Drew Burdick, founder and managing partner of StealthX, shares his unconventional journey into design and entrepreneurship. After growing up in the Philippines (age 4-18) and studying political science and communications in college, a chance internship introduced him to graphic design — beginning with a bootleg copy of Illustrator/Photoshop CS2. During the 2009 recession, Drew scrapped his way forward, balancing freelance design work with jobs like valet parking at the Ritz Carlton and window washing.
His path included founding a successful clothing brand for the electronic music scene (complete with 163 street team members) before transitioning into corporate roles and eventually launching StealthX, a consultancy focused on customer strategy, product design, and software engineering.
Key points from the conversation:
- What's next for customer experience: Drew emphasizes moving beyond "fast, easy, and cheap" to create memorable moments that build brand loyalty. He applies this philosophy both to client work and to StealthX itself, crafting thoughtful touchpoints throughout the client journey.
- The future of design teams: Drawing from his experience leading both large and small teams, Drew predicts a shift away from traditional large design organizations toward nimble, high-velocity small teams augmented by AI capabilities.
- Industry specialization: Drew advocates for designers to develop deep industry expertise rather than remaining discipline-generalists, suggesting that understanding specific sectors like manufacturing or insurance will become increasingly valuable.
- Community and connection: Despite the rise of remote work, Drew emphasizes the growing importance of local, in-person relationships and community building, particularly in regional tech hubs like Charlotte, North Carolina.
- AI Inflection Point: Drew likens the current state of AI to the "256MB era" of computing, predicting rapid acceleration in capabilities and encouraging designers to embrace these tools as augmentation rather than threat.
- Personal philosophy: "Do the next right thing" – tattooed on Drew's arm, this mantra emerged during COVID as a reminder to focus on immediate, actionable steps rather than getting overwhelmed by uncertainty.
Drew also predicts that within a year, solopreneurs will increasingly build and launch products independently using AI tools, potentially challenging traditional team structures in larger organizations. He encourages experimenting with these tools, seeing them as opportunities to augment human creativity rather than as threats.
Listen to the second part of our conversation over at Drew's podcast, "Building Great Experiences" —
• On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/future-of-cx-beyond-product-into-ecosystems/id1776618976?i=1000686740180
• On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/329mlkTWefrP7nQr8KMRV5?si=doVa-TrxS52MyNIjGHDDCA
• Or watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RShAkpaXRwU?si=KX9sgbXRQDABmL_Z
Special Guest: Drew Burdick.
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