The Peel with Turner Novak Inside Intercom’s AI Turnaround, Why Software Companies Must Train Their Own Models | Eoghan McCabe, Co-founder and CEO
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Sep 12, 2025 
Eoghan McCabe, Co-founder and CEO of Intercom, shares insights on transforming companies into AI-native entities. He discusses the imperative for businesses to develop their own AI models to stay competitive. Eoghan also addresses the challenges of late-stage software companies, the shift to outcome-based pricing in AI, and lessons learned from his return to Intercom. The conversation dives into the complexities of fundraising and the evolving dynamics of venture capital, providing a candid look at the AI landscape and the necessity of innovation.
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Return, Crisis, And An AI Pivot
- Eoghan returned to Intercom amid falling growth and five quarters of declining net new ARR. The month after he returned ChatGPT launched and the team pivoted to build an AI service agent that upended their business.
AI Is Better, Faster, Cheaper
- AI can be better, faster, and cheaper simultaneously for many repetitive tasks. That makes it transformative because it not only cuts cost but improves quality and speed of work.
Build Safety And Confidence Into Agents
- Don't treat agents as 'best-effort' toys for critical customer-facing work. Build multi-model systems, rigorous confidence gating, and only escalate when safe to avoid dangerous hallucinations.