a Senior Policy Research Fellow at Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute. His new book is Reclaiming the Internet: How Big Tech Took Control—and How We Can Take It Back (Columbia Global Reports).ReferencesReferences and previous Keen On episodes:•       Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (1996) and its evolution into blanket immunity for tech companies•       Gonzales v. Google (2023)—the Supreme Court case that declined to rule on Section 230 but allowed the merits to proceed•       The Character AI / Gemini chatbot suicide cases—ongoing litigation against Google•       Tim Wu on the extractive economics of platform capitalism — previous Keen On episode•       Julia Angwin, Zephyr Teachout, and Stewart Brand—referenced in the conversationAbout Keen On AmericaNobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States—hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters:(00:00) - Introduction: What does “reclaiming” the Internet mean? (03:06) - The layered stack: pipes, platforms, and consumer-facing apps (06:01) - Was user control ever real? The ideology of the nineties (09:32) - The fatal error: Section 230 and blanket immunity (14:51) - Facebook as punching bag—and why Sylvain doesn't blame the companies (17:31) - Addiction, self-harm, and the design features that hold your attention (22:00) - The attention economy and the Gonzales v. Google case (26:35) - How we can take it back: data minimization and purpose limitations (29:02) - “These are not platforms” (31:21) - Europe, the First Amendment, and the right to be forgotten (33:06) - AI business ...

The focal point of our discussion centers on the remarkable events surrounding the women's 100-meter backstroke at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, a competition that garnered substantial attention for its myriad circumstances. We delve into the extraordinary victory of Dutch swimmer Nida Senf, who, despite an unforeseen misstep during the race, ultimately secured the gold medal, while her compatriot Riemars ten Broek claimed silver. This episode elucidates the broader implications of the exclusion of American swimmer Eleanor Holm, whose controversial behavior and subsequent disqualification significantly altered the competitive landscape. As we dissect the nuances of this pivotal moment in Olympic history, we reflect on the profound impact of these athletes' experiences on the realm of competitive swimming and sportsmanship. Join us as we traverse the complexities of this storied event, highlighting the intersection of personal triumph and institutional challenges within the annals of athletic achievement. The episode is a profound examination of the women's 100-meter backstroke at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, a race that transcends mere athletic competition to reflect the complexities of its historical context. The focus is primarily on the remarkable performances of Nida Senf and Riemars ten Broek, who emerged victorious, securing gold and silver medals respectively. However, the episode intricately details the circumstances surrounding these outcomes, particularly the significant absence of Eleanor Holm, whose exclusion from the games highlights the intersection of personal conflicts and broader political tensions. Additionally, the episode thoughtfully explores the repercussions of Holm's disqualification, which stemmed from her outspoken critiques of the American officials during the journey to Berlin. Holm's abrasive personality and her contentious relationship with the team hierarchy reflect the challenges faced by female athletes of that era. The episode not only chronicles the thrilling events of the race but also presents a nuanced commentary on the societal and political dynamics that influenced the experiences of the athletes, thereby offering a rich narrative that resonates beyond the realm of sports. The narrative intricately weaves together the events leading to Senf's unexpected yet triumphant victory. Initially, her performance was exceptional, as she recorded the fastest time in the heats. Nonetheless, a critical error during the final—missing a turn—threatened her chances. The depth of her character is revealed through her decision to rectify this mistake by returning to complete the turn, showcasing her strategic mindset and resilience. The subsequent surge that led her to victory against formidable competitors is a testament to her remarkable capabilities and fortitude in the face of adversity.Takeaways:The podcast meticulously examines the 1936 Berlin Olympics, focusing on the women's 100-meter backstroke event, which was highly controversial.It highlights the unexpected triumph of Nida Senf, who secured gold amidst a tumultuous Olympic atmosphere, including disqualification events.The episode further discusses the exclusion of Eleanor Holm, a prominent swimmer, which significantly altered the competition landscape for the event.Listeners are introduced to the remarkable circumstances surrounding the competition, including Nida Senf's unique strategy during the race's critical moments.The narrative delves into the historical context of the Olympics, revealing the political tensions and controversies of the era, particularly those affecting female athletes.Additionally, we learn about the aftermath of the event and how it influenced the trajectories of the athletes involved, including their public personas.Companies mentioned in this episode:ADZAvery BrundageEleanor TomNida SenfRiemars ten BroekEleanor HolmHubert LawsonGlenn Morris

The Brands That Win Care More. In baseball, you can feel when a team cares. You walk into the clubhouse… You watch how players treat the equipment manager… You see the energy in batting practice. You know immediately. The same thing happens in business. Customers can feel when a company actually gives a damn. And when they do… they become your biggest promoters. In this episode of WINNERS FIND A WAY, Trent Clark sits down with Justin Ricklefs, founder of Guild Collective and author of Give a Damn, to talk about the real competitive advantage in business today: human connection. Justin shares how brands win when they stop shouting about their products… and start telling stories that connect with people. This conversation covers: • Why your brand story matters more than your marketing budget • The biggest mistake companies make when communicating with customers • Why Chick-fil-A, Nike, and Apple dominate through emotional connection • How great leaders build companies that people actually care about • The power of customer delight in a noisy marketplace As Justin says: "Your brand is the story people tell about you when you're not in the room." Winners Find a Way_ Guest-Justi… The question every leader should ask is simple: What story are people telling about your company? ABOUT THE GUEST Justin Ricklefs is the Founder and CEO of Guild Collective, a Human-First brand agency helping organizations grow through clarity, connection, and creativity. Before launching Guild Collective, Justin spent years working in sports organizations including the Kansas City Chiefs, helping build partnerships and revenue through strategic storytelling. Justin is also the author of Give a Damn: The Catalyst for Caring Companies, a book that challenges businesses to rediscover the power of caring about customers, employees, and community. He lives in Kansas City with his wife Brooke and their five children. RESOURCES MENTIONED Justin Ricklefs Website: https://guildcollective.com Book: Give a Damn Connect with Justin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinricklefs/ WATCH / LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

In this episode, I sit down with Mark Vincent Fansler, who went from carpenter to senior corporate executive, walked away from burnout, and built a vertically integrated commercial real estate empire operating across multiple states. We talk about the power of elite rooms, the vision he had at 17 that shaped his future, how one intentional conversation turned into a $120M opportunity, and why thinking bigger is the only way to win in business. This is a masterclass in community, commercial scale, and betting on yourself when no one else believes you deserve it. About Mark: Mark Vincent Fansler is a commercial mixed-use real estate developer and founder of the M Vincent Family of Companies, a vertically integrated real estate platform operating across multiple states. With over 40 years of experience, he specializes in large-scale mixed-use developments, creative capital structuring, and building real estate ecosystems that generate long-term wealth. Starting as a carpenter and rising to senior corporate leadership, Mark now leads multi-million-dollar commercial projects nationwide. Connect with Mark Vincent Fansler Website: https://mvincentassets.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markvincentfansler/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.fansler.1/ About Justin: Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The Science of Flipping podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur with over and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience. Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence. Connect with Justin: Instagram: @thejustincolby YouTube: Justin Colby TikTok: @justincolbytsof LinkedIn: Justin Colby Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When oil prices spike nearly 30% in a matter of days and a weak jobs report hits on the same Friday, the word on every investor’s mind is stagflation. On this episode of The Financial Hour of the Tom Dupree Show, host Tom Dupree, James Dupree, and Mike Johnson break down how the Middle East conflict is rippling through oil markets, what it means for interest rates and inflation, and why personalized investment management matters more than ever when volatility takes center stage. Whether you’re thinking about retirement or already drawing income from your portfolio, the current environment is a powerful reminder that how your money is managed — and who manages it — can make the difference between weathering the storm and watching your principal erode. How the Middle East Conflict Is Driving Oil Prices and Market Turbulence The most immediate market impact from the conflict between Israel, the U.S., and Iran has been felt in energy prices. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude surged from roughly $72 per barrel to touch $92, according to data tracked by the U.S. Energy Information Administration — a move of nearly 30% in just days. Mike Johnson explained the supply dynamics at play: “Kuwait — they’re cutting oil production. And this is because the Strait of Hormuz is cut off for all practical purposes. These big producers are running out of storage for the oil. They’re essentially closing up the wells.” The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately one-fifth of all global oil shipments daily. With roughly 90 million barrels of crude produced worldwide each day, shutting down that corridor has massive supply implications. Tom Dupree noted the physical challenge: “What keeps an oil well going is the oil flowing through all the little capillaries. When that gets turned off, it starts to sludge up.” Restarting shut-in wells can take days to weeks, and operators risk losing pressure and production permanently. For those tracking market commentary on gasoline prices, Mike pointed out a critical consumer threshold: “When you get to about $3.50 a gallon, that’s when you start seeing an impact on spending in a more meaningful way. And then $4 is when things start getting much worse in terms of consumer spending.” Stagflation Fears: Why One Jobs Report Has Investors on Edge The Friday jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics came in weaker than expected, and the combination of rising commodity prices with a slowing labor market triggered immediate stagflation concerns across Wall Street. As Mike explained: “The market’s immediate knee-jerk reaction was that terrible S-word — stagflation. If we have a slowing economy with higher commodity prices, you have inflation and a slowing economy.” Tom was quick to add perspective: “One jobs number does not stagflation make. It’s a trend. But the fact that oil’s going up is gonna be considered inflationary, and then you get that jobs report on top of it.” Despite the volatility — with the market opening down 1.5% on Monday before recovering, followed by a sharp Tuesday sell-off — the broader indices showed resilience for the week. Mike observed: “We’ve essentially declared war. You’ve got oil prices up 30%. The market’s only off a little bit for the week. It’s been resilient as a whole.” This kind of choppy, bifurcated market is exactly why a disciplined investment philosophy matters. When risk-on and risk-off signals get scrambled day to day, reactive investors often make the wrong moves at the worst times. AI and the Job Market: Disruption Is Real, But It’s Not All Bad The conversation turned to how artificial intelligence is reshaping the employment landscape and what it means for market sentiment. James Dupree offered a nuanced take on the weak jobs data: “The AI stocks — they don’t really tie that to the economy because AI is going to replace jobs. So it might actually be good if there’s a bad jobs report for those AI stocks.” Mike broke down where the disruption is hitting hardest: “Some of your more tenured and senior workers — they’re benefiting from AI. What it’s impacting are the entry-level jobs. The number crunchers, entry-level analysts — those are the type of things that are able to be AI-ed away.” Tom drew a historical parallel: “AI is obviously the big thing right now. It’s the same way that the dot-com stuff was 20-something years ago. There will be winners and there will be losers, but I happen to believe that AI may actually create jobs because there will be more things that people can do.” For investors, the takeaway is that AI-related stocks occupy a unique space in the current market. James pointed to NVIDIA’s forward P/E ratio of 22 — below the S&P 500’s five-year average of roughly 23 — as evidence that some of the market’s fastest-growing companies are actually reasonably valued despite the broader market looking stretched. Sequence of Returns Risk: The Retirement Danger Most People Don’t See Coming Perhaps the most critical segment of the episode focused on a concept that every person in retirement or thinking about retirement needs to understand: sequence of returns risk. This is the idea that when your returns happen matters just as much as what they average over time — especially when you’re withdrawing money from your portfolio. Mike walked through a clear example: “Let’s say you have a million dollars and you’re drawing 4%, which is $40,000 a year. In the first year, the market goes down by 10% — your million dollars is now $900,000 plus you took out $40,000. So now you’re at $860,000. The next year, another 10% drop — down another $86,000 plus the $40,000 you withdrew. You have to get massive rises in the stock market to get back to even.” He continued: “There comes a point of no return where you’re forced to lower your withdrawal. If a million dollars is now $700,000 and you’re taking out $40,000, that’s now a 5.5% withdrawal rate. It’s negative compounding.” This is one of the core reasons the team at Dupree Financial Group structures retirement portfolios around dividend-paying investments. Tom explained the logic: “Sequence of returns is one reason why we invest for dividends — so that if the sequence of the return is negative, we may not have to be in a position to sell stocks in a down market. We can draw from the dividends.” For anyone approaching retirement or already drawing income, understanding this risk is essential. Resources from FINRA’s investor education center offer additional background on managing withdrawal strategies and retirement income planning. Berkshire Hathaway Under Greg Abel: Culture, Buybacks, and Alignment The episode also covered Berkshire Hathaway’s transition to new leadership under Greg Abel, who took over from Warren Buffett. Abel’s first annual letter to shareholders ran 18 pages — longer than Buffett’s typical letters — and signaled a leadership style rooted in operational detail and cultural preservation. Mike highlighted two significant announcements. First, Berkshire is resuming share buybacks for the first time since May 2024. Second, Abel is investing 100% of his post-tax salary — roughly $15 million per year — into Berkshire stock personally. “It’s all about alignment with shareholders,” Mike said. “It fits the Berkshire culture to a T.” The team also discussed Abel’s emphasis on corporate culture as a lasting competitive advantage. As Abel wrote in his shareholder letter, “Culture is our most treasured asset.” Tom connected that philosophy to Dupree Financial Group’s own approach: “We’ve worked to earn the trust of our clients and we have to keep working to keep that.” Historical Market Returns After Geopolitical Events Mike shared data that puts the current conflict in long-term perspective. Looking at one-year returns following major geopolitical events, the numbers are striking: 11.2% after the Korean War, 27% after the Cuban Missile Crisis, 13% after the Six-Day War, 10% after the Gulf War, nearly 27% after the invasion of Iraq, 19% after the Brexit vote, and 43% in the year following COVID-19. However, Tom added an important caveat for retirees: “What about the 30% drop that came before that? Individuals have to look at sequence of return, not just the long-term averages.” This distinction between how a static portfolio and a retirement portfolio respond to volatility is central to Dupree Financial Group’s investment philosophy — building portfolios of quality, dividend-paying companies in separately managed accounts where each client owns their individual stocks rather than being pooled into a mutual fund. Key Takeaways from This Episode Oil prices have surged nearly 30% due to Strait of Hormuz disruptions, with WTI crude jumping from $72 to $92 per barrel, creating ripple effects across the global economy. Stagflation fears are rising as weak jobs data combines with inflationary energy prices, though one report alone doesn’t confirm a trend. The $3.50 gas price threshold is where consumer spending starts to contract meaningfully — and $4 per gallon is where it gets significantly worse. Sequence of returns risk is more important than average returns for anyone in retirement or approaching it — early losses combined with withdrawals create negative compounding that can be devastating. Dividend investing provides a buffer during market downturns by allowing retirees to draw income without being forced to sell stocks at depressed prices. AI is reshaping the job market, benefiting senior workers while displacing entry-level roles, and creating a unique dynamic for tech stock valuations. Berkshire Hathaway’s Greg Abel is resuming share buybacks and investing his entire post-tax salary in Berkshire stock, signaling strong alignment with shareholders. Diversification across sectors — including energy exposure — helps portfolios weather geopolitical shocks through negative correlation benefits. Frequently Asked Questions How do rising oil prices affect my retirement portfolio? Rising oil prices can trigger inflation, which erodes purchasing power and can hurt broad market returns. However, portfolios with energy sector exposure may benefit from higher commodity prices. The key is having a diversified, actively managed portfolio that can adapt to changing market conditions rather than being locked into a one-size-fits-all approach. What is sequence of returns risk and why does it matter? Sequence of returns risk refers to the danger that poor market returns early in retirement — combined with portfolio withdrawals — can permanently damage your nest egg, even if long-term average returns are positive. A $1 million portfolio losing 10% while withdrawing $40,000 drops to $860,000 in year one, making recovery increasingly difficult. This is why income-focused strategies using dividends can help reduce the need to sell during downturns. Should I be worried about stagflation? One weak jobs report alongside rising oil prices raises the question, but stagflation requires a sustained trend of economic stagnation paired with persistent inflation. The current market has shown resilience despite the volatility. That said, having a portfolio strategy that accounts for inflation protection — through dividend growth stocks and diversified sector exposure — is prudent regardless of the economic outlook. How is AI affecting investment opportunities right now? AI-related stocks are trading somewhat independently from broader economic indicators. Companies like NVIDIA are showing strong earnings growth with forward valuations actually below the S&P 500 average. AI is displacing some entry-level jobs while creating opportunities for more experienced workers, making it a complex but potentially rewarding area for long-term investors. What did Berkshire Hathaway’s new leader announce? Greg Abel, who succeeded Warren Buffett, announced that Berkshire would resume share buybacks and that he would personally invest 100% of his post-tax salary — approximately $15 million annually — into Berkshire stock. His 18-page shareholder letter emphasized operational detail and cultural preservation as his top priorities. Don’t Let Market Noise Derail Your Retirement When oil prices surge, jobs data disappoints, and geopolitical uncertainty dominates the headlines, it’s easy to feel like the ground is shifting beneath your feet. But reactive investing — selling in a panic or chasing the latest trend — is one of the biggest threats to a retirement portfolio. At Dupree Financial Group, every client gets a separately managed account with direct access to their portfolio managers — not an assigned counselor at a call center. Your portfolio is built around your retirement timeline, your income needs, and your risk tolerance, with quality dividend-paying companies that provide income even when markets get choppy. If you don’t know what you own in your portfolio, you need to. Call (859) 233-0400 or schedule your complimentary portfolio review online to find out how a personalized approach could help protect — and grow — your retirement income. Listen to the full episode and explore more market insights on The Financial Hour podcast archive. Hear from clients who’ve made the switch to personalized investment management. Dupree Financial Group is a registered investment advisor (RIA) registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. The information provided in this blog post and podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Please consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions. For more information, please review our firm disclosures on SEC.gov. The post Oil Prices Surge 30%: What Rising Market Volatility Means for Your Retirement Portfolio appeared first on Dupree Financial.

The U.S. unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs, and John explains the factors behind the numbers. Companies may increase productivity by assigning more tasks to current employees, resulting in less hiring. They also discuss the reasons for frequent revisions to job numbers.

President Trump dismissed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position yesterday, but she will move into a new role. Markwayne Mullin will assume her former post. Mark takes your calls!  Mark interviews John Carney, editor at Breitbart Business News. The U.S. unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs, and John explains the factors behind the numbers. Companies may increase productivity by assigning more tasks to current employees, resulting in less hiring. They also discuss the reasons for frequent revisions to job numbers.

President Trump dismissed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position yesterday, but she will move into a new role. Markwayne Mullin will assume her former post. Mark interviews John Carney, editor at Breitbart Business News. The U.S. unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs, and John explains the factors behind the numbers. Companies may increase productivity by assigning more tasks to current employees, resulting in less hiring. They also discuss the reasons for frequent revisions to job numbers. President Trump publicly criticized former Fox host Tucker Carlson's character yesterday. He also announced that Iran's military force continues to be dismantled day by day, with no plans to stop the attacks. Meanwhile, the Oscars are considering a performance by Barbra Streisand. Mark interviews comedian Jackie Martling. Jackie keeps Mark laughing with his quick one-liners and jokes. He also addresses being mentioned in the Epstein files.

The U.S. unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs, and John explains the factors behind the numbers. Companies may increase productivity by assigning more tasks to current employees, resulting in less hiring. They also discuss the reasons for frequent revisions to job numbers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump dismissed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position yesterday, but she will move into a new role. Markwayne Mullin will assume her former post. Mark takes your calls!  Mark interviews John Carney, editor at Breitbart Business News. The U.S. unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs, and John explains the factors behind the numbers. Companies may increase productivity by assigning more tasks to current employees, resulting in less hiring. They also discuss the reasons for frequent revisions to job numbers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump dismissed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position yesterday, but she will move into a new role. Markwayne Mullin will assume her former post. Mark interviews John Carney, editor at Breitbart Business News. The U.S. unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs, and John explains the factors behind the numbers. Companies may increase productivity by assigning more tasks to current employees, resulting in less hiring. They also discuss the reasons for frequent revisions to job numbers. President Trump publicly criticized former Fox host Tucker Carlson's character yesterday. He also announced that Iran's military force continues to be dismantled day by day, with no plans to stop the attacks. Meanwhile, the Oscars are considering a performance by Barbra Streisand. Mark interviews comedian Jackie Martling. Jackie keeps Mark laughing with his quick one-liners and jokes. He also addresses being mentioned in the Epstein files.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1983: Christine Comaford reveals the five critical leadership mistakes that quietly derail high-performance CEOs, drawing on Robert S. Hartman's research and decades of executive coaching. She breaks down how inconsistencies, weak execution, cultural misalignment, poor accountability, and stagnant innovation erode momentum, often before leaders realize it. Learn how to course-correct with disciplined strategy, embodied values, and systems that foster both ownership and innovation. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://smarttribesinstitute.com/five-fatal-mistakes-halt-high-performance-leaders/ Quotes to ponder: "Companies rise and fall on leadership. Period." "Clear Expectation + Owner Agreement + Rewards & Consequences = Ownership And High Accountability" "From a politically correct standpoint, every CEO will tell you that they encourage out of the box thinking, or innovative thinking." Episode references: Robert S. Hartman Institute: https://www.hartmaninstitute.org/

It was a wild week in artificial intelligence. Joe and Robert break down a surprising stumble from OpenAI and the aggressive counter-moves coming from Anthropic. The hosts unpack what these developments signal for the broader AI landscape and why the growing concentration of power among a small number of platforms should concern marketers and creators alike. If a handful of companies ultimately control how AI works and how it distributes information, that likely tells us exactly where marketing is headed as well. Along the way, Joe and Robert offer a few friendly suggestions to Sam Altman on how he might rethink his public communication strategy during moments of controversy and rapid change. Next, the show shifts to a supposed social media "problem" involving the CEO of McDonald's on Instagram. Except… it wasn't really a problem at all. Joe and Robert argue the episode was actually a major brand win. The bigger lesson? Companies should stop hiding their quirky, weird, and interesting employees. Celebrating authentic personalities inside organizations may be one of the most underused marketing advantages available today. The conversation then moves into the exploding trend of 90-second serialized dramas dominating short-form video platforms. What started as a niche format is quickly becoming a global phenomenon, reshaping storytelling and opening the door to entirely new forms of brand entertainment. Winners and Losers Joe highlights the creative marketing moves coming from Staples and why the brand may be onto something smart in a crowded retail environment. Robert, meanwhile, calls out what he believes was a strategic misstep from global advertising giant WPP. Rants and Raves Joe raves about a growing opportunity inspired by a recent article in The Wall Street Journal on the rise of subscription mail products and why creators should pay close attention to physical experiences in a digital world. And in a rare twist, Robert offers praise for the research and insights coming from Gartner… something listeners may not have expected. As always, Joe and Robert break down what it all means for marketers trying to build sustainable media brands in a world increasingly shaped by platforms, AI, and shifting audience behavior. Subscribe and Follow: Follow Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose on LinkedIn for insights, hot takes, and weekly updates from the world of content and marketing.  ------- This week's sponsor: Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts.  All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more. Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better. ------- Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/ Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/ Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.joepulizzi.com/signup/. Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/  Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/ ------- This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

James A. Weiss, managing director of Big Drop Inc, demonstrates how discipline from competitive fencing translates into digital leadership excellence. Big Drop Inc. grew organically by solving real client problems rather than forcing service expansion, proving that agencies succeed by managing expectations effectively, not just delivering outputs. Companies that adopt new technologies early while maintaining proven practices achieve sustainable growth; those chasing every shiny object risk short-term gains that don't compound into lasting competitive advantage. James's leadership extends beyond business metrics into human values shaped by parenthood and community commitment. He champions inclusive design not as compliance but as business imperative, recognizing that twenty-five percent of the global population benefits from accessibility-first thinking. His integration of personal growth with professional decision-making creates cultures where long-term client partnerships flourish because they're built on genuine curiosity about what clients truly need, not just what can be sold to them. Ready to build sustainable digital growth? Big Drop Inc. specializes in strategic SEO audits, comprehensive marketing consultations, and AI-informed search optimization that positions your brand for years of success. Visit their website to connect with James and his team for a free consultation—transform your digital presence from reactive to strategically intentional today. For the accessible version of the podcast, go to our Ziotag gallery.We're happy you're here! Like the pod?Support the podcast and receive discounts from our sponsors: https://yourbrandamplified.codeadx.me/Leave a rating and review on your favorite platformFollow @yourbrandamplified on the socialsTalk to my digital avatar Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Companies are treating AI as an IT rollout rather than a fundamental business transformation. Stephen Wunker, Managing Director at New Markets Advisors, explains why this approach will become a costly strategic mistake within three years. He outlines the cross-functional framework required for successful AI integration, including HR involvement for workforce transition planning, and demonstrates how AI can fundamentally reshape value propositions and go-to-market channels beyond operational efficiency.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SCOTUS halted Trump's sweeping tariffs, but Americans already paid higher prices. Now corporations may receive refunds. Will consumers see relief or another corporate windfall? Weems and Willies.Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://politicsdoneright.com/newsletterPurchase our Books: As I See It: https://amzn.to/3XpvW5o How To Make AmericaUtopia: https://amzn.to/3VKVFnG It's Worth It: https://amzn.to/3VFByXP Lose Weight And BeFit Now: https://amzn.to/3xiQK3K Tribulations of anAfro-Latino Caribbean man: https://amzn.to/4c09rbE

Interview with David Stein, President & CEO of Kuya SilverOur previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/kuya-silver-kuya-buy-cheap-sell-high-silver-developer-717Recording date: 3rd March 2026Kuya Silver (TSXV:KUYA) is a silver producer operating the Bethania Silver Mine in central Peru, and it is approaching one of the most consequential periods in its short history. The company has production underway, a mill acquisition closing imminently, a fully funded balance sheet, and an exploration programme just getting started. Kuya began processing silver concentrate through the Camila toll mill in late 2024. In January 2026, the company announced it would acquire Camila outright for approximately $9 million including planned improvements, closing expected before the end of March. Owning the facility eliminates third-party processing fees, reduces operational risk, provides access to lower-cost hydro-grid power, and creates an opportunity to generate third-party processing revenue from smaller regional miners. The logistics are already in place as Camila sits on the route between the mine and the export port, meaning nothing about the physical operation changes at closing, only the economics.Following the acquisition and approximately $3 million in additional near-term capital expenditure  covering underground drilling and a new mine ramp, Kuya expects to hold roughly $12–15 million on its balance sheet. With production scaling and costs now more firmly under the company's control, management does not anticipate requiring further equity financing in the near term. That is a meaningful statement for a company of this size.The growth optionality behind the production story is substantial. Kuya has expanded its land position from the original 45-hectare Bethania mine property to approximately 4,500 hectares. Surface prospecting has already identified six additional silver vein systems within a five-kilometre radius of the mine. Underground drilling is targeting a 50-metre-at-a-time extension of the existing resource, with an estimated one million ounces of silver potentially added per 10 metres drilled. A surface drill rig is expected to be mobilised in Q3 2026, with a second potentially following before year-end. The stated three-year target is 100 million ounces of silver would represent a transformation of the company's resource base and market profile.Longer term, Kuya's vision is to operate two 350-tonne-per-day processing facilities (Camila and a future permitted plant at Bethania) producing approximately three million ounces of silver per year by 2028. Both facilities are either owned or permitted. The capital to build the Bethania plant is expected to come from operating cash flow rather than equity markets.The re-rating catalyst is the first profitable quarter, which management expects within one to two reporting periods. At current silver prices, that quarter may land with more force than many investors currently anticipate. Companies of Kuya's profile, once they demonstrate sustained cash generation, have historically attracted a different class of investor and a different valuation framework. That transition appears imminent.View Kuya Silver's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/kuya-silverSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com

Send a textTune in for  the CRE Collaborative Inc. Roundtable as we talk through current market distraction and uncertainty amid regulation, consolidation, litigation, legislation, vendor bias in assessments, escalating cyber threats, and public/political resistance to AI/data centers.How To: Execute fundamentals; leverage predictive analytics and AI for independent grading; strengthen cyber hygiene and insurance; advocate on policy (1031, data centers, private property rights); experiment with AI ethically in targeted workflows.Why this is relevant: Deals flow to those who prepare and execute; unbiased evaluation improves decisions; cyber resilience protects wires and data; policy engagement and ethical AI use shape operating conditions and growth.“To me it's all about regulation and consolidation and litigation. And legislation.” Stated Saul Klein“Keep listing, keep selling… Do what you normally do and that you do well and it'll all work out.” Stated Saul Klein "Only people whose businesses are growing are interested in marketing… they're already self-selecting.” Stated Rebekah Carlson “This system represents… the closest thing to an independent evaluator that can look at things at such a broader scale.” stated Andreas Senie  “You are not crazy; all these things are in fact happening.” stated Darren Hayes =Practical Takeaways: Double down on foundations: announce conference attendance, book meetings in advance, and run networking cadences to convert appearances into deals.Integrate AI-driven, predictive asset grading to forecast CapEx, refine NOI, and prioritize capital deployment across resilient asset classes.Attach a cybersecurity policy to E&O; enforce MFA and dual wire verification; keep mobile OS updated and train teams on social engineering red flags.Tune in to the replay where the  CRE Collaborative Roundtable discuss all things Technology, Marketing, Brokerage, Government Policy, Capital, Construction & Cyber Security in Real Estate. How to it affects your real estate businesses, and what you can do for the next 30 days to outpace the competition.Your Roundtable Hosts:Andreas Senie, Host, Founder CRECollaborative (CRECo.ai), Technology Growth Strategist, CRETech Thought Leader, & Brokerage OwnerSaul Klein, Realtor Emeritus, Data Advocate & Futurist, Original Real Estate Internet Evangelist, Executive Editor Realty Times, IncRebekah Carlson, Founder & CEO Carlson Integrated, LLC, Past President NICAR Association, Brokerage OwnerProfessor Darren Hayes CEO Code Detectives, Professor Pace University, & Top 10 Forensic Cyber Security Specialist nationwide.Dan Wagner, Senior Vice President Government Relations at The The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc.ABOUT THE ROUNDTABLE:Your all in one comprehensive view of what is happening across the real estate industry -- straight from some of the industry's earliest technology adopters and foremost experts in Technology, Marketing, Capital, Construction & Cyber Security in Real EstateJoin us live at 6 PM EST on the 1st Thursday of each month, across all major social media channels and wherever you get your podcasts.This three-part show consists of:Part I: IntroduDon't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel where there is a host of additional great content and to visit CRECo.ai the Commercial Real Estate Industry's all-in-one dashboard to connect, research, execute, and collaborate online CRECo.ai. Please be sure to share, rate, and review us it really does help! Learn more at : https://welcome.creco.ai/reroundtable

Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links —Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.

In today's market, AI valuations are expanding faster than fundamentals can justify. Companies with minimal free cash flow are being priced as if dominance is already secured.  Capital continues to circulate between venture portfolios, strategic partners, and ecosystem incumbents, reinforcing growth narratives that assume liquidity remains abundant. But markets don't reward narratives forever. When growth slows or capital tightens, the question shifts from projected upside to structural durability. Does the business generate real cash? Does it control proprietary data that compounds value? Is it positioned to be acquired or forced to sell? This is where discipline separates operators from spectators. Daniel Nikic has spent years operating inside early-stage capital markets, studying transaction patterns, portfolio structures, and acquisition behavior. From that vantage point, valuation is less about headlines and more about capital flows, strategic adjacency, and who holds liquidity when cycles turn. In this episode, we look beneath the surface of today's AI enthusiasm to examine what actually drives valuation, how smart founders reverse-engineer an exit, and why companies entering a slowdown with balance sheet strength don't just survive, they consolidate.   About the Guest  Daniel Nikic is an investment research professional and entrepreneur dedicated to delivering tailored insights and strategic solutions. With over two decades of experience, Daniel has built a career dedicated to empowering investors and businesses with actionable insights. Born and raised in Canada, He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Brock University, where his passion for market dynamics and financial analysis began to take shape. ​As the founder of Cohres, a boutique investment research firm, Daniel specializes in helping high-net-worth individuals, venture capitalists, and startups navigate complex markets and emerging industries such as AI, SaaS, and data. His career journey includes impactful roles at HB Reavis, where he managed €500M real estate projects, Zursh, where he led AI-focused initiatives, and Azafran Capital Partners, where he developed investment strategies and managed data teams. ​Through his dedication to innovation, Daniel combines a global perspective with a hands-on approach, helping clients uncover growth opportunities and achieve their goals. His leadership has positioned Cohres as a trusted name in investment research and strategic planning. To learn more, visit https://www.danielnikic.com/.    About Your Host From pro-snowboarder to money mogul, Chris Naugle has dedicated his life to being America's #1 Money Mentor. With a core belief that success is built not by the resources you have, but by how resourceful you can be. Chris has built and owned 19 companies, with his businesses being featured in Forbes, ABC, House Hunters, and his very own HGTV pilot in 2018. He is the founder of The Money School™ and Money Mentor for The Money Multiplier. His success also includes managing tens of millions of dollars in assets in the financial services and advisory industry and in real estate transactions. As an innovator and visionary in wealth-building and real estate, he empowers entrepreneurs, business owners, and real estate investors with the knowledge of how money works. Chris is also a nationally recognized speaker, author, and podcast host. He has spoken to and taught over ten thousand Americans, delivering the financial knowledge that fuels lasting freedom.   Resources Get Your FREE Copy Of 'The Private Money Guide'  and 'Mapping Out The Millionaire Mystery'.  Keep up with us every week on our FREE Live webinars for more conversations like this, and as a BONUS, get our newest mini-ebook instantly upon signing up! https://moneyschoolrei.com/wednesday-webinar (digital download). Dive into money, mindset, and motivation videos on my YouTube Channel, and be sure to subscribe so you can be notified of our weekly LIVE streams. Find out about our next weekend workshop, and see what others are saying: https://www.moneyschooltraining.com/registration.      

The reception to our recent post on Code Reviews has been strong. Catch up!Amid a maelstrom of discussion on whether or not AI is killing SaaS, one of the top publicly listed SaaS companies in the world has just reported record revenues, clearing well over $1.1B in ARR for the first time with a 28% margin. As we comment on the pod, Aaron Levie is the rare public company CEO equally at home in both worlds of Silicon Valley and Wall Street/Main Street, by day helping 70% of the Fortune 500 with their Enterprise Advanced Suite, and yet by night is often found in the basements of early startups and tweeting viral insights about the future of agents.Now that both Cursor, Cloudflare, Perplexity, Anthropic and more have made Filesystems and Sandboxes and various forms of “Just Give the Agent a Box” cool (not just cool; it is now one of the single hottest areas in AI infrastructure growing 100% MoM), we find it a delightfully appropriate time to do the episode with the OG CEO who has been giving humans and computers Boxes since he was a college dropout pitching VCs at a Michael Arrington house party.Enjoy our special pod, with fan favorite returning guest/guest cohost Jeff Huber!Note: We didn't directly discuss the AI vs SaaS debate - Aaron has done many, many, many other podcasts on that, and you should read his definitive essay on it. Most commentators do not understand SaaS businesses because they have never scaled one themselves, and deeply reflected on what the true value proposition of SaaS is.We also discuss Your Company is a Filesystem:We also shoutout CTO Ben Kus' and the AI team, who talked about the technical architecture and will return for AIE WF 2026.Full Video EpisodeTimestamps* 00:00 Adapting Work for Agents* 01:29 Why Every Agent Needs a Box* 04:38 Agent Governance and Identity* 11:28 Why Coding Agents Took Off First* 21:42 Context Engineering and Search Limits* 31:29 Inside Agent Evals* 33:23 Industries and Datasets* 35:22 Building the Agent Team* 38:50 Read Write Agent Workflows* 41:54 Docs Graphs and Founder Mode* 55:38 Token FOMO Culture* 56:31 Production Function Secrets* 01:01:08 Film Roots to Box* 01:03:38 AI Future of Movies* 01:06:47 Media DevRel and EngineeringTranscriptAdapting Work for AgentsAaron Levie: Like you don't write code, you talk to an agent and it goes and does it for you, and you may be at best review it. That's even probably like, like largely not even what you're doing. What's happening is we are changing our work to make the agents effective. In that model, the agent didn't really adapt to how we work.We basically adapted to how the agent works. All of the economy has to go through that exact same evolution. Right now, it's a huge asset and an advantage for the teams that do it early and that are kinda wired into doing this ‘cause you'll see compounding returns. But that's just gonna take a while for most companies to actually go and get this deployed.swyx: Welcome to the Lane Space Pod. We're back in the chroma studio with uh, chroma, CEO, Jeff Hoover. Welcome returning guest now guest host.Aaron Levie: It's a pleasure. Wow. How'd you get upgraded to, uh, to that?swyx: Because he's like the perfect guy to be guest those for you.Aaron Levie: That makes sense actually, for We love context. We, we both really love context le we really do.We really do.swyx: Uh, and we're here with, uh, Aaron Levy. Welcome.Aaron Levie: Thank you. Good to, uh, good to be [00:01:00] here.swyx: Uh, yeah. So we've all met offline and like chatted a little bit, but like, it's always nice to get these things in person and conversation. Yeah. You just started off with so much energy. You're, you're super excited about agents.I loveAaron Levie: agents.swyx: Yeah. Open claw. Just got by, got bought by OpenAI. No, not bought, but you know, you know what I mean?Aaron Levie: Some, some, you know, acquihire. Executiveswyx: hire.Aaron Levie: Executive hire. Okay. Executive hire. Say,swyx: hey, that's my term. Okay. Um, what are you pounding the table on on agents? You have so many insightful tweets.Why Every Agent Needs a BoxAaron Levie: Well, the thing that, that we get super excited by that I think is probably, you know, should be relatively obvious is we've, we've built a platform to help enterprises manage their files and their, their corporate files and the permissions of who has access to those files and the sharing collaboration of those files.All of those files contain really, really important information for the enterprise. It might have your contracts, it might have your research materials, it might have marketing information, it might have your memos. All that data obviously has, you know, predominantly been used by humans. [00:02:00] But there's been one really interesting problem, which is that, you know, humans only really work with their files during an active engagement with them, and they kind of go away and you don't really see them for a long time.And all of a sudden, uh, with the power of AI and AI agents, all of that data becomes extremely relevant as this ongoing source of, of answers to new questions of data that will transform into, into something else that, that produces value in your organization. It, it contains the answer to the new employee that's onboarding, that needs to ramp up on a project.Um, it contains the answer to the right thing to sell a customer when you're having a conversation to them, with them contains the roadmap information that's gonna produce the next feature. So all that data. That previously we've been just sort of storing and, and you know, occasionally forgetting about, ‘cause we're only working on the new active stuff.All of that information becomes valuable to the enterprise and it's gonna become extremely valuable to end users because now they can have agents go find what they're looking for and produce new, new [00:03:00] value and new data on that information. And it's gonna become incredibly valuable to agents because agents can roam around and do a bunch of work and they're gonna need access to that data as well.And um, and you know, sometimes that will be an agent that is sort of working on behalf of, of, of you and, and effectively as you as and, and they are kind of accessing all of the same information that you have access to and, and operating as you in the system. And then sometimes there's gonna be agents that are just.Effectively autonomous and kind of run on their own and, and you're gonna collaborate and work with them kind of like you did another person. Open Claw being the most recent and maybe first real sort of, you know, kind of, you know, up updating everybody's, you know, views of this landscape version of, of what that could look like, which is, okay, I have an agent.It's on its own system, it's on its own computer, it has access to its own tools. I probably don't give it access to my entire life. I probably communicate with it like I would an assistant or a colleague and then it, it sort of has this sandbox environment. So all of that has massive implications for a platform that manage that [00:04:00] enterprise data.We think it's gonna just transform how we work with all of the enterprise content that we work with, and we just have to make sure we're building the right platform to support that.swyx: The sort of shorthand I put it is as people build agents, everybody's just realizing that every agent needs a box. Yes.And it's nice to be called box and just give everyone a box.Aaron Levie: Hey, I if I, you know, if we can make that go viral, uh, like I, I think that that terminology, I, that's theswyx: tagline. Every agentAaron Levie: needs a box. Every agent needs a box. If we can make that the headline of this, I'm fine with this. And that's the billboard I wanna like Yeah, exactly.Every agent needs a box. Um, I like it. Can we ship this? Like,swyx: okay, let's do it. Yeah.Aaron Levie: Uh, my work here is done and I got the value I needed outta this podcast Drinks.swyx: Yeah.Agent Governance and IdentityAaron Levie: But, but, um, but, but, you know, so the thing that we, we kind of think about is, um, is, you know, whether you think the number 10 x or a hundred x or whatever the number is, we're gonna have some order of magnitude more agents than people.That's inevitable. It has to happen. So then the question is, what is the infrastructure that's needed to make all those agents effective in the enterprise? Make sure that they are well governed. Make sure they're only doing [00:05:00] safe things on your information. Make sure that they're not getting exposed. The data that they shouldn't have access to.There's gonna be just incredibly spectacularly crazy security incidents that will happen with agents because you'll prompt, inject an agent and sort of find your way through the CRM system and pull out data that you shouldn't have access to. Oh, weJeff Huber: have God,Aaron Levie: right? I mean, that's just gonna happen all over the place, right?So, so then the thing is, is how do you make sure you have the right security, the permissions, the access controls, the data governance. Um, we actually don't yet exactly know in many cases how we're gonna regulate some of these agents, right? If you think about an agent in financial services, does it have the exact same financial sort of, uh, requirements that a human did?Or is it, is the risk fully on the human that was interacting or created the agent? All open questions, but no matter what, there's gonna need to be a layer that manages the, the data they have access to, the workflows that they're involved in, pulling up data from multiple systems. This is the new infrastructure opportunity in the era of agents.swyx: You have a piece on agent identities, [00:06:00] which I think was today, um, which I think a lot of breaking news, the security, security people are talking about, right? Like you basically, I, I always think of this as like, well you need the human you and then there you need the agent. YouAaron Levie: Yes.swyx: And uh, well, I don't know if it's that simple, but is box going to have an opinion on that or you're just gonna be like, well we're just the sort of the, the source layer.Yeah. Let's Okta of zero handle that.Aaron Levie: I think we're gonna have an opinion and we will work with generally wherever the contours of the market end up. Um, and the reason that we're gonna have an opinion more than other topics probably is because one of the biggest use cases for why your agent might need it, an identity is for file system access.So thus we have to kind of think about this pretty deeply. And I think, uh, unless you're like in our world thinking about this particular problem all day long, it might be, you know, like, why is this such a big deal? And the reason why it's a really big deal is because sometimes sort of say, well just give the agent an, an account on the system and it just treats, treat it like every other type of user on the system.The [00:07:00] problem is, is that I as Aaron don't really have any responsibility over anybody else's box account in our organization. I can't see the box account of any other employee that I work with. I am not liable for anything that they do. And they have, I have, I have, you know, strict privacy requirements on everything that they're able to, you know, that, that, that they work on.Agents don't have that, you know, don't have those properties. The person who creates the agent probably is gonna, for the foreseeable future, take on a lot of the liability of what that agent does. That agent doesn't deserve any privacy because, because it's, you know, it can't fully be autonomously operated and it doesn't have any legal, you know, kind of, you know, responsibility.So thus you can't just be like, oh, well I'll just create a bunch of accounts and then I'll, I'll kind of work with that agent and I'll talk to it occasionally. Like you need oversight of that. And so then the question is, how do you have a world where the agent, sometimes you have oversight of, but what if that agent goes and works with other people?That person over there is collaborating with the agent on something you shouldn't have [00:08:00] access to what they're doing. So we have all of these new boundaries that we're gonna have to figure out of, of, you know, it's really, really easy. So far we've been in, in easy mode. We've hit the easy button with ai, which is the agent just is you.And when you're in quad code and you're in cursor, and you're in Codex, you're just, the agent is you. You're offing into your services. It can do everything you can do. That's the easy mode. The hard mode is agents are kind of running on their own. People check in with them occasionally, they're doing things autonomously.How do you give them access to resources in the enterprise and not dramatically increased the security risk and the risk that you might expose the wrong thing to somebody. These are all the new problems that we have to get solved. I like the identity layer and, and identity vendors as being a solution to that, but we'll, we'll need some opinions as well because so many of the use cases are these collaborative file system use cases, which is how do I give it an agent, a subset of my data?Give it its own workspace as well. ‘cause it's gonna need to store off its own information that would be relevant for it. And how do I have the right oversight into that? [00:09:00]Jeff Huber: One thing, which, um, I think is kind interesting, think about is that you know, how humans work, right? Like I may not also just like give you access to the whole file.I might like sit next to you and like scroll to this like one part of the file and just show you that like one part and like, you know,swyx: partial file access.Jeff Huber: I'm just saying I think like our, like RA does seem to be dead, right? Like you wanna say something is dead uhhuh probably RA is dead. And uh, like the auth story to me seems like incredibly unsolved and unaddressed by like the existing state of like AI vendors.ButAaron Levie: yeah, I think, um, we're, I mean you're taking obviously really to level limit that we probably need to solve for. Yeah. And we built an access control system that was, was kind of like, you know, its own little world for, for a long time. And um, and the idea was this, it's a many to many collaboration system where I can give you any part of the file system.And it's a waterfall model. So if I give you higher up in the, in the, in the system, you get everything below. And that, that kind of created immense flexibility because I can kind of point you to any layer in the, in the tree, but then you're gonna get access to everything kind of below it. And that [00:10:00] mostly is, is working in this, in this world.But you do have to manage this issue, which is how do I create an agent that has access to some of my stuff and somebody else's stuff as well. Mm-hmm. And which parts do I get to look at as the creator of the agent? And, and these are just brand new problems? Yeah. Crazy. And humans, when there was a human there that was really easy to do.Like, like if the three of us were all sharing, there'd be a Venn diagram where we'd have an overlapping set of things we've shared, but then we'd have our own ways that we shared with each other. In an agent world, somebody needs to take responsibility for what that agent has access to and what they're working on.These are like the, some of the most probably, you know, boring problems for 98% of people on, on the internet, but they will be the problems that are the difference between can you actually have autonomous agents in an enterprise contextswyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: That are not leaking your data constantly.swyx: No. Like, I mean, you know, I run a very, very small company for my conference and like we already have data sensitivity issues.Yes. And some of my team members cannot see Yes. Uh, the others and like, I can't imagine what it's like to run a Fortune 500 and like, you have to [00:11:00] worry about this. I'm just kinda curious, like you, you talked to a lot like, like 70, 80% of your cus uh, of the Fortune 500, your customers.Aaron Levie: Yep. 67%. Just so we're being verySEswyx: precise.So Yeah. I'm notAaron Levie: Okay. Okay.swyx: Something I'm rounding up. Yes. Round up. I'm projecting to, forAaron Levie: the government.swyx: I'm projecting to the end of the year.Aaron Levie: Okay.swyx: There you go.Aaron Levie: You do make it sound like, like we, we, well we've gotta be on this. Like we're, we're taking way too long to get to 80%. Well,swyx: no, I mean, so like. How are they approaching it?Right? Because you're, you don't have a, you don't have a final answer yet.Why Coding Agents Took Off FirstAaron Levie: Well, okay, so, so this is actually, this is the stark reality that like, unfortunately is the kinda like pouring the water on the party a little bit.swyx: Yes.Aaron Levie: We all in Silicon Valley are like, have the absolute best conditions possible for AI ever.And I think we all saw the dke, you know, kind of Dario podcast and this idea of AI coding. Why is that taken off? And, and we're not yet fully seeing it everywhere else. Well, look, if you just like enumerated the list of properties that AI coding has and then compared it to other [00:12:00] knowledge work, let's just, let's just go through a few of them.Generally speaking, you bring on a new engineer, they have access to a large swath of the code base. Like, there's like very, like you, just, like new engineer comes on, they can just go and find the, the, the stuff that they, they need to work with. It's a fully text in text out. Medium. It's only, it's just gonna be text at the end of the day.So it's like really great from a, from just a, uh, you know, kinda what the agent can work with. Obviously the models are super trained on that dataset. The labs themselves have a really strong, kind of self-reinforcing positive flywheel of why they need to do, you know, agent coding deeply. So then you get just better tooling, better services.The actual developers of the AI are daily users of the, of the thing that they're we're working on versus like the, you know, probably there's only like seven Claude Cowork legal plugin users at Anthropic any given day, but there's like a couple thousand Claude code and you know, users every single day.So just like, think about which one are they getting more feedback on. All day long. So you just go through this list. You have a, you know, everybody who's a [00:13:00] developer by definition is technical so they can go install the latest thing. We're all generally online, or at least, you know, kinda the weird ones are, and we're all talking to each other, sharing best practices, like that's like already eight differences.Versus the rest of the economy. Every other part of the economy has like, like six to seven headwinds relative to that list. You go into a company, you're a banker in financial services, you have access to like a, a tiny little subset of the total data that's gonna be relevant to do your job. And you're have to start to go and talk to a bunch of people to get the right data to do your job because Sally didn't add you to that deal room, you know, folder.And that that, you know, the information is actually in a completely different organization that you now have to go in and, and sort of run into. And it's like you have this endless list of access controls and security. As, as you talked about, you have a medium, which is not, it's not just text, right? You have, you have a zoom call that, that you're getting all of the requirements from the customer.You have a lot of in-person conversations and you're doing in-person sales and like how do you ever [00:14:00] digitize all of that information? Um, you know, I think a lot of people got upset with this idea that the code base has all the context, um, that I don't know if you follow, you know, did you follow some of that conversation that that went viral?Is like, you know, it's not that simple that, that the code base doesn't have all the knowledge, but like it's a lot, you're a lot better off than you are with other areas of knowledge work. Like you, we like, we like have documentation practices, you write specifications. Those things don't exist for like 80% of work that happens in the enterprise.That's the divide that we have, which is, which is AI coding has, has just fully, you know, where we've reached escape velocity of how powerful this stuff is, and then we're gonna have to find a way to bring that same energy and momentum, but to all these other areas of knowledge work. Where the tools aren't there, the data's not set up to be there.The access controls don't make it that easy. The context engineering is an incredibly hard problem because again, you have access control challenges, you have different data formats. You have end users that are gonna need to kind of be kind of trained through this as opposed to their adopting [00:15:00] these tools in their free time.That's where the Fortune 500 is. And so we, I think, you know, have to be prepared as an industry where we are gonna be on a multi-year march to, to be able to bring agents to the enterprise for these workflows. And I think probably the, the thing that we've learned most in coding that, that the rest of the world is not yet, I think ready for, I mean, we're, they'll, they'll have to be ready for it because it's just gonna inevitably happen is I think in coding.What, what's interesting is if you think about the practice of coding today versus two years ago. It's probably the most changed workflow in maybe the history of time from the amount of time it's changed, right? Yeah. Like, like has any, has any workflow in the entire economy changed that quickly in terms of the amount of change?I just, you know, at least in any knowledge worker workflow, there's like very rarely been an event where one piece of technology and work practice has so fundamentally, you know, changed, changed what you do. Like you don't write code, you talk to an agent and it goes and [00:16:00] does it for you, and you may be at best review it.And even that's even probably like, like largely not even what you're doing. What's happening is we are changing our work to make the agents effective. In that model, the agent didn't really adapt to how we work. We basically adapted to how the agent works. Mm-hmm. All of the economy has to go through that exact same evolution.The rest of the economy is gonna have to update its workflows to make agents effective. And to give agents the context that they need and to actually figure out what kind of prompting works and to figure out how do you ensure that the agent has the right access to information to be able to execute on its work.I, you know, this is not the panacea that people were hoping for, of the agent drops in, just automates your life. Like you have to basically re-engineer your workflow to get the most out of agents and, uh, and that, that's just gonna take, you know, multiple years across the economy. Right now it's a huge asset and an advantage for the teams that do it early and that are kinda wired into doing this.‘cause [00:17:00] you'll see compounding returns, but that's just gonna take a while for most companies to actually go and get this deployed.swyx: I love, I love pushing back. I think that. That is what a lot of technology consultants love to hear this sort of thing, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. First to, to embrace the ai. Yes. To get to the promised land, you must pay me so much money to a hundred percent to adopt the prescribed way of, uh, conforming to the agents.Yes. And I worry that you will be eclipsed by someone else who says, no, come as you are.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: And we'll meet you where you are.Aaron Levie: And, and, and and what was the thing that went viral a week ago? OpenAI probably, uh, is hiring F Dees. Yeah. Uh, to go into the enterprise. Yeah. Yeah. And then philanthropic is embedded at Goldman Sachs.Yeah. So if the labs are having to do this, if, if the labs have decided that they need to hire FDE and professional services, then I think that's a pretty clear indication that this, there's no easy mode of workflow transformation. Yeah. Yeah. So, so to your point, I think actually this is a market opportunity for, you know, new professional services and consulting [00:18:00] firms that are like Agent Build and they, and they kind of, you know, go into organizations and they figure out how to re-engineer your workflows to make them more agent ready and get your data into the right format and, you know, reconstruct your business process.So you're, you're not doing most of the work. You're telling agents how to do the work and then you're reviewing it. But I haven't seen the thing that can just drop in and, and kinda let you not go through those changes.swyx: I don't know how that kind of sales pitch goes over. Yeah. You know, you're, you're saying things like, well, in my sort of nice beautiful walled garden, here's, there's, uh, because here's this, here's this beautiful box account that has everything.Yes. And I'm like, well, most, most real life is extremely messy. Sure. And like, poorly named and there duplicate this outdated s**tAaron Levie: a hundred percent. And so No, no, a hundred percent. And so this is actually No. So, so this is, I mean, we agree that, that getting to the beautiful garden is gonna be tough.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: There's also the other end of the spectrum where I, I just like, it's a technical impossibility to solve. The agent is, is truly cannot get enough context to make the right decision in, in the, in the incredibly messy land. Like there's [00:19:00] no a GI that will solve that. So, so we're gonna have to kind of land in somewhere in between, which is like we all collectively get better at.Documentation practices and, and having authoritative relatively up-to-date information and putting it in the right place like agents will, will certainly cause us to be much better organized around how we work with our information, simply because the severity of the agent pulling the wrong data will be too high and the productivity gain of that you'll miss out on by not doing this will be too high as well, that you, that your competition will just do it and they'll just have higher velocity.So, uh, and, and we, we see this a lot firsthand. So we, we build a series of agents internally that they can kind of have access to your full box account and go off and you give it a task and it can go find whatever information you're looking for and work with. And, you know, thank God for the model progress, but like, if, if you gave that task to an agent.Nine months ago, you're just gonna get lots of bogus answers because it's gonna, it's gonna say, Hey, here's, here are fi [00:20:00] five, you know, documents that all kind of smell like the right thing. And I'm gonna, but I, but you're, you're putting me on the clock. ‘cause my assistant prompt says like, you know, be pretty smart, but also try and respond to the user and it's gonna respond.And it's like, ah, it got the wrong document. And then you do that once or twice as a knowledge worker and you're just neverswyx: again,Aaron Levie: never again. You're just like done with the system.swyx: Yeah. It doesn't work.Aaron Levie: It doesn't work. And so, you know, Opus four six and Gemini three one Pro and you know, whatever the latest five 3G BT will be, like, those things are getting better and better and it's using better judgment.And this sort of like the, all of these updates to the agentic tool and search systems are, are, we're seeing, we're seeing very real progress where the agent. Kind of can, can almost smell some things a little bit fishy when it's getting, you know, we, we have this process where we, we have it go fan out, do a bunch of searches, pull up a bunch of data, and then it has to sort of do its own ranking of, you know, what are the right documents that, that it should be working with.And again, like, you know, the intelligence level of a model six months ago, [00:21:00] it'd be just throwing a dart at like, I'm just, I'm gonna grab these seven files and I, I pray, I hope that that's the right answer. And something like an opus first four five, and now four six is like, oh, it's like, no, that one doesn't seem right relative to this question because I'm seeing some signal that is making that, you know, that's contradicting the document where it would normally be in the tree and who should have access.Like it's doing all of that kind of work for you. But like, it still doesn't work if you just have a total wasteland of data. Like, it's just not, it's just not possible. Partly ‘cause a human wouldn't even be able to do it. So basically if a, if a really, really smart human. Could not do that task in five or 10 minutes for a search retrieval type task.Look, you know, your agent's not gonna be able to do it any better. You see this all day long. SoContext Engineering and Search Limitsswyx: this touches on a thing that just passionate about it was just context engineering. I, I'm just gonna let you ramble or riff on, on context engineering. If, if, if there's anything like he, he did really good work on context fraud, which has really taken over as like the term that people use and the referenceAaron Levie: a hundred percent.We, we all we think about is, is the context rob problem. [00:22:00]Jeff Huber: Yeah, there's certainly a lot of like ranking considerations. Gentech surgery think is incredibly promising. Um, yeah, I was trying to generate a question though. I think I have a question right now. Swyx.Aaron Levie: Yeah, no, but like, like I think there was this moment, um, you know, like, I don't know, two years ago before, before we knew like where the, the gotchas were gonna be in ai and I think someone was like, was like, well, infinite context windows will just solve all of these problems and ‘cause you'll just, you'll just give the context window like all the data and.It's just like, okay, I mean, maybe in 2035, like this is a viable solution. First of all, it, it would just, it would just simply cost too much. Like we just can't give the model like the 5,000 documents that might be relevant and it's gonna read them all. And I've seen enough to, to start believing in crazy stuff.So like, I'm willing to just say, sure. Like in, in 10 years from now,swyx: never say, never, never.Aaron Levie: In, in 10 years from now, we'll have infinite context windows at, at a thousandth of the price of today. Like, let's just like believe that that's possible, but Right. We're in reality today. So today we have a context engineering [00:23:00] problem, which is, I got, I got, you know, 200,000 tokens that I can work with, or prob, I don't even know what the latest graph is before, like massive degradation.16. Okay. I have 60,000 tokens that I get to work with where I'm gonna get accurate information. That's not a lot of tokens for a corpus of 10 million documents that a knowledge worker might have across all of the teams and all the projects and all the people they work with. I have, I have 10 million documents.Which, you know, maybe is times five pages per document or something like that. I'm at 50 million pages of information and I have 60,000 tokens. Like, holy s**t. Yeah. This is like, how do I bridge the 50 million pages of information with, you know, the couple hundred that I get to work with in that, in that token window.Yeah. This is like, this is like such an interesting problem and that's why actually so much work is actually like, just like search systems and the databases and that layer has to just get so locked in, but models getting better and importantly [00:24:00] knowing when they've done a search, they found the wrong thing, they go back, they check their work, they, they find a way to balance sort of appeasing the user versus double checking.We have this one, we have this one test case where we ask the agent to go find. 10 pieces of information.swyx: Is this the complex work eval?Aaron Levie: Uh, this is actually not in the eval. This is, this is sort of just like we have a bunch of different, we have a bunch of internal benchmark kind of scenarios. Every time we, we update our agent, we have one, which is, I ask it to find all of our office addresses, and I give it the list of 10 offices that we have.And there's not one document that has this, maybe there should be, that would be a great example of the kind of thing that like maybe over time companies start to, you know, have these sort of like, what are the canonical, you know, kind of key areas of knowledge that we need to have. We don't seem to have this one document that says, here are all of our offices.We have a bunch of documents that have like, here's the New York office and whatever. So you task this agent and you, you get, you say, I need the addresses for these 10 offices. Okay. And by the way, if you do this on any, you know, [00:25:00] public chat model, the same outcome is gonna happen. But for a different kind of query, you give it, you say, I need these 10 addresses.How many times should the agent go and do its search before it decides whether or not, there's just no answer to this question. Often, and especially the, the, let's say lower tier models, it'll come back and it'll give you six of the 10 addresses. And it'll, and I'll just say I couldn't find the otherswyx: four.It, it doesn't know what It doesn't know. ItAaron Levie: doesn't know what It doesn't know. Yeah. So the model is just like, like when should it stop? When should it stop doing? Like should it, should it do that task for literally an hour and just keep cranking through? Maybe I actually made up an office location and it doesn't know that I made it up and I didn't even know that I made it up.Like, should it just keep, re should it read every single file in your entire box account until it, until it should exhaust every single piece of information.swyx: Expensive.Aaron Levie: These are the new problems that we have. So, you know, something like, let's say a new opus model is sort of like, okay, I'm gonna try these types of queries.I didn't get exactly what I wanted. I'm gonna try again. I'm gonna, at [00:26:00] some point I'm gonna stop searching. ‘cause I've determined that that no amount of searching is gonna solve this problem. I'm just not able to do it. And that judgment is like a really new thing that the model needs to be able to have.It's like, when should it give up on a task? ‘cause, ‘cause you just don't, it's a can't find the thing. That's the real world of knowledge, work problems. And this is the stuff that the coding agents don't have to deal with. Because they, it just doesn't like, like you're not usually asking it about, you're, you're always creating net new information coming right outta the model for the most part.Obviously it has to know about your code base and your specs and your documentation, but, but when you deploy an agent on all of your data that now you have all of these new problems that you're dealing withJeff Huber: our, uh, follow follow-up research to context ride is actually on a genetic search. Ah. Um, and we've like right, sort of stress tested like frontier models and their ability to search.Um, and they're not actually that good at searching. Right. Uh, so you're sort of highlighting this like explore, exploit.swyx: You're just say, Debbie, Donna say everything doesn't work. Like,Aaron Levie: well,Jeff Huber: somebody has to be,Aaron Levie: um, can I just throw out one more thing? Yeah. That is different from coding and, and the rest [00:27:00] of the knowledge work that I, I failed to mention.So one other kind of key point is, is that, you know, at the end of the day. Whether you believe we're in a slop apocalypse or, or whatever. At the end of the day, if you, if you build a working product at the end of, if you, if you've built a working solution that is ultimately what the customer is paying for, like whether I have a lot of slop, a little slop or whatever, I'm sure there's lots of code bases we could go into in enterprise software companies where it's like just crazy slop that humans did over a 20 year period, but the end customer just gets this little interface.They can, they can type into it, it does its thing. Knowledge work, uh, doesn't have that property. If I have an AI model, go generate a contract and I generate a contract 20 times and, you know, all 20 times it's just 3% different and like that I, that, that kind of lop introduces all new kinds of risk for my organization that the code version of that LOP didn't, didn't introduce.These are, and so like, so how do you constrain these models to just the part that you want [00:28:00] them to work on and just do the thing that you want them to do? And, and, you know, in engineering, we don't, you can't be disbarred as an engineer, but you could be disbarred as a lawyer. Like you can do the wrong medical thing In healthcare, you, there's no, there's no equivalent to that of engineering.Like, doswyx: you want there to be, because I've considered softwareJeff Huber: engineer. What's that? Civil engineering there is, right? NotAaron Levie: software civil engineer. Sure. Oh yeah, for sure. But like in any of our companies, you like, you know, you'll be forgiven if you took down the site and, and we, we will do a rollback and you'll, you'll be in a meeting, but you have not been disbarred as an engineer.We don't, we don't change your, you know, your computer science, uh, blameJeff Huber: degree, this postmortem.Aaron Levie: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, so, uh, now maybe we collectively as an industry need to figure out like, what are you liable for? Not legally, but like in a, in a management sense, uh, of these agents. All sorts of interesting problems that, that, that, uh, that have to come out.But in knowledge work, that's the real hostile environments that we're operating in. Hmm.swyx: I do think like, uh, a lot of the last year's, 2025 story was the rise of coding agents and I think [00:29:00] 2026 story is definitely knowledge work agents. Yes. A hundredAaron Levie: percent.swyx: Right. Like that would, and I think open claw core work are just the beginning.Yes. Like it's, the next one's gonna just gonna be absolute craziness.Aaron Levie: It it is. And, and, uh, and it's gonna be, I mean, again, like this is gonna be this, this wave where we, we are gonna try and bring as many of the practices from coding because that, that will clearly be the forefront, which is tell an agent to go do something and has an access to a set of resources.You need to be responsible for reviewing it at the end of the process. That to me is the, is the kind of template that I just think goes across knowledge, work and odd. Cowork is a great example. Open Closet's a great example. You can kind of, sort of see what Codex could become over time. These are some, some really interesting kind of platforms that are emerging.swyx: Okay. Um, I wanted to, we touched on evals a little bit. You had, you had the report that you're gonna go bring up and then I was gonna go into like, uh, boxes, evals, but uh, go ahead. Talk about your genetic search thing.Jeff Huber: Yeah. Mostly I think kinda a few of the insights. It's like number one frontier model is not good at search.Humans have this [00:30:00] natural explore, exploit trade off where we kinda understand like when to stop doing something. Also, humans are pretty good at like forgetting actually, and like pruning their own context, whereas agents are not, and actually an agent in their kind of context history, if they knew something was bad and they even, you could see in the trace the reason you trace, Hey, that probably wasn't a good idea.If it's still in the trace, still in the context, they'll still do it again. Uhhuh. Uh, and so like, I think pruning is also gonna be like, really, it's already becoming a thing, right? But like, letting self prune the con windowsswyx: be a big deal. Yeah. So, so don't leave the mistake. Don't leave the mistake in there.Cut out the mistake but tell it that you made a mistake in the past and so it doesn't repeat it.Jeff Huber: Yeah. But like cut it out so it doesn't get like distracted by it again. ‘cause really, you know, what is so, so it will repeat its mistake just because it's been, it's inswyx: theJeff Huber: context. It'sAaron Levie: in the context so much.That's a few shot example. Even if it, yeah.Jeff Huber: It's like oh thisAaron Levie: is a great thing to go try even ifJeff Huber: it didn't work.Aaron Levie: Yeah,Jeff Huber: exactly.Aaron Levie: SoJeff Huber: there's like a bunch of stuff there. JustAaron Levie: Groundhogs Day inside these models. Yeah. I'm gonna go keep doing the same wrongJeff Huber: thing. Covering sense. I feel like, you know, some creator analogy you're trying like fit a manifold in latent space, which kind is doing break program synthesis, which is kinda one we think about we're doing right.Like, you know, certain [00:31:00] facts might be like sort of overly pitting it. There are certain, you know, sec sectors of latent space and so like plug clean space. Yeah. And, uh, andswyx: so we have a bell, our editor as a bell every time you say that. SoJeff Huber: you have, you have to like remove those, likeswyx: you shoulda a gong like TPN or something.IfJeff Huber: we gong, you either remove those links to like kinda give it the freedom, kind of do what you need to do. So, but yeah. We'll, we'll release more soon. That'sAaron Levie: awesome.Jeff Huber: That'll, that'll be cool.swyx: We're a cerebral podcast that people listen to us and, and sort of think really deep. So yeah, we try to keep it subtle.Okay. We try to keep it.Aaron Levie: Okay, fine.Inside Agent Evalsswyx: Um, you, you guys do, you guys do have EVs, you talked about your, your office thing, but, uh, you've been also promoting APEX agents and complex work. Uh, yeah, whatever you, wherever you wanna take this just Yeah. How youAaron Levie: Apex is, is obviously me, core's, uh, uh, kind of, um, agent eval.We, we supported that by sort of. Opening up some data for them around how we kind of see these, um, data workspaces in, in the, you know, kind of regular economy. So how do lawyers have a workspace? How do investment bankers have a workspace? What kind of data goes into those? And so we, [00:32:00] we partner with them on their, their apex eval.Our own, um, eval is, it's actually relatively straightforward. We have a, a set of, of documents in a, in a range of industries. We give the agent previously did this as a one shot test of just purely the model. And then we just realized we, we need to, based on where everything's going, it's just gotta be more agentic.So now it's a bit more of a test of both our harness and the model. And we have a rubric of a set of things that has to get right and we score it. Um, and you're just seeing, you know, these incredible jumps in almost every single model in its own family of, you know, opus four, um, you know, sonnet four six versus sonnet four five.swyx: Yeah. We have this up on screen.Aaron Levie: Okay, cool. So some, you're seeing it somewhere like. I, I forget the to, it was like 15 point jump, I think on the main, on the overall,swyx: yes.Aaron Levie: And it's just like, you know, these incredible leaps that, that are starting to happen. Um,swyx: and OP doesn't know any, like any, it's completely held out from op.Aaron Levie: This is not in any, there's no public data which has, you know, Ben benefits and this is just a private eval that we [00:33:00] do, and then we just happen to show it to, to the world. Hmm. So you can't, you can't train against it. And I think it's just as representative of. It's obviously reasoning capabilities, what it's doing at, at, you know, kind of test time, compute capabilities, thinking levels, all like the context rot issues.So many interesting, you know, kind of, uh, uh, capabilities that are, that are now improvingswyx: one sector that you have. That's interesting.Industries and Datasetsswyx: Uh, people are roughly familiar with healthcare and legal, but you have public sector in there.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: Uh, what's that? Like, what, what, what is that?Aaron Levie: Yeah, and, and we actually test against, I dunno, maybe 10 industries.We, we end up usually just cutting a few that we think have interesting gains. All extras, won a lot of like government type documents. Um,swyx: what is that? What is it? Government type documents?Aaron Levie: Government filings. Like a taxswyx: return, likeAaron Levie: a probably not tax returns. It would be more of what would go the government be using, uh, as data.So, okay. Um, so think about research that, that type of, of, of data sets. And then we have financial services for things like data rooms and what would be in an investment prospectus. Uhhuh,swyx: that one you can dog food.Aaron Levie: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yes. Yes. [00:34:00] So, uh, so we, we run the models, um, in now, you know, more of an agent mode, but, but still with, with kinda limited capacity and just try and see like on a, like, for like basis, what are the improvements?And, and again, we just continue to be blown away by. How, how good these models are getting.swyx: Yeah, I mean, I think every serious AI company needs something like that where like, well, this is the work we do. Here's our company eval. Yeah. And if you don't have it, well, you're not a serious AI company.Aaron Levie: There's two dimensions, right?So there's, there's like, how are the models improving? And so which models should you either recommend a customer use, which one should you adopt? But then every single day, we're making changes to our agents. And you need to knowswyx: if you regressed,Aaron Levie: if you know. Yeah. You know, I've been fully convinced that the whole agent observability and eval space is gonna be a massive space.Um, super excited for what Braintrust is doing, excited for, you know, Lang Smith, all the things. And I think what you're going to, I mean, this is like every enter like literally every enterprise right now. It's like the AI companies are the customers of these tools. Every enterprise will have this. Yeah, you'll just [00:35:00] have to have an eval.Of all of your work and like, we'll, you'll have an eval of your RFP generation, you'll have an eval of your sales material creation. You'll have an eval of your, uh, invoice processing. And, and as you, you know, buy or use new agentic systems, you are gonna need to know like, what's the quality of your, of your pipeline.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: Um, so huge, huge market with agent evals.swyx: Yeah.Building the Agent Teamswyx: And, and you know, I'm gonna shout out your, your team a bit, uh, your CTO, Ben, uh, did a great talk with us last year. Awesome. And he's gonna come back again. Oh, cool. For World's Fair.Aaron Levie: Yep.swyx: Just talk about your team, like brag a little bit. I think I, I think people take these eval numbers in pretty charts for granted, but No, there, I mean, there's, there's lots of really smart people at work during all this.Aaron Levie: Biggest shout out, uh, is we have a, we have a couple folks at Dya, uh, Sidarth, uh, that, that kind of run this. They're like a, you know, kind of tag tag team duo on our evals, Ben, our CTO, heavily involved Yasha, head of ai, uh, you know, a bunch of folks. And, um, evals is one part of the story. And then just like the full, you know, kind of AI.An agent team [00:36:00] is, uh, is a, is a pretty, you know, is core to this whole effort. So there's probably, I don't know, like maybe a few dozen people that are like the epicenter. And then you just have like layers and layers of, of kind of concentric circles of okay, then there's a search team that supports them and an infrastructure team that supports them.And it's starting to ripple through the entire company. But there's that kind of core agent team, um, that's a pretty, pretty close, uh, close knit group.swyx: The search team is separate from the infra team.Aaron Levie: I mean, we have like every, every layer of the stack we have to kind of do, except for just pure public cloud.Um, but um, you know, we, we store, I don't even know what our public numbers are in, you know, but like, you can just think about it as like a lot of data is, is stored in box. And so we have, and you have every layer of the, of the stack of, you know, how do you manage the data, the file system, the metadata system, the search system, just all of those components.And then they all are having to understand that now you've got this new customer. Which is the agent, and they've been building for two types of customers in the past. They've been building for users and they've been building for like applications. [00:37:00] And now you've got this new agent user, and it comes in with a difference of it, of property sometimes, like, hey, maybe sometimes we should do embeddings, an embedding based, you know, kind of search versus, you know, your, your typical semantic search.Like, it's just like you have to build the, the capabilities to support all of this. And we're testing stuff, throwing things away, something doesn't work and, and not relevant. It's like just, you know, total chaos. But all of those teams are supporting the agent team that is kind of coming up with its requirements of what, what do we need?swyx: Yeah. No, uh, we just came from, uh, fireside chat where you did, and you, you talked about how you're doing this. It's, it's kind of like an internal startup. Yeah. Within the broader company. The broader company's like 3000 people. Yeah. But you know, there's, there's a, this is a core team of like, well, here's the innovation center.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: And like that every company kind of is run this way.Aaron Levie: Yeah. I wanna be sensitive. I don't call it the innovation center. Yeah. Only because I think everybody has to do innovation. Um, there, there's a part of the, the, the company that is, is sort of do or die for the agent wave.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: And it only happens to be more of my focus simply because it's existential that [00:38:00] we get it right.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: All of the supporting systems are necessary. All of the surrounding adjacent capabilities are necessary. Like the only reason we get to be a platform where you'd run an agent is because we have a security feature or a compliance feature, or a governance feature that, that some team is working on.But that's not gonna be the make or break of, of whether we get agents right. Like that already exists and we need to keep innovating there. I don't know what the right, exact precise number is, but it's not a thousand people and it's not 10 people. There's a number of people that are like the, the kind of like, you know, startup within the company that are the make or break on everything related to AI agents, you know, leveraging our platform and letting you work with your data.And that's where I spend a lot of my time, and Ben and Yosh and Diego and Teri, you know, these are just, you know, people that, that, you know, kind of across the team. Are working.swyx: Yeah. Amazing.Read Write Agent WorkflowsJeff Huber: How do you, how do you think about, I mean, you talked a lot about like kinda read workflows over your box data. Yep.Right. You know, gen search questions, queries, et cetera. But like, what about like, write or like authoring workflows?Aaron Levie: Yes. I've [00:39:00] already probably revealed too much actually now that I think about it. So, um, I've talked about whatever,Jeff Huber: whatever you can.Aaron Levie: Okay. It's just us. It's just us. Yeah. Okay. Of course, of course.So I, I guess I would just, uh, I'll make it a little bit conceptual, uh, because again, I've already, I've already said things that are not even ga but, but we've, we've kinda like danced around it publicly, so I, yeah, yeah. Okay. Just like, hopefully nobody watches this, um, episode. No.swyx: It's tidbits for the Heidi engaged to go figure out like what exactly, um, you know, is, is your sort of line of thinking.Sure. They can connect the dots.Aaron Levie: Yeah. So, so I would say that, that, uh, we, you know, as a, as a place where you have your enterprise content, there's a use case where I want to, you know, have an agent read that data and answer questions for me. And then there's a use case where I want the agent to create something.And use the file system to create something or store off data that it's working on, or be able to have, you know, various files that it's writing to about the work it's doing. So we do see it as a total read write. The harder problem has so far been the read only because, because again, you have that kind of like 10 [00:40:00] million to one ratio problem, whereas rights are a lot of, that's just gonna come from the model and, and we just like, we'll just put it in the file system and kinda use it.So it's a little bit of a technically easier problem, but the only part that's like, not necessarily technically hard, it is just like it's not yet perfected in the state of the ecosystem is, you know, building a beautiful PowerPoint presentation. It's still a hard problem for these models. Like, like we still, you know, like, like these formats are just, we're not built for.They'reswyx: working on it.Aaron Levie: They're, they're working on it. Everybody's working on it.swyx: Every launch is like, well, we do PowerPoint now.Aaron Levie: We're getting, yeah, getting a lot, getting a lot of better each time. But then you'll do this thing where you'll ask the update one slide and all of a sudden, like the fonts will be just like a little bit different, you know, on two of the slides, or it moved, you know, some shape over to the left a little bit.And again, these are the kind of things that, like in code, obviously you could really care about if you really care about, you know, how beautiful is the code, but at the end, user doesn't notice all those problems and file creation, the end user instantly sees it. You're [00:41:00] like, ah, like paragraph three, like, you literally just changed the font on me.Like it's a totally different font and like midway through the document. Mm-hmm. Those are the kind of things that you run into a lot of in the, in the content creation side. So, mm-hmm. We are gonna have native agents. That do all of those things, they'll be powered by the leading kind of models and labs.But the thing that I think is, is probably gonna be a much bigger idea over time is any agent on any system, again, using Box as a file system for its work, and in that kind of scenario, we don't necessarily care what it's putting in the file system. It could put its memory files, it could put its, you know, specification, you know, documents.It could put, you know, whatever its markdown files are, or it could, you know, generate PDFs. It's just like, it's a workspace that is, is sort of sandboxed off for its work. People can collaborate into it, it can share with other people. And, and so we, we were thinking a lot about what's the right, you know, kind of way to, to deliver that at scale.Docs Graphs and Founder Modeswyx: I wanted to come into sort of the sort of AI transformation or AI sort of, uh, operations things. [00:42:00] Um, one of the tweets that you, that you wanted to talk about, this is just me going through your tweets, by the way. Oh, okay. I mean, like, this is, you readAaron Levie: one by one,swyx: you're the, you're the easiest guest to prep for because you, you already have like, this is the, this is what I'm interested in.I'm like, okay, well, areAaron Levie: we gonna get to like, like February, January or something? Where are we in the, in the timelines? How far back are we going?swyx: Can you, can you describe boxes? A set of skills? Right? Like that, that's like, that's like one of the extremes of like, well if you, you just turn everything into a markdown file.Yeah. Then your agent can run your company. Uh, like you just have to write, find the right sequence of words toAaron Levie: Yes.swyx: To do it.Aaron Levie: Sorry, isthatswyx: the question? So I think the question is like, what if we documented everything? Yes. The way that you exactly said like,Aaron Levie: yes.swyx: Um, let's get all the Fortune five hundreds, uh, prepared for agents.Yes. And like, you know, everything's in golden and, and nicely filed away and everything. Yes. What's missing? Like, what's left, right? LikeAaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: You've, you've run your company for a decade. LikeAaron Levie: Yeah. I think the challenge is that, that that information changes a week later. And because something happened in the market for that [00:43:00] customer, or us as a company that now has to go get updated, and so these systems are living and breathing and they have to experience reality and updates to reality, which right now is probably gonna be humans, you know, kinda giving those, giving them the updates.And, you know, there is this piece about context graphs as as, uh, that kinda went very viral. Yeah. And I, I, I was like a, i, I, I thought it was super provocative. I agreed with many parts of it. I disagree with a few parts around. You know, it's not gonna be as easy as as just if we just had the agent traces, then we can finally do that work because there's just like, there's so much more other stuff that that's happening that, that we haven't been able to capture and digitize.And I think they actually represented that in the piece to be clear. But like there's just a lot of work, you know, that that has to, you just can't have only skills files, you know, for your company because it's just gonna be like, there's gonna be a lot of other stuff that happens. Yeah. Change over time.Yeah. Most companies are practically apprenticeships.swyx: Most companies are practically apprenticeships. LikeJeff Huber: every new employee who joins the team, [00:44:00] like you span one to three months. Like ramping them up.Aaron Levie: Yes. AllJeff Huber: that tat knowledgeAaron Levie: isJeff Huber: not written down.Aaron Levie: Yes.Jeff Huber: But like, it would have to be if you wanted to like give it to an Asian.Right. And so like that seems to me like to beAaron Levie: one is I think you're gonna see again a premium on companies that can document this. Mm-hmm. Much. There'll be a huge premium on that because, because you know, can you shorten that three month ramp cycle to a two week ramp cycle? That's an instant productivity gain.Can you re dramatically reduce rework in the organization because you've documented where all the stuff is and where the answers are. Can you make your average employee as good as your 90th percentile employee because you've captured the knowledge that's sort of in the heads of, of those top employees and make that available.So like you can see some very clear productivity benefits. Mm-hmm. If you had a company culture of making sure you know your information was captured, digitized, put in a format that was agent ready and then made available to agents to work with, and then you just, again, have this reality of like add a 10,000 person [00:45:00] company.Mapping that to the, you know, access structure of the company is just a hard problem. Is like, is like, yeah, well, you just, not every piece of information that's digitized can be shared to everybody. And so now you have to organize that in a way that actually works. There was a pretty good piece, um, this, this, uh, this piece called your company as a file is a file system.I, did you see that one?swyx: Nope.Aaron Levie: Uh, yes. You saw it. Yeah. And, and, uh, I actually be curious your thoughts on it. Um, like, like an interesting kind of like, we, we agree with it because, because that's how we see the world and, uh,swyx: okay. We, we have it up on screen. Oh,Aaron Levie: okay. Yeah. But, but it's all about basically like, you know, we've already, we, we, we already organized in this kind of like, you know, permission structure way.Uh, and, and these are the kind of, you know, natural ways that, that agents can now work with data. So it's kind of like this, this, you know, kind of interesting metaphor, but I do think companies will have to start to think about how they start to digitize more, more of that data. What was your take?Jeff Huber: Yeah, I mean, like the company's probably like an acid compliant file system.Aaron Levie: Uh,Jeff Huber: yeah. Which I'm guessing boxes, right? So, yeah. Yes.swyx: Yeah. [00:46:00]Jeff Huber: Which you have a great piece on, but,swyx: uh, yeah. Well, uh, I, I, my, my, my direction is a little bit like, I wanna rewind a little bit to the graph word you said that there, that's a magic trigger word for us. I always ask what's your take on knowledge graphs?Yeah. Uh, ‘cause every, especially at every data database person, I just wanna see what they think. There's been knowledge graphs, hype cycles, and you've seen it all. So.Aaron Levie: Hmm. I actually am not the expert in knowledge graphs, so, so that you might need toswyx: research, you don't need to be an expert. Yeah. I think it's just like, well, how, how seriously do people take it?Yeah. Like, is is, is there a lot of potential in the, in the HOVI?Aaron Levie: Uh, well, can I, can I, uh, understand first if it's, um, is this a loaded question in the sense of are you super pro, super con, super anti medium? Iswyx: see pro, I see pros and cons. Okay. Uh, but I, I think your opinion should be independent of mine.Aaron Levie: Yeah. No, no, totally. Yeah. I just want to see what I'm stepping into.swyx: No, I know. It's a, and it's a huge trigger word for a lot of people out Yeah. In our audience. And they're, they're trying to figure out why is that? Because whyAaron Levie: is this such aswyx: hot item for them? Because a lot of people get graph religion.And they're like, everything's a graph. Of course you have to represent it as a graph. Well, [00:47:00] how do you solve your knowledge? Um, changing over time? Well, it's a graph.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: And, and I think there, there's that line of work and then there's, there's a lot of people who are like, well, you don't need it. And both are right.Aaron Levie: Yeah. And what do the people who say you don't need it, what are theyswyx: arguing for Mark down files. Oh, sure, sure. Simplicity.Aaron Levie: Yeah.swyx: Versus it's, it's structure versus less structure. Right. That's, that's all what it is. I do.Aaron Levie: I think the tricky thing is, um, is, is again, when this gets met with real humans, they're just going to their computer.They're just working with some people on Slack or teams. They're just sharing some data through a collaborative file system and Google Docs or Box or whatever. I certainly like the vision of most, most knowledge graph, you know, kind of futuristic kind of ways of thinking about it. Uh, it's just like, you know, it's 2026.We haven't seen it yet. Kind of play out as as, I mean, I remember. Do you remember the, um, in like, actually I don't, I don't even know how old you guys are, but I'll for, for to show my age. I remember 17 years ago, everybody thought enterprises would just run on [00:48:00] Wikis. Yeah. And, uh, confluence and, and not even, I mean, confluence actually took off for engineering for sure.Like unquestionably. But like, this was like everything would be in the w. And I think based on our, uh, our, uh, general style of, of, of what we were building, like we were just like, I don't know, people just like wanna workspace. They're gonna collaborate with other people.swyx: Exactly. Yeah. So you were, you were anti-knowledge graph.Aaron Levie: Not anti, not anti. Soswyx: not nonAaron Levie: I'm not, I'm not anti. ‘cause I think, I think your search system, I just think these are two systems that probably, but like, I'm, I'm not in any religious war. I don't want to be in anybody's YouTube comments on this. There's not a fight for me.swyx: We, we love YouTube comments. We're, we're, we're get into comments.Aaron Levie: Okay. Uh, but like, but I, I, it's mostly just a virtue of what we built. Yeah. And we just continued down that path. Yeah.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: And, um, and that, that was what we pursued. But I'm not, this is not a, you know, kind of, this is not a, uh, it'sswyx: not existential for you. Great.Aaron Levie: We're happy to plug into somebody else's graph.We're happy to feed data into it. We're happy for [00:49:00] agents to, to talk to multiple systems. Not, not our fight.swyx: Yeah.Aaron Levie: But I need your answer. Yeah. Graphs or nerd Snipes is very effective nerd.swyx: See this is, this is one, one opinion and then I've,Jeff Huber: and I think that the actual graph structure is emergent in the mind of the agent.Ah, in the same way it is in the mind of the human. And that's a more powerful graph ‘cause it actually involved over time.swyx: So don't tell me how to graph. I'll, I'll figure it out myself. Exactly. Okay. All right. AndJeff Huber: what's yours?swyx: I like the, the Wiki approach. Uh, my, I'm actually

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Superhuman's Head of Analytics Chris Byington. They break down where analytics should sit inside a company, why dashboards often fail, and how the best teams connect metrics, OKRs, and forecasting to real decisions. Chris also explains why “ship goals” can mislead teams and what CEOs and CFOs should expect from a truly decision-driving data function.—SPONSORS:Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/runAbacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.aiBrex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you're scaling on an ERP that wasn't built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj—LINKS: Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsNChris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-byington/Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Matt Hudson Episodehttps://youtu.be/_FWGYkzhymQ—TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Preview and intro3:29 Centralized analytics team7:29 Start analytics with problems not tools9:41 Lead with the problem10:14 Align on growth model11:46 Pre-commit to decisions13:14 Sponsors — Tabs | Abacum | Brex16:35 Dashboards need growth context19:10 Where analytics should sit21:18 Pros and cons of analytics in finance23:18 Operations vs revenue org placement24:11 Hub-and-spoke analytics model25:18 What “embedded” actually means26:14 Sponsors — Metronome | RightRev | Rillet29:38 When self-service analytics works32:04 Self-serve pitfalls33:44 Buy vs build BI35:44 Analytics owns metrics38:26 Hero metric example41:41 Outcomes > shipping42:14 Set goals before build43:57 Metrics are outcome proxies46:40 Easy way to say no48:29 Start answers with yes52:17 Proving analytics impact56:19 Credits#RunTheNumbersPodcast

What's happening at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026? This week, Technology Now is on the ground in Barcelona at the 20th Mobile World Congress to delve deeper into the future of networking. We ask what are the big themes of this year's Mobile World Congress, we explore why events like this are important to organisations like HPE, and we examine why consumers should care about events like this. Rami Rahim, President and General Manager, HPE Networking tells us more.This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Sam Jarrell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations. This episode is available in both video and audio formats.About Rami:https://www.hpe.com/uk/en/leadership-bios/rami-rahim.html

Why Authority Now Matters More Than Visibility in B2B Content With AI making it easier than ever to create content, B2B buyers are drowning in a sea of digital noise. To rise about the generic, “AI-slop”, the new differentiator is no longer only visibility, but the ability to convey authentic brand authority. More often than not, it is the perceived credibility and depth of a brand's messaging that decides whether B2B companies are shortlisted or ignored by well-informed decision makers. So how can B2B companies build a solid thought leadership strategy that creates trust and sets them apart from competitors? That's why we're talking to Jamie Thomson (Copywriter and Founder, Brand New Copy), who shares his expertise and insights on why authority now matters more than visibility in B2B content. During our conversation, Jamie emphasized that true authority is built through consistent communication and unique insights rather than controversial stances. He criticized the over-reliance on AI for content ideation and encouraged businesses to focus on their unique selling points and authentic company culture. Jamie stressed the need for documented brand positioning and strategic messaging to build credibility across all channels. He also underscored the value of thought leadership and social proof in signalling authority, and suggested that businesses should invest in understanding and documenting their positioning for success in the long run. https://youtu.be/k4H-0M5ZL7g Topics discussed in episode: [02:47] The end of easy visibility: Why AI overviews and shifting algorithms mean you can no longer control traffic through traditional SEO alone. [07:09] Redefining authority: Authority isn’t about being controversial or loud; it is built through the consistency of your message and brand voice. [13:31] Chasing the right metrics: Why “visibility for visibility’s sake” is a vanity metric, and how to tie your content strategy to actual business outcomes.  [19:39] The credibility anchor: How being consistent with your own unique data and statistics keeps your brand from becoming an “average” forgettable competitor.  [21:42] Messaging for committees: A simple 3-step formula to establish messaging that resonates with human decision-makers, even in complex B2B environments. [27:35] Signaling authority: Practical ways to use “social proof” and unique data to back up your claims in proposals and on your website.  [31:18] Future-proofing your brand: Why documenting your positioning today is the only way to maintain longevity over the next decade. Companies and links mentioned: Jamie Thomson on LinkedIn  Brand New Copy  Copywriting Course at Brand New Copy Transcript Jamie Thomson, Christian Klepp Jamie Thomson  00:00 You know, maybe it’s a personality thing, but like, I’m not particularly controversial in my marketing and I do think people take that stance, like we are the young upstarts, or we are going to make a point of disagreeing with this company so that we can get engagement, whether they believe what their sort of stance are taking or not. It’s, it’s almost that sort of strategy of, there’s no such thing as bad press, and it’s probably effective short term and that’s why people are doing it. But if you’re looking to build a sort of a future proof business, comes back to that idea of authority being a bit consistency, unless your whole strategy is to be controversial, it’s more of a short term gain tactic. I think strategy is even a strong word. I think it’s a tactic. Christian Klepp  00:48 With AI making it easier than ever to create content, B2B, buyers are drowning in a sea of digital noise. To rise above this noise, the new differentiator needs to be delivered through authority. More often than not, it’s the credibility of a brand’s messaging that decides whether they’re shortlisted or ignored. So how can B2B companies leverage this and build their credibility? Welcome to this episode of the B2B Marketers on the Mission podcast, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp, today, I’ll be talking to Jamie Thomson, who will be answering this question. He’s an award winning copywriter and founder of Brand New Copy who puts strategy at the center of the process to define what the copy should achieve. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B Marketers Mission is. Okay, and off we go. Mr. Jamie Thomson, welcome to the show, sir. Jamie Thomson  01:34 Hi, Christian. It’s good to speak to you again. Thanks for having me on. Christian Klepp  01:38 Great to have you here. I mean, we had such a dynamite conversation. Like, a few weeks ago, I should have, like, hit record on that conversation too, right? Like, yeah, absolutely, Jamie, I’m really looking forward to this conversation because, you know, one of the things that you’re going to talk about today is, like, near and dear to me as somebody that also dabbles in the world of copywriting for B2B, but um, so here we go, right? So Jamie, you’re on a mission. I’m going to say, to help B2B companies to define their messaging, strengthen their positioning and communicate with authority across every channel. So this is really serious stuff here. Okay, so for this conversation, I’d like to focus on the topic of why authority now matters more than visibility and B2B, right? So I’d like to kick off the conversation with two questions, right? And I’m happy to repeat them. First question is, why do you believe authority is important, especially in an age where AI is creeping into B2B content and everything else. And where do you see a lot of B2B brands falling flat with the authority piece? Jamie Thomson  02:47 Yeah, so I think, I think authority is more important now than ever has been because, like you said, because there’s a lot of like, LLMs (Large Language Models) now kind of doing a lot of the marketing work that was maybe, you know, handled by humans before. I think that you know, sort of the sort of background context to this is that, you know, as Marketers, we don’t have as much control over the visibility of our content as we used to like Google, for example. You now have AI (Artificial Intelligence) overviews. So even if you get to like position one in Google, you’re still at the bottom of the page. Because you’ve got your AI overviews, you have sponsored results, and then there’s the organic listings underneath. And even if you’re position one, you’re still at the bottom of the page earlier. As a result, website traffic has reduced, and people aren’t getting the same kind of like traffic numbers that they used to on LinkedIn as well, like the way that the algorithms are sort of working nowadays. There doesn’t really seem to be any regular reason as to which posts perform well, it seems to be the sort of casual, off the cuff posts that seem to seem to get a lot of attention. There is a genuinely useful, you know, thought leadership stuff has kind of been pushed to the back burner a little bit. So I think authority is important because we don’t have as much control over visibility as we used to, and I think it’s the genuinely useful content that is the stuff that’s going to get shared, whether or not the algorithms are going to push that. So if you have produced a piece of content that has, like, really unique data points that is genuinely useful to other businesses, and it’s get shared online. It’s going to get shared internally between companies, and it’ll get linked to as well. And again, like to answer your second question, and where do a lot of sort of B2B brands like sort of miss the mark? I think. I think the main thing is that they’re the content that they’re producing isn’t genuinely useful. They are a lot of brands across industries that are kind of seeing the same thing as their competitors. And I don’t know for sure, but I have a sort of inclination that is down to LLMs, because they’re kind of relying on like chatGPT for their ideas. They’re asking chatGPT to give them ideas for content. And, you know, chatGPT, it can give you the output, but it can’t give you the input. You know, it’s a technology of averages. So if you’re looking to LLMs for ideation, it’s going to give you the average of what everyone else in industry is saying. So it’s important that your businesses are really doubling down on their ideation and things that make them unique as a company, like their unique selling points, their value propositions, their company culture. You know, the people behind the business, that’s kind of what makes a company’s culture and chatGPT, llms, they don’t really have any first hand experience of that, and it’s such a nuanced thing that you’re never going to get like effective results if you’re asking LLMs for the ideas in the first place. If you’re using it for execution, to help guide style and tone a little bit, then that’s fair enough. But, yeah, it’s important that brands are sort of really doubling down on the ideation. You know, that’s that, I think, just genuine, unique insights that people are actually going to be interested in reading. Christian Klepp  06:38 Absolutely, I had a couple of follow up questions for you there. I mean, this is great stuff. This might sound like overly, like simplified. I mean, for lack of a better description, but like, just, let’s clear the air here a little bit. Define, from your experience and your own interpretation, define authority, because that also gets thrown around very loosely, I feel almost as, almost as much as the term you’ve got to add value. I mean, like, you know, what does that actually mean, right? Jamie Thomson  07:09 Yeah, yeah. So to me, authority is about a brand communicating their messages in a consistent way, whether that is the actual content of the messages or the way that they actually communicate it, in terms of brand tone of voice. So authority, to me, is about consistency, more than it is about being emphatic or controversial or overly confident. It’s more about consistency and how they communicate their messages to their audience. Christian Klepp  07:44 You brought up something there, and I’m going to throw out another question, because I you find this a lot on LinkedIn, at least from my experience, that people put out a lot of pieces. I’m going to just dare to say under the guise of authority, but what it actually is like, just an extremely contrarian point of view. And it’s almost like, you know, I’ve got a I’ve got to just put my thoughts out there, because I want my voice to be heard. But it’s not necessarily authority. It’s just like disagreeing with the status quo. What’s your take on that? Jamie Thomson  08:15 Yeah, I mean, to me, that’s, that’s kind of it’s almost performance marketing. It’s just performing, if it’s like visibility for visibility’s sake, you know, maybe it’s a personality thing, but like, I am not particularly controversial in my marketing, and I do think people take that stance like we are the young upstarts, or we are going to make a point of disagreeing with this company so that we can get engagement. You know, whether they believe what their sort of stance are taking or not, it’s it’s almost that sort of strategy of, there’s no such thing as bad press, and it’s probably effective short term, and that’s why people are doing it. But you know, if you’re looking to build a sort of a future proof business, it comes back to that idea of authority, being about consistency, unless your whole strategy is to be controversial. It’s more of a short term gain tactic. I think strategy is even a strong word. I think it’s a tactic. It’s not really magic. Christian Klepp  09:19 Yeah, yeah, I love that. You said it was performance, performance marketing. You know, it almost feels like they’re, they’re, they’re playing the algorithm, or they’re trying to, like, just get more engagement. And it’s true, like, whether they actually believe what they’re saying or not, at least they’re getting more eyeballs on all look what this guy said, Yeah. Jamie Thomson  09:38 I mean, you see it in so many different ways. Like, a lot of the time, it’s with job postings as well, like, especially for for consulting season freelancers, you see, like you have a potential opening for a freelance position, you know, comment below if you know anyone that would be interested. Then again, I don’t know for sure, but I seems very performative to me. Has that company actually reached out to people directly about the job? Have they advertised on job sites, or are they just posting about it as a potential opportunity for the sake of engagement, knowing that people will be replying and tagging other people? And yeah, it’s that kind of a short term tactic. Christian Klepp  10:22 Exactly, exactly, before we go on to the next question, I have one final follow up for you on this topic, right? Like so where, where do you do you believe that sometimes things go awry with brands because a it’s about time and speed. They need to get something out quickly. They needed the day before yesterday. And hurry up and let’s, let’s get some, let’s get some volume out there. Let’s get plenty of content out there, right? So one, that’s one thing. The second thing is, do you feel that they missed the mark? Also? Because they, I’m just gonna say it, they just generally don’t understand who the target audience is. Jamie Thomson  11:03 Yeah, I think you’re writing both accounts there. I mean, you know yourself Christian, how long it takes to produce a good piece of content. It takes research. It’s not something that you can kind of write in half a day. So I do think that’s part of it. There’s that sort of pressure of always having to be seen. And so, yeah, I think, I think people are putting stuff out. A lot of businesses put stuff out either because it’s trending, because they see other people are doing it, or because they have, you know, they’ve asked an early lens for topic ideas as a technology of averages, it’s going to give you ideas that are already out there. So yeah, I think that’s definitely part of it. And then the second part, I think you’re totally bang on with that as well. I think a lot of people just don’t really understand what their positioning is in the industry. I say people, I’m talking about businesses, but at the end of the day, it’s still people that you’re talking to, like even though it’s B2B is business to business, the people making the decisions are still human beings, so your content needs to resonate with them. And I think people now have this kind of detector of when something is has been genuinely thought out. You know, thoughtful content is it’s kind of becoming few and far between because of like LLMs and because people can produce things quickly, and it’s kind of content for content sake. So yeah, I think people just don’t understand their positioning in industry and what their values are, and what stands they’re taking really, kind of just jumping from, you know, from one topic to the next, hoping that something is going to go viral, you know, which I guess they’re hoping will then lead to some sort of business outcome, ie, sales. But the stuff that makes the sales is the stuff that really, that had to be kind of properly thought out, in my opinion. Christian Klepp  13:06 Yes, oh yeah. Imagine that, wow, properly thought out. Absolutely, absolutely. I’m glad you brought that up, because that’s a great segue into the next question about key pitfalls, right? When we’re talking about like a brand building its credibility and authority. What are some of the key pitfalls that B2B Marketers and their companies need to look out for, and what should they be doing instead? Jamie Thomson  13:31 Yeah, I mean, I think that the key, one of the key pitfalls that I see as the whole visibility for visibility’s sake, you know, it’s, it’s kind of a vanity metric, in a way that so, like, you’ve made this piece of content and it’s been made 1000 times, or you’ve made the post and it’s been linked by 200 people, you know, and unless that is tied to a business outcome, it’s, it’s just visibility for visibility’s sake. And so one of the key pitfalls is, I think a lot of companies don’t tie their content strategy to their business outcomes enough. They’re kind of chasing engagement because it looks good in reports, so it’s good to stakeholders. But the reality is, unless that content has resulted in an inquiry or a product sale. You know, how successful has it really been? If it was just like a one off, let’s try this, unless it’s part of our strategy, but it’s a one off and it hasn’t really resulted in a sale or an inquiry, then can we deem it to be successful? And that’s up for the business to decide. But think that’s a common pitfall. And I think the second one for me is just what we said before about trends like I see a lot of because I work with businesses across a few different industries, mostly finance, technology, energy and sort of sustainability, and I see a lot of businesses jumping on trends in terms of the things that they’re talking about, like their messaging. It’s almost like one person has started talking about it, and they’re keeping an eye on their competitors, and they think, well, we need to keep up with that. So we need to have an opinion on this as well. And I mean, there’s a time and a place for jumping on trends, especially if it’s something if it’s something that there is an expectation on that company to respond to, like a world event, but it needs to be part of their overall strategy for it to be effective. Otherwise, it’s just, it’s just reactive. It’s kind of fire fighting. It’s, it’s not really cementing any like real foundation for the future. So yeah, those would be my two common pitfalls that I see. Christian Klepp  15:50 You’ll excuse me if I’m grinning here, but you’re the point you brought up just reminded me of a client that I worked with many years ago. I’m not going to say who it is to protect their identities, but they, part of the briefing was that they asked us to come up with a viral video, okay? And to which I said, you know, respectfully, respectfully, you don’t get to decide if your video is viral. That’s something that the market decides and and believe it or not, Jamie, it was in fact, it was in fact, a B2B campaign. So that that already in itself, made me scratch my head a little bit at the brief, yeah. And it was one of those moments where, okay, well, why are we why are we doing this, what are we hoping to achieve? What’s the outcome? And how is that exactly? How does that tie in, like you said to your business goals, right? And they basically said, Well, everybody’s, you know, something to the effect of all everybody’s doing one so, you know, we think, we think it’ll be good to do this as well. And I think those are one of those moments in my agency, days where we were very confident that we will be okay if we walked away from that project, and we did, we just said, like, Sorry, can’t help you, right? Because I just even in my my wildest dreams, I could not imagine how we would have been able to pull that off, not from a production perspective. Because, you know, if you want to make a video, that’s there’s many ways to do that. I didn’t know how to pull it off from a marketing, distribution perspective. You know what I mean, like, Jamie Thomson  17:37 that’s stuff that’s kind of out with your control as an agency, as the creator of the content, or even as a business like you said, viral videos are meant to be it’s not really something that’s meant to be manufactured. It’s like a bit of a yeah, there’s just too many anomalies that needs to come together for something to go viral. So it’s a very difficult thing to manufacture without, of course, like paying for views or that kind of thing. You know, I’m a big, I’m a big sort advocate of it. Sometimes what you don’t say that is as important as what you do see, you know, you don’t need to be everything to everybody all the time, Christian Klepp  18:21 Especially in B2B. Jamie Thomson  18:22 Yes. Christian Klepp  18:25 Can you just imagine? I mean, you mentioned a couple of industries now, finance, tech and energy. Can you imagine if you had an energy client now that was also trying to reach out to finance people? Jamie Thomson  18:33 Yeah, yeah. That’s the thing. It’s like, yeah. Businesses need to understand their audience and but more importantly, they also need to understand their positioning in industry, like, what is? What are they known as in the energy sector? Are they the scrappy upstarts? Are they the established, like an international company, who are respected because, because all these things influence the way that they communicate and and the way that they speak to their audience as well. And you know, if a viral video fits that strategy, then I guess, fair enough, if you can try and manufacture but more often than not, I would say it’s more about being consistent, sticking to the plan. It’s an expensive gamble. It is an expensive gamble. Christian Klepp  19:22 Expensive gamble. Yes, all right, in our previous conversation, you talked about, you know, it’s the credibility of a brand’s messaging that decides whether they’re shortlisted or ignored. Could you elaborate on that? Jamie Thomson  19:39 Yeah, I think, I think the sort of credibility anchor comes from the consistency side of things. If you are consistently communicating your messages in a way that is also consistent with brand voice. Then you are more likely to be remembered by people like I think there’s a marketing statistic that that says the average consumer. I know we’re talking about business to business, but people, in general, the average like consumer. They need 12 touch points in order to like for that to result in a sale for a business. And so that could be like, they need to see the same message 12 times before it really hits home, or before they realize that’s something that they need. I’d imagine it’s probably even higher on social media, where people are consistent with schooling. But given that sort of like 12 touch point, like the sort of demonstrates the need for how consistent you need to be in order to have the credibility. And if you’re not being consistent and you’re just saying the same thing as everybody else, then you are essentially becoming like an average brand like everybody else, and that’s forgettable, whereas, you know, the companies that are really sort of digging deep into their own data and their statistics and the signals that we are seeing in the industry that only they have access to, that they can make known in their communications, then those are the ones that are ultimately going to be remembered. Christian Klepp  21:14 Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely, absolutely. And on that note, if you could just walk us through how you think B2B. Marketers can use that messaging and copywriting to establish credibility, especially in the B2B context. We’re always talking about decision makers or buying committees, so we’re not always we’re not just talking about one person, right. We’re talking about, as the name suggests, a committee, so a group of people, right? Yeah. Jamie Thomson  21:42 And I mean, the way that I sort of generally do it is with clients. I host a workshop, and like during that workshop, we would first of all establish their messaging. So what is it that the business wants to see in the first place? And then we work out, like priorities, what messages are the most important for the specific channels that the business uses. And then you look at like more on the execution side of things like the tone of voice and the style and that kind of thing. But you know, businesses can do this themselves in house, following like a sort of simple three step like formula, essentially just deciding what they want to say, ie, their messages, which messages are the most important and how do they want to communicate? It like with the last part on the execution, that’s where LLMs can be useful, checking grammar, working things from notes, using it like to proof. But the initial idea needs to come from the business. So yeah, I think by following that process, it makes the ultimate like the sort of final content, appear more thoughtful, and people do pick up on that, like that. There’s a reason that reports and statistics and like white papers do well for generating leads. It’s because they’re they are genuinely useful. They’re thought leadership pieces, as opposed to just one person’s opinion, who is maybe the same as someone else’s or the opposite controversy for controversy sake? Yeah, people can really tell when, like, a piece of content has had a lot of thought into it businesses, notice that it’s just that’s the kind of content that resonates with people, like I said before, like, even, even though it’s business to the business, you’re still communicating to people, regardless of who the target audience is and the industry and the demographics, it’s still a person that’s making the decisions as to whether they’re going to use that company’s services or buy their products. Christian Klepp  23:54 Absolutely, absolutely. And I think another thing that can also be kind of fun to do in B2B, especially with white papers and reports, and what have you is to extract some of those, like nuggets, right? Extract some of those, some of that data. And I’m just gonna throw one of them out there, right? Like many years ago, we worked with a company that did the produced steel. And I can’t remember how much steel they produce, but they said, you know, we produce enough steel that can, you know, it’s enough to, you know, we can wrap the you can, you can wrap around the Earth four times, right, something along that line, right? Or, or even, even at home, like with a with a consumer product, so we have the plastic wrap, and it actually says on the packaging that this can cover an entire football field, right? Just facts where it’s almost like, did you know, or hey, by the way, right? And then you can get into something more serious too, because we, you know, we’re dealing with reports like that as well. Like, you know, last year, last year, most retail brands invested about month. 30% more on AI. And if you’re in the industry, you might be like, Yeah, I kind of knew that they were investing in AI, but all 30% more of their budget. What exactly are they investing in? And, yeah, that’s, that’s why you should download the reports. Jamie Thomson  25:20 Lots of information in the way that you presented to the public, it becomes interesting. And like, as you know yourself, that’s kind of the job of a copywriter, is to simplify that complex information. Like, you know that the fact that, like, the plastic wrapped around the world four times, like, that’s quite viable. I can visualize that as a consumer, and I think, oh, that’s that’s be cool. But if you just came through the cold, hard stats within context, or that’s sort of like visual with it, it doesn’t really mean much to me. And yeah, that’s kind of the job as communicators. And sort of B2B is to simplify that complex information. Look for the nuggets, and if you have a generally useful report that can be enough to give you, like, months worth of content, like on social media and sort of thought leadership articles, just like expanding on an idea within that report. So yeah, like, it might take a bit of investment up front, initially, to get the data, and get the process for gathering that data and getting the methodology in place. But once, once you’ve done that, and you’ve written the report, and it’s out there that gives you content for potentially months. Christian Klepp  26:32 Absolutely, absolutely. And I think that’s one of the challenges of a copywriter, right? Like, how do you there’s this expression in North America, like, how do you get more juice out of the squeeze, right? So, how do you stretch that? Give it, give it more longevity, right? Beyond, beyond. Well, here’s the report, off you go, right? Like, just like you said, like, stretch it out for you in like, months. You know, have more ammunition for, like, social, media content, you know, promotional content, perhaps even something on the website, something along that line, yeah. Jamie Thomson  27:07 I said, so the strategy has the words, if you have the strategy in place, then that stuff will follow, because you’ll have thought about it before the report was even published. So. Christian Klepp  27:18 Yep. Jamie Thomson  27:19 Yeah. Christian Klepp  27:19 Yep, absolutely, okay. I mean, on the topic of authority, give us some practical techniques for signaling authority across websites, campaigns and proposals. And I know this isn’t a one sentence answer, off you go. Jamie Thomson  27:35 Yeah.I think the first thing that comes to mind is taking a stance. And I don’t mean being controversial, but I mean having a clear idea of where the company stands in the industry, like what their positioning is. That in itself, is a useful technique. It’s not something that you can, like achieve overnight, but like with a workshop with someone and getting it all documented, that can give you a clearer sense of purpose as a business. I also think demonstrating, demonstrating expertise, like through thought leadership, content is a really useful technique for signaling authority. You know, if you know as a company, you may not even realize it, but you have access to data that other companies don’t. That in itself is unique, even if you don’t have as much data, or if your data says something different from your competitors, it’s still your day and it’s still useful. And that’s the kind of thing that can be turned into thought leadership content. You know, we’ve discovered that 50% of x, you know, prefers this. That kind of like insight driven. Like content is the stuff that generally performs well because people are naturally drawn to it and they find it genuinely useful. Yeah, I think it’s just that kind of idea of like social proof, like showing that you know what you’re talking about as a business, rather than simply telling people, because that’s what, that’s what, like LLM content tends to do. It makes vague claims that anybody can make, but you know, the proof is in the pudding, that the businesses that actually demonstrate their expertise are the ones that get remembered. And so yeah, that kind of comes through thought leadership stuff, which is data driven, even if as simple as, like social proof, like providing evidence of a case study that you have written with a client, or, like a business outcome that is a signal of authority that shows that you can back up. All the claims that you’re making in your messaging. Yeah, yeah, those would be my kind of, like, top two practical tips. Christian Klepp  30:12 Absolutely. Well, you’ve laid it out so beautifully. It sounds, it sounds, you know, on the from the outset, like, very easy to do, but we all know that. You know, in reality, it’s, it’s, it’s much more, much more challenging, right? Jamie, I know that you’re, you know you’re, you’re an award winning copywriter, and you’re not a sage, and your job is not to prophesy, but I’m gonna have to ask you to, like, assume that role for a second. All right, looking like just down the road with everything that’s going on now, and, you know, we’ve talked about AI and LLMs and whatnot. Perhaps some practical advice, as we’re now at, you know, at the time of this recording, at the beginning of 2026 what are some advice that you would give B2B companies who are saying like, yes, we would love to build our credibility, but AI and LLMs, you know that all seems to be creeping into everything that we do. Give us some advice on how to deal with that moving forward. Jamie Thomson  31:18 Yeah, that’s a good question. I think my sort of advice would be to take the time to understand your positioning and to document it. So, you know, it’s that kind of the way that the sort of marketing is going and the way that the industry is evolving. I do think the businesses that are going to like be here in the next 10 years are going to have that like longevity, are the ones that are kind of investing the time and now to understanding where they are positioned in their industry and where they want to be positioned in 10 years time. But crucially, like having it documented so that it’s being used consistently across the business you know from from sending internal emails to writing reports for the public. So from a practical point of view, that’s things like understanding like the business values and how the work the company is doing is a reflection of those values, and how that’s communicated to people. If it’s like a business that’s selling a product, like, what are the unique selling points of the product? What are the benefits to the end users? And how are we seeing that? You know, because in a lot of B2B industries, I think the sort of the strategy of competing on features is becoming a bit redundant. As technology improves. It’s quite difficult for companies to be able to claim unique features, because everybody can has access to the same tools. And so really, what if you flat that on its head, and you kind of look at look at it from the customer’s point of view, whether the customer choose one company over another that’s essentially got the same product or service that’s going to come down to like brand ability, and how much the company is able to like, empathize with the target audience, if they can really understand what their pain points are, then that business is ultimately going to choose that service over another, and that that comes down to, like, having it all documented, you may have, like, an intuition about what these things are, but as your business evolves, your intuition about these things will change and you’ll get scope creep, or you’ll want to jump on trends. If you do have it documented as an internal process, you’re more likely to stick to it in the future. And if you do get to the point that you want to change your positioning in industry, because you’ve maybe you’ve had more success than anticipated, or something in the market has changed, then that in itself should be a process. You should go back to the drawing board and look at what processes you have documented, and think what needs to be changed here before you are reactively moving in a different direction. That would be my advice to put my kind of like futurist cap on that’s, that’s what I would say.   Christian Klepp  34:23 Yeah, yeah. Well, that’s some pretty that’s some pretty solid advice. And, you know, thanks for sharing that. I totally agree. People have to understand their positioning in the market. Most importantly, also, they have to document it. It’s, it’s amazing how many companies I’ve worked with that don’t document that kind of, I wouldn’t call it a projection, but it’s almost like, okay, the positioning, what you know, and their vision, like, where do they what do they aspire to become? Right? I know that sounds like more individualistic, but you can, you can, you know, you can put that into the context of organization as well. Like, what do you aspire to become in 10 years and 20 years? Where’s this business going to go? Jamie Thomson  35:06 Absolutely, that’s it. Like something doing my own business with clients. Like, if someone asks me if someone’s going if a company is going through a rebrand and they need their website rewritten to reflect the new positioning, like, the first thing I suggest is, well, let’s get a workshop work out what you want to say. I’ll create a messaging guide for you, and I’ll create a total voice guide for you. And then sometimes you get a push back and you say, Well, why do we need that? I guess the answer is, well, I could rewrite your website. I could make it up as I go along, if you want, but not going to be anywhere near effect as effective as it would be if we have all this kind of important stuff documented in the first place, like, you need to have a structure, you have a plan, you have a strategy before the sort of the execution happens. And if you do the first part, well then, like, the actual execution of it, whether we’re talking about writing or or any other sort of like campaign that last 20% almost. It’s just like the icing on the cake, because when you get there, you already know what you want to see, how you want to see it, just kind of need to get, don’t get the content down, whether you’re whether it’s filming, whether it’s from heads key fingers to keyboard, that sort of 20% kind of comes a lot easier when there’s a plan, when there’s a structure in there from the start. Christian Klepp  36:29 Absolutely, absolutely. Jamie, this has been an incredible conversation. Thank you so much for coming on and for sharing your expertise and experience with the listeners. Please, quick introduction to yourself and how people out there can get in touch with you. And for those that are listening to the audio version of this recording, Jamie and I are actually color coordinated today. Jamie Thomson  36:53 We were emailing each other before making sure that we were. Christian Klepp  36:58 That’s it. That’s it. That’s it. Jamie Thomson  37:01 Thanks very much for having me on Christian like I said, like, I have listened to the podcast and myself over the over the past few months, and I’ve resonated with a lot of the sort of content that, like your your other guests have been putting out there. So yeah, it’s like, really a privilege to be on it. And yeah, like people can get in touch with me. Well, just explain who I am. I mean, my name is Jamie, and I’m a strategic copywriter and messaging strategist. And I run a copywriting studio called Brand New Copy, and I have done since 2013 and I help brands establish their messaging and their tone of voice through workshops and deliverables like thought leadership, articles, white papers, annual reports, website copywriting. And I also provide training to businesses, agencies and other copywriters. And I have a flagship course called the Brand New Copywriting course, which opposite the strategy behind copywriting. So yeah, if you wanted to get in touch with me, the best way would be through email, which is Jamie Thomson at brandnewcopy.com Christian Klepp  38:13 Fantastic, fantastic. And we’ll be sure to drop those links in the show notes when this episode is published. So once again, Jamie, thanks so much for your time. Take care, stay safe and talk to you soon. Jamie Thomson  38:22 Thanks, Christian. Christian Klepp  38:24 All right. Bye for now.

Eric G is diving deep into the world of innovative construction products with Lisa Nelson from Hydro Block, just in time for Women in Construction Week! We kick things off by exploring how Hydro Block is revolutionizing the way contractors handle waterproofing and insulation, making it a breeze for both pros and DIY enthusiasts alike. Lisa shares her journey into the construction industry, highlighting the importance of hard work and the power of collaboration—because let's face it, teamwork makes the dream work, right? We also chat about the challenges of breaking into a traditionally male-dominated field and how women are paving the way for future generations in trades. So grab your tool belt (or a cozy chair) and tune in for some great insights that'll inspire you to tackle your next project with confidence and creativity! A vibrant conversation unfolds as Eric G and Lisa Nelson from HydroBlock come together to celebrate Women in Construction Week. Their chat dives deep into the innovative realm of construction materials, specifically focusing on HydroBlock's revolutionary tile backer board. With an impressive track record of over 200,000 installations and zero warranty claims, Lisa shares her journey in the building materials industry, revealing the challenges and triumphs of bringing their product into the U.S. market. The duo exchanges witty banter while dissecting the importance of education for contractors and homeowners, shedding light on the common pitfalls of outdated waterproofing methods. They tackle the alarming persistence of using traditional methods like green board drywall in shower installations and how HydroBlock is changing the game with its efficient, durable solutions. As they explore the future of construction and the impact of new technologies, the conversation highlights the critical need for innovation in building practices, especially as building codes evolve to ensure better performance and safety in homes.Takeaways:Eric G and Lisa Nelson from HydroBlok dive deep into innovative building materials that are changing the game for contractors and homeowners alike.Women in Construction Week shines a spotlight on the contributions of women like Lisa, proving that diversity leads to better solutions in construction.HydroBlok's exterior backer board combines insulation and waterproofing, simplifying installation while enhancing building performance.With over 200,000 successful installations and no warranty claims, HydroBlok has set a high standard in the industry for durable waterproofing solutions.The conversation highlights the importance of education in construction, emphasizing the need for continuous learning among contractors and builders.As climate demands change, innovative products like HydroBlok are essential for adapting building methods to meet new building codes and efficiency standards.Companies mentioned in this episode:HydroBloxDeltaRockwoolThanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listenIf you want to join the Around the House Insider for access to the back catalog, Exclusive Content and a direct email to Eric G and access to the show early https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/support We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.Mentioned in this episode:Subscribe to the podcast Make sure and Subscribe on your favorite podcast player or the link below! Podcast Subscribe 2026Check out our nearly 1900 episode back catalogIf your podcast player doesnt support a large catalog of episodes. Click this link to listen to them all for free! Around the House Back CatalogTake a second and leave us a review on your favorite podcast player! Quick favor—if you're enjoying the show, the absolute best way you can support us is by leaving a quick review on your favorite podcast player. Subscribe to the podcast Make sure and Subscribe on your favorite podcast player or the link below! Podcast Subscribe 2026InstaBid: Stop losing jobs to slow estimates Turn 3 hours of manual estimating into 5 minutes. Real material prices. Real labor rates. Professional PDF quotes delivered instantly. Try it free at instabid.pro. Use code ATH50 for 50% off your first month. That's instabid.pro — code ATH50InstabidInstaBid: Stop losing jobs to slow estimates Turn 3 hours of manual estimating into 5 minutes. Real material prices. Real labor rates. Professional PDF quotes delivered instantly. Try it free at instabid.pro. Use code ATH50 for 50% off your first month. That's instabid.pro — code ATH50InstabidSubscribe to our YouTube Channel to see every part of the project for Blacktail Ranch Exciting collaboration alert! This playlist documents our joint project renovating Cam Anderson's new farm property on Blacktail Ranch—the home base for his adventures beyond the workshop. Cam (the woodworking wizard behind Blacktail Studio, with millions of fans loving his epoxy tables, live-edge builds, and creative furniture tutorials) is stepping into brand-new territory: his first-ever full home renovation and remodel. From the charming (but dated) farmhouse with its "lead paint chic" vibes to tackling structural updates, layout changes, and modern upgrades, we're transforming this 17-acre property into a functional, beautiful living space. I'm Eric G from Around the House, bringing my remodeling, construction, and design expertise to guide the process—planning layouts, solving real-world renovation challenges, handling the practical home improvement side, and making sure the build is smart, efficient, and homeowner-friendly. Expect step-by-step progress, honest discussions on budgets/timelines/hiccups, tool tips, design decisions, and the fun dynamic of blending Cam's woodworking flair with pro remodeling know-how. Whether you're a Blacktail Studio fan curious about Cam's new chapter, a DIYer tackling your own home reno, or just love watching big transformations, this series is for you! https://www.youtube.com/@aroundthehouseEricG/playlistsBlacktail Ranch

Reporter, Cian McCormack accompanies an oil delivery team to see how people are reacting to the sudden hike in prices.

From Navy SEAL to Venture Builder:Nuri Golan on Turning Elite Operators into Elite EntrepreneursIn this week's Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus and Melanie are joined by Nuri Golan, a man who proves that elite performance doesn't end when the uniform comes off — it evolves.A Veteran and Officer in the Israeli Navy SEALs, Nuri transitioned from high-stakes maritime operations to high-impact venture creation. Today, he is a serial entrepreneur, startup advisor, investor, and Managing Partner of Vetted — a powerful platform helping combat veterans build world-class companies.In this episode, Nuri shares how the mindset forged in special operations becomes a competitive advantage in the startup arena.Building & Exiting Multiple CompaniesNuri's entrepreneurial track record is nothing short of remarkable:·         Co-Founder & CEO of EXO Technologies (acquired by Lear Corporation)·         Co-Founder of Navmatic (acquired by Superpedestrian)·         Co-Founder of SosivioAfter EXO's acquisition, Nuri went on to lead Lear's corporate venture arm — investing in startups and venture funds, gaining firsthand insight into what separates promising founders from scalable operators.He brings a rare perspective: he's been the founder, the acquirer, and the investor.Vetted: Unlocking the Entrepreneurial Power of Combat VeteransToday, Nuri serves as Managing Partner of Vetted — an education, acceleration, and investment platform designed specifically for combat veterans from the U.S. and Israel.Through:·         The Vetted Startup Accelerator·         The Alpha-Bet Entrepreneurship ProgramVetted equips veterans with:·         Hands-on mentorship·         Early-stage funding·         Tactical business education·         A powerful cross-border founder & investor networkThe mission is clear: transform operational excellence into entrepreneurial success.Bridging Two Innovation PowerhousesAs an Israeli-American, Nuri is passionate about strengthening collaboration between U.S. and Israeli veteran communities — two ecosystems known for innovation, resilience, and leadership.He believes elite combat veterans represent one of the most untapped entrepreneurial resources in the world — disciplined, decisive, mission-driven leaders ready to build companies that matter.This conversation with Nuri Golan delivers powerful insight from someone who has operated — and succeeded — at the highest levels. In this episode you will hear:• By the time he was 19 or 20 [my grandfather] had already graduated from college and was in the U.S. Army. (8:31)• You don't have to precheck in Israel because it's mandatory service for Israeli's. (9:25)• We saw our family with tattoos on their arms from death camps and concentration camps they were sent to. (19:19)• In Israel, all of our officers are “Mustangs.” (Prior enlisted and then cross over to become officers) (26:51)• In Israel, you don't really have a lot of senior enlisted guys, especially operators. The most senior guys – the ones with the most experience – are officers. (30:11)Israeli Arabs, who are Israeli citizens, don't have to serve. Ulta orthodox Jews are also exempt from service. (31:44)• [Marcus] Do something for your people. (37:01)• I really wanted to help create a program to help show them [combat veterans] how to utilize the skills they got from their military training and service in the business world, because I realized that a lot of the skills that I got from the military is what helped me become a successful entrepreneur.0 (40:46)• Our program is open to all combat veterans from U.S and Israel. We also started an entrepreneurship school.0 (43:53)• Hamas operators don't walk around with rifles. (57:51)• Their command centers are all under Mosques and hospitals by design. (58:37)• There's always conflict so you'll go to Tel-Aviv in the middle of the war and you'll still see people on the beach playing volleyball, and out at restaurants. We have to continue to go on. That's how you fight terrorism. (61:36)• Israel is one of the most important partners that the United States has in the global landscape. (66:36)Support Nuri:- https://accelerator.thevetted.vc/ Support TNQ  - IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13  -  https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquitSponsors:  - Navyfederal.org       - bubsnaturals.com [Promo code TNQ]  - davidprotein.com/TNQ  - mizzenandmain.com   [Promo code: TNQ20]   - masterclass.com/TNQ  - Dripdrop.com/TNQ  - ShopMando.com [Promo code: TNQ]  - Tractorsupply.com/hometownheroes  - meetfabiric.com/TNQ  - Prizepicks (TNQ)   - armslist.com/TNQ   -  PXGapparel.com/TNQ  - bruntworkwear.com/TNQ   - shipsticks.com/TNQ   - stopboxusa.com {TNQ}   - Tonal.com [TNQ]  - greenlight.com/TNQ  - drinkAG1.com/TNQ  - Hims.com/TNQ

Companies are making moves to monetize AI and intimacy. Bridget Todd joins us to unpack some of the issues around this, and her upcoming audio book tackling the topic 'Love at First Prompt'. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple has introduced a number of new products this week, including a new phone and displays. But the Macbook Neo is a low-cost Mac that could make the company's PCs more popular for kids and families. Whether it moves the needle for the stock will take time to tell. Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss: - Apple's new products - Does AI need new hardware - Are airline stocks in trouble? Companies discussed: Apple (AAPL), Delta (DAL), American Airlines (AAL), United (UAL). Host: Travis Hoium Guests: Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Lonsdale reveals how Palantir recruited its first hundred employees, why the best candidates always chose equity over salary, and how the war for top tech talent has exploded in the AI era.

March Market Cap Madness tips off its Final Four this week on Rule Breaker Investing, and you're not just watching—you're playing. Past world champion Andy Cross (6–1 lifetime) squares off against Cinderella contender Loren Horst (1–0) in our first semifinal matchup, with a spot in the World Championship at stake. Grab a pencil, set your ranges, and see whether your market-cap intuition can outscore Andy, Loren… or both. The Madness is on, and the bracket is tightening. Companies mentioned: ACN, AMD, BA, CSU, GLOB, IDXX, INTU, SERV, TCEHY, WIX Sign up for The Motley Fool's Breakfast News here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.fool.com/breakfastnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order David's Rule Breaker Investing book here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1804091219/⁠⁠ Host: David GardnerContestants: Andy Cross, Loren HorstProducer: Bart Shannon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the reason you keep coming in second place in your CSM interviews has nothing to do with your experience and everything to do with what you're missing in the presentation?In this episode, I'm breaking down the three exact categories hiring teams are grading you on… and yes, I used to be the person creating the scorecards. I'll show you how to use the prompt like a literal checklist, the basic mistakes that instantly cost you points, and how to prove you actually think like a strategic, consultative CSM (not just someone who can build a decent slide deck).I'll also discuss executive presence and the subtle signals that make a team feel confident putting you in front of their biggest customers. If you want to stop guessing what they're looking for and start positioning yourself as the obvious hire, this is your blueprint. And there's one simple shift at the end that could put you ahead of 98% of candidates. Hit play and let's dive in.00:43 – Why Presentations Are “Make or Break” in Customer Success Interviews04:07 – The Game-Changing Tip That Instantly Puts You Ahead of 80% of Candidates06:27 – The Three Big Categories Hiring Teams Use to Grade Candidates (And Where Most Applicants Slip Up)09:24 – Common Pitfalls: Why Generic Tactics and Lack of Engagement Hurt Your Chances15:09 – What Makes Executive Presence So Crucial During an Interview Presentation20:23 – Don't Overwhelm Yourself: Pick 2–3 Areas to Improve Each TimeOTHER EPISODES YOU'LL LOVE:

Here is a FAQ Video on the Courses: https://youtu.be/0F7imrzjXWs Here is a deep dive into which course is best for you: https://youtu.be/JM_jgS8M-iU https://www.b2bRevenue.com - Get Your Free E-Book on How Companies make Decisions. FAQ: 1 YEAR ACCESS, PAY MONTHLY OR ANNUALLY NOT A SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE HOURS EVERY  OTHER WEEK VIA ZOOM. 1 HOUR GROUP Q&A. UNLIMITED 1-ON-1'S  ARE FREE AS LONG AS THEY CAN BE SHARED IN THE COURSE. 1-ON-1 ARE FULL ACCESS ON DAY ONE - NOTHING IS GATED OR TIME RELEASED. ALL CONTENT IS VIDEO BASED AND SELF PACED I RECOMMEND TAKE COURSE ONCE WITHOUT NOTES OR APPLYING IT SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE FIRST. THEN TAKE AND APPLY IT STEP BY STEP. YOU START WHEN YOU WANT AND GO AS FAST OR SLOW AS NEEDED.   Email me additional questions: briangburns@me.com     — SAMPLE EMAIL TO EXPENSE THE COURSE MGR,   I have been listening to the brutal truth about sales podcast for X months and it speaks to the issues we face.   They currently offer a course that includes video instruction, group Q&A and One-on-One coaching. I'm committed to my own personal development and would like your help in expensing the course.   It would pay for itself if I closed only one new deal of $X value.   Please let me know by Friday if I can move forward with this 1 year course.   Thanks, ME Here are some student interviews from the courses:      ———————————————————————————————————— Audible 30 day Free Trial: http://www.audibletrial.com/BrutalTruth  

Protein is having its moment in the spotlight. Companies are adding more protein-enhanced products to their lineups as demand grows. The new federal dietary guidelines unveiled earlier this year also put the nutrient front and center. Harvest Public Media's Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval reports on whether Americans actually need more protein.

The market is dropping and oil is up today as the Middle East continues to be on investors' minds. But is this a panic the market will get over or the kind of action that will push the economy into recession? Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Matt Frankel discuss: - Rising oil prices and today's market - Target's ho hum business - Do insider buys really matter? Companies discussed: Target (TGT), SoFi (SOFI), Shift4 (FOUR), ServiceNow (NOW). Host: Travis Hoium Guests: Lou Whiteman, Matt Frankel Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phong Le is CEO of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), and David Bailey is CEO & Chairman of KindlyMD. This conversation was recorded live at Bitcoin Investor Week in New York. In this conversation, we discuss Strategy's evolution from a bitcoin holding company to a leveraged treasury and now a digital credit platform, including the launch of its perpetual preferred product designed to offer bitcoin exposure with lower volatility and yield. We also cover capital markets strategy, competition among bitcoin treasury companies, macro impacts, and bitcoin's continued integration into Wall Street and global finance.======================BitcoinIRA: Buy, sell, and swap 80+ cryptocurrencies in your retirement account. Take 3 minutes to open your account & get connected to a team of IRA specialists that will guide you through every step of the process. Go to https://bitcoinira.com/pomp/ to earn up to $1,000 in rewards.======================Arch Public is an agentic trading platform that automates the buying and selling of your preferred crypto strategies. Sign up today at https://www.archpublic.com and start your automated trading strategy for free. No catch. No hidden fees. Just smarter trading.======================0:00 - Intro0:25 - Strategy's three phases of buying bitcoin7:04 - Bitcoin's graduation into Wall Street & traditional finance10:11 - Macro economy & Fed policy12:01 - Would they ever sell their bitcoin holdings?15:26 - Bitcoin, government policy, & political adoption19:52 - The responsibility of running a public bitcoin company26:35 - The future of bitcoin treasury models & consolidation