This Week's Guest: Bonnie Caver, Founder of Reputation Lighthouse

In this episode, Thom Singer welcomes Bonnie Caver, a respected communications strategist and longtime Austin tech leader, to explore the topic of responsible AI implementation. With decades of experience in reputation management, change strategy, and executive leadership support, Bonnie shares how AI is reshaping the way organizations operate... and why the smartest companies are approaching implementation with caution, clarity, and care.

Bonnie traces her career path from college athletics and Special Olympics Texas to launching her own firm and helping mid-sized growth companies across industries protect and grow what she calls their "reputation currency." She discusses why her company chose not to focus on AI tools but instead on helping businesses make smarter, more aligned decisions around how and when to use AI.

The conversation covers how companies can avoid reputational risk, how to stay competitive while maintaining a human-centered brand promise, and why AI implementation should start with understanding business problems, not tool selection. Bonnie and Thom also reflect on how Austin's tech ecosystem has changed over the years, from its early days of organic community building to today's sprawling and more fragmented landscape.

Bonnie offers a clear warning: companies that chase AI without purpose will either waste money or end up looking like everyone else. The path forward, she argues, is through vision, values, and strong internal processes that make AI adoption effective and responsible. From corporate governance to team retraining, from customer experience to brand alignment, responsible AI is not a tech initiative—it's a leadership mandate.

They close the episode with a discussion on the future of talent, mergers and acquisitions, and the pressure on startups to build sustainable businesses instead of just sellable products. Bonnie also shares concerns about Austin's tendency to build with the goal of acquisition rather than long-term growth, and how that mindset must evolve if the region wants to stay competitive in an AI-driven era.

This conversation is a must-listen for founders, executives, marketers, and anyone navigating the intersection of innovation, responsibility, and reputation in today's fast-moving business landscape.

If you're finding value in these conversations, please share the podcast with your colleagues. The Austin tech community grows stronger when we amplify the voices of leaders who are doing meaningful, thoughtful work. That's why we call this podcast Austin Tech Connect.

 

Austin Tecnology Council