RiskReversal Pod A Japan Deal Inked + Yext CEO Mike Walrath on AI Browser Wars & Agentic Assistants
Jul 23, 2025
Mike Walrath, CEO and Chairman of Yext, shares his entrepreneurial journey from founding a digital ad exchange to leading a software powerhouse. He discusses the rise of generative AI and its transformative impact on search and advertising landscapes. The conversation highlights Yext’s evolution amidst fragmented digital experiences and the challenges of maintaining brand visibility. Walrath dives into the browser wars and the future of personalized search, emphasizing the balance between competition and collaboration in the evolving tech ecosystem.
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Mike Walrath's Entrepreneurial Journey
- Mike Walrath started as an English major and unexpectedly became a digital ad entrepreneur.
- He founded Right Media and sold it to Yahoo, learning about operating at scale during the internet boom.
Mobile Fragmentation Shift
- The launch of the iPhone caused consumer search to fragment across many geo-aware apps.
- Yext built a platform to help brands manage distributed structured data across this fragmented landscape.
Google's Dominance & SEO Challenge
- The dominance of Google search made managing data elsewhere seem less important, but citation consistency remains critical.
- New small competitors commoditized data distribution, challenging Yext’s earlier model.