Evolving Industry

This year we spoke to guests from across the tech and finance space and one key theme emerged… The AI business landscape requires isolating what actually drives organizational performance; the human element. 

In this episode of Evolving Industry, George Jagodzinski Takes us back to reveal the themes emerging across 2026’s conversations with Wall Street risk strategists, government product managers, robotics investors, and seasoned operational executives. 

Across every industry, the determining factor for success remains decidedly human. 

We’ll break down four foundational pillars for the back half of the year,

Join us as we discuss:

[0:58]: Developing a bulletproof "BS detector" through critical ignoring rather than focusing on tech hype

[3:26]: Creating "super workers", while keeping human judgment firmly in the driver's seat.

[5:50] Re-framing governance from operational friction into strategic headlights and protecting your single greatest asset: proprietary data.

[8:24] Execution, the "ladder of abstraction," and making sure the right action is the easiest path

[11:03] The top “Best Advice I’ve ever received” for 2026

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Your Key Survival Skill for 2026: Critical Ignoring by Christopher Mims
• Evolving Industry Episode #63 with Denise Hemke
• Evolving IndustryEpisode #65 with Alec Crawford
• Evolving IndustryEpisode #66 with Oliver Mitchell
• Evolving IndustryEpisode #70 with Christopher Mims
• Evolving IndustryEpisode #74 with Kevin Ertell
• The Strategy Trap: Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right by Kevin Ertell
  

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Navigating the constant influx of AI products requires moving beyond hype and focusing on practical execution. When engineering teams adopt AI, measuring true velocity and managing runaway token costs become immediate challenges. Steve Adams, Chief Digital Officer, and Jeff Wooden, Chief Architect at Intevity, join the podcast to detail the creation of Intevity Labs: an initiative focused on building open-source tooling to solve real-world development friction. Steve and Jeff break down their latest suite of developer tools, including Sentinel, Trove, Witness, and Curtain, while highlighting the importance of security, OpenTelemetry standards, and prompt compression. They also examine the operational risks of “dark code,” the realities of story pointing in an AI world, and why organizational success relies on keeping human oversight involved in critical systems.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:49] How Sentinel safely optimizes context management and reduces token usage by up to 70%
• [11:18] Comparing AI to pre-AI productivity and finding the time to learn and implement new tools
• [16:53] The mental load of AI workflows, dark code, and human gatekeeping
• [23:19] An exciting new OpenTelemetry tool for corralling your AI agent ecosystem and dealing with outages
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Sentinel
  

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Deploying massive technology investments requires balancing complex infrastructure with an absolute commitment to human talent. Lynda Pak, Global Chief Information Officer at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., joins the podcast to tackle the existential uncertainty surrounding the rapid rise of generative and agentic AI. Drawing from decades of global IT leadership, Lynda contrasts the current wave of technological disruption with the historic ERP rollouts of the past, explaining why modern tools demand completely new approaches to change management. She shares strategies for establishing a “culture of joy” rooted in psychological safety, managing volatile token economics through proper prompt architecture, and overcoming the governance roadblocks that stall enterprise decision-making. Finally, Lynda highlights the power of internal upskilling over a continuous reliance on outside consultants, wrapping up with a sharp piece of career advice on how to replace critical critiques with superior ideas.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:26] Human-centered change management rooted in psychological safety and a “culture of joy”

• [8:27] Agentic AI governance, token economics, and license management

• [19:00] What really determines the baseline for tech adoption and activation in large orgs
  

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

To truly bridge the gap between leadership and results, a business leader must become a student of execution. Kevin Ertell, author of The Strategy Trap and founder of Mistere Advisory, joins the podcast to share insights from over 60 operator interviews and a thousand years of combined experience. Beginning his career as an in-store clerk at Tower Records, Kevin climbed the corporate ladder to lead billions of dollars in retail operations at Nike, Borders, and Sur La Table. He details why brilliant boardroom strategies fail when detached from the shop floor, illustrating how language can shift along the “ladder of abstraction.” Kevin reviews his “6 Cs” system for execution and outlines how to overcome the psychological “forgetting curve” through social incentives and relentless, multimodal communication.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:35] How Kevin’s experience on the sales floor laid the foundation for his success in the C-suite

• [6:48] Why leaders need to wear their company’s vision on their sleeves

• [15:11] Lessons learned from interviewing dozens of strategic thinkers

• [22:47] Staying motivated once a new strategy’s honeymoon period wears off
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• The Strategy Trap:  Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

To modernize a legacy publisher, engineering leaders must confront structural tech fragmentation and build cross-functional trust. Brian Hamman, Senior VP of Product Engineering, and Jason Sobel, Chief Technology Officer at The New York Times, join the podcast to detail their journey scaling a world-class digital operation. Moving past old identity crises of whether they are a tech company, the duo explains how they match engineering excellence to world-class journalism. They discuss the rollout of their Delivery Engineering Shared Platform (DVSP), leveraging objective data to eliminate undifferentiated heavy lifting and give leverage back to developers. Brian offers perspective on navigating Conway's Law in publishing workflows, while Jason highlights the strategic use of AI tools like Claude and Cursor to empower multidisciplinary teams.

Join us as we discuss:

• [2:38] Tech strategy perspectives from the old and new guard

• [12:35] Finding an engineering team’s identity at a world-renowned newspaper

• [17:51] Timing innovation in a siloed organization

• [27:30] The Times’ internal approach to AI tools and what problems they’re trying to solve

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Co-founder and Partner at99 Proof Partners, to discuss the transition from the corporate world to the high-stakes craftsmanship of the spirits industry. Mike breaks down the romance of starting a distillery and why many founders struggle to divorce their passion from the hard reality of profitability. We explore the draconian state of spirits technology, where clipboards still rule, and the massive opportunities for tech-minded entrepreneurs to solve logistics and data lags. Mike also shares his holistic capital philosophy and why a mildly successful regional brand can often be more rewarding than chasing a billion-dollar George Clooney exit.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:24] Why pivoting from corporate to spirits isn’t as simple as entrepreneurs may think

• [8:30] What the success trajectory looks like for a passionate distiller

• [14:19] The drastic difference in strategic timelines between the spirit and software spaces

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Andy Ellwood, Founder and CEO of Stretch, to discuss his decade-long obsession with bringing transparency to the grocery industry. Andy shares how the failure of his first company, Basket, actually laid the structural foundation for what AI is finally allowing him to build today. We dive into the information asymmetry that keeps shoppers in the dark and explore the heartbreaking reality of modern food insecurity, where 17% of surveyed parents are skipping meals to feed their children. Andy explains how Stretch is using AI to map 550,000 unique SKUs across competing retailers to save the average family up to $250 a month.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:29] The systemic issue that’s plagued grocery consumers since the Romans

• [9:27] Why the price of groceries never came back down after the pandemic

• [21:10] How Stretch is turning grocers’ information asymmetry on its head

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Christopher Mims, Technology Columnist for The Wall Street Journal, to discuss how to maintain a sharp “BS detector” in an era of unprecedented tech hype. Drawing on his background in neuroscience and over a decade of reporting, Chris explains why “critical ignoring” is the most important skill for 2026. We explore the punctuated equilibrium of tech disruption, why humanoid robotics might be the biggest bubble in history, and how to treat AI as a neurotypical intern rather than an infallible oracle. Chris also shares the humbling lessons learned from publicly holding himself accountable for a decade of predictions.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:34] Why “critical ignoring” is essential to navigating the AI noise

• [14:00] Which industries are still stuck in the “trough of disillusionment” with AI

• [22:04] Balancing the AI skill gap between the experts and the up-and-comers
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Your Key Survival Skill for 2026: Critical Ignoringby Christopher Mims

• How to AIby Christopher Mims

• The Confidence Gameby Maria Konnikova

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Cohen, Chief Business Development Officer at Skai, to peel back the layers of the world’s most dominant retail engine: Amazon. Jeff shares the story of how he manifested his dream role as an Amazon Tech Evangelist and why the “belly of the beast” isn't nearly as calculated as outsiders believe. We dive into the shift from simple search-term attribution to the complex, non-linear shopper journey that defines modern omnichannel commerce. Jeff also shares his “25/50/25” time management strategy and why he’s currently coaching his team to use AI as a parallel engine for data validation.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:10] Amazon’s unique hiring guidelines and misconceptions around their operations

• [12:18] The market inflection in performance advertising that changed everything

• [19:00] Why AI needs to be ingrained in the culture of every mid-market brand

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Peter Harris, Founder of University Growth Fund, to discuss the shifting landscape of the app economy and the rise of AI-native talent. Peter explores why traditional SaaS models are under threat as the cost of software production plummets and AI agents begin to bypass the “walled gardens” of legacy platforms. We dive into his unique venture capital model, where 50 to 60 student interns run the fund, and why he believes the future of education must move from “pretend working” to real-world reps. Peter also shares a surprising take on the generational gap: why older professionals currently hold the advantage in the AI era due to the critical importance of experience-based prompting.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:36] Why the shared experience of mobile apps is dying in the age of agentic AI

• [12:42] When an LLM strategy transcends its organization’s own usefulness

• [16:19] Empowering students by handing them the keys to real investment portfolios

• [23:14] The power of experience in navigating AI outputs and hallucinations
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• VC Pete YouTube Podcast

Craving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.