What will separate AI winners and losers in 2026? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team looks ahead to a year where human-AI collaboration, organizational redesign, and platform consolidation will define businesses looking to make the most impact.
As they prepare for CES in January, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin reflect on what’s emerging across industries and what leaders need to act on now. From AI’s shift into core processes, to evolving expectations around talent, to the rising premium on authentic, human-centered experiences, this conversation explores where real transformation is taking shape.
For leaders charting their next move, this episode offers practical insight into where the real momentum is heading and how to align for it.
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Quotes
“If you had asked me coming into 2025, ‘Who are the leaders going to be in AI?’ I would've pointed straight to the expected candidates. What I would not have pointed to, would've been DeepSeek, the R1 model out of China. I would not have picked that up. That was surprising.” – Jake Carter
“To me what was probably the most surprising was towards the beginning of 2025 it was all focused on tech, data, and getting your house in order. But then in the back half when things started moving really quickly, it's like, ‘Oh wait, we've gotta get our people up to speed. We've gotta get our processes up to speed.”’ – Ryan Medellin
“ As someone who comes from a strategy, management consulting perspective, it's just a really fun time to be alive and a fun time to be in a craft and fun time to be able to be thinking about stuff. And you know, I find that we're able to be innovative in ways today that it's just bigger. It's broader. It's not just simply, ‘How do we roll out a new product or think about a certain tangential element.’ It's really around, ‘How do you think about your business in a different way? How do you think about your partner ecosystem in a different way?”’ – Kevin Erickson
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:50 Today's topics
04:10 Kevin's journey with Credera and the podcast
08:45 Jake's perspective and surprises over the past year
11:35 How the world is reacting to AI
15:40 Preparing for the next wave of innovation
22:00 A technology tangent
23:40 Pure Signal at CES 2026
34:00 Closing thoughts
—
Links
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The Pure Signal team has been busy this week in Las Vegas at AWS re:Invent 2025, and today they’re back to wrap it all up with a recap and reflection. Kevin Erickson and Ryan Medellin are joined by Credera’s Global Chief Digital Officer, Phil Lockhart to talk about what they loved from the event and how it sets us all up for 2026.
This episode unpacks a week of conversations with clients, partners, and AWS leaders from executive roundtables to hallway strategy sessions. The takeaway? Tech is only as transformative as the people, culture, and processes built around it. This episode explores the shift from tools to outcomes: how AI is accelerating process velocity, why use cases matter more than capabilities, and how to grow the next generation of talent in an environment moving faster than ever.
Whether you're building cloud strategy, leading AI transformation, or just trying to make better decisions faster, this is a grounded look at how to lead with clarity in an increasingly complex tech landscape.
Thanks to everyone who made it out to AWS re:Invent 2025 and for those behind the scenes making it one to remember.
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Quotes
"Ten years ago it was on-prem to cloud, it was all about pipes. Now you're sitting there and yes, it's AWS, but it's really around a whole ecosystem of products and tools. It’s no longer just a technical backbone or a tool for developers. You can see a world where this becomes the hub of how you run your business. That shift is huge." – Kevin Erickson
"I'm excited that we're actually starting to get value out of AI. There was a lot of experimentation, some of it gimmicky, but now it's becoming more mainstream and part of the process. We're getting back to solving problems, not just doing cool stuff. Useful trumps innovative any day." – Phil Lockhart
“Everybody is talking about how tech is gonna take over the human element, and it seems like the whole year has been spent learning about this tech. But towards the end of the year, all these companies are starting to shift and think about the people impact, not from a standpoint of jobs, but how people interact with this technology. The tech is impressive, but what stuck out to me at re:Invent was how much the human side came through in every conversation. That part was fascinating.” – Ryan Medellin
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
02:35 Welcoming Phil Lockhart to Pure Signal
03:35 Putting together a great event
07:00 Reflecting on AWS re:Invent
14:05 Back to the business
17:10 Changing expectations
19:55 Life beyond the conference
22:50 Recruiting and fostering top talent
29:00 Closing thoughts
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Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are on the ground at AWS re:Invent this week bringing you special minisodes, featuring interviews with industry experts, key event takeaways, and more. Check back throughout the week for more!
Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are on the ground at AWS re:Invent this week bringing you special minisodes, featuring interviews with industry experts, key event takeaways, and more. Check back throughout the week for more!
Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are on the ground at AWS re:Invent this week bringing you special minisodes, featuring interviews with industry experts, key event takeaways, and more. Check back throughout the week for more!
Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are on the ground at AWS re:Invent this week bringing you special minisodes, featuring interviews with industry experts, key event takeaways, and more. Check back throughout the week for more!
Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are on the ground at AWS re:Invent this week bringing you special minisodes, featuring interviews with industry experts, key event takeaways, and more. Check back throughout the week for more!
What can a year of AI acceleration, shifting priorities, and bold bets teach us about the future of work? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team looks back on 2025 to reflect on the lessons that will shape 2026.
As AI moved from hype to impact, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin unpack what changed in the way companies operate, how teams collaborate, and what clients now expect from innovation. From personal growth to leadership evolution, the conversation explores the power of slowing down to assess where you’ve been and lessons to take on your next journey.
Topics include how AI transformed client conversations, why creativity is now a core competency, how middle management is being redefined, and why sustainable performance depends on recovery as much as ambition. If you're navigating change at any level, this episode offers a reset worth hearing.
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Quotes
“A year ago on this podcast we were talking about models, we were talking about hardware, we were talking about where it sits, where it goes. It was really around the mechanics of it. And I think where we're at today, a year later, is just radically different. It's now about how it changes how we do things. How it speeds things up, how it creates organizational change. That’s just a much more tangible and exciting place to be.” – Kevin Erickson
“We got to work with a Fortune 30 company helping them shape: ‘How are we, across the company, using AI to change the way they market?’ The types of stuff that we got to work on this year is so much more fun. We've been helping organizations think about: ‘Okay, we know this AI thing is happening, we don't think it's going anywhere. How does our organization change in light of that?’” – Jake Carter
“When you asked me to be a part of this podcast, the first thing was like: ‘Oh, Ryan's a broadcaster. It makes sense to bring him in and do something like this.’ As we've started to do these episodes, it's become very clear to me that we have a really good mix for all these things that we're thankful for and that we're talking about.” – Ryan Medellin
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:20 Tech gratitude from this past year
10:10 The rise of creativity across all functions of the business
14:05 What makes the work enjoyable
16:20 How the conversation has changed
24:00 The importance of reflection
32:05 Balancing health with demand
36:20 Final thoughts
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Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
Can your enterprise stand out when everyone is using the same AI tools? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team explores how to achieve real differentiation and why bold, strategic thinking is more critical than ever before.
As AI becomes standard across tech stacks and workflows, Ryan Medellin, Kevin Erickson, and Jake Carter challenge listeners to go beyond task automation. They discuss how companies can use this moment not just to move faster, but to think bigger by rethinking customer engagement, internal processes, and even the game they’re playing altogether.
From innovation cycles and macroeconomic uncertainty to the evolving expectations of a new workforce, this episode looks at why tech parity creates both pressure and opportunity. You’ll hear how to build strategic hedges, where human-centered design regains importance, and why companies that embrace creativity over conformity will come out ahead.
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Quotes
"I would ask companies to be thinking about it right now like, how do you do things differently? Where are your competitors going to go? What's going to change? Where could you jump? What I love about right now, I think it creates competitive advantage for smaller or non-entrenched firms." – Kevin Erickson
"Innovation goes wrong when you start with the technology, not the problem. Innovation goes wrong when you fall in love with your idea and the confirmation bias of you ignores all evidence to the contrary. Innovation goes wrong when you move wholesale to trying to make the thing perfect before you figure out if it's working." – Jake Carter
“If everybody's using the same tech, how do we as humans fit in to be those differentiators? If you can take eight hours worth of work that you're supposed to do, and with the tools that you have access to, dwindle that down to three or four, that potentially gives you more time to be on site with a client or working with a partner over the phone. It just seems like it opens up more possibilities to kind of reestablish that connection within the workforce, internally and externally." – Ryan Medellin
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:30 Standing out amidst the noise
07:15 Taking a page from previous innovation playbooks
13:15 Finding certainty in a highly evolving market
19:00 Focusing on outcomes over speed
24:00 Humans as the differentiators
33:30 Driving authentic excitment aross your teams
41:20 Final thoughts
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Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
How do you get bold ideas approved as budgets get smaller and plans face higher levels of scrutiny? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team unpacks what it really takes to earn leadership buy-in for AI and innovation initiatives.
As enterprises race to release their great next product, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin unpack how leadership teams are balancing bold ideas with operational reality. From shifting economic headwinds to change fatigue, the episode explores why some projects stall and others gain traction, and what that reveals about timing, trust, and executive attention.
This episode offers a playbook for getting approval, even when you’re not in the room where decisions are made. Topics include translating technical ideas into business outcomes, using design sprints to create executive momentum, understanding the timing of bold vs. incremental bets, and the surprising influence of behavioral economics on buy-in. If you're navigating enterprise dynamics from either the top down or the bottom up, this conversation is packed with tactics to help your next idea land.
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Quotes
"There’s the innovation, and then there’s how you get your organization to go along with it. And those are very different things. One is the big idea. The other is everything from psychology to timing to power dynamics. Honestly, getting buy-in is often harder than the idea itself." – Jake Carter
"What’s interesting right now is how much companies are trying to grow through incremental maturity steps. Not because they’re afraid of bold moves, but because in this kind of environment, boldness without readiness can backfire. The change is nonstop, and people are fatigued. That shifts how you lead and what kind of bets you place." – Kevin Erickson
"From my perspective, the younger generation doesn’t want predictability, they want to be part of change. It’s not about resisting transformation, it’s about being brought along and having a voice in where things are going. That mindset shift is something organizations have to factor into how they lead. Continual evolution isn’t a burden, it’s the expectation." – Ryan Medellin
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:35 Who's responsible for innovation
04:50 Change is inevitable
09:55 Building excitement for these innovations
13:50 Evaluating if your enterprise is ready
17:30 Maintaining energy & momentum
26:30 Confidence is a needed attribute in today's leaders
29:05 Finding the balance between the future and present
35:10 Tangible advice for earning leadership buy-in
45:10 Final thoughts
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Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
What if annual planning no longer fits the world we live in? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team explores why traditional playbooks fall short in an AI-driven era and how leaders must rethink priorities, timelines, and team structures to stay competitive.
With 2026 around the corner, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin explore the tension between bold innovation and responsible execution, questioning whether traditional planning models can keep pace with the speed of change. Pulling insights from real client conversations and the recent All-In Summit, the episode explores what AI-first planning actually looks like: budgeting for compute and data readiness, rethinking project structures, balancing near-term experimentation with long-term transformation, and most importantly, investing in your people. This is the year leaders can’t afford to default to copy-paste plans.
Whether you're in strategy, innovation, or delivery, this conversation offers a clear-eyed framework for how to think, plan, and lead in a future that’s already here.
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Quotes
"Getting your employees upskilled when it comes to AI and how to be effective is really important right now. And then you pair that with some selective hiring. You don’t have to go replace your entire workforce. But you do need the injection of fresh thinking." – Jake Carter
"I would encourage our listeners to really focus more on the strategy. Put a ton of thinking about the strategy of where you want to go, the outcomes that you want to have, and let that start to dictate where you're at versus the mechanics of the buildup of classical elements of that. That will come. In fact, I think you should be using AI driven tools to be able to accelerate that." – Kevin Erickson
"We all want to be part of something big. We want to be part of something that gets us excited to go into the office. I want leaders that dream big, but I also want to be able to see that vision and how I can help support getting there." – Ryan Medellin
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
00:30 Waymo rides and the All-In Summit
08:40 How AI-first companies are built different
11:00 The future of annual planning
17:00 Supporting the entire organization
21:00 Upskilling your teams for 2026
24:00 The power of curiosity
28:00 Let people own outcomes, not just projects
34:00 What leaders need to be focusing on
37:00 Boldness doesn’t mean recklessness
42:00 Final takeaways
—
Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
Enterprises are racing to bring AI into their workflows, but most efforts stall in the pilot stage or get lost in measurement debates. In this episode of Pure Signal, hear what it really takes for organizations to move from experimentation to impact.
Today’s conversation brings together Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin as they explore how AI is reshaping productivity, why traditional planning cycles are under pressure, and what leaders must do differently to unlock sustainable value. Is faster velocity the real win, or is it a distraction? And how should executives measure progress when the benchmarks themselves are shifting?
From the rise of tiger teams and distributed adoption to the importance of data readiness and new talent skills, the discussion surfaces the levers that actually drive enterprise change. You’ll hear why use cases matter more than proofs of concept, how AI is altering the role of annual planning, and what emerging professionals should focus on to thrive in an AI-native workplace.
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Quotes
"You need a number of different elements if you're going to get a company to actually change how they're working with AI. One we already alluded to is the field-level workers who are changing the way they're working already. You’ve got to get the tools in the hands of your people.” – Jake Carter
"Cloud computing increased velocity by 4x. You could do more, but you still just took that extra 4x and put it into more backlog. I don’t know if that plays out the same way in AI, because I think it’s going to require departments thinking together or projects getting done differently” – Kevin Erickson
“When AI started becoming a thing, it was almost like you were hiding at first that maybe you were using AI to help velocity because you weren't sure how it would be received from up or below. Now, it seems like it’s almost an opportunity to display what you're doing to help make you more efficient.” – Ryan Medellin
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Where is the future of work going to be?
07:45 Adapting your workforce to AI
13:00 Work smarter, not harder
18:55 What it really takes to change at scale
25:00 Where this technology impacts the next generation
27:10 New business expectations
32:00 Advice for supercharging the emerging workforce
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Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
AI failures are making headlines with a widely circulated MIT study claiming that 95% of GenAI deployments are falling short of expectations. In this episode of Pure Signal, the team breaks down what’s really behind that number and what it means for enterprise leaders navigating AI adoption.
Joining today as new hosts are Jake Carter, Partner and Global Chief Innovation Officer, and Ryan Medellin, a manager in Credera’s Digital Strategy and Delivery practice. Alongside Jason Goth and Kevin Erickson, they dissect the MIT report’s claims and offer a more grounded view from inside the trenches. Why are internal AI efforts failing at twice the rate of external ones? Why do flashy AI projects often disappoint while quiet back-office initiatives deliver real ROI? And most importantly, what should executives be doing differently to lead with strategy, not panic?
From integrating AI into existing workflows to the growing role of shadow IT, the conversation explores how companies can increase the success rate of AI efforts without chasing the hype. You’ll hear what separates failed pilots from scalable wins, why the most valuable use cases are often invisible, and how to turn AI experimentation into enterprise impact.
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Quotes
"If you know that all of your employees are already using AI, whether they're admitting it or not, figure out what they're using it for. And that'll help you find the use cases that are worth building on. Because AI is already transforming business, it's just not happening through the official channels. It's happening on the side of people's desks." – Jake Carter
"Probably 95% of dot-com companies failed too. But that doesn't mean the internet is not a thing, right? Companies are going to have to continue to push and invest. Individuals are going to continue to do that." – Kevin Erickson
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
00:50 Updates to Pure Signal
04:30 Are GenAI efforts failing?
13:00 Every new technology needs iteration
19:50 Where to start as an executive
26:55 Lessons from both the successes and failures
32:30 Make the most of internal AI adoption
37:20 The perception of enterprise solutions
41:15 Wrapping up
—
Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
AI isn’t just transforming technology, it’s reshaping the very definition of talent. This episode of Pure Signal examines why organizations need to change their hiring scope to focus on skills like adaptability, curiosity, and a real eagerness to embrace new technologies as AI adoption continues across today’s workforce.
As companies struggle to accelerate AI adoption, a new reality is emerging: technology alone won’t drive transformation. Leaders are realizing that success depends on people who can learn quickly, embrace change, and rethink how work gets done. From mid-market disruptors to global enterprises, the pressure is on to identify and develop teams built for continuous reinvention.
Join Vincent and Kevin as they explore what defines AI-ready talent, how leaders can nurture curiosity and resilience across their organizations, and why the ability to adapt is now a competitive advantage. Their conversation offers a candid look at the human side of AI transformation, and the stakes for companies that fail to evolve their workforce as fast as their tech.
—
Quotes
“Everything goes back to simplistic elements and traits. Who's going to be successful in that model where you have to learn? Well, it's someone who has a learning mindset, a growth mindset. Someone who is curious, someone who's got the discipline to figure it out. Someone who's got the perseverance to work through things. Someone who gets excited about doing it in a different way." – Kevin Erickson
“In these moments, I think we're going to see the mid-market companies get a lot more aggressive. They have the agility, they have the conviction. Oftentimes they're still sort of founder-led or privately owned in some cases, and that gives them more flexibility. They want real growth." – Vincent Yates
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
00:30 Why AI adoption is uneven across organizations
03:00 Getting past the first hurdle
06:00 Carrots vs. sticks
10:00 Moving from faster work to better work
13:00 Redefining value when AI levels the field
17:00 Why mid-market companies have the advantage
23:00 Lessons from past tech transformations
28:00 Hiring for adaptability
36:00 Curiosity, resilience, and change as competitive advantage
42:00 Leading through change without burning out teams
46:30 Closing thoughts
—
Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
AI projects are falling short across the tech industry and executives are losing their jobs because of it. This episode of Pure Signal explores the reasons behind boards’ new pressures, what CIOs and CEOs can do to right the ship, and how it is possible to balance speed with strategy in regards to AI.
From the early days of AI adoption well through to today, workers everywhere have been worried about if their jobs will be replaced by their computer counterparts. And recently people have been losing their jobs..but not because they’re being replaced. High-profile CIO and CEO departures have been making headlines because they’ve been going too slow in their organization’s AI efforts.
Join Vincent, Jason, and Kevin, as they unpack the rising tension in the C-suite as AI adoption becomes a board-level priority. With only 25% of enterprise AI projects delivering on ROI, companies are reckoning with years of tech debt, siloed systems, and a shortage of generative AI-ready talent. Their conversation dives into how to lead AI transformation from the top without sacrificing security, regulatory standards, or execution speed.
From risk-tolerant innovation and agile delivery to the debate over if titles such as “Chief AI Officer” even mean anything tangible, this episode lays out what forward-leaning organizations are actually doing to win, and why most of them aren’t talking about it publicly.
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Quotes
"We're asking CIOs to solve all of the tech debt for the past 10 years that organizations haven't invested in or paid for and then on top of that, deliver net new outcomes with AI. That's a really difficult spot. CEOs basically want miracles, and they want them now.”
– Vincent Yates
"Boards want to see bold action. If you're a little sloppy but you're showing demonstrated value in terms of velocity and acceleration, people will likely forgive that. But if you're too cautious and get fired for moving too slow, that’s a much harder story to recover from. Right now, this is a moment for action, not preservation."
– Kevin Erickson
"This idea that you have to choose between innovation and security is completely false. If you design things well and use AI and other automation tools, you can actually be more secure while moving faster. The tools can test for vulnerabilities, generate more secure code, and incorporate best practices by default. You get better outcomes at greater speed."
– Jason Goth
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Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
00:25 Holding executives accountable for slow AI adoption
02:35 Overcorrection? Or justified response?
09:55 Roles are shifting across organizations
13:40 Think slow but act fast
20:35 Lean on specific, measureable pursuits
25:25 Security is no longer a good excuse
29:35 It's okay to break things
38:00 Is it as easy as adding a new title to your executive team?
46:35 Empower your existing teams to orient around action
50:50 Recent AI wins to learn from
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Links
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GenAI capabilities are in a state of constant acceleration, but without true memory, it also is starting from scratch with each use. In this episode of Pure Signal, you’ll hear why context is the next critical unlock in AI and what it means for both businesses trying to stay ahead and consumers craving personalization.
Opening up with a breakdown of how current models are operating, Vincent, Kevin, and Jason weigh how these platforms will need to evolve in order to be fully customized at the user level in a safe and scalable way. They argue that while the most obvious benefit exists on the consumer side with increased user loyalty, executives and businesses would also be able to leverage this unlock to streamline many of their operations.
Is it technically feasible to carry context from app to app? Will vendors allow it, or fight to own it? And what are the strategic risks of letting someone else control your AI memory layer?
Whether you’re designing new products, leading AI integration, or shaping data architecture, this episode offers a timely look at what it takes to build differentiated experiences in a world of commoditized intelligence.
—
Quotes
"What’s fascinating is that we’re revisiting the same challenges we’ve seen throughout 200 years of computing. General vs. Special Purpose. Memory vs. No Memory. It’s always been the same problem. AI today looks like early mainframes or punch cards in some ways. We’re going to need another evolution to figure out how memory and personalization really work.” – Kevin Erickson
"The way we've designed systems for the last 20 years is to be stateless. The AI models are no different. You either put memory into the model, which is basically not scalable—or you provide it as input every time. That’s why durable, long-term memory is such a hard architecture problem to solve." – Jason Goth
"We're going to move from a world where your data travels with you. That's the game-changer. I shouldn't have to reintroduce myself to every system I use. The intelligence isn't just in the model, it's in what it remembers about me and how seamlessly it can apply that context." – Vincent Yates
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 The value of being remembered
05:35 Will AI models be sought out for stored context?
14:05 Can each platform be fully customized per user?
19:30 Solving future problems with current technology
25:25 Increasing loyalty with added context
30:10 Where will customers see the impact
36:35 Are potential risks worth worrying over?
43:20 It all comes back to differentiation
47:40 Wrapping up
—
Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
M&A processes are more efficient than ever before with AI streamlining complicated processes and offering in depth research at will. Today on Pure Signal, you’ll hear what this might mean for the future of services business, consulting firms, and even government systems.
The conversation kicks off with Vincent, Kevin, and Jason covering traditional rollup models from a pre-AI world. With original investment theses centered primarily around centralizing back office tasks and bringing incremental improvements to functions such marketing and IT, Gen AI is now lowering integration costs and accelerating system migrations in ways that reshape the calculus entirely.
From deconstructing tech debt to reinventing customer acquisition and marketing, the trio tackles big questions. Are legacy systems now strategic assets? What does risk management look like in the AI era? And is consulting still defensible when information advantage erodes?
Whether you're a CEO navigating digital transformation or a strategist rethinking your M&A lens, this episode offers a thought-provoking look into the tools, tactics, and mindsets required to lead in the AI-powered future.
—
Quotes
“If things are cleaned up and there is less technical debt, then there's going to be opportunities to do things you wouldn’t have done otherwise because it would’ve been too costly.” – Jason Goth
“We’ve always onboarded customers this way, but do we need to anymore? The companies that will win are those questioning what’s possible and willing to rethink.” – Kevin Erickson
“You don’t need a 100% accuracy guarantee. What you need is a reserve model and a willingness to accept some errors because being too risk-averse is costing you money.” – Vincent Yates
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
00:55 Centralizing service businesses pre-AI
05:45 Where to consolidate first?
12:30 How does the landscape look now with AI?
20:35 The customer acquisition process is changing
24:45 Removing legacy roadblocks to upgrade systems
30:45 Balancing risk and efficiency
37:55 Reimagining what you thought was possible
41:10 Applying this lens of retooling at the societal level
45:00 Facing the new shift in consulting
49:40 CEOs’ adoption of AI
53:50 Wrapping up
—
Links
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Today on Pure Signal, Vincent, Jason, and Kevin tackle one of the most fundamental questions when looking at today’s technological landscape: What do companies actually believe?
In a wide-ranging conversation that spans from post-war industrial America to the Gen AI frontier, the team explores how implicit belief systems, not mission statements, are truly driving corporate behavior. From Bell Labs and Silicon Valley's shifting ethos to the rise of bold, founder-led companies, the discussion reveals why full neutrality is an impossible hill to stand on.
As generative AI begins to reshape not just how companies operate but what they stand for, this episode offers a timely look at why leadership, taste, and strategic conviction are more critical than ever. Whether you're leading or building an organization, this conversation will challenge how you think about purpose, performance, and the future of AI-led business.
—
Quotes
“AI is going to force organizations to define their taste. How they want to sound, look, and operate. You can’t outsource that to a committee. CEOs will have to make bold, unpopular decisions, and that requires a core belief system that doesn’t wobble with the wind.” – Vincent Yates
“I don’t think purpose is just about profits, but I also don’t buy into the idea that stakeholder capitalism alone creates value. The companies that last are the ones that tie employee experience and customer value into a shared mission. That’s where you find real nobility in work.” – Kevin Erickson
“The most successful companies I’ve seen rally around a clear mission. Something bigger than just making money. That sense of purpose drives innovation and attracts people who actually want to build. It’s not about marketing spin; it’s about having something real to stand behind.” – Jason Goth
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Defining the true beliefs of organizations amidst global turbulence
02:45 Shifting priorities of Silicon Valley companies
06:25 How beliefs create a value prop for employees
08:55 Bell Labs case study11:20 The role of mission-driven innovation in business success
13:10 What companies can learn from a united past
17:15 What gives people purpose?
20:40 Why companies are choosing to stay private
23:55 How are CEOs winning loyalty?
35:30 The importance of defining your company's purpose
36:25 How do you define your company mission?
38:15 How will AI affect company core values?
39:20 The aesthetics of AI
51:10 Where does AI fit in your organization?
52:25 The Corporate AI Mandate
—
Links
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Today on Pure Signal—our first episode since rebranding from Technology Tangents—the team dives into the major shifts reshaping the tech landscape. Vincent, Jason, and Kevin break down everything from crypto M&A and evolving tech policy to rapid AI advancements and the growing crisis in energy infrastructure.
As these forces converge, they explore what it means for businesses facing an increasingly volatile environment—and why adaptability, foundational tech, and clear strategic vision are more essential than ever. With AI’s insatiable demand for power testing infrastructure limits, the need for innovative, future-ready solutions is front and center.
If you’re looking to cut through the noise and stay ahead of what’s really driving tech forward, this episode is your starting point.
Today on Technology Tangents, the team has a very special announcement to share. Starting with our next episode, the show will be updated to Pure Signal, where we will cut through the noise to help you understand what matters in tech. Don’t worry, you won’t have to update anything on your end as a subscriber and you’ll hear more today as Jason, Kevin, and Vincent reflect on the show’s journey.
The big topics for today include recent travels for all three of our hosts as they share their insights from NVIDIA GTC, Adobe Summit, and Kevin’s recent trip to India. As AI continues to dominate all types of industry conversations, it in turn is impacting the conferences of organizations who are leading the charge.
If you want to stay ahead of where enterprise AI is truly going, this episode offers a glimpse into the forces that will shape the next five years of strategy, talent, and technology.