Evolving Industry

This year we spoke to guests from across the tech and finance space and one key theme emerged… The AI business landscape requires isolating what actually drives organizational performance; the human element. In this episode of Evolving Industry, George Jagodzinski Takes us back to reveal the themes emerging across 2026’s conversations with Wall Street risk strategists, government product managers, robotics investors, and seasoned operational executives. Across every industry, the determining factor for success remains decidedly human. We’ll break down four foundational pillars for the back half of the year,Join us as we discuss: [0:58]: Developing a bulletproof "BS detector" through critical ignoring rather than focusing on tech hype[3:26]: Creating "super workers", while keeping human judgment firmly in the driver's seat.[5:50] Re-framing governance from operational friction into strategic headlights and protecting your single greatest asset: proprietary data.[8:24] Execution, the "ladder of abstraction," and making sure the right action is the easiest path[11:03] The top “Best Advice I’ve ever received” for 2026Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Your Key Survival Skill for 2026: Critical Ignoring by Christopher MimsEvolving Industry Episode #63 with Denise HemkeEvolving IndustryEpisode #65 with Alec CrawfordEvolving IndustryEpisode #66 with Oliver MitchellEvolving IndustryEpisode #70 with Christopher MimsEvolving IndustryEpisode #74 with Kevin ErtellThe Strategy Trap: Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right by Kevin ErtellCraving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Navigating the constant influx of AI products requires moving beyond hype and focusing on practical execution. When engineering teams adopt AI, measuring true velocity and managing runaway token costs become immediate challenges. Steve Adams, Chief Digital Officer, and Jeff Wooden, Chief Architect at Intevity, join the podcast to detail the creation of Intevity Labs: an initiative focused on building open-source tooling to solve real-world development friction. Steve and Jeff break down their latest suite of developer tools, including Sentinel, Trove, Witness, and Curtain, while highlighting the importance of security, OpenTelemetry standards, and prompt compression. They also examine the operational risks of “dark code,” the realities of story pointing in an AI world, and why organizational success relies on keeping human oversight involved in critical systems.Join us as we discuss: [1:49] How Sentinel safely optimizes context management and reduces token usage by up to 70%[11:18] Comparing AI to pre-AI productivity and finding the time to learn and implement new tools[16:53] The mental load of AI workflows, dark code, and human gatekeeping[23:19] An exciting new OpenTelemetry tool for corralling your AI agent ecosystem and dealing with outagesCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:SentinelCraving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Deploying massive technology investments requires balancing complex infrastructure with an absolute commitment to human talent. Lynda Pak, Global Chief Information Officer at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., joins the podcast to tackle the existential uncertainty surrounding the rapid rise of generative and agentic AI. Drawing from decades of global IT leadership, Lynda contrasts the current wave of technological disruption with the historic ERP rollouts of the past, explaining why modern tools demand completely new approaches to change management. She shares strategies for establishing a “culture of joy” rooted in psychological safety, managing volatile token economics through proper prompt architecture, and overcoming the governance roadblocks that stall enterprise decision-making. Finally, Lynda highlights the power of internal upskilling over a continuous reliance on outside consultants, wrapping up with a sharp piece of career advice on how to replace critical critiques with superior ideas.Join us as we discuss: [1:26] Human-centered change management rooted in psychological safety and a “culture of joy”[8:27] Agentic AI governance, token economics, and license management[19:00] What really determines the baseline for tech adoption and activation in large orgsCraving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

To truly bridge the gap between leadership and results, a business leader must become a student of execution. Kevin Ertell, author of The Strategy Trap and founder of Mistere Advisory, joins the podcast to share insights from over 60 operator interviews and a thousand years of combined experience. Beginning his career as an in-store clerk at Tower Records, Kevin climbed the corporate ladder to lead billions of dollars in retail operations at Nike, Borders, and Sur La Table. He details why brilliant boardroom strategies fail when detached from the shop floor, illustrating how language can shift along the “ladder of abstraction.” Kevin reviews his “6 Cs” system for execution and outlines how to overcome the psychological “forgetting curve” through social incentives and relentless, multimodal communication.Join us as we discuss: [1:35] How Kevin’s experience on the sales floor laid the foundation for his success in the C-suite[6:48] Why leaders need to wear their company’s vision on their sleeves[15:11] Lessons learned from interviewing dozens of strategic thinkers[22:47] Staying motivated once a new strategy’s honeymoon period wears offCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:The Strategy Trap:  Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It RightCraving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

To modernize a legacy publisher, engineering leaders must confront structural tech fragmentation and build cross-functional trust. Brian Hamman, Senior VP of Product Engineering, and Jason Sobel, Chief Technology Officer at The New York Times, join the podcast to detail their journey scaling a world-class digital operation. Moving past old identity crises of whether they are a tech company, the duo explains how they match engineering excellence to world-class journalism. They discuss the rollout of their Delivery Engineering Shared Platform (DVSP), leveraging objective data to eliminate undifferentiated heavy lifting and give leverage back to developers. Brian offers perspective on navigating Conway's Law in publishing workflows, while Jason highlights the strategic use of AI tools like Claude and Cursor to empower multidisciplinary teams.Join us as we discuss: [2:38] Tech strategy perspectives from the old and new guard[12:35] Finding an engineering team’s identity at a world-renowned newspaper[17:51] Timing innovation in a siloed organization[27:30] The Times’ internal approach to AI tools and what problems they’re trying to solveCraving more? You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Evolving Industry on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.