Podcasts about Inflection

Don’t miss the marketplace revolution! Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this episode of the Ultimate Partner Podcast, Vince Menzione sits down with AWS Marketplace leaders George Maroulakos and Arif Razvi to uncover the rapidly shifting ecosystem of technology procurement and partner transformation. They dive deep into the evolution of buyer experiences, the critical necessity of executive alignment, and how agentic AI is redefining software discovery and consumption. If you want to accelerate deal velocity and ensure your business isn’t left behind, this conversation outlines exactly why integrating the AWS Marketplace into your core co-sell motion is no longer optional. https://youtu.be/Avp0sIyxRU8 Key Takeaways Embracing the AWS Marketplace should be viewed as a natural extension of your co-sell motion, not an interrupt-driven exception. Successfully leveraging the marketplace requires top-down executive sponsorship to overcome internal friction across legal, finance, and revenue operations. Partners must prepare for global expansion by ensuring local entities and currencies are wired up to meet buyers where they are. Agentic AI and natural language queries are leveling the playing field for software discovery, moving beyond traditional SEO-driven presence. SaaS pricing models are shifting toward consumption and outcome-based structures, demanding highly detailed product metadata. The speed of deal closure is drastically increased when partners are prepared to transact seamlessly through the marketplace. If you're ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags AWS Marketplace, partner transformation, buyer experiences, hyperscalers, co-sell motion, revenue operations, strategic alignment, agentic AI solutions, outcome-based pricing, metadata optimization, software discovery, private offers, global expansion, deal velocity, cloud centers of excellence. Transcript Arif Razvi and George Maroulakos Audio Episode [00:00:00] George Maroulakos: From my perspective, think about marketplace as a why not as opposed to a why. [00:00:06] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us, the way Hyperscalers are partnering, how AI is remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. [00:00:17] Arif Razvi: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host. [00:00:22] Arif Razvi: And each week I sit down with leaders at the intersection of technology, [00:00:26] Vince Menzione: partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:39] Arif Razvi: It is the strategy because being in the room changes everything. [00:00:44] Arif Razvi: Let’s start. [00:00:48] Vince Menzione: I’m excited to, because we were talking about some of this earlier with Matt, but I thought this would be a great conversation. I’m gonna ask each of you to introduce yourselves, George and Arif, and your roles. ’cause you have two very unique roles. Uh. Contrasting roles, I would call it, within the AWS Marketplace Organization. [00:01:06] George Maroulakos: Yep. Happy to do so. So I think Vince just didn’t wanna say my last name, so that’s why I’m gonna introduce myself. Mayor. Very, very good. So Mayor Laki, George Meki, pleasure to meet. Hey, I can say that, uh, all of those that I haven’t met before, lots of familiar faces as well here. Uh, so it’s really great to see. [00:01:21] George Maroulakos: Uh, I’m part of the AWS Marketplace team and our center of excellence. That focuses on buyer experiences. So like why is a buyer guy here in this partner session? And I think, you know, I’m gonna help to try to bring some perspective around what our buyers see as the value for using marketplace and. [00:01:40] George Maroulakos: Working with all of these great partners that are here in the room and, uh, you know, the experiences that we see in helping to drive, you know, the blood to all organs. I’m using that a lot, Alison, to copyright it. It’s, it was really good. I love that, that analogy. But, um, for, but for both our partners as well as for our customers. [00:01:59] Vince Menzione: That’s awesome. [00:01:59] Arif Razvi: Hey everybody. I’m Arif Roski. I’m based here in New York City, although I’m a Celtics fan. Um, uh, go, go. I, I still supported the Knicks through the championship and I’m very happy for them. So excited to be here. Excited to be among, uh, other channel and alliance leaders. I’ve spent my entire 25 plus career in channels and alliances. [00:02:20] Arif Razvi: The last seven years, uh, on AWS marketplace where I lead, uh, a couple of functions. One is I support all of Matt Ian’s feature launches. So from a go-to market perspective, uh, I support his launches. I also focus on international expansion of marketplace. So, uh, Matt alluded to this earlier. I’ll mention some, I’ll talk about some stuff in a little bit. [00:02:39] Arif Razvi: And then, uh, we do some deep engagements with some of our most strategic partners to help them accelerate and unblock their marketplace business. By embedding a subject matter expert from my team into their organization to really help drive, uh, adoption of marketplace. [00:02:55] Vince Menzione: So important. Both of your roles. [00:02:56] Vince Menzione: By the way, this is standout roles. I, you know, I. I don’t want to get into trouble here. I talk about other hyperscalers, but I said this with Matt on stage earlier. You guys have been at the forefront of driving marketplace in such a strong way, having somebody who’s customer focused, right? And that lens is so important. [00:03:15] Vince Menzione: I don’t feel, I feel like that’s missed so many times. And then you also have. You know, quite a bit of an important role here in terms of what you’re doing in embedding resources. ’cause a lot of times people get lost in the process and it seems to be the, the common currents. So, um, really great both sides of the same equation here, right? [00:03:33] Vince Menzione: Buyer led, partner built, uh, let’s start George here. Um. Let’s talk about how buying has changed. Right. We go back to the early days of marketplace. It felt like it was a listing at first and it started to become important. Organizations like Work Span started to come to fruition and started to drive, at least in my part of the world. [00:03:53] Vince Menzione: And then we started talking a lot more about Marketplace. And of course the, the cus customer commits really started driving things in a different direction. You’ve got the customer, so talk about what your journey’s been like. [00:04:05] George Maroulakos: So I’ve been with Marketplace nine and a half years, which is pretty long time since the beginning of it, and watching the evolution of, of where things have come and where they started. [00:04:15] George Maroulakos: And I remember, uh, I was covering the, the northeast region when I very first started and working with, uh, you know, different enterprise accounts and financial services and, and, and healthcare and life sciences, and talking about this. This creation that occurred called, called AWS Marketplace, and even folks within AWS didn’t really know what that meant or how to talk about it or sell it. [00:04:38] George Maroulakos: So there was this creation of a infield based business development function to help supplement the account teams and the value and the importance of marketplace as a part of a customer’s AWS journey. And when I first started the, the, the highest, uh, or most frequently subscribed to products that existed were. [00:04:57] George Maroulakos: Uh, Amazon machine images a amis and it’s very specifically open source amis. So think of Bantu or Cintas as the predominant things that were being subscribed out of marketplace. So, um, by definition, not really revenue generating. You’re, these are not the a hundred million dollar transactions or the billion dollar club that we talk about today. [00:05:19] George Maroulakos: It was very much helping. The builders go again, go back 10 years, uh, who are just getting started with the cloud and how could they find partner solutions that they trusted or that they felt were secure and helping them to start to build out and migrate their workloads into, into AWS. Um, so I existed before the. [00:05:39] George Maroulakos: Very first private offer was transacted. Nice. Um, there’s actually a, a gentleman towards the back, uh, who helped with one of our very first private offers. I see you back there, Joe. Nice, nice. Um, so we, we worked on, uh, uh, uh, really big transaction with, uh, with, at the time AppDynamics, uh, and, and helping to get. [00:05:58] George Maroulakos: You know, a customer really up and running with their implementation that, so watching over the 10 years from, you know, the builder mentality of, of getting started with the cloud to really embracing all kinds of partner based, um, solutions that go along with AWS. It’s really been, uh, you know, a, a rocket ship you referenced earlier, moving to the top right quadrant, if we want to use the, the Gartner analogy, and I think we’re at another. [00:06:24] George Maroulakos: Inflection point because with what’s going on with Ag agentic solutions, the way that our customers are finding and discovering different partner solutions is better than ever I would think. And I think it gives much more of a equal opportunity in playing field for all partners of all shapes and sizes because you’re not driving your presence based on SEO or whether or not you have the best Google search results. [00:06:53] George Maroulakos: With AgTech and how you differentiate your solutions, you’re gonna be able to really get yourself in front of more customers more quickly. And as Matt talked about earlier, the, the, the really big penetration that we’ve seen thus far is real, is on the discovery piece, the, the research area, the pre-purchase activity, so validate what’s available. [00:07:13] George Maroulakos: So I think marketplace has really evolved over the 10 year, nine and a half years-ish that I’ve been there. And I think it’s gonna continue to change here in the coming months ahead. Yeah. [00:07:23] Vince Menzione: Any predictions? [00:07:25] George Maroulakos: Yeah, I, I think, you know, the, I, the, the importance of marketplaces is only going to continue to grow. [00:07:32] George Maroulakos: Uh, and I think we’re going to see, you know, even more innovation and expectation from our customers on being able to find the right solutions and being able to procure and deploy them as quickly as possible. [00:07:44] Vince Menzione: Nice. Arif, from your side. Partner transformation. So, you know, embedding resources with the partners. [00:07:51] Vince Menzione: Right. So you basically help kickstart a lot of the, the efforts, right? George? George is looking at it from the customer side, and then you’re kick-starting it on the partner side. [00:08:00] Arif Razvi: Yeah. Either kickstarting it, uh, on the initial stages with a strategic partner. Yeah. Or accelerating their adoption of something that’s already there. [00:08:07] Arif Razvi: Right. So what we’re seeing, what I’m seeing a lot of more recently is partners who say, I didn’t know you had capabilities for us to sell into Korea or Japan, or we just, we just launched India. Yep. Matt alluded to this easier, uh, earlier that we’re making it easier for partners to expand globally. And now partners are realizing, wait a minute, I can match my. [00:08:26] Arif Razvi: Uh, my business processes on marketplace, so revenue recognition, tax collection, locally, local invoices, and now they’re starting to set up multiple entities outside the US to meet those buyers, uh, where they are. [00:08:41] Vince Menzione: Nice. And you mentioned having these resources. How do you determine who gets resources and who? [00:08:47] Arif Razvi: Well, there’s, uh, staging and there’s, uh, there’s qualification mechanisms we use. We work with the PDMs for the partners. So any PDM, uh, any pd DM managed partner can be nominated for, uh, what, what we call a compensation. [00:08:59] Vince Menzione: So you’re overlaying that organization sense. [00:09:00] Arif Razvi: We’re overlaying the PDs. We’re not replacing, we’re only doing time bound sprints to unlock very specific activities. [00:09:05] Arif Razvi: Very [00:09:06] Vince Menzione: cool. So it’s not a poll. Yeah. Cool. You’re not, you’re not there forever. [00:09:08] Arif Razvi: No. [00:09:08] Vince Menzione: You’re there to get the job done. We [00:09:09] Arif Razvi: did that before. Uh, yeah, we’re, we’re doing short sprints now. [00:09:12] Vince Menzione: Yep. Let’s talk about how the buyers are using marketplace. You’ve done some really in, we talked about this earlier with Matt, but we’ve talked about some of the innovative things you’ve done. [00:09:21] Vince Menzione: You know, being, being able to embed into a website and in the storefronts. All these things seem to be unique to AWS. Talk to us about how the buyers are using the marketplace today. And [00:09:31] George Maroulakos: yeah, I think, you know, Matt talked about earlier the. Pre the, the preconception around why customers use marketplaces for the financial incentives, the, the financial benefits that go along with it, whether it’s direct incentives that are associated with the individual product that’s out there, or the Association of Marketplace to our private pricing agreements and the ability for. [00:09:55] George Maroulakos: Transactions that occur in marketplace to count towards those commits. Um, I’m gonna amplify a, a particular point that Matt made, uh, in his talk that, you know, we have many more customers who do not have PPAs with AWS than those that do. And the volume of transactions that take place in marketplace. [00:10:11] George Maroulakos: Dwarf, uh, in volume from those that, uh, are occur from our PPA customers. So yes, there are very large transactions that occur and there is Ben financial benefit that goes along with it. But there’s many other value points that our customers find from discovery. From ease of use, from consolidated billing, from post-purchase, um, you know, management and governance that goes along with it, and reconciliation that’s available, that’s, that exists. [00:10:36] George Maroulakos: Um, you mentioned storefronts. I’m really excited. That was one of the most exciting launches. That’s why I reminded him when he was talking about it, uh, around, you know, what that means. And it’s both a presence for, um, our partners and being able to create their own storefronts on behalf of, of customers or within their own property, but also for our buyers directly too. [00:10:54] George Maroulakos: Take that next generation of something that was previously, you know, our private marketplace and curate a catalog that is very specific and intentional for the things that they’re interested to innovate with and the partners that they’re interested in using. And so I think meeting our customers where they’re at. [00:11:10] George Maroulakos: And being, you know, marketplace anywhere and everywhere is I think really important for our customers. And then the other aspect, you know, in terms of how our customers use marketplace, there’s more than one persona at our customer that we need to be, be, be aligning with. Right. Interesting. We typically talk about procurement and the value points that procurement find in marketplace, but just as important as, as the technologists. [00:11:32] George Maroulakos: It’s the Cloud centers of Excellence. It’s the innovators who are looking for those business applications or those infrastructure solutions that exist and making sure that we have the right things from the right partners available to them. So we see value all over the place with our customers and how they inter interface with [00:11:47] Vince Menzione: more. [00:11:47] Vince Menzione: You brought up something really interesting, insightful, is the fact that all the different personas in the organization that are touching the marketplace, right? [00:11:54] George Maroulakos: And it’s at different points of the journey, right? Yeah. So while there may be early discovery and research and experimentation going on from, you know, the technologists or, or, or the, or the, the, the business application owners, um, as it progresses through the, the, the. [00:12:09] George Maroulakos: The opportunity lifecycle procurement and sourcing and legal, and the shared services then become a more important part of, of making sure that we get those opportunities closed and launched. [00:12:18] Vince Menzione: Yeah, and that was one of the things we were talking about earlier is the fact that how, how, uh, it, it, the work arduous it could be. [00:12:25] Vince Menzione: To go through that whole process at a customer side. Right? ’cause they have to. [00:12:29] George Maroulakos: It is, and and you know, I think when Cloud first got started, it was quite scary for procurement, right? It became another version of Shadow it. And we were seeing things that were getting purchased on P cards because they could quickly stand up infrastructure versus waiting for the IT team to do it. [00:12:44] George Maroulakos: And so now you introduce all of these other things that. Procurement kept near and dear to their heart, and here comes another wave of, is this truly positive disruption? Is it going to affect what’s, what I’m doing affect really my goals and objectives of supporting the company. And as you, you know, you continue to express the value of marketplace, they start to see, hey, this is actually very complimentary and helped me can get better control and governance in a way that I. [00:13:11] George Maroulakos: Perhaps didn’t have before with what was going on inside the cloud. [00:13:15] Vince Menzione: So this is a question for both of you actually, but I was thinking about these partners in the room and what did they get wrong? Like what are they doing? Like what are the things we always talk about, things that they’re doing right? [00:13:26] Vince Menzione: We’re having the happy talk about all the great success that’s been going on, but what is your advice to partners that maybe are not getting it right? Like what, what, what are the things you see that. The easy stumbling blocks that could be fixed. [00:13:38] Arif Razvi: Yeah. Well, probably the easiest is, uh, waiting to talk about marketplace at the last minute and not making it part of the full commercial journey [00:13:45] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:13:45] Arif Razvi: That the sellers will go through. Right. So, um, but that includes being able to have those internal conversations from the executive level, getting that executive sponsorship from marketplace upfront. That filters down through the rest of the organization. So you’ve gotta get rev ops teams, finance, legal, you know, the marketplace terms, the, the standard, uh, contract that goes into your listing has to be approved by legal. [00:14:08] Arif Razvi: Uh, and then you get down to the sales teams, making sure that you’re not penalizing sales teams for doing transactions on marketplace, which will create friction, then meeting buyers where they are, right? So local entities, local currency, um, having all that wired up. Uh, I met with a, a partner yesterday at Summit who is literally wiring up 10 new regions, 10 new entities in 10 new locations on marketplace in advance of what they know is a pipeline that’s going to be building into those regions. [00:14:37] Arif Razvi: So they’re getting ready and not waiting for the last minute for marketplace. [00:14:40] Vince Menzione: I love it. And the internal, go ahead. [00:14:43] George Maroulakos: Yeah, I, I echo definitely what Arif was saying and I think the, the other aspect of that is that our customers shouldn’t feel like it’s more painful. To use marketplace versus they would any other way. [00:14:54] George Maroulakos: And so whether that shows up in pricing, it shows up in awareness of what marketplace is and isn’t, or what it can or cannot do. Um, whether it’s introducing it naturally or it’s this, oh, by the way, on the end, like the, the more. Integrated marketplace is as a part of your co-sell motion, whether you’re doing it directly on your own or through a reseller or with AWS or all of the above. [00:15:17] George Maroulakos: Um, it’s, it should be a natural extension and a value point that you’re bringing to your respective customers, not some. Interrupt driven or, or exception based activity that goes along with selling your, your, your, your solution. [00:15:31] Vince Menzione: Why do you think customer, some customers or some partners are held back or what, what, what is, is it a mindset? [00:15:38] Vince Menzione: I mean, I talk about the principles, you know that, but like, is it mindset? What is it? Is it, [00:15:42] Arif Razvi: it’s, it’s internal. Friction. Yeah. A a a lot of what I see, especially in these, in, in embedded engagements is the amount of, you know, I have a lot of empathy for this room, right? Because you are the ones that have to go internally and navigate all of these stakeholders to be able to convince them that marketplace is the route to market. [00:16:01] Arif Razvi: It’s the preferred route to market, and it’s the way that a AWS wants to co-sell. With its partners. And that’s a hard thing to do if you don’t speak the same language that the tax legal, rev ops, finance, accounting, because everything changes. When you start doing transactions on marketplace, your revenue is booked differently, right? [00:16:20] Arif Razvi: It’s booked as a w from AWS and not from the, you know, from the, so things change and having that conversation is often challenging. Uh, we are working on some tools that will help make that conversation easier. Um, and we’ve already written blogs, and again, there are mechanisms that your partner managers have internally that they can request support and guidance. [00:16:43] Arif Razvi: Uh, and we’re happy to provide that. [00:16:45] Vince Menzione: What needs to change so that marketplace becomes a true go to market engine. [00:16:49] Arif Razvi: Top down, top down, top down where, where I’ve seen the most success. From a partner is where they’ve gotten strategic alignment at the executive level. That marketplace is the way we are going to, uh, sell globally. [00:17:02] Arif Razvi: Right? Then that starts to filter down, as I mentioned earlier, into the different teams and yes, it is a journey and you may start with the US or if you’re EMEA based. Partner, you may start with just amea, but eventually you will start to expand your, you’ll want to expand your business. Um, and marketplace is a great place to do that because we have all of those mechanisms globally to help you scale without adding incremental resources to handle the tax or the compliance or the invoicing and collection and all that stuff. [00:17:30] George Maroulakos: Yeah. I’ll add to that because I’m gonna steal a second thing you said, Allison, about centering around a customer. I, I loved a lot of Allison. Come on now. I’ll be your hype guy. I absolutely, but, but, but the but demand will drive supply. And I think to what you were talking about, Arif, when are customers, when. [00:17:46] George Maroulakos: Our customers come to you about wanting to use marketplace. Yeah. How are you ready to adapt to that? How are you ready to respond to it? And if it becomes a disjointed, not centered around a customer, bespoke based, independently based interaction with the customer, everybody loses. Versus if you’re ready to embrace what that means and how to make that as good of an experience, if not better, versus how they might have traditionally procured your solution and deployed it. [00:18:13] George Maroulakos: Um, now we have a much better together story. So I think understanding that customers more and more are going to use marketplaces, particularly AWS marketplace, and want to make use of partner solutions that embrace marketplace as a part of their way to procure and deploy. You have a much better chance of being successful with them. [00:18:33] Vince Menzione: You know, it made me think about this. Is there a seminal event? Like I think about, I think back to COVID changing buying behavior, right? I’m, we’ll use AWS, an example, three boxes show up in my house every day, right? That didn’t happen before. We used to go to the store. Is there a seminal event we’re waiting to happen? [00:18:50] Vince Menzione: I, I know that the millennial buyer, we talked about this earlier with Matt, is the new buying persona. Over 50% of buyers are millennial and they’re used to doing comfortable with phones and trust Is all there. Is there something else we’re missing or what do, what do you think’s gonna happen? [00:19:03] George Maroulakos: I really think it’s what in front of us right now. [00:19:05] George Maroulakos: Yeah. Vince, I think what. Agen solutions, what Agen SaaS offers, what the power of information and research that’s now directly available to customers versus maybe indirectly available through consultancies or deeper research. Um, the velocity of what our customers are going to be able to do and with partners that they may not have even heard of right before. [00:19:32] George Maroulakos: You know, they started their journey. I, I think this is a present day. Inflection point. Yeah. Um, going back, you know, over the past several years, the advent of supporting private offers I think was a pretty big milestone for marketplace. It allowed for our partners to be able to. Work through customized terms and conditions and commercials that were important for a particular opportunity in a customer. [00:19:54] George Maroulakos: But today, the here and now I think becomes the next inflection point for the success of marketplace. [00:19:59] Arif Razvi: That would [00:19:59] Vince Menzione: Go ahead. [00:20:00] Arif Razvi: I was just gonna add on top of that, but partners need to be ready for that. Right? And if they’re not ready to accelerate a deal and get it closed in days versus stalling it for weeks to negotiate. [00:20:11] Arif Razvi: Yes. Like they’re not gonna stand. Customers are not gonna stand for that. So partners need to be ready to move quickly. If you think about all the innovations that Matt is delivering for Marketplace and Partner Central. They’re about accelerating co-sell. They’re about accelerating deal velocity. They’re about, we know f from, from the Forrester studies and others that we presented, that we’ve made public that the deal value goes up when you’re dealing with marketplace and co-selling with AWS. [00:20:36] Arif Razvi: So how can we just accelerate that? Yeah. Partners need to be ready for that and move quickly. [00:20:40] Vince Menzione: And you use partners in sort of a, you know, plural sense, but I think about those organizations as so many multifaceted. We talked about finance, we talked about all of different functions in the organization. [00:20:51] Vince Menzione: What are you doing to help that? I mean, we talked about you’re doing a lot of readiness work, but I do feel like there’s a lot of evangelism still to be done internally with those organizations. How do you think about [00:21:02] Arif Razvi: that? Yeah, we, um, obviously events like this are fantastic mechanisms to at least get the conversation started and get your head thinking about what you need to think about. [00:21:10] Arif Razvi: But we have other activities. We have, uh, rev Ops squads, right? So revenue operations teams, and we bring them together, uh, around the world op, uh, ops squad, which is operational teams, so deal desks and others that help them, uh, understand the capabilities that marketplace can bring to accelerate deal velocity. [00:21:28] Arif Razvi: And then we have, like, obviously other events like the, the, uh, marketplace Seller Conference in September where we bring marketplace sellers together and give them, you know. Guidance. And so there are ways to get this information beyond just like getting somebody from my team, of which there are very few as you, you know, as we start to, to consolidate down. [00:21:47] Arif Razvi: But um, but they are available and there’s other mechanisms and we’re happy to share those out. [00:21:50] Vince Menzione: Nice, nice. Well coming here doing this and we’ll make a podcast episode out of this as well. Can you hear. I hear us all, uh, because I do think it’s important to get in front of, especially the Chief Finance Officer and operations and all those different departmental heads who aren’t really embedded into, like, they don’t come to these events. [00:22:07] Arif Razvi: Yeah. And they also don’t log into Partner Central. That’s right. So how do they get this information right? Yeah. So we have to one to one it with them. Yeah. But that doesn’t scale when you think about what’s gonna happen now with this next wave of GSIs and sis and, and others coming onto Marketplace who hadn’t been there. [00:22:22] Arif Razvi: Yes, they’re gonna need the same guidance. Yeah. So we have to start thinking about what we’re building is AI tooling to help with those conversations. [00:22:28] George Maroulakos: Well, and, and you know, if, when I think about it from, from our buyer’s perspective, even just yesterday we held a, a couple of round table discussions with some procurement leaders that were, we’re here for the summit and, you know, we do a lot of enablement and, and awareness. [00:22:42] George Maroulakos: With alliance leaders at our partners, and that’s certainly a, the tip of the spear of getting the conversation started, but it’s not enough. And one of the things that we hear from our customers is. Well, you may have a great partnership with particular partner A, but the individual experience that I had with that sales rep doesn’t match that. [00:23:02] George Maroulakos: And so yeah, the evangelism and the awareness, yes, and the understanding of marketplace has to go beyond just the alliance team. You guys are the amplifier to it. But the folks that not only are in the back office and all the, the, the operational teams, but on the front lines and field sales need to also understand and embrace, not understand all the features and capabilities of marketplace. [00:23:25] George Maroulakos: AWS needs to handle that, but understand how marketplace fits into the co-sell strategy in what’s going on for that particular customer is very, very important to make sure our customers get the right experience. [00:23:37] Vince Menzione: Well, I think Arif, you mentioned this earlier about compensation models. And that’s a, that’s a factor too. [00:23:42] Vince Menzione: ’cause people, people, um, they’re fearful of change. They’re fear, fearful of compensation changing. Especially, especially sellers. I, um, again, that’s a coaching area. [00:23:54] Arif Razvi: Yeah, it’s a coaching area. Um, it, it, it is, um. It’s probably one of the easier ones to solve. Um, and, and, and, you know, we have these conversations with partners about net, uh, cost neutral or uh, seller neutrality and things like that. [00:24:06] Arif Razvi: Once you show them the economics of how AWS can increase their deal value, those economics sort of, they go away. The problems go away, but they, you have to get in front of those. Uh, you know, senior leaders, the CROs and the CFOs, to have that conversation to then go, okay, I get what’s going on here. I get why I’m paying. [00:24:23] Arif Razvi: The listing fee is, is about funding all of these marketing activities that we do for our partners, right? [00:24:29] George Maroulakos: Well, and then you use the word neutrality. The other end of that neutrality problem or, or, or challenge is the pricing that goes along with the opportunities that are made available to customers. [00:24:38] George Maroulakos: And so to one of your earlier questions on points of friction or what, what stops it from taking off further? When, when partners and our customers have a disconnect on. What they’re expecting to pay when they use marketplace, or if there is a unnatural cost that goes along with procuring that solution through marketplace. [00:24:57] George Maroulakos: That also tends to bring a, a pretty bad experience, not only for that opportunity in front of them, but for respective opportunities that may, may be in play thereafter. So thinking about not, you know, having an a, an unnatural experience for our customers relative to pricing as well as compensation and, and everything else is, is also very important. [00:25:17] Vince Menzione: So we’ve got a few minutes left, and we haven’t really touched on ag agentic AI and agen AI solutions. A little bit different than the SaaS solutions per se. How, how are these solutions brought and sold differently than SaaS? [00:25:30] Arif Razvi: Uh, well, as Matt said, the SaaS apocalypse is not real. [00:25:34] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:25:34] Arif Razvi: Um, he doesn’t, I’m glad to hear that, nor nor do I. [00:25:37] Arif Razvi: Um, I, I think what, you know, where, where SaaS has been very user seat based, you’re moving now to a world that’s gonna be more consumption based or outcome-based pricing. And so that’s really changing the dynamic and I think partners need to think about what does an outcome-based, uh, pricing model look for My particular. [00:25:55] Arif Razvi: Um, product, uh, Zendesk is a good example of, Matt published a blog, uh, earlier this week, I think it was, where we, we referenced Zendesk pricing on closed tickets or, or resolutions to tickets, right? For, for outcome-based pricing. So I think we need to think about on the pricing side, how to reprice, how to think about pricing. [00:26:13] Arif Razvi: But on the discovery side, thinking about what your, what your listing looks like, it’s no longer about marketing copy. It’s about, it’s almost, I was talking yesterday about being an API contract. ’cause the agent needs to have all the details that a person doesn’t necessarily need to have in order to make a recommendation that your product is the best fit based on the technology that’s underlying that, where it’s gonna fit in the infrastructure. [00:26:37] Vince Menzione: So three and a half minutes left lightning round. Um, but seriously, what, what if I’m in the room or even any, any partner that’s listening today, what do I need to change in the next 30 days? [00:26:50] George Maroulakos: From my perspective, think about marketplace as a why not as opposed to a why. And if you change your mindset around marketplace can be better together in helping to accelerate and expand your opportunities with our mutual customers. [00:27:03] George Maroulakos: You’ll get a whole lot more value out of it. You’ll get away from the fud in the system or some of the traditional roadblocks that you either have been or could be encountering when you think about marketplace, uh, together with your, with your solution. So think about the why not think about the value that the, the, the total solution can bring to our mutual customers and integrate it much more naturally into your total sales motion. [00:27:26] Vince Menzione: Nice. [00:27:27] Arif Razvi: I would say maybe three things. One, um, don’t just sell globally. Operate locally. Think about how your buyers wanna buy and then meet them there, right? As a partner, even if you’re doing CPPO transactions, um, you know, meet them in the location. Number two, top down, go get that executive alignment so the problems start to disappear, or at least are easier to manage when you’ve got that executive alignment. [00:27:51] Arif Razvi: And the third was, uh, don’t wait till the last minute to introduce marketplace. Work with your sales teams to make sure it’s part of the early conversation versus no procurement leader wants to know at the end of the day, oh wait, it’s coming. I gotta deal with this marketplace thing. They don’t wanna deal with it on the buyer side. [00:28:06] Vince Menzione: No, absolutely. Alright, we’ve got time for like one question in the back. Is that Eric? Yeah, that’s [00:28:12] Guest: me. [00:28:13] Vince Menzione: Hey. [00:28:14] Guest: Hi, Eric Rosenstein, um, with Cornerstone Strategy XAWS. So George, you talked about, uh, tools around that customers can use to research for self discovery. So what guidance, uh, first of all, like what capabilities are these tools gonna bring and what guidance would you give an industry specific ISV? [00:28:36] Guest: So someone that’s focused on law enforcement or private equity. That solution may be Angen solution, or it may be something more SaaS related. What guidance would you give an ISV to think about how to best leverage those tools? Is it metadata? Is it like. The outcome that your solution’s gonna drive, how would you tell ’em to best utilize those coming tools? [00:28:58] George Maroulakos: Yeah, excellent question and, and I think this is gonna, going to continue to emerge in the days, literally in weeks, weeks ahead. But recently, I, I’d say over the last six months, the advent of agent mode I think has been a game changer and the ability for our customers to use marketplace directly to research. [00:29:18] George Maroulakos: Efficiently what’s in our catalog. Prior to that, we had a category based. Old school based, search based category, click through way, which became very buried beyond the first page for any solution that was out there. Now with natural language query and the ability to propose, what am I specifically looking for, it gives partners that were on the first page or the last page in equal opportunity to be surfaced. [00:29:48] George Maroulakos: So then for a partner being able to do many of the things you just enumerated. Better metadata, better keywords, better description and differentiation for what your solution offers allows for the Ag agent search, whether it’s natively within AWS or outside of AWS through Claude Chat, GBT Crock Pick your, your, your agent of choice. [00:30:10] George Maroulakos: To be able to identify and know that your solution’s available. [00:30:13] Arif Razvi: And from a partner side to your question, I would say, uh, rich metadata, uh, both so that agent mode can find it. Yeah. Use cases, problems, it solves, you know, uh, technical specifications, pricing where you can, right. So that agents can really understand the solution, uh, that the buyer is, um, is looking for. [00:30:33] Vince Menzione: GEO is. [00:30:37] Guest: Perspective should be like as detailed as saying, so this agent is gonna act on these various data sources. [00:30:44] Arif Razvi: Yes. [00:30:45] Guest: Bringing it all together to drive that outcome that you want the agent [00:30:48] Arif Razvi: drive, if you can include what it needs to connect to in order to deliver that outcome as part of the listing. [00:30:53] Arif Razvi: Absolutely. ’cause the agent will want to know. For sure. [00:30:57] Guest: Thanks. [00:30:58] Vince Menzione: Alright, we are at time and this was a great session. [00:31:01] Arif Razvi: Thank you Vince. [00:31:01] Vince Menzione: Great to see you, George. George and I grew up, uh, five miles away from each other and went to the same college. I love it. Great to, great to spend some [00:31:09] Arif Razvi: time with you, George. [00:31:11] Vince Menzione: Thanks for listening to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. If today’s conversation resonated, share it with a partner leader in your network. Subscribe where you listen, and head over to the ultimate partner.com. For show notes related content and the resources for this episode, and if you haven’t already, now’s the time to register for the Ultimate Partner Live Event in Reston, Virginia, October 26th through October 28th. [00:31:38] Vince Menzione: Until next time, keep showing up in the rooms that matter because being in the room changes everything.

Have any questions about screenwriting? Comment below and I'll address them in future podcasts.My novel Deadpan is out in hardcover! Order it here. Get full access to Get Reel with Richard Walter at richardwalter.substack.com/subscribe

Have any questions about screenwriting? Comment below and I'll address them in future podcasts.My novel Deadpan is out in hardcover! Order it here. Get full access to Get Reel with Richard Walter at richardwalter.substack.com/subscribe

Brian talks about his recent travels to the Middle East and Asia.  Brian never stops learning about everything that is impacting the financial markets. From the Artificial Intelligence story, to the interplay of Bonds and Stocks and where Bitcoin fits into Modern Portfolio Theory, I always learn so much from him when we talk.  This podcast is not financial advice, it is for informational purposes only. 0.00:    Intro 3.00:    Life in Dubai 8.00:    Changing plans after the Iran missiles hitting Dubai 12.00:  The gift of uncertainty and new perspectives 16.00:  The powers of optimism and curiosity (and overcoming difficulties) 22.00:  Balance and "seeing through the frames" 29.00:  Why AI is an Inflection point, and not a bubble (yet) 38.00:  The Bitcoin Story 44.00:  Modern Portfolio Theory and the future of printing money 50.00:  Risk Tolerance in managing money 53.00:  Love and Balance   Until next time, love and good vibes.   Podcast Website: https://enterthelionheart.com/ Check out the latest episode here: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enter-the-lionheart/id1554904704   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tD7VvMUvnOgChoNYShbcI

"It's an inflection quarter" for CoreWeave (CRWV), says Mark Gibbens, who highlights the neocloud company's revenue growth and backlog as bullish indicators. Mark adds that a partnership with Nvidia (NVDA) adds to future prospects. Todd Stankiewicz says the earnings show AI demand isn't going anywhere but CoreWeave faces a key challenge in delivering that demand through debt financing. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Unlock the power of inflection leadership in today's rapidly changing world!In this episode of the Magical Learning Podcast, we dive deep with Chris Power, an expert in organisational consulting and leadership coaching. Discover how to navigate uncertainty and thrive during inflection points in your career and organisation.To reach out to Chris:https://www.powerprojects.com.au/https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-power-pp/And for the whitepaper:https://www.powerprojects.com.au/white-paper/Chapters00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest00:25 Chris Power's background and current work02:09 What is an inflection point?03:00 External and internal inflection points in business04:24 Past inflection points: COVID as a major example08:27 The role of AI and the importance of adaptation09:53 The concept of choice in inflection points11:13 Autopilot versus intentional response to change12:20 Preparing kids for a world of inflections13:35 Embracing discomfort and uncertainty14:36 The changing role of leaders in times of inflection17:32 Thriving versus surviving in inflection points20:28 The difference between resilience and inflection leadership23:15 Handling uncertainty and control27:44 Examples of inflection leadership in action31:04 Using AI as an enabler, not just a cost-cutting tool34:09 The importance of developing talent and mentorship35:22 Final thoughts: Opportunity in inflection pointsWhat's your biggest challenge with navigating change? Drop it in the comments!Subscribe for weekly insights on leadership and personal development.#Leadership #InflectionPoints #changemanagement All Magical Learning Podcasts are recorded on the beautiful lands of the Kulin, Ngunnawal and Wiradjuri nations, and we pay our respect to their elders past and present.As always, if you are having trouble, you can always send us a message.Listen to/watch this podcast here: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/128QgGO....To find out more about our free content, sign-up for future webinars as well as our other services, go to ⁠⁠https://magicallearning.com/⁠⁠ and sign up!You can also find us on our socials: Instagram: / magical_learning Facebook: / magicallearningteam Linkedin: / magicallearning Youtube: / @magicallearning Have a Magical week!

Have any questions about screenwriting? Comment below and I'll address them in future podcasts.My novel Deadpan is out in hardcover! Order it here. Get full access to Get Reel with Richard Walter at richardwalter.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of the Look Forward podcast, host Naki Mendoza speaks with Daniel Yergin, vice chair of S&P Global Energy, founder and chair of CERAWeek, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Prize, The Quest, and The New Map. Together, they examine a volatile moment for global energy, shaped by conflict in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz disruption, shifting supply chains, and renewed focus on energy security. More Look Forward: Look Forward Homepage

In ‘ID Fund', Meghan McGowan and her husband Joe built a platform that gave their investors seamless access to exclusive — and lucrative — private investment opportunities. Now, with their new firm, Barramundi, they hope to build on that previous success by leveraging new technology, and expanding their total addressable market.Meghan is the Founder and CEO of Barramundi, a private markets and pre-IPO investment firm. Under her leadership, the company has grown to roughly 1.5 billion in assets under management, with more than five hundred million invested across the companies, and they are defining the next era of the economy, from AI infrastructure to drone technology and digital finance.Meghan joins us to discuss her atypical career path from wine futures to founding Barramundi, and the incredible opportunities they're creating for investors.Highlights:From wine to private markets (2:41)Coming up with a better way to invest (7:20)Investment opportunities (11:09)Barramundi vs. ID Fund (14:02)Leveraging Technology (16:38) 50k Minimum (17:50)Investing at Inflection Points (18:53)Marriage and Business (22:29)5-year Outlook (25:05)  Links:Barramundi WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR Website Feedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co

What if a small-cap AI company reported 207% year-over-year Q4 revenue growth, approximately doubled revenue sequentially in a single quarter, operated at 91.3% gross margin, increased gross profit by 263%, and cut operating losses by 96% at the same time?That is exactly what Nextech3D.ai just delivered in its audited Q4 and full-year fiscal 2026 results released June 25, 2026. The company posted Q4 FY2026 revenue of $939,000, up from $306,000 in Q4 FY2025 and up from $468,000 in Q3 FY2026, representing 207% year-over-year Q4 revenue growth and approximately 101% sequential growth.The company, an AI-first event technology platform serving what management describes as a trillion-dollar-plus global industry, is entering a new stage of its business model transition. After restructuring, acquisitions and platform integration, Nextech3D.ai is now focused on a software-first, AI-supported event technology model designed to improve margins, reduce costs and scale more efficiently.WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW207% YoY, 101% Sequential: Q4 FY2026 revenue hit $939,000, up from $306,000 in Q4 FY2025 and up from $468,000 in Q3 FY2026.Sequential Growth Accelerated: Q3 to Q4 revenue growth was approximately 101%, compared to 20% sequential growth from Q2 to Q3.91.3% Gross Margin: Q4 FY2026 gross margin reached 91.3%, compared to 77.2% in Q4 FY2025.263% Gross Profit Growth: Q4 gross profit increased 263% year-over-year to $858,000.96% Operating Loss Improvement: Operating loss dropped to $290,000 in Q4 FY2026, down from $7.3 million in Q4 FY2025.85% Cost Of Sales Reduction: Full-year cost of sales was reduced by 85% year-over-year as the company continued shifting toward software-based offerings.AI Software Transition: Management says the company continues to transition toward a scalable, software-first, AI-supported event technology platform.STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONSThe global event industry, described by management as a $1+ trillion market growing toward $2 trillion over the next five years, has long operated with outdated workflows. Conference attendees still deal with lanyards, manual registration, limited matchmaking and fragmented event experiences. Exhibitors often spend $10,000, $25,000, $50,000 or even $100,000 on trade shows, only to leave with a pile of business cards and weeks of manual follow-up.Nextech3D.ai is attacking that inefficiency with an AI-powered event technology platform. According to management, the company now provides event tools including floor plan mapping, mobile apps, registration, ticketing, badging and AI matchmaking. Management says it has integrated acquired technology into an end-to-end platform built to compete more directly in the event technology market.CEO Evan Gappelberg described the quarter as a true inflection point:“This quarter does mark a true inflection point. We're not just growing. We're actually exploding out of a restructuring into a high-margin AI software company. 207% year-over-year growth, 90-plus percent gross margins on its own is fantastic, but the 101% sequential growth, that combination is extremely rare in public markets.”He also made clear that management does not view the current numbers as the full story. According to Gappelberg, the company is still in the early stages of its growth trajectory, with additional AI event technology demos expected in the coming months.INVESTOR TAKEAWAYNextech3D.ai just reported the kind of numbers that can change how the market looks at a small-cap AI company: 207% year-over-year Q4 FY2026 revenue growth, 101% sequential quarterly growth, 91.3% gross margin, 263% gross profit growth and a 96% improvement in operating loss.

Today, I'm joined by Danielle DuBoise, co-founder of Sakara Life. With 15 years in business, Sakara has evolved from plant-based meal delivery service to full-blown functional food and supplement brand with a focus on gut and metabolic health. In this episode, we discuss turning operational complexity into a competitive advantage. We also cover: Fresh food logistics Raising capital selectively Navigating trends vs. nutrition science Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider  Sakara's Website: www.sakara.comSakara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sakaralife/ Danielle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DanielleDuboise/  - The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities. Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/ Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:15) Company evolution (02:45) Meal delivery complexity (05:45) Operational moat (07:45) Nutrition messaging (09:25) Education and product delivery (10:25) Resisting trends (12:45) Brand philosophy (15:15) "Eat clean, play dirty" (16:45) Maintaining premium brand (18:30) Inflection points (19:15) Nationwide shipping unlock (21:15) Fiber era opportunity (23:00) Growth strategy shift (24:30) Analog and micro-influencers (25:40) Leadership transition (28:15) Raising capital selectively (29:40) Where to find (30:41) Conclusion

Why do some podcasters instantly connect with their audience while others struggle to keep listeners engaged? The answer lies in one word: Prosody. In Part 3 of our series with David Goldberg, founder of Edge Studio, we dive deep into the "how" of human communication. David explains that it's not just what you say, but how you say it—your pitch, tempo, tone, and rhythm—that makes all the difference. We explore why this essential skill is rarely taught in schools and how you can harness your natural pitch to mask nervousness and project confidence. Whether you're a seasoned host or just starting out, David's insights on effective vocal patterns will dramatically elevate your podcast presence.     ⏱️ Accurate YouTube Chapters & Timestamps 0:00 Welcome & Introduction to David Goldberg   0:57 Prosody: The one word that defines how you say your words   1:36 What is Prosody? Inflection, intonation, pitch, and rhythm   2:12 The Education Gap: Why prosody isn't taught in grade school   3:24 The Fear of Public Speaking: How a lack of training leads to humiliation   5:54 Communication Skills: The key to success in corporations and colleges   6:52 The Search for Synonyms: Why "speaking patterns" doesn't cover it all   7:51 Prosody for Podcasters: Breaking down the seven categories   9:52 Pitch: The musical note of your voice and its role in engagement   11:28 Masking Nerves: How lowering your pitch increases credibility   13:00 Finding Your Natural Pitch: The humming and meditation techniques   15:00 Pitch Range Exercises: Moving from monotone to engaging   18:00 Tempo: The speed of your words and the importance of clarity   21:00 Handling Single-Syllable Words: Ensuring your audience can decipher the message   23:00 Tone and Volume: Tailoring your voice to the topic and audience   25:30 Pacing and Spacing: The rhythm of your delivery   26:50 Variety: Keeping the listener engaged through vocal shifts   74:11 Final Advice: Loosening up and having fun with your performance   74:52 Where to Find David: Edge Studio and coaching services   76:31 Outro: RoyCoughlan.com and the PodFather Network   76:53 End of Episode    

  Why do some podcasters instantly connect with their audience while others struggle to keep listeners engaged? The answer lies in one word: Prosody. In Part 3 of our series with David Goldberg, founder of Edge Studio, we dive deep into the "how" of human communication. David explains that it's not just what you say, but how you say it—your pitch, tempo, tone, and rhythm—that makes all the difference. We explore why this essential skill is rarely taught in schools and how you can harness your natural pitch to mask nervousness and project confidence. Whether you're a seasoned host or just starting out, David's insights on effective vocal patterns will dramatically elevate your podcast presence.     ⏱️ Accurate YouTube Chapters & Timestamps 0:00 Welcome & Introduction to David Goldberg   0:57 Prosody: The one word that defines how you say your words   1:36 What is Prosody? Inflection, intonation, pitch, and rhythm   2:12 The Education Gap: Why prosody isn't taught in grade school   3:24 The Fear of Public Speaking: How a lack of training leads to humiliation   5:54 Communication Skills: The key to success in corporations and colleges   6:52 The Search for Synonyms: Why "speaking patterns" doesn't cover it all   7:51 Prosody for Podcasters: Breaking down the seven categories   9:52 Pitch: The musical note of your voice and its role in engagement   11:28 Masking Nerves: How lowering your pitch increases credibility   13:00 Finding Your Natural Pitch: The humming and meditation techniques   15:00 Pitch Range Exercises: Moving from monotone to engaging   18:00 Tempo: The speed of your words and the importance of clarity   21:00 Handling Single-Syllable Words: Ensuring your audience can decipher the message   23:00 Tone and Volume: Tailoring your voice to the topic and audience   25:30 Pacing and Spacing: The rhythm of your delivery   26:50 Variety: Keeping the listener engaged through vocal shifts   74:11 Final Advice: Loosening up and having fun with your performance   74:52 Where to Find David: Edge Studio and coaching services   76:31 Outro: RoyCoughlan.com and the PodFather Network   76:53 End of Episode    

In this episode of The Circuit, Ben and Jay dive deep into Apple's WWDC announcements, unpacking the "applied AI" strategy behind the newly indexed Siri, system-level CPU scheduling updates, and Apple's surprising embrace of Nvidia for private cloud compute. Ben also shares his takeaways from the Nebius conference in San Francisco, analyzing their unique custom server racks and their positioning as a highly capable neo-cloud infrastructure provider. Finally, Jay reports back from his recent trip to China, sharing ground-level observations on why US entity list restrictions are losing their impact, how IoT chipmaker Espressif creatively markets globally via Reddit and YouTube despite domestic blocks, and the real-world manufacturing bottlenecks facing humanoid robot actuators.

What if the biggest threat to your business is already unfolding - and you can't see it yet? And what do you need to be thinking about ahead of tax time? In this episode, we hear two expert perspectives on getting ahead of small problems before they become serious ones. First, executive coach Chris Power explains why “leadership inflection points” can become dangerous moments for organisations, and how strong leaders recognise early warning signs before performance stalls. Then, dual-qualified solicitor and chartered accountant Adam Ahmed of Entity Accountants shares practical advice on staying tax-compliant in a fast-changing landscape, including the risks around crypto, digital payments, and poor planning. If you’re considering launching a podcast to grow your authority and client base, reach out to our team to learn how we can support you. Business Essentials is produced by soundcartel.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI Valley examines the "innovator's dilemma," where tech giants like Google hesitate to release advanced AI that might cannibalize their lucrative search advertising profits. This "bigness" often slows innovation, leading geniuses like Mustafa Suleyman to leave DeepMind at Google to found independent ventures like Inflection. However, the staggering cost of GPUs and computing power often pulls these startups back into the orbit of trillion-dollar corporations. For example, Suleyman eventually moved Inflection to Microsoft to leverage their near-bottomless cash reserves. This dynamic ensures that only the wealthiest companies with massive reach can truly compete in the expensive race for generative AI supremacy. (5/8)1905 LA

The housing crisis is real. So why isn't modular construction fixing it?Dwayne Torrey is the Director of Construction and Infrastructure at CSA Group — the organization that writes the standards every builder, regulator, and manufacturer in Canada has to follow. He's been working at the intersection of modular construction and policy for seven years, and his answer might surprise you: the technology isn't the problem. The rulebook is.In this episode we get into how consensus standards actually get written, who's fighting in the room when they do, and why a 1972 document about school portables is still shaping how Canada builds homes today.

NEW BOOK -- The Price of Becoming Buy it -- www.LearningLeader.com/Becoming The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. Jim Collins is the author of some of the most influential business books ever written — Good to Great, Built to Last, and Great by Choice. His concepts have become part of the leadership vocabulary. Level 5 Leadership. The Flywheel. First Who, Then What. The Hedgehog Concept. He spent more than a decade at Stanford as a professor and has advised CEOs, four-star generals, and heads of state. His new book is What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire, and the Self-Knowledge Imperative. It is the product of ten years of research and is the most personal thing he has ever written. We flew to Boulder, Colorado, to record this one in person with Jim. Key Learnings Jim's grandfather wrote his own death story. Jimmy Collins was a test pilot in the 1930s. He told Jim's grandmother, Dolores, that if he died, she should pull the last chapter from his desk and publish it. He died in a test crash. After the service, she pulled out the chapter. The title was "I'm Dead." The last chapter, written in first person, described the plane coming out of the sky, the screaming wings, the crash. The final words, by his own pen: "I am dead now." For seven decades, his grandmother never cried. When Jim asked her in her nineties to tell the story of his grandfather, she cried and said, "Thank you for that. I've never cried before." She'd been a single mom in the middle of the Depression. Of all the things Jim feels good about in his life, asking her to tell that story before she died at almost 100 years old is one he's most proud of. A cliff is an event that alters the trajectory of your life and forces you to reconstruct everything that comes after. Jim's first big cliff: he lost his father while his father was still alive. Jim's father took the family to San Francisco in the 1960s. They lived a few houses down from Haight Street. When a man was shot dead on their doorstep, Jim's mom moved them to Boulder. They lived in a cold basement with cots and a hot plate. They couldn't afford a Christmas tree, so Jim and his brother rolled a boulder into the basement and called it their Christmas rock. The Greyhound bus moment. In high school, Jim took a Thanksgiving turkey on a Greyhound bus down to New Mexico, where his father was living in an adobe hut with a dirt floor. He had this romantic vision: they'd cook the turkey, share Thanksgiving, bond as father and son. The whole weekend, his father had no interest in him. He spent it trying to convince Jim to convince his grandmother to give him money. On the bus ride home, looking out the window into the fog, Jim realized: there will never, ever be a father there. No male role models. No frameworks. No guidance. "I've got this one life. What do I do with it?" The inflection point in Jim's life is Joanne. They got engaged four days after their first date. He'd admired her from afar for years but never had the courage to ask her out. Once they were together, Jim began a conscious process: I need to become a person worthy of being married to her. He didn't know exactly what that meant or how to get there. But he knew that was the work. Forty-six years later, it's still a never-ending journey. What Joanne does brilliantly: she sees what needs attention. Jim is encoded to hear it. Someone once asked Joanne what she thought Jim's greatest strength was. She said: "Jim takes critical feedback better than any person I've ever met." Joanne sees what needs attention. Jim hears it. Then they adapt and adjust. That's the inner flywheel of their marriage. Circle the wagons together. Guns pointing out, never at each other. When life gets really difficult, whether it's disease or other cliffs. You are always together. Always on the inside of the wagons. Never aimed at each other. Joanne won the 1985 Hawaii Ironman by 92 seconds. With a hamstring injury that limited her running training to 16 miles a week, she came off the bike with a 10-minute lead. Then mile by mile, the lead shrank. Nine minutes. Eight. Seven. With a few miles left, she stopped in the middle of the lava field, massaging her legs, almost pleading with them to run. She looked up at the sky. Then her gaze fixed somewhere down the road. She started to run. You're racing for self-respect. Joanne told Jim afterward: in the end, you're racing to know that you couldn't have run a step faster. Only you'll know. If you know you couldn't have run a step faster, that's actually winning. When Jim writes, he's on the lava fields. When he finishes a book, he wants to know he couldn't have written one sentence better. When you're on the lava fields, this is the moment you want to quit. Don't. Writing is thinking. When the writing isn't working, the thinking isn't clear. Go back to the data. Find the through-line. There are three types of luck: What luck. A cancer diagnosis. A guitar left in an empty house. An event that breaks your way. Who luck. The people who walk into your life. Joanne. Morten Hansen. Jerry Porras. Bill Lazier. Zeit luck. When what you're doing intersects with the surrounding zeitgeist. Jimmy Page was in Surrey when the British rock explosion happened. Luck is an event you didn't cause, with significant consequences, and an element of surprise. The big winners weren't luckier. They had a higher return on luck. What you do with luck events matters more than the luck itself. Bill Lazier: the closest thing to a father Jim ever had. Jim ended up in Bill's class at Stanford because the class he was trying to take was full. The random course-sorting mechanism threw him into the first class Bill ever taught. Pure WHO luck. Jim did not cause that.  Discover your encodings. An encoding is a durable capacity of your intrinsic construction that resides within, awaiting discovery through the experiences of life.  Jim has done over 300 online courses on every imaginable subject. Constitutional law. Napoleon. World War I. The history of China. He started them to learn how to teach. Then his curiosity took over. That's what an encoding looks like in the wild. You have a constellation of encodings. Like stars. When your life captures a bright set of those encodings, you're in frame. When it doesn't, you're out of frame. The same person can look amazing in frame and not very amazing out of frame. The most important finding from this book: don't follow anyone else's advice. Their advice is well-meaning. It may have worked beautifully for them. But it worked for them because it flowed from their encodings. And their encodings are not your encodings. Barbara McClintock and Grace Hopper. Two women who won the Nobel Prize and shaped computer science. McClintock was encoded for solitary work. She didn't even have a phone. She heard about her Nobel Prize on the radio. Hopper was encoded to work through people. She kept a pirate flag in her office and once stole furniture for her team in the middle of the night. Two completely different encodings. What they shared: their lives were in alignment with their encodings. Leadership is the art of getting people to want to do what must be done. It's not a trait. It's a choice. Anyone in any organization can lead, depending on their desire to make a difference. Nobody needs to wait for a title. Ryan's encoding is "the relentless persistence of invitation." Jim observed that Ryan has incredible encodings for what he'd describe as attractive persistence. Not pushy. Not aggressive. But persistent and welcoming. The invitation never goes away. The way you lead should be different from everyone else. Because you are encoded differently. Trust your encodings, not their playbook. Roger Sherman saved the U.S. Constitution. Twice. He created the bicameral legislature compromise. He insisted the Bill of Rights be amendments, not rewrites. Yet most people don't know his name. He almost never spoke. He listened in committees and waited for the precise moment to introduce just the right point to turn American history. Quiet. Behind the scenes. Uncharismatic. Unglamorous. Enormously effective. That was his encoding. You should largely ignore what other successful leaders did. It's marvelous to listen to. It might give you ideas. But everything that worked for them reflected their encodings, not yours. The work isn't to copy their playbook. The work is to discover your encodings and trust them. The color of Jim's fire changed. When he was younger, his fuel was rage, fury, and a sense of terror with no safety net. He used to worry that if he ever lost it, he'd lose his drive. What replaced it was a different kind of fire: the joy of curiosity, of being lost in giant projects, of marvelous conversations, of sharing what he's learned. His drive is higher than ever. It just feels a lot better now. The 3x3 reflective practice. After almost any conversation, teaching moment, or significant interaction, Jim writes down three things that went well and three things he could have done better. He's done it for years. He's now systematizing it. He doesn't pause to celebrate. He pauses to learn quickly and move on. At the top of Jim's notes for this conversation: "The biggest reminder for today, reconnecting with an old friend." That's the celebration. What could be a better celebration than reconnecting with somebody you've had marvelous conversations with? Reflection Questions What is your most significant cliff? What did you reconstruct on the other side, and what are you still rebuilding? What are your encodings? Not what you've been told you should be, but what genuinely flows from your intrinsic construction. When have you felt most in frame? Like Jim with Joanne, is there a person or purpose you are actively trying to become worthy of? What would that work look like this week? More Learning #397: Jim Collins - Creating Your Generosity Flywheel, Make the Trust Wager (Part 1)#398: Jim Collins - Creating Your Generosity Flywheel, Make the Trust Wager (Part 2) #216: Jim Collins - How to Go From Good to Great  

Welcome to episode 478 of the Mobile Tech Podcast with guest Enobong Etteh of Booredatwork -- brought to you by Mint Mobile. In this week's show, we focus on inflection points: how Samsung's Galaxy Buds4 Pro, Apple's MacBook Neo, and Mercedes-AMG's E53 wagon are changing the game in their respective categories. We then share our first impressions of the Honor 600 and discuss how we use AI as creators. Finally, we cover news, leaks, and rumors from Hyundai, NTT Research, Adobe, and OpenAI. Episode Links- Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tnkgrl- Donate / buy me a coffee (PayPal): https://tnkgrl.com/tnkgrl/- Support the podcast with Mint Mobile: https://mintmobile.com/mobiletech- Enobong Etteh: https://www.threads.net/@booredatwork- Enobong's Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFUCCDHzTYQ- Enobong's Apple MacBook Neo comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6qn0q7jpRo- Enobong's ASUS ZenBook A16 review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnsUPE4Qx08- Honor 600 review: https://www.androidpolice.com/honor-600-review/- Mercedes-AMG E53 wagon review: https://www.tomsguide.com/vehicle-tech/evs/i-drove-the-mercedes-amg-e53-hybrid-wagon-for-a-week-and-i-felt-like-i-was-in-an-iron-man-suit- Hyundai bringing fake gear shifts to more EVs: https://www.autoblog.com/news/hyundai-is-bringing-fake-gear-shifts-to-more-evs- NTT Research Upgrade 2026 recap: https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2026/04/15/turning-research-into-reality-at-upgrade-2026/- Adobe Summit 2006 recap: https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/enterprise-solutions-in-the-spotlight-at-adobe-summit-2026/- OpenAI is making a phone: https://www.gsmarena.com/openai_phone_to_use_a_custom_dimensity_9600_soc_launch_fasttracked_kuo-news-72679.phpAffiliate Links (If you use these links to buy something, we might earn a commission)- Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: https://amzn.to/428bRBI- OnePlus Buds Pro 3: https://amzn.to/4dfF5DA- Apple MacBook Neo: https://amzn.to/3ORAMGM- ASUS Zenbook A14: https://amzn.to/49HF1eX- Honor 400: https://amzn.to/4ntrqxK

Invest Like the Best: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- My guest today is Alex Karnal. Alex is the co-founder and managing partner of Braidwell, a life sciences investment firm he built after spending 15 years at Deerfield Management. The frame we use throughout the episode is the health stack. Alex talks about how most of the diseases that will claim most of our lives are already addressable with medicines that exist today. We work through the five layers of what a defensive health strategy looks like, why GLP-1 medicines represent the first commercial proof that people are ready to be proactive about their health, and why PCSK9 inhibitors may ultimately be the more important drug class even though they get far less attention. We also get into the science and business of drug discovery itself — why most of the published literature that AI companies are training on cannot be replicated, what it would mean to have a truly agentic scientific lab running 24 hours a day, and why Alex believes we are now on a deterministic curve toward scientific superintelligence in biology. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ----- Become a Colossus member to get our quarterly print magazine and private audio experience, including exclusive profiles and early access to select episodes. Subscribe at ⁠colossus.com/subscribe⁠. ----- ⁠Ramp's⁠ mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ramp.com/invest⁠⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Trusted by thousands of businesses, ⁠Vanta⁠ continuously monitors your security posture and streamlines audits so you can win enterprise deals and build customer trust without the traditional overhead. Visit ⁠vanta.com/invest⁠.  ----- ⁠WorkOS⁠ is a developer platform that enables SaaS companies to quickly add enterprise features to their applications. Visit⁠⁠ ⁠WorkOS.com⁠⁠⁠ to transform your application into an enterprise-ready solution in minutes, not months. ----- ⁠Rogo⁠ is the AI platform for finance. They're building agents for Wall Street that are trained to understand how bankers and investors actually do work: from diligence and modeling, to turning analysis into deliverables. To learn more, visit rogo.ai/invest. ----- ⁠Ridgeline⁠ has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Timestamps: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:02:29) Intro: Alex Karnal (00:03:15) State of the Union: GLP1s and Life Sciences (00:07:01) The Health Stack Framework (00:12:49) Breaking Down the 5 Defensive Layers (00:21:18) GLP-1: What's Driving the Inflection (00:28:28) Diet vs. Drugs: Is Food Enough? (00:31:15) Barriers to Access: Complexity, Cost & Compliance (00:35:04) PCSK9: The Closest Thing to a Free Lunch (00:44:10) Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Disease (00:46:59) Cancer: Early Detection & New Treatments (00:54:49) Body Imaging & Diagnostic Trade-offs (00:56:31) How Drugs Are Discovered (01:02:39) AI in Drug Discovery (01:10:57) The Automated Lab of the Future (01:13:05) Peptides & Citizen Pharmacology (01:16:45) Alex's Background (01:28:25) Braidwell's Investment Approach (01:30:39) The Kindest Thing

My guest today is Alex Karnal. Alex is the co-founder and managing partner of Braidwell, a life sciences investment firm he built after spending 15 years at Deerfield Management. The frame we use throughout the episode is the health stack. Alex talks about how most of the diseases that will claim most of our lives are already addressable with medicines that exist today. We work through the five layers of what a defensive health strategy looks like, why GLP-1 medicines represent the first commercial proof that people are ready to be proactive about their health, and why PCSK9 inhibitors may ultimately be the more important drug class even though they get far less attention. We also get into the science and business of drug discovery itself — why most of the published literature that AI companies are training on cannot be replicated, what it would mean to have a truly agentic scientific lab running 24 hours a day, and why Alex believes we are now on a deterministic curve toward scientific superintelligence in biology. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ----- Become a Colossus member to get our quarterly print magazine and private audio experience, including exclusive profiles and early access to select episodes. Subscribe at ⁠colossus.com/subscribe⁠. ----- ⁠Ramp's⁠ mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ramp.com/invest⁠⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Trusted by thousands of businesses, ⁠Vanta⁠ continuously monitors your security posture and streamlines audits so you can win enterprise deals and build customer trust without the traditional overhead. Visit ⁠vanta.com/invest⁠.  ----- ⁠WorkOS⁠ is a developer platform that enables SaaS companies to quickly add enterprise features to their applications. Visit⁠⁠ ⁠WorkOS.com⁠⁠⁠ to transform your application into an enterprise-ready solution in minutes, not months. ----- ⁠Rogo⁠ is the AI platform for finance. They're building agents for Wall Street that are trained to understand how bankers and investors actually do work: from diligence and modeling, to turning analysis into deliverables. To learn more, visit rogo.ai/invest. ----- ⁠Ridgeline⁠ has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Timestamps: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:02:29) Intro: Alex Karnal (00:03:15) State of the Union: GLP1s and Life Sciences (00:07:01) The Health Stack Framework (00:12:49) Breaking Down the 5 Defensive Layers (00:21:18) GLP-1: What's Driving the Inflection (00:28:28) Diet vs. Drugs: Is Food Enough? (00:31:15) Barriers to Access: Complexity, Cost & Compliance (00:35:04) PCSK9: The Closest Thing to a Free Lunch (00:44:10) Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Disease (00:46:59) Cancer: Early Detection & New Treatments (00:54:49) Body Imaging & Diagnostic Trade-offs (00:56:31) How Drugs Are Discovered (01:02:39) AI in Drug Discovery (01:10:57) The Automated Lab of the Future (01:13:05) Peptides & Citizen Pharmacology (01:16:45) Alex's Background (01:28:25) Braidwell's Investment Approach (01:30:39) The Kindest Thing

Was haben Himbeeren mit Werwölfen zu tun? Und was diese wiederum mit einem Bräutigam oder dem Vergessen? Ganz klar: Alle diese Worte haben Bestandteile, die nur ein einziges Mal in der deutschen Sprache vorkommen: Him-, Wer-, -gam und gess-. Jakob erklärt uns in dieser Folge, was es mit diesen sogenannten unikalen Morphemen auf sich hat: Woher kommen sie, warum gibt es sie und was bedeuten sie?Ein Podcast von Anton und Jakob. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sprachpfade ___ Links & Literatur: Artikel „Bräutigam“, „Brombeere“, „Himbeere“, „Nachtigall“, „vergessen“, „Werwolf“, in: Wolfgang Pfeifer et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen (1993), digitalisierte und von Wolfgang Pfeifer überarbeitete Version im Digitalen Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, https://www.dwds.de/d/wb-etymwb.Artikel „буженина“ (transliteriert: buženina), in: Николай Шанский, Валерий Максимович, Васильевич Иванов, Тамара Васильевна Шанская (1971): Краткий этимологический словарь русского языка. пособие для учителей. Изд. 2-е, испр. и доп. Москва: Просвещение. стр. 61.Artikel „cranberry“, in: Etymonline. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/cranberry.Artikel „galan“, in: Albert L. Lloyd, Rosemarie Lühr (Hg.) (2009): Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Bd. IV, Sp. 22, https://ewa.saw-leipzig.de/articles/49880.Artikel „körsbär“, in: Elof Hellquist (1948): Svensk Etymologisk Ordbok, Bd. 1, 3. Aufl., Lund, S. 552.Artikel „ver-“ in: Digitales Wörterbuch der Deutschen Sprache, https://www.dwds.de/wb/ver-.Geert Booij u.a. (Hg.) (2000): Morphologie. Ein internationales Handbuch zur Flexion und Wortbildung, 1. Halbband = Morphology. An International Handbook on Inflection and Word-Formation, Volume 1, Berlin/New York (darin: Artikel Nr. 14, 46, 86 und 87).Wolfgang Fleischer/Irmhild Barz (2012): Wortbildung der deutschen Gegenwartssprache, 4. völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage, Berlin/Boston.Alle Literatur ausleihbar in deiner nächsten Bibliothek! ___ Gegenüber Themenvorschlägen für die kommenden Ausflüge in die Sprachwissenschaft und Anregungen jeder Art sind wir stets offen. Wir freuen uns auf euer Feedback! Schreibt uns dazu einfach an oder in die DMs: anton.sprachpfade@protonmail.com oder jakob.sprachpfade@protonmail.com ___ Titelgrafik und Musik von Elias Kündiger https://on.soundcloud.com/ySNQ6

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Praveer Melwani, CFO of Figma, to unpack the financial model behind one of tech's most iconic product-led companies. They cover viral growth, forecasting without a traditional sales pipeline, AI credit pricing, margin tradeoffs, and the metric Praveer believes matters most in the long run: free cash flow per share.—SPONSORS:EY works with high-growth tech companies to navigate the messy realities of scaling—from regulatory requirements to IPO readiness. By helping teams get it right early and often, EY lets founders stay focused on building while reducing risk as they grow. Learn more at https://www.ey.com/techstartupsSpendHound is a SaaS spend management platform built for finance and procurement teams that want visibility and leverage in every deal. By tracking all your software, benchmarking pricing across thousands of vendors, and surfacing contracts and renewals, SpendHound helps you stop overpaying and negotiate with confidence. Trusted by teams at ZoomInfo and Hootsuite. Get started at https://www.spendhound.comBrex 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/metricsAleph is a modern FP&A platform built for teams that want more than another planning tool. By connecting your ERP, CRM, and other systems into one trusted data layer with AI workflows, Aleph helps you move faster with real-time insights. Get a personalized demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for teams that have outgrown spreadsheets and billing tool workarounds. It handles high-volume subscriptions, usage-based contracts, and mid-cycle upgrades, so you can scale without scrambling at month-end. For RevRec that keeps your books clean, visit https://www.rightrev.com/CJRillet 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/cLTxtAsNGuest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/praveer-melwani/Company: https://www.figma.com/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Preview and intro1:21 Welcome and guest intro2:55 From banking to Dropbox to Figma5:04 Inflection points: building trust early8:36 TAM expansion thinking10:31 Sponsors — EY | SpendHound | Brex13:38 Two-thirds of Figma users aren't designers14:36 Forecasting product led growth16:22 Cohorts and NDR discovery17:39 LTV to CAC philosophy18:57 Product signals for account expansion20:22 How Figma achieved hypergrowth with 90%+ margins22:14 AI expands TAM: time to hit the gas23:22 AI credit pricing model24:50 Sponsors — Aleph | RightRev | Rillet28:13 Outcome based pricing consideration29:00 Where AI margins settle: gross profit dollars30:08 Free cash flow per share as north star31:04 NDR and pricing volatility32:13 Bundled vs. unbundled seats34:50 Being engaged in sales to understand admin pain35:17 IPO day experience36:27 Keeping employees focused beyond the stock price37:19 Employee stock pressure and lockup reality39:37 Kitchen cabinet of advisors41:44 How to ask better questions of advisors41:47 Lightning round41:50 Advice to younger self42:47 Finance software stack44:09 Claude WTF moment: forecasting model throughput45:13 Craziest expense story: the haircut45:59 Credits

As we continue working on some new episodes for you, enjoy this look back at our episode from September with John O'Donnell, the visionary founder behind the clothing brand, Johnnie-O. Summary: When John O'Donnell founded Johnnie-O in 2005, his goal was to create a brand that combined East Coast prep with West Coast surf culture. 20 years later, you'll find their surfer logo in golf pro-shops and menswear stores across the country.Today, John joins us to share his incredible journey from being a walk-on on the UCLA golf team to founding one of America's most iconic golf brands.We get into the origins of Johnnie-O, discuss the source of their customer loyalty, and talk about their impressive growth over the last two decades.Highlights:The opportunity John saw in 2005 (2:05)John's midwest roots (4:46)UCLA Golf team (5:50)Johnnie-O's differentiation (6:45)The origins of Johnnie-O (8:17)Distribution (9:28)Inflection point for the brand (10:28)Marketing evolution (11:37)Scale of growth (13:57)Breaking into women's wear (16:30)Avenues for growth (17:35)Tariffs (18:30)Outlook for Johnnie-O (20:27)Competitive Landscape (22:15)Lessons learned (23:13) Links:Johnnie-O LinkedInJohnnie-O WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR Website Feedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

A conversation between Matt Landau and Alex Zemianek on navigating the uncertainty of AI while staying grounded in what matters most: family, purpose, and authentic leadership in business. From raising kids in a rapidly changing world to building a values-driven vacation rental company, Alex shares a refreshing perspective on using technology not out of fear—but as a tool to enhance human connection, hospitality, and meaningful impact. Reach out to Matt directly: matt@vrmb.com

The 2026 NFL Draft is just two weeks away, and it is time to take a look at key NFL Draft inflection points for the Pittsburgh Steelers. What is the plan heading into the 3-day selection process? Join Andrew Wilbar, Jeremy Betz, and Corey Eckenroth on the latest Steelers Fix podcast! This podcast comes courtesy of the Steel Curtain Network and FFSN, the Fans First Sports Network. Check out Meinelschmidt Distillery at meineldistillery.com and use the code SCN6 to save 10% at checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Erickson is back with three major investing trends that every growth investor needs on their radar in 2026. First up: weight loss drugs are bigger than ever, with oral GLP-1 pills from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly now winning broad insurance coverage and slashing out-of-pocket costs — potentially tripling the total addressable market to $190 billion by 2035. Then Simon breaks down the picks-and-shovels plays powering the AI data center buildout — including co-packaged optics, on-demand fuel cell energy, and quantum computing — and makes the case for why Bloom Energy may be his top pick in the space right now.Finally, the episode covers what could be the largest IPO in history: SpaceX is reportedly targeting a $2 trillion valuation and a $75 billion raise as soon as this summer — and the implications for the entire space economy are massive. From orbital data centers to Starlink's satellite internet dominance and the Starship launch vehicle, Simon breaks down what investors need to know before SpaceX goes public. Don't miss it — subscribe and visit 7investing.com for full recommendations and watch list access.Past episodes mentioned:GLP-1 Feud: https://youtu.be/CazBaRRT3HQData Centers in Space: https://youtube.com/live/Qmk84KLaX0Y?feature=shareStocks & Companies MentionedPublicly Traded:Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO)Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY)Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX)Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS)Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO)Lumentum (NASDAQ:LITE)Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE)IonQ (NYSE:IONQ)Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB)MDA Space (TSX:MDA)Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU)Zeta Global (NYSE:ZETA)NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR)NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)Alphabet / Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL)Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)Watch List Mentions (7Investing):Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN)Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR)Ferrari (NYSE:RACE)IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) (also listed above)Private / Pre-IPO:SpaceX (private — IPO expected as soon as summer 2026)xAI (acquired by SpaceX, February 2026)Inflection (newly public quantum computing company — ticker not confirmed in transcript)Anthropic (private)Character.ai (private)Insurance / Healthcare Referenced:BlueCross BlueShield (not publicly traded)UnitedHealthcare / UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH)Aetna / CVS Health (NYSE:CVS)#GLP1Stocks #WeightLossDrugs #OzempicStocks #SpaceXIPO #AIDataCenters #BloomEnergy #QuantumComputing #GrowthInvesting #StockMarket #EnergyStocks #SpaceStocks #Lumentum #Broadcom #NovoNordisk #EliLilly #InvestingIn2026 #TechStocks #PicksAndShovels #7investing #SimonErickson⚠️ This is not investing advice. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.

In 2024, when he was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns wrote in an essay in Foreign Affairs about “the plastic moments that come along only a few times each century”— and argued that “the United States faces one of those rare moments today, as consequential as the dawn of the Cold War or the post-9/11 period.” If that claim seemed bold at the time, events in the past couple of years have made it undeniable—a major war in Europe, two wars in the Middle East, sharpening U.S.-Chinese tensions, a U.S. administration committed to projecting power in new and disruptive ways, and technologies adding complexity across all of these other challenges. “Inflection point” is an overused term. But this is a moment when, as Burns argued in that essay, it really does fit. Before becoming CIA director, Burns was one of the most highly respected diplomats in recent American history. He started the secret negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal. He served as ambassador to Russia. As the State Department's top Middle East official, he warned internally of the consequences of invading Iraq in 2003. He has spent years sitting across the table from American allies and adversaries, trying to understand what drives them and how Washington should—and should not—deal with them. I spoke to Burns on the afternoon of April 1 about the course and consequences of the war in Iran, about Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, about Xi Jinping and U.S.-Chinese competition, about the future of intelligence, and about what the Trump administration will mean for the future of American power.  You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview. 

What happens when successful leaders reach a moment where something simply feels “off”? In this episode of Daily Influence, Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Dr. Bobby Hulme-Lippert, leadership coach, keynote speaker, award-winning storyteller, and author of Small Stories About Big Things. After two decades in professional ministry and serving in the U.S. Army chaplaincy, Bobby now helps mid- and late-career leaders navigate pivotal inflection points in their lives and leadership. Through storytelling, curiosity, and courageous conversations, Bobby guides leaders who feel stuck on the “hamster wheel” of busyness or disconnected from the energy and purpose they once had. In this conversation, Bobby shares how slowing down, asking better questions, and reconnecting with personal stories can help leaders realign themselves before influencing others. In this episode: • Why many leaders feel exhausted or misaligned despite outward success • How curiosity and powerful questions create stronger leadership cultures • The story of the “orange posts” and how small steps help leaders rediscover purpose • Why storytelling builds trust and strengthens responsible influence • How uncertainty and challenges can become invitations to growth Bobby reminds us that leadership transformation rarely happens through grand gestures. Instead, it often begins with small stories, thoughtful reflection, and the courage to pause long enough to realign with what truly matters. Learn more: https://bhl.coach

This episode explores Harris “Kuppy” Kupperman's framework for “inflection investing” and how he identifies asymmetric opportunities across global markets. The conversation dives into why he believes U.S. equities are structurally challenged, where he sees better opportunities globally, and how macro, politics, and capital flows drive major investing inflections.Inflection investing and identifying asymmetric opportunitiesHow macro and politics create winners and losers in marketsThe Argentina case study and why the stock exchange may outperform the countryHow to structure trades with limited downside and multi-bagger upsideTime horizon advantages versus short-term Wall Street thinkingPortfolio construction, capital allocation, and when to sell positionsManaging risk, leverage, and liquidity during crises and warsBuilding a “shopping list” during market dislocationsCountry ETFs vs individual securities in global investingWhy Kuppy prefers international markets over the U.S.The structural imbalances in the U.S. economy and stock marketWhy AI may lead to profitless growth and economic disruptionThe impact of AI on jobs, margins, and economic demandHow inflation distorts economic data and investor perceptionFinding opportunities in “left for dead” markets like BrazilThe role of elections and policy shifts in market inflectionsHow to think probabilistically about investmentsAvoiding unforced errors and emotional decision-makingThe importance of long-term thinking in volatile marketsPsychology and discipline in global macro investingHarris Kupperman Twitterhttps://twitter.com/HedgeyeKuppyPraetorian Capital Websitehttps://praetorian-capital.comTimestamps00:00 Why the U.S. stock market is structurally overvalued01:14 What “inflection investing” means02:54 Top-down vs bottom-up investing framework04:31 Using politics to identify winning trades05:00 Argentina trade setup and execution06:20 Why the Argentine stock exchange is the best play08:00 Earnings inflection and multiple expansion potential10:37 Time horizon and holding period strategy13:00 When to exit positions and recycle capital18:41 How and when to raise cash19:41 De-grossing the portfolio during crises23:14 Real-time decision making during war scenarios27:00 Building a shopping list during dislocations29:32 ETF vs individual stock decision process33:22 Why the U.S. is less attractive than global markets38:17 The problem with AI-driven “growth”43:31 Monitoring vs acting across global opportunities48:14 The psychology of long-term investing and edge

Navigating Career Transitions and Inflection PointsCareers rarely unfold in straight lines.In this episode, I'm sharing a conversation I originally recorded with strategist and executive coach Kathy Oneto about navigating career transitions and professional inflection points. We explore why careers often evolve through pivots rather than predictable steps up a ladder, and how moments of friction or curiosity can signal that it's time to rethink what comes next.We also discuss how creative professionals can stay resilient during periods of change by developing broader skillsets, building what I call “career insurance,” and surrounding themselves with communities that expand what feels possible.If you're questioning your next move, navigating a shift in your career, or thinking about how to stay relevant in a rapidly changing professional landscape, this conversation offers a thoughtful framework for approaching those transitions.In This Episode We DiscussWhy career transitions are often triggered by friction, curiosity, or unexpected circumstancesThe difference between careers that follow a linear “ladder” and those that evolve more like websHow to recognize when a professional pursuit is feeding your energy versus draining itWhy letting go of something you've built can be one of the hardest but most important career decisionsThe concept of building “career insurance” through adaptable skills and broader capabilitiesWhy developing a V-shaped skillset can create more resilience than narrow specializationHow major technological shifts like AI mirror previous industry disruptionsThe critical role community and professional networks play during periods of career transitionWhy navigating career change alone often makes the process harder than it needs to beAbout Kathy OnetoKathy Oneto is a strategist, executive and life-work coach, and speaker who helps individuals and organizations rethink how they pursue success and growth. She holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and is the author of Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work.Connect with KathyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-oneto/Book: Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work_______________________________WEBSITEhttps://www.philipvandusen.comBRAND•MUSE NEWSLETTER  https://www.philipvandusen.com/museCREATIVE PROFESSIONAL COACHINGhttps://philipvandusen.com/oneononeYOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/philipvandusenBRAND DESIGN MASTERS PODCAST https://podcast.branddesignmasters.com/subscribeBRAND STRATEGY 101 COURSEhttps://philipvandusen.com/bs101LINKEDINhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/philipvandusen/THREADShttps://www.threads.net/@philipvandusen FACEBOOKhttps://www.facebook.com/philipvandusen.agency/____________________________________Philip VanDusen is a branding consultant based in New York. A highly accomplished creative executive and expert in brand strategy, graphic design, marketing and creative management, Philip provides design, branding, marketing, career and business advice to creative professionals, entrepreneurs and companies on building successful brands for themselves and the clients and customers they serve.

In this episode, Robert explores the concept of the “wisdom of crowds” and how market price action can reveal more than the constant stream of alarming headlines investors see every day. He explains why the market's resilience in the face of geopolitical tension, inflation fears, and technology-sector volatility may be sending an important signal about underlying demand for stocks. Robert discusses the balance between following the crowd and recognizing potential inflection points, what indicators he is watching that could change the trend, and why patience is often the best strategy during choppy, headline-driven markets. The episode also covers current technical signals, how he is managing risk and cash levels, and why surviving difficult trading environments is often the key to capturing the next major opportunity.

Justin, Rob, and J. Kyle Mann are back together, and they are here to take a look at some of the massive stories going on in the association this week. They start with Bam Adebayo's 83-point game against the Wizards and the discourse around his achievement. Then they talk about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander potentially locking up the MVP after his game-winning shot against the Nuggets. They also get into Victor Wembanyama leading the Spurs to wins in 16 of their past 17 games and talk about just how good they are. Last, they wrap up by discussing the Hornets and whether they are this season's Pacers. (0:00) Intro (2:53) Bam Adebayo (25:25) Fan Duel ad break (26:53) Tommy Hilfiger ad break (28:47) SGA (46:24) Wemby and the Spurs (1:04:12) Hornets Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, and J. Kyle Mann Producers: Victoria Valencia and Isaiah Blakely Production Supervision: Ben Cruz and Conor Nevins Additional Production Support: John Richter and Chris Wohlers Explore more at⁠ https://tommy.com⁠ The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, speaks with PV SubbaRao, President of Healthcare Provider at NTT DATA, about what it truly takes to operationalize AI for lasting transformation. Together, they discuss the leadership decisions, governance structures, and workflow redesign required to scale AI responsibly while driving measurable improvements in financial sustainability, operational resilience, and care delivery.Key Takeaways:Why AI represents a structural shift in healthcare operations and the signals that indicate organizations have reached a true transformation inflection point.The governance, data architecture, and investment decisions required to successfully move AI initiatives from pilot programs to enterprise-scale deployment.How leading organizations are redesigning clinical and operational workflows, roles, and decision-making structures as AI becomes embedded into everyday work.What distinguishes true AI-enabled revenue cycle transformation from traditional automation efforts and how it can support long-term financial sustainability.The leadership, cultural shifts, and performance metrics required to align the C-suite and measure the real impact of AI-driven transformation across the enterprise.

Early in his career, Intekhab Nazeer found himself sitting in go-to-market meetings rather than finance reviews. A CFO mentor had pushed him beyond traditional accounting responsibilities, exposing him to pipeline discussions and sales forecasting. That experience changed how he viewed finance leadership. Instead of simply reporting financial results, he began understanding “how pipeline is generated, how deal flow is measured, how the forecasting really works,” Nazeer tells us. The exposure reshaped his perspective, shifting his mindset from reporting outcomes to influencing them.The shift became even more real when he stepped into an interim CFO role after his mentor moved on. Responsibility changed overnight. “I was no longer supporting decisions. I was making decisions,” Nazeer tells us, describing board meetings, capital allocation choices, and the balancing act between growth and risk.Throughout his career, he continued to place finance alongside operations rather than apart from them. At one venture-backed company, that mindset proved critical. Revenue targets were being met, yet something felt wrong. When Nazeer overlaid unit economics—customer acquisition cost, payback period, and expansion revenue—he discovered the company was optimizing growth while quietly locking in unprofitable customer behavior, he tells us.The response required collaboration rather than spreadsheets alone. He worked with sales and product leaders to redefine the ideal customer profile, adjust pricing discipline, and elevate metrics like payback period and the “magic number” into core operating indicators, he tells us.The experience reinforced a lesson he carries today: the CFO role is “far less about spreadsheets and more about psychology,” Nazeer tells us. Precision creates accuracy, but influence creates outcomes.

From Steel Mills to Quantum Scale-Up: Inside Illinois's Bold Bet on the Future of ComputingWhat does it take to build the world's largest dedicated quantum technology park — on the site of a former steel mill? Harley Johnson is leading that effort, and the answer involves equal parts materials science, economic development, and a 30-year bet on quantum that's finally paying off.Why This Episode MattersIf you're following the quantum computing industry's path from lab prototypes to commercial-scale systems, this episode maps the terrain. Harley Johnson — a computational materials scientist turned CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) — explains how Illinois assembled a unique combination of federal research funding, state economic investment, national labs, and top-tier universities into a 128-acre technology park designed to solve the quantum industry's hardest problem: scaling up.Whether you're a researcher, a founder, a policymaker, or someone trying to understand where quantum jobs and applications are actually headed, this conversation lays out how one state is building the infrastructure — physical, institutional, and human — to make large-scale quantum computing real.What You'll LearnHow a 1994 bet on quantum mechanics in a mechanical engineering lab led to directing the largest dedicated quantum tech park in the worldWhy Illinois chose a "beyond silicon" strategy for the CHIPS and Science Act — and how landing 4 of the first 10 federal quantum centers positioned the state for what came nextHow IQMP's public-private governance model works: a university-governed LLC partnering with private developers, accountable to the public while incentivizing industryWhy the park deliberately hosts a diverse portfolio of hardware modalities — including PsiQuantum, IBM, Inflection, Dirac, and Pascal — and how that mirrors venture portfolio thinkingHow IQMP's algorithm center connects quantum hardware companies with Fortune 500 end users in finance, insurance, energy, logistics, and pharmaWhat the DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative means for tenant selection and validationWhy roughly two-thirds of future quantum industry jobs may require a bachelor's degree or less — and what that means for workforce development on a former industrial siteHow the Duality Accelerator, Chicago Quantum Exchange, and Polsky Center create a pipeline from early-stage startups to scale-up tenantsWhy the convergence of physics, engineering, and computer science — all housed in one college at UIUC — is accelerating quantum's transition from science to engineeringResources & LinksGuest LinksHarley Johnson — Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering and Materials Science Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP)Organizations & ProgramsChicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) — regional hub coordinating quantum research, workforce studies, and industry engagement Duality Accelerator — quantum startup accelerator run through the Polsky Center at the University of Chicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of ChicagoDARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative — federal program validating progress toward useful quantum computing NSF MRSEC at UIUC — Materials Research Science and Engineering Center focused on electronic and quantum materials Policy & FundingCHIPS and Science Act — federal legislation driving investment in semiconductor and quantum technology manufacturing in the US Companies MentionedPsiQuantum — photonic quantum computing company scaling up at IQMPIBM — anchor tenant at IQMP with longstanding partnership with UIUCKey Quotes & Insights"Help me pick a problem, a topic that is not big now, but would be big in 10 years." — Harley Johnson, on the question he asked his advisor in 1994 that launched his career in quantum materials"When I heard my friends who are experimental physicists say, 'We know how to do it, now it's just an engineering problem,' I said great — now you've thrown down the gauntlet. Let the engineers at it.""Something like two-thirds of the jobs that this industry will eventually create will require a bachelor's degree or less." — On workforce projections from Chicago Quantum Exchange research"Our neighbors and community members are learning about quantum and thinking about how my grandson gets a job in quantum. Because my family, until now, we're steelworkers." — On the community impact of building a quantum park on a former US Steel site"We're seeing a convergence of the great productive academic minds from computer science, engineering, and physics working now on the same problems. I'm not sure we saw that even five years ago."Related EpisodesAlejandra Y. Castillo — Quantum as a Regional Economic Development Engine — Castillo, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, discusses how quantum technologies fit into federal and state economic strategy through the CHIPS and Science Act, EDA Tech Hubs, and inclusive workforce development. Essential context for understanding the policy and economic framework that IQMP operates within.Martin Laforest — Building Quebec's Quantum Ecosystem — Laforest, partner at Quantacet and advisor to Canada's National Quantum Strategy, traces how Quebec built one of the world's strongest quantum ecosystems through decades of strategic investment — starting with a bet on condensed matter physics in the 1970s. A compelling parallel to the Illinois story and a window into how this pattern is playing out globally.Nadya Mason — Quantum Leadership — Mason, the dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at University of Chicago, is a major force on the academic side of the Illinois quantum ecosystem, and has strong views on what's needed in terms of inclusion and education. Calls to ActionIf you're working on quantum scale-up challenges or building a quantum startup approaching the growth stage, explore what IQMP and the Illinois quantum ecosystem offer — from cryogenic facilities to algorithm partnerships to connections with Fortune 500 end users.Subscribe to the NQE Podcast to follow the people and institutions building the infrastructure for quantum computing's next chapter.Share this episode with anyone in economic development, science policy, or workforce planning who wants a concrete example of how quantum investment translate...

In this episode of The Circuit, Ben Bajarin, Jay Goldberg, and Paul Karazuba discuss the current state of the semiconductor industry, focusing on the impact of tariffs, supply chain challenges, and the shift from copper to fiber in networking. They explore the inflection points driving demand for AI compute and the potential for mergers and acquisitions in the sector. The conversation highlights the complexities of navigating geopolitical tensions and the evolving landscape of technology and infrastructure.

In this week's episode of the Seven Figure Consultant Podcast, we're doing something a bit different! My guest Sharath Jeevan, Founder of The Generational Success Lab at Oxford's Said Business School, is interviewing me as we approach the one-year anniversary of my book 'Too Much'. If you've ever felt like your ambition was 'too much' for the world around you, or if you left corporate because you needed a bigger playing field to run on, this conversation is for you. Sharath and I explore how I went from a rebellious teenager who wanted to be a rock star to building a seven-figure consulting business that finally gives me the container I need.  We talk about the corporate exit, the early days of celebrating £3,000 months, and what it really takes to build a business around your zone of genius rather than what you think you're 'supposed' to do.  This is a candid conversation about legacy, ambition and what happens when you finally stop trying to fit into someone else's version of success. In This Episode:  [00:01:33] How Jessica's early ambition and 'too much-ness' shaped her path - and why entrepreneurship became the only container that could hold her [00:05:16] The violin, physics homework, and parental expectations: navigating the gap between what your family wanted and who you actually are [00:10:22] The corporate years at Sony and the moment Jessica realized she'd rather be made redundant than stay - and what came next [00:17:50] Building a £3,000/month business from the attic and how Jessica's husband became her biggest supporter [00:22:49] The pivot moment: when Jessica stopped trying to 'follow the business plan' and started listening to what clients actually needed [00:27:14] Getting past comparisonitis and imposter syndrome and why one client sale fixes most business problems [00:29:34] Reflecting on the book 'Too Much', writing as legacy work, and what's next Key Takeaways:  Entrepreneurship was the only container big enough: If you've always felt restless in corporate, it's not because you're broken. You just need a playing field where you can run as fast as you want without hitting a ceiling. The power of low-volume, high-ticket consulting: One client sale can fix most business problems. Five clients can fix almost everything. This is why we build businesses where you're not making 500 sales just to stay afloat. Your ambition isn't the problem. The context is: Jessica spent years being told she was 'too much'. The breakthrough came when she stopped trying to fit into someone else's version of success and built a business aligned with her actual genius. Quotes:  "Entrepreneurship has been the only thing that I found, the only container that can actually hold me, that doesn't make me feel kind of trapped or restricted and gives me a big playing field where I can run as fast as I want." - Jessica Fearnley "I always try and go with the path of least resistance, keeping the bar as low as it can possibly be, because then it's like, I may as well have a go. And you know, more often than not it goes well and it works." - Jessica Fearnley "I'm really passionate about how we can be intentional about our legacy. You've done that very consciously and deliberately, and I'm very passionate about how we can all try and find that whatever way makes sense for us in our lives as well." - Sharath Jeevan Useful Links Sharath Follow Sharath on LinkedIn Sharath's Website: intrinsic-labs.com Episode 112: Encouraging Yourself to Make a Bigger Impact with Sharath Jeevan Jessica: Buy Jessica's book, Too Much, on Amazon Get in touch with Jessica to discuss your consulting business Leave a rating and review for the Seven Figure Consultant Podcast Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn Guest Bio Sharath is focused on helping Leaders across sectors futureproof success and build intentional legacy, with clients ranging from L'Oreal to the Barbican to the NHS. He's established the Generational Success Lab at Oxford University's Said Business School, where he's exploring how generations can collaborate better to shape a better world. He's the author of two acclaimed leadership books, "Intrinsic" and "Inflection". Sharath is exploring the questions of generational transition through a forthcoming novel and comedy show.

Stay informed on current events, visit www.NaturalNews.com - Bright Videos News Introduction and AI Inflection Point (0:10) - BrightVideos.com Platform Overview (1:39) - AI Video Technology and Future Developments (5:23) - Chinese New Year and Gold and Silver Markets (13:02) - Political News and Palantir Hacking Allegations (18:08) - AI Infrastructure and Market Demand (24:46) - Health Ranger Store and Food Testing (31:02) - Dunning Kruger Effect and AI Job Replacement (35:13) - AI's Exponential Growth and Human Replacement (55:06) - AI's Connection to Morphic Fields (1:07:37) - Morphic Fields and AI Intelligence (1:22:07) - Human Cognition and Power Consumption (1:26:36) - AI Efficiency and Future Projections (1:34:01) - Advancements in AI Technology (1:34:21) - Philosophical Implications and AI Capabilities (1:36:59) - Decentralization of Creativity (1:43:49) - Challenges and Opportunities for AI in Media (1:52:37) - Ethical Considerations and Intellectual Property (1:55:34) - The Future of AI in Entertainment (2:11:08) - Impact on Hollywood and the Media Industry (2:23:10) - Hollywood's Fake News and AI's Real Potential (2:23:49) - The Decline of Hollywood and the Rise of AI (2:48:47) - Conservative AI Illiteracy and Job Replacement (2:52:05) - The Role of Religion and Demographics in AI Skepticism (3:07:14) - The Cultural and Educational Barriers to AI Adoption (3:20:39) - The Future of AI and Its Impact on Society (3:36:27) Watch more independent videos at http://www.brighteon.com/channel/hrreport  ▶️ Support our mission by shopping at the Health Ranger Store - https://www.healthrangerstore.com ▶️ Check out exclusive deals and special offers at https://rangerdeals.com ▶️ Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed: https://www.naturalnews.com/Readerregistration.html Watch more exclusive videos here:

In today's episode, JB White examines what he describes as a major geopolitical turning point, anchored by Marco Rubio's 2026 Munich Security Conference speech and its implications for President Trump's broader strategy. He revisits the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to frame today's tensions with Russia, China, and NATO, arguing that current events reflect a deliberate global realignment rather than disorder. JB also touches on technological dominance, Bitcoin market dynamics, public-private power structures, and what he views as the enduring thread of American exceptionalism shaping the next phase of global leadership.      

Michelle talks to Rajat on the implications of investors' positioning as global markets enter a more volatile phase where economic data, policy shifts and geopolitical events reshape investor sentiment.You can read our latest Weekly Market View today here.Speakers: Michelle Kam, Investment Strategist,  Standard Chartered Bank Rajat Bhattacharya, Senior Investment Strategist, Standard Chartered Bank For more of our latest market insights, visit Market views on-the-go or subscribe to Standard Chartered Wealth Insights on YouTube.

Points of inflection - walking through seasons of change - best birthday ever and women in medicine leading the way to health. Thanks for being there for the journey!

Pascal Wagner interviews Jon Brooks, who breaks down why today's real estate market is sending mixed signals—and why getting that interpretation wrong can have real financial consequences. Jon explains how decades of falling interest rates created a powerful tailwind for real estate that no longer exists, especially in overbuilt Sunbelt markets like Florida. The conversation explores what's actually breaking versus what's simply slowing down, including rising insurance and tax costs, declining affordability, demographic headwinds, and stalled migration. Jon also shares why he sold his entire personal real estate portfolio, pivoted into private lending, and ultimately shifted capital into equities as risk-return dynamics changed. This matters because many investors are still relying on outdated assumptions about appreciation, cash flow, and long-term demand. Understanding how interest rates, demographics, and market psychology intersect helps investors reassess where risk is no longer being adequately compensated—and how to position capital without relying on the market to “save” them. Jon BrooksCurrent role: Co-Founder, Momentum Realty; Private Lending Fund ManagerBased in: FloridaSay hi to them at: X - https://x.com/jonbrooks YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@therealjonbrooks Threads - https://www.threads.com/@iamjonbrooks Instagram - instagram.com/iamjonbrooks/?hl=en Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jon.brooks.12 Substack - jonbrooks.substack.com Visit ⁠www.tribevestisc.com⁠ for more info. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to quo.com/BESTEVER  Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/  Join the Best Ever Community  The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It's free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria.  Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello to you listening in Corning, New York!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.One of the first signs of recognition a new mother looks for in her infant is - a smile. Look! She's smiling at me! Yes! Baby sees you. Baby recognizes you.From earliest days we are cued to the smiles of other human beings. Remember what we missed in the COVID time with masks masking our smiles? Sure, we crinkled our eyes to signal a smile but it wasn't the same as receiving a smile from another human. Sometimes the tone of our voice was a good substitute. The “music of the spoken word” stood in for our smile. We did the best we could with what we had.  Like a smile, the "music of the spoken word" brings written text to life with inflection, pause, tone, emphasis, and  cadence. Reading text alone is quick, cheap, and easy but the human voice lends expression and emotional meaning.I create each 60 Seconds episode with you in mind to offer a measure of hope, delight and imagination, as well as thoughts to ponder, stories to share, a practical tip to lighten and brighten your day. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my podcast episodes. My voice is me smiling at you.  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

AI isn't just another tech cycle. It's colliding with geopolitics, labor markets, crypto, and creator economies all at once. In this episode of the Block Runner Podcast, we break down why the global landscape is shifting faster than most people realize. From delayed tariffs and geopolitical power struggles, to AI-driven job displacement, no-code engineering, and the rise of vibe coding, this conversation explores what actually matters beneath the noise. We connect the dots between AI infrastructure, resource bottlenecks, robotics, and why this moment feels eerily similar to early crypto. Except this time, execution is possible. We also dig into where crypto still fits, how AI agents interact with crypto rails, and why new business models like creator capital markets are emerging. To close it out, we run a live Doom deathmatch on Track to demonstrate peer-to-peer infrastructure in action, then share updates on NAT, community conviction, and why long-term alignment still wins. If you're trying to understand where AI, crypto, and creators intersect next, this episode is for you. Topics: First up, AI, colliding with geopolitics, labor markets, crypto, and creator economies all at once Next, break down why the global landscape is shifting faster than most people realize. and Finally, we run a live Doom deathmatch on Track to demonstrate peer-to-peer infrastructure in action Please like and subscribe on your favorite podcasting app! Sign up for a free newsletter: www.theblockrunner.com Follow us on: Youtube: https://bit.ly/TBlkRnnrYouTube Twitter: bit.ly/TBR-Twitter Telegram: bit.ly/TBR-Telegram Discord: bit.ly/TBR-Discord $NAT Telegram: https://t.me/dmt_nat

In this episode Wilglory Tanjong talks about her experiences at Princeton University and if her Wharton MBA has been worth it. She discusses earlier career pivots and taking a chance as an entrepreneur. She speaks to the creation of Anima Iris, Beyonce wearing her bag, the difficulty in capital raising, and much more!!TIME STAMPS:Start-6:51    Princeton University experience 6:51-12:52    Early career pivots 12:52-14:30    Traveling the continent of Africa 14:30-26:45   Is business school worth it?26:45-38:07   Anima Iris 38:07-47:30    Inflection points for Anima Iris 47:30-55:40    Beyonce wearing Anima Iris 55:40-1:03:50   Capital raising journey 1:03:50-End    Entrepreneurship advice CREDITS:Hosted by Folarin OkulajaProduced by Folarin OkulajaEngineered by Folarin OkulajaSubscribe to Go With the Flo on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeheP4nl7aAFDmC8QgV-LUQhttps://open.spotify.com/show/0TCIEfodZuvVgnOVsho4lj?si=N3Pvw2hpR7u4979mwAZ5lQ&dl_branch=1https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/go-with-the-flo/id1551569516

THE DILEMMA OF BIGNESS Colleague Gary Rivlin. How corporate giants like Google were slowed by their own business models, leading Suleyman to leave for Inflection and eventually Microsoft to bypass startup funding issues. NUMBER 15

Inflection

Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:30) - Who are your heroes? (00:09:26) - The infancy and evolution of Athena (00:15:12) - Inflection points (00:18:14) - Jonathan's reasoning for going public with interviews (00:20:08) - How do you pick countries to work in? (00:22:41) - Who is the core Athena customer? (00:28:09) - Jonathan's 6 EAs (00:32:13) - Surprising things Jonathan's delegated (00:35:42) - Broadening your scope of what's possible with assistants (00:42:05) - A day in the life with multiple EAs (00:45:41) - Delegation within EAs (00:50:31) - Family dynamics with EAs (00:54:07) - The 2050 version of Athena Links: Athena - https://www.athena.com/ Rolling Fun — https://www.rolling.fun To support the costs of producing this podcast:  >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/  >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage  >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend >> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! We discuss: How Jonathan developed calm under extreme startup pressure Athena's evolution from side hustle to billion-dollar vision Why great delegation is a skill, not magic Surprising personal and family delegation use cases Combining humans and AI for exponential leverage Quotes from Jonathan: “My mind is an inner citadel. I've got a good mind, a wife that loves me, and everything else is gravy.” “I started Athena with the sole goal of generating income for my wife and I to live off of.” “The vision of ​Athena​ is the best human assistants powered by the best AI.” “Humans are good UX. We've evolved to like humans.” “You don't build the first Tesla without a steering wheel.” “We're building something that watches assistants work, not to replace them, but to augment them.” “Delegation is a J-curve. It's slower at first, but compounds.” “The cardinal sin of delegation is thinking, ‘It's faster to do it myself.'” “You can think of an assistant as a cognitive prosthesis.” “Belief is the first limiter. Most people don't believe time freedom is possible.” “Ask yourself: If I had a hundred more hours a week, what would I do?” Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship   There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant   You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important.     Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That's a fine way to start. 

On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jon Terbell and Ted Clark of FourBridge Partners Lara Banks of Makena Capital Management Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital We discuss major conflicts that guests have faced and how they resolved them. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached.   Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.