Andy and Brian recap their on-stage debate from B2B Online where they wrestled with whether private equity is ultimate good or bad for B2B companies. Is it true that PE firms never invest for the long-term? Is it true that your career is at risk if your company is bought by a PE firm? Are there benefits to having a PE owner?

Andy & Brian talk about whether B2B companies are correct when they say that they view Amazon as a foe. Brian makes the case that Amazon will only continue to steal market share in B2B, and the best way to understand what they're doing is to be on the site selling yourself.

See all the Master B2B events and see how to join the online Forum at MasterB2B.com.

This week - Andy and Brian walk through the results of a survey they conducted at the Master B2B Summit where they asked B2B eCommerce executives where they'll be investing next...they're surprised at what answers were missing.

A special for Friday 15 subscribers:

This is a really interesting conversation about the future of the eCommerce platform ecosystem, how systems integrators fit into it, and whether the forces that control the industry can ever change.

This week on the Friday 15, Andy and Brian speak with Trent Guyer, the VP of Marketing and Digital at Grasshopper Mowers, a family-owned manufacturer of mowers, about how to build a successful career at a family-owned business.

Learn more about Master B2B at masterb2b.com.

This week on the podcast - Andy and Brian look at how B2B eCommerce companies are thinking about investing in new hires in the coming year, and the challenges they may face when looking to bring on new talent.

This week - Andy and Brian dig into a thought-provoking article (link below) asking whether organizations should even have an AI strategy and the reasons why it may be better if they don't.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Rushing into an AI Strategy?

The Master B2B Nexus Program

Master B2B held its 3rd annual Mindshare Summit in Chicago recently, and Andy & Brian went over some of the key takeaways from the event including these 4 focus areas:

Successful digital business models

Data, analytics & data cleanliness

(Of course) AI

Stay up to date on all Master B2B events at http://www.masterb2b.com

We're all recovering from the Master B2B Mindshare Summit this week, so in lieu of a new Friday 15 episode we're bringing you a recent Fireside Chat that Brian Beck conducted with Jeff Reichert, Kimball Midwest's Director of eCommerce & Digital Marketing, and Eli Cooley, President of Industrial Data Associates, about how manufacturers and distributors can approach fixing their dirty product data.

This week on the podcast, Andy & Brian look at site search, and how today's site search solutions meet the needs of B2B eCommerce practitioners.  

Plus, Andy shares some takeaways from the Site Search Combine he conducted, where he looked at the strengths and weaknesses of site search vendors.

For more info on the Combine (and to get a copy of the report), visit ParadigmB2B.com.