The Technology Economy

Billions are pouring into AI—but who actually gets paid?

Jason Marks and Nora, his AI cohost, follow the money from chips, cloud, and data centers to software, consulting, and managed services. Built for technology sellers, business leaders, and sales-training students, this conversation connects the industry map to the decisions customers actually face.

Jason challenges Nora on Meta’s cloud ambitions, shares what happened when an AI task burned through $200 in tokens in 15 minutes, and explains why a small, measurable use case can beat an ambitious rollout. They also debate independent consultants versus full-service partners, adoption and security, voice-agent handoffs, and why workflow matters as much as the model.

In this episode:
• The six layers of the AI economy and how they connect
• Tokens, usage costs, and the economics of AI agents
• Scope creep, buyer trust, and choosing the right partner
• Copilot, voice AI, and keeping people in the workflow
• The ongoing opportunity for managed service providers

Sponsored in part by Ingram Micro.

Hosted by Jason Marks with Nora, an AI-generated cohost. Company developments and product capabilities are discussed as of the recording.

00:00 Opening and Ingram Micro sponsorship
00:36 Who benefits
01:19 Chips and cloud
05:03 Cloud and private AI
07:05 Software and physical infrastructure
08:50 Power introduction
08:58 Power constraints
09:20 Layer recap
09:59 LLMs, tokens, and model landscape
16:35 Enterprise adoption and consulting
20:46 Agent economics and buyer perspective
26:52 CIO options and measured pilots
29:01 Voice-agent handoffs
30:21 Copilot question
30:31 Copilot and workflow
32:20 Managed services
34:08 Recap
34:44 Closing banter and goodbye

A time capsule with lessons for the AI era. During COVID, Cisco brought Jason Marks in to help its sellers and partners navigate a very different sales environment. More than 5,000 people attended this Take45 session.

These two excerpts explore advice that still applies: ask better questions, understand the customer’s business, and connect technology to outcomes that matter. As AI reshapes selling, those skills may matter even more. The original interviewer’s questions are included.

Archive note: Recorded during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Market conditions, product names, and examples reflect that period; this is not current product guidance. The archival audio has been restored and leveled, with a new introduction generated using Jason’s authorized AI voice.

Interested in practical training for your sales team? Explore Techrategy and LEAD On-Demand at https://leadabove.ai/techrategy/.

Jason Marks joins Jeff Edwards, Director of Partner Sales at Cisco and host of Shift Happens, for a conversation about the power—and risk—of how we tell our stories.

Originally released as episode 25 of Cisco’s Shift Happens podcast, this interview is presented as a bonus edition of The Technology Economy with a new introduction and the show’s music.

Original episode: https://ciscopodcastnetwork.podbean.com/e/shift-happens-ep25-the-power-and-risk-of-how-you-tell-the-story/

Production note: The new introduction uses Jason’s authorized AI voice. The interview is the original recording.