If you're a founder dealing with is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money?, stop what you're doing and read this. Seriously.
Hot take: hiring a Chief AI Officer is a big mistake for most companies right now. I'll explain why it's often a sign of a deeper problem and what you should do instead.
The Framework That Actually Works
I'm going to share the exact framework I use when evaluating is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money?. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: you should focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: the best solutions are often the simplest ones Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies in my portfolio that nail is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money? are the ones that treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
The Counterintuitive Truth
Here's what surprised me most about is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money?: the best practitioners do less, not more.
When I was building MovieLaLa, we tried to do everything at once. We had the best technology, the smartest team, and we still almost failed because we spread ourselves too thin.
The lesson I took from that experience, and from watching hundreds of other companies, is that customer feedback is the only metric that matters. It sounds simple. It's incredibly hard to execute.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
Most people approach is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money? with assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on. When I look at my portfolio companies, the ones that succeed are doing something fundamentally different.
The first thing to understand is that the market doesn't care about your roadmap. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
At RemoteTeam, we learned this the hard way. We spent months going down the wrong path before realizing that you should focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well. Once we made the switch, everything changed.
Real Talk: What Actually Matters
I'm going to cut through the noise and tell you what actually matters when it comes to is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money?.
First, execution speed beats perfection. Every time. I've never seen a company fail because they moved too fast on is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money?. I've seen plenty fail because they moved too slow.
Second, measure everything. If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Set up tracking from day one, even if it's basic.
Third, talk to your users. This sounds obvious but you'd be amazed how many founders build their is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money? strategy in a vacuum. Get out of the building. Talk to real people.
This connects to broader themes around leading through uncertainty, AI transformation leadership, AI change management that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
The world of is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money? is moving fast. What worked last year might not work next year. That's both the challenge and the opportunity.
My advice: stay curious, stay humble, and stay close to the people who are actually doing the work. Read less thought leadership and do more experiments. Talk to fewer consultants and more practitioners.
And if you're a founder building in this space, remember that the best time to get is your 'chief ai officer' a waste of money? right is before you need to. Don't wait for a crisis to force your hand.
I'll keep sharing what I learn. This stuff matters too much to keep to myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.
Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.
What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.