In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Erik Huberman, founder and CEO of Hawke Media, to unpack why the old marketing playbook is broken—and what actually scales in 2025. Erik shares how AI has collapsed the product moat, making distribution, brand, and go-to-market the real advantages. He explains the “vibe” behind breakout brands (think Liquid Death) and why software companies must now win on trust, positioning, and partnerships rather than feature lists. We dig into Hawke Media’s early differentiation—“your outsourced CMO,” month-to-month flexibility, and a la carte services—and how credibility compounds through consistent standards, client communication, and third-party validation (PR as trust, not awareness). Erik also breaks down the myths of ROAS, how to measure what matters across sales cycles, and a pragmatic framework for investing in founders with an unfair advantage. Finally, he offers founder operating principles: build the company you want to run, avoid burnout and bad debt, and let culture be the brand customers experience. If you lead growth, run a services firm, or invest in SaaS, this is a tactical masterclass in cutting through noise and turning credibility into compounding results.

Takeaways

• AI shrinks product moats; distribution and GTM become the edge.

• 90% should be scalable, repeatable marketing; 10% creative bets to stand out.

• Brand “vibe” creates defensibility—even for software—by signaling trust and values.

• Positioning that travels (“your outsourced CMO”) fuels word-of-mouth and referrals.

• PR is a **trust*asset more than awareness—turn third-party moments into ads.

• ROAS often lies; anchor to sales cycle, lifetime value, and full-funnel ROI.

• Think in “half-lives”: run long enough to see conversions, then optimize and wait again.

• Relationships and communication keep clients through dips; performance alone isn’t enough.

• Niche vs. breadth: define ICP and messaging; teams can specialize without shrinking TAM.

• Use the Rule of 40 to balance profit and growth when setting spend.

• Investors should seek unfair advantages: embedded founders, ecosystem ties, real GTM.

• Founder principle: build for yourself; avoid debt/burnout—your ambition sets the ceiling.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro and guest setup Erik Huberman and the new moat in an AI world

04:20 Distribution, partnerships, and GTM as the unfair advantage

08:05 Brand “vibe” and positioning that actually travels

11:45 How Hawke Media stood out the outsourced CMO model

21:30 The awareness → nurture → trust framework

34:40 The ROAS trap and what to measure instead

44:05 Spend strategy, Rule of 40, and scaling channels

47:00 Sales-cycle “half-lives” and realistic ramp timelines

48:45 Make-it-work mindset for leaders and marketers

52:50 Investor lens embedded founders and unfair advantages

58:21 Final takeaways and close

Erik Huberman’s Social Media Links:

https://www.instagram.com/erikhuberman

https://x.com/ErikHuberman

https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikhuberman/

Erik Huberman’s Websites:

https://erikhuberman.com/

https://hawkemedia.com/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Sam Goodner, the serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Catapult Systems — Microsoft’s top-ranked consulting partner at the time of its acquisition. Sam shares his 30-year journey from starting a small IT consulting firm in 1993 with just $17,000 in the bank to scaling multiple companies to eight- and nine-figure exits, including turning a parking tech startup into a unicorn.

Through vivid stories and practical lessons, Sam reveals the disciplines behind operational scalability, decentralized leadership, and what it truly takes to build a company that can run — and grow — without its founder. He discusses his book Like Clockwork: Run Your Business with Swiss Army Precision, the frameworks he used to recession-proof his companies, and how he transformed chaos into predictable growth. From his military lessons in Switzerland to his role as an angel investor mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs, Sam offers a masterclass in clarity, systems, and execution — proving that growth isn’t luck, it’s discipline.

Takeaways

• Great businesses scale through clarity, disciplined execution, and time, not luck.

• Founders often become the bottleneck — true leadership means empowering others to decide and own outcomes.

• Operational scalability starts when the company can run and grow without the founder.

• Create rules of empowerment: if a decision is right for the customer, company, ethical, aligned with values, and you’re accountable — act.

• Codify best practices with playbooks, especially for sales and hiring.

• Hire people better than you, then get out of their way.

• Mentorship and coachability accelerate growth more than any funding round.

• Recession-proofing begins before the downturn — diversify industries, services, and recurring revenue streams.

• Every company needs to define what it’s best in the world at and its unfair advantage.

• Founders should spend 95% of their time on the business, not in it.

• Focus on discipline and systems, not just ideas — execution is where companies win.

• Success evolves from climbing mountains to helping others climb theirs.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Scaling Beyond Chaos

01:30 From Developer to Founder: The Birth of Catapult Systems

03:20 Bootstrapping to Profitability in the 90s

06:00 Why Raising Money Isn’t Always the Answer

07:30 Investing in Flash Parking: Spotting a Unicorn in an Unsexy Industry

12:00 The Power of Coachability and Mentorship

16:50 Breaking Founder Mode and Achieving Operational Scalability

21:00 Building Playbooks for Sales and Talent Acquisition

26:00 Decentralized Decision-Making and the Rules of Empowerment

37:00 The Swiss Army Precision: Inside Sam’s Book “Like Clockwork”

43:00 Recession-Proofing Your Business

51:00 Balancing Focus and Diversification

55:00 Defining Your Unfair Advantage

57:00 The Aha Moment: Realizing You’re the Bottleneck

59:00 The Third Chapter: Giving Back and Mentoring Entrepreneurs

01:01:00 Closing Thoughts: Build Systems, Empower People, Stay Disciplined

Sam Goodner’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samgoodner/

Sam Goodner’s Websites:

https://samgoodner.com/

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan is joined by Christian Ulstrup, founder of Powerline, to explore how AI is transforming business practices. Christian, with over a decade of experience in applied AI, discusses the evolution of AI technologies and their real-world impact on industries ranging from startups to the U.S. federal government. He shares insights on moving from experimentation to impactful applications of AI, stressing the importance of cultivating a culture of continuous experimentation. Together, Avetis and Christian dive into how leaders can leverage AI for exponential growth, from AI quick wins to deep organizational transformations. The conversation touches on practical applications, such as automating back-office processes, improving customer interactions, and identifying hidden opportunities through AI-driven insights. Christian also discusses his firm’s approach to using AI tools to generate value, drive profitability, and reduce costs while maintaining a human-centered focus. His unique perspective on the role of AI in shaping the future of work is both enlightening and inspiring, offering actionable advice for tech leaders eager to embrace the AI revolution.

Takeaways

• AI's role is not just about the technology itself but how and where it's applied in business processes.

• Business leaders must foster a culture of continuous experimentation to maximize the potential of AI.

• AI quick wins involve improving existing processes to work faster and more efficiently, sometimes 10 times faster.

• A "10x" approach, rather than incremental changes, can drive larger, more impactful transformations.

• Engaging with AI tools and experimenting with them helps uncover surprising efficiencies and new opportunities.

• Effective AI adoption starts with clear executive alignment and a formal mandate for experimentation across the organization.

• Some AI models like GPT and Claude are revolutionizing business processes that were previously time-consuming or costly.

• AI tools should be integrated into everyday workflows, from sales to HR, to gain real-time insights and efficiencies.

• Companies should prioritize AI experimentation, with an eye on both short-term wins and long-term cultural transformation.

• AI can help businesses of all sizes democratize access to powerful data insights, leveling the playing field for smaller companies.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:26 Christian Ulstrup’s Background

03:15 AI’s Role in Business Transformation

05:47 The AI Quick Win

07:55 Thinking Big for AI Impact

09:54 Three Phases of AI Adoption

12:18 Tools for AI Adoption

14:37 Identifying Power Users

16:58 Formalizing AI Use Across the Organization

19:15 Analyzing Data with AI Tools

23:30 AI for Small Businesses

27:48 AI and Profit Impact in PE-backed Firms

31:46 Second-Order Effects of AI

34:08 Risk Reduction and AI

39:56 Opportunity Spotting with AI

44:23 Change Management and AI

49:42 Biggest Aha Moment in Christian’s AI Journey

54:03 The Future of Work with AI

Christian Ulstrup’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianulstrup/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan lays out a wartime CEO playbook for thriving in downturns, drawing on the same strategies his team used to scale HIRECLOUT and help clients grow through multiple recessions. He argues that recessions do not kill companies, timid leadership does, and makes the case for buying market share when others freeze. Avetis explains why momentum dies faster than cash burns, how to reinforce your core and double down on your edge, and where “talent arbitrage” appears when markets are scared. He also breaks down weaponized efficiency, using AI and automation to cut friction instead of people, and how leaders can keep teams aligned by leading with certainty, transparency, and small weekly wins. Along the way, Avetis shares candid stories from COVID, investing in AI startups and real estate, and the tough calls required of a wartime CEO. The result is a concise, practical blueprint for founders and operators who want to play to win rather than “not lose.”

Takeaways

• Recessions concentrate opportunity in the hands of bold leaders

• Momentum dies faster than cash burns, so “wait and see” erodes advantage

• Cut distractions, not drivers; double down on your core edge

• Downturns are prime time for talent arbitrage and loyalty building

• You cannot cut your way to greatness; savings alone will not scale a company

• Use AI and automation to remove friction so people can drive revenue

• Turn downtime into build time by rebuilding systems to be 10x-ready

• Keep outbound and thought leadership consistent while others go quiet

• Lead with certainty; your team mirrors your energy and confidence

• Create small weekly wins to sustain morale and momentum

• Pair clarity with optimism; either one alone leads to noise or paralysis

• The leaders who act decisively now will own the rebound later

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Why timid leaders lose in recessions

02:22 The big lie of “conserve and wait”

04:30 You cannot cut your way to greatness

06:45 Recessions as the cheapest time to buy market share

08:23 Talent arbitrage and loyalty during downturns

10:32 Reinforce your core and double down on your edge

12:50 Weaponized efficiency: cut friction, not talent

15:16 Turn downtime into build time and rebuild systems

17:22 Keep marketing; brand compounding when others go silent

19:25 Lead with certainty and reassure through transparency

21:40 Clarity plus optimism and the cost of overanalysis

23:40 No fluff, make it happen: own the rebound

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Jossie Haines—executive coach, fractional engineering leader, and former engineering leader at Apple, Zynga, Tile, and Life360—to unpack how great leaders build inclusive, high-performing teams and adopt AI with intention. Jossie shares pivotal moments from leading Siri teams at Apple (including award-winning Apple TV work) and scaling engineering at Tile, where she helped double the org and architect a culture people still miss. She gets candid about imposter syndrome, why inclusion (not box-checking diversity) drives psychological safety and product quality, and how to communicate in CEO/CFO language: business outcomes, trade-offs, and crisp “yes—and” solutions. You’ll also hear her playbook for leaders using AI to reclaim strategic time, from code-base ramp-ups to custom GPTs that coach junior PMs and engineers. Plus: lessons from Zynga’s two-week company-wide pivot, the value of age diversity in teams, and why “slow productivity” beats 80-hour grinds. A masterclass in defining success on your own terms—and leading with clarity, courage, and measurable impact.

Takeaways

• Inclusion and psychological safety are prerequisites for high performance.

• Focus on mechanics (meetings, feedback, promotions) before chasing diversity metrics.

• Communicate in outcomes and trade-offs; lead with business impact.

• Use “yes, and” to surface constraints without being the “no” person.

• Leaders should model effective AI use to raise adoption quality.

• Treat AI as an 80–90% draft; humans add accuracy and context.

• Deploy AI where it frees strategy time: research, ramp-ups, admin loops.

• Build leverage by shipping tangible alternatives quickly.

• Age diversity strengthens execution and pattern recognition.

• Replace hustle myths with sustainable “slow productivity.”

• Senior leaders must self-generate confidence signals; feedback gets rarer.

• Define success on your terms and make clear, bold asks.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Guest Setup

02:00 Apple & Tile: Wins, Burnout, and Imposter Syndrome

05:00 Designing Roles and Cultures People Miss

08:30 Why Senior Leaders Feel Isolated

10:40 Inclusion → Psychological Safety → Performance

13:10 Operationalizing Inclusion (Meetings, Feedback, Promotions)

16:50 Hiring Panels, Representation, and Real Accountability

18:55 Keeping Eyes on Outcomes, Not Optics

21:50 The Overlooked Advantage of Age Diversity

26:20 Boundaries, Peak Hours, and Sustainable Work

28:40 Leaders & AI: Modeling Quality and Guardrails

33:00 AI as Draft Partner: Seniors vs. Juniors

36:30 Practical AI Workflows (Ramp-Ups, Custom Assistants)

40:15 Speaking CFO/CEO: Outcomes, Trade-offs, “Yes, and”

46:50 Shipping Fast for Negotiation Leverage

51:10 Trust Yourself, Ask Boldly, Create Roles

54:30 Closing & Book Recommendations

Jossie Haines’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jossiemann/

Jossie Haines’s Websites:

https://jossiehaines.com/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Radhika Dutt—MIT-trained engineer, entrepreneur, and author of Radical Product Thinking, to rethink how high-growth companies set direction and measure progress. 

Radhika explains why traditional goal systems (KPIs/OKRs) often incentivize “performance theater,” tracing their lineage from Drucker’s MBOs to Andy Grove to today’s playbooks—and why they’re mismatched to modern, creative work. She introduces OHLs (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings) and a “puzzle setting/puzzle solving” culture that pushes teams to interrogate bad numbers, not hide them. Along the way she names common “product diseases” (HERO syndrome, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis, strategic swelling, Narcissus complex) and shows how a clear, testable vision prevents whiplash pivots. A standout case study: at Signal Ocean, reframing the challenge for tech-averse users helped double sales in 2024 and again in 2025 while reducing churn from 26% to 4%. Leaders also get a practical script for better reviews (“How well is it working? What did we learn? What will we try next?”) and a reminder to build experimentation muscles before a crisis. The result is a rigorous, human approach to strategy that replaces vanity metrics with compounding learning.

Takeaways

• OKRs often reward optics over insight, encouraging “performance theater.”

• Use a concrete vision that states the problem, audience, status quo, desired end state, and product’s role.

• Shift from “hit the target” to puzzle setting so teams feel invited to solve the right problems.

• Run on OHLs: Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings to measure deeply and learn publicly.

• Watch for “product diseases” like HERO syndrome, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis, strategic swelling, and the Narcissus complex.

• Pivot with gravitas by stating what was wrong, what you learned, and what you’ll try next.

• Case study: at Signal Ocean, reframing for tech-averse users unlocked adoption, doubled sales year over year, and reduced churn.

• OKRs trace back to MBOs, which fit repetitive work but struggle with today’s creative, uncertain problems.

• Leaders should act like detectives, not judges to create psychological safety for honest learning.

• Introduce OHLs inside your current cadence before replacing existing processes.

• Spread market insight beyond the founder so teams can challenge assumptions and stay aligned.

• Start with the segment that has the most urgent need, then expand intentionally.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Why Targets Mislead

01:27 Radhika’s Path and Early Lessons

03:41 Hitting Numbers vs. Reality on the Ground

05:31 “Product Diseases” That Derail Strategy

07:51 Writing a Vision You Can Execute

09:49 The Wine Startup Example and Narcissus Complex

13:07 Pivotitis and How to Pivot with Gravitas

16:34 Translating Vision into Actionable Experiments

17:44 Why Goals Alone Don’t Work

20:03 A Short History of OKRs and Their Limits

24:43 From Targets to Puzzles: Reframing Stalled Sales

26:50 OHLs: Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings

29:14 Running Better Reviews: Three Questions

35:31 Case Study: Signal Ocean’s Tech-Averse Users

39:55 Outcomes: Doubling Sales and Reducing Churn

41:58 Intel’s Lesson: Experimentation Beats Goal Mechanics

47:58 Detectives, Not Judges: Building a Learning Culture

50:06 How to Start Tomorrow with OHLs

59:37 Don’t Do Founder Mode; Spread Insight

01:03:18 Closing Notes & Resources

Radhika Dutt’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/

Radhika Dutt’s Websites:

https://www.radicalproduct.com/

https://rdutt.com/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Dr. Reece Akhtar, CEO and founder of Deeper Signals — a leading organizational psychologist and data scientist helping companies unlock human potential through AI-powered talent insights. Together, they explore how the future of leadership is being shaped by behavioral science, soft skills, and the rise of AI in the workplace.

Dr. Akhtar breaks down what defines high-caliber leaders today, emphasizing the evergreen traits of cognitive aptitude, emotional intelligence, curiosity, and execution. He shares powerful stories about helping a scaling company move from 200 to 1,000 employees while improving performance by 15–20% year-over-year by using data-driven assessments.

Listeners will gain a practical blueprint for building talent-centric organizations, minimizing bias in hiring, and turning assessments into tools for onboarding, coaching, and long-term leadership development. This episode is packed with actionable advice for executives and founders who want to future-proof their organizations, hire and grow the right leaders, and create high-performing, cohesive teams in an AI-driven world.

Takeaways

• High-performing leaders share four traits: cognitive aptitude, emotional intelligence, curiosity, and the ability to execute.

• AI will amplify the need for collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity—not replace them.

• Psychometrics offer a data-driven way to reveal leadership potential beyond intuition.

• Assessments shouldn’t just filter candidates; they should inform onboarding and ongoing coaching.

• Structured interviews combined with assessments dramatically improve hiring accuracy.

• Data can act as a guardrail against unconscious bias in leadership selection.

• Building a talent-centric organization requires aligning culture, leadership development, and performance metrics.

• Cognitive diversity within teams often outperforms a single "A-player" approach.

• Over-indexing on charismatic leaders can be dangerous—look for competence, not charm.

• The five-factor model (OCEAN) is the most scientifically valid framework for personality assessments.

• Leaders should pause before reacting—self-awareness and emotional regulation are key.

• "Just pause and listen" is Akhtar’s billboard advice for young leaders.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Why leadership needs data in the AI era

01:35 What defines high-potential leaders today

03:50 Evergreen traits: intelligence, EQ, curiosity, execution

06:25 How psychometrics and AI reveal hidden potential

09:05 Case study: Scaling from 200 to 1,000 employees with data-driven hiring

13:10 Turning assessment data into onboarding and coaching tools

17:00 The five-factor model (OCEAN) and its predictive power

19:00 Limitations of assessments and human adaptability

22:30 Combining interviews, references, and data for better hiring decisions

27:50 Why resumes and unstructured interviews fall short

29:50 Lessons from Dune: Avoiding the charismatic leader trap

32:40 Using data to identify and mitigate bias in hiring

36:15 Building a talent-centric organization and embedding values

44:30 The importance of team fit and cognitive diversity

47:15 Personal lessons: pausing before reacting as a leader

48:30 Recommended reading: Social Physics by Sandy Pentland

49:55 Closing advice: "Pause and listen" for young leaders

51:00 Episode wrap-up and where to connect with Dr. Akhtar

Dr. Reece Akhtar’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/reeceakhtar/

Dr. Reece Akhtar’s Website:

https://www.deepersignals.com/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Ari Galper, the world’s #1 authority on trust-based selling and creator of the One Call Sale methodology and Ari AI, an AI-powered sales coaching platform built on decades of proven frameworks. Together, they explore why traditional relationship-building and persuasion tactics often fail in today’s crowded marketplace—and what tech leaders can do instead.

Ari shares how to transition from solution-centric pitching to problem-centric diagnosing, helping prospects see the cost of inaction before presenting a solution. He offers powerful language patterns and mindset shifts that compress long sales cycles into a single conversation, without pressure or chasing leads. Listeners will hear real-world stories, including Ari’s personal turning point that inspired him to build a global movement around truth and trust in sales.

Whether you’re a founder, executive, or sales leader, this episode will help you rethink your approach to business growth—moving from transactional selling to creating deep trust that drives long-term success.

Takeaways

• Trust-building, not persuasion, is the foundation of modern sales.

• Stop selling pre-sale—diagnose problems first, like a doctor with a patient.

• The cost of inaction (COI) is critical: help prospects see the risk of staying with the status quo.

• Compressing the sales cycle into one call creates clarity and commitment without pressure.

• Relationship-building pre-sale often backfires; it can put you in the “friend zone.”

• Avoid using the phrase “follow-up”; ask for feedback instead to uncover the truth.

• Silence is a powerful tool—let prospects talk first and reveal their core issues.

• Clarity is the true value you provide, not your product demo or case studies.

• Create cultural change in sales teams by teaching trust-based frameworks, not scripts.

• Use trust-based language to keep prospects on your calendar and avoid chasing ghosts.

• Personal transparency and authenticity—like Ari’s lessons from his son Toby—make you more effective.

• Market to the problems you solve, not your solutions, to stand out in a noisy world.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Why Trust-Based Selling Matters in Tech

01:30 The Shift: From Product-Centric to Problem-Centric

03:15 Cost of Inaction: The Real Sales Trigger

04:55 The One Call Sale Framework Explained

06:40 Trust vs. Relationship Building

08:20 Real Story: Why “Great Meetings” Don’t Equal Sales

10:40 Diagnosing Over Delivering: Coaching Case Study

13:15 Ari’s Sales Call Script (Doctor Analogy Breakdown)

15:00 The Birth of Ari AI and What Makes It Unique

18:00 How Leaders Role-Play and Write Better Emails with AI

20:00 Difference Between Fact-Finding and Trust Questions

21:40 Never Use “Follow Up” Again Use This Instead

24:30 Building Culture Without Falling into the Friend Zone

26:20 Sales Teams Need Interventions, Not Programs

28:00 Avoiding Bad Business: Qualifying for Urgency

30:00 Ari’s Aha Moment: The Muted Sales Call That Changed Everything

33:30 Why “Being Professional” Still Lost the Deal

35:15 Favorite Book: 80/20 Sales & Marketing

36:00 Why Ari Writes a New Book Every Quarter

37:20 Writing Problem-Centric Cold Emails That Cut Through Noise

39:00 Personal Wisdom from Ari’s Son, Toby

40:10 Final Advice: Trust is the New Currency

Ari Galper’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arigalper/

https://www.youtube.com/@ari_galper

https://www.instagram.com/ari_galper

https://x.com/arigalper

Ari Galper’s Website:

https://unlockthegame.com/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Susan Ruediger, Founder and Chief Mission Officer of the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), and Laura MacNeill, the organization’s CEO. Together, they explore how patient-led research is revolutionizing drug development and catalyzing billion-dollar outcomes. Susan shares the remarkable story of CMTRF’s $128,000 seed investment in DTX Pharma that led to a $1 billion Novartis acquisition — a masterclass in strategic risk-taking and venture philanthropy. Laura explains how CMTRF’s unique “go-out-of-business” mission drives urgency, focus, and impact, while also inspiring other nonprofits to adopt similar models. The conversation dives deep into storytelling’s role in galvanizing donors, the importance of milestones and reinvestment, and how rare disease foundations can unlock breakthroughs for broader neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Whether you’re a biotech leader, investor, or nonprofit executive, this episode offers actionable lessons on focus, partnerships, and creating outsized impact with limited resources.

Takeaways

• Patient-led research can de-risk and accelerate drug development.

• $128K seed funding led to a $1B Novartis acquisition.

• CMTRF uses a venture-philanthropy model with milestone-based funding.

• Mission: fund treatments, find a cure, close the foundation.

• Storytelling drives awareness, donations, and partnerships.

• Early investments keep promising science alive.

• Biotech partnerships share risk and leverage expertise.

• Novartis validated CMT as a major market opportunity.

• Rare disease focus offers faster FDA pathways.

• Staying laser-focused means saying no to distractions.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Guest Welcome

01:20 From Grassroots Donations to Billion-Dollar Deals

02:30 Understanding CMT and Its Impact

05:00 Finding the Right Delivery Vehicle for Drugs

07:40 The $128K Bet That Changed Everything

09:50 Other Success Stories & Market Signaling

13:00 The Venture-Philanthropy Model Explained

16:30 The Power of Milestones and Flexibility

18:45 Reinvestment and Sustainable Funding

21:30 Role of Storytelling and Strategy in Movement Building

26:10 Velocity Campaign & Raising $20M

27:25 Why Biotechs Care About Rare Diseases

31:50 CMT as a Gateway Indication for Neurodegenerative Disease

33:30 Staying Focused and Saying No

38:30 The Drug Development Lifecycle and Staying Mission-Aligned

42:10 How to Get Involved and Follow CMTRF’s Work

45:10 Personal & Business Advice for Leaders

48:30 Favorite Books and Final Thoughts

52:00 Closing Remarks and Call to Action

Susan Ruediger’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-ruediger/

Laura MacNeill’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-macneill-m-b-a-97633732/

CMT Research Foundation’s Website:

https://cmtrf.org/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Andrew McVeigh, veteran technology leader and Chief Architect, whose career spans transformations at Hulu, Riot Games, and beyond. Andrew has navigated multi-billion-dollar shifts across industries from finance to gaming and healthcare, leaving behind architectures that still power companies today.

The conversation dives deep into some of the most pressing questions in modern tech leadership: What matters most—EQ, IQ, or AI? Should organizations rebuild systems from scratch or evolve incrementally? Andrew shares candid stories, including lessons from Riot Games, the pitfalls of full rewrites, and the importance of balancing optimism with realism.

Listeners will gain insight into how domain expertise and generalist skills complement one another, why EQ becomes more critical than IQ at senior levels, and how AI is reshaping engineering work without eliminating the need for human craft. Andrew also reflects on personal resilience, leadership missteps (like literally flipping a table), and the value of building systems and cultures that endure. This episode offers a rare inside look into decades of architectural wisdom and leadership lessons applicable to anyone guiding teams through complexity and change

Takeaways

• EQ often outweighs IQ at senior leadership levels when managing large teams.

• Losing emotional control may feel satisfying in the moment but erodes long-term trust and outcomes.

• Generalists and specialists both play vital roles—large-scale architecture requires a mix of both.

• Domain expertise is valuable but shouldn’t be an absolute barrier to hiring strong engineers.

• Successful engineers learn to work at the level of intention rather than just tasks.

• Psychological safety fuels better performance and innovation in teams.

• AI augments, not replaces—engineers must learn to collaborate with it effectively.

• Craft and fundamentals (e.g., programming) remain essential even as AI automates repetitive work.

• The Pareto principle (80/20) applies broadly—focus on high-leverage outcomes, not perfection.

• Full rewrites often fail; incremental evolution with a defined “North Star” strategy is safer.

• Optimism in leadership can shift cultures and reframe challenges as opportunities.

• Balancing results with humanity ensures people want to work with you again.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro: EQ, IQ, or AI?

01:15 Guest Introduction: Andrew McVeigh’s career at Hulu, Riot Games, and more

02:30 Industry Crossovers: From finance to gaming to healthcare

04:10 Specialists vs. Generalists in large-scale systems

05:20 The rising importance of EQ in leadership

07:10 Riot Games culture and the “must be a gamer” debate

11:20 What makes great engineers stand out

13:40 Leadership, personal resilience, and the humanity factor

17:50 How AI reshapes engineering work

22:30 Applying the Pareto principle in tech leadership

24:50 The rewrite dilemma: Start over or evolve?

31:20 Preserving value while modernizing legacy systems

36:10 Final thoughts: EQ, IQ, or AI? Andrew’s choice

37:30 Book recommendations and sources of inspiration

38:40 Closing advice: Attitude, optimism, and ownership

39:45 Outro and how to connect with Andrew

Andrew McVeigh’s Social Media Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmcveigh/

Andrew McVeigh’s Website:

https://www.suvoda.com/

Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright