Enterprise AI Innovators

On the fourth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Sreelakshmi Kolli, CDO of Align Technologies. Align Technologies’ most popular product, Invisalign is the product of 3D printing, a breakthrough technology that is completely upending manufacturing processes. In fact, Align Technologies is one of the biggest 3D printers in the world. In this episode, Sreelakshmi breaks down Align’s decentralized approach to data access and how it’s improved innovative capacity, the link between culture and technology evolution, and the factors that define Align’s successful partnerships with startups.Quick hits from Sree:On Align’s goals for data access within the organization: “Our goal is to make data so pervasive inside Align, so that it's not just for a data scientist or a small technology team to unlock the potential of it. It's been a cultural transformation as much as it's been a technology transformation.”On using AI to transform medical processes: “The selfie app that we use, we call it the smile view. That's an AI model that takes your selfie [in] real time and shows you what your smile could look like. That's a very individualized experience. We are using it in our treatment planning, you know, we understand what the doctor's treatment preferences are, how they would like to treat the patient. And so we are codifying that using AI to generate treatment plans that the doctors can then modify in real time.”On how Align benefits from startup philosophies: “For us, technology’s like the central nervous system of the company. And so, as a technology team, we stay on top of current technology trends and actively engage with the startup community…Experimentation is very much part of our culture, when we fail an experiment, we treat it more like learning experiences so that we can continuously iterate on the idea or, you know, we just decide to abandon it. The entrepreneurial culture is very much alive at Align.”Recent book recommendation: Ask Your Developer by Jeff Lawson---Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/ Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser, Josh Meer and Emily Shaw. 

On the third episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Jay Dominick, CIO at Princeton University. Princeton University is a unique organization with 8000 students, over 7000 employees, its own power plant and own police force; in short, ample opportunities for deploying impactful technological innovations at scale. Evan and Saam speak with Jay about balancing risk and reward, the benefits Princeton attains from collaborating with startups, navigating COVID-19, and the best practices for balancing various stakeholders’ technology needs at universities.Quick hits from Jay:On managing risk during COVID-19: “What we were facing was an existential crisis... the risk mitigation switched into failure mitigation. We had to take risks to avoid failure…. People tend to be risk averse, but really they should focus on being failure adverse…We had to change a lot of rules…around work at home or around what students could be considered to do with respect to technology in their studies.”On the benefits of working with startups: “One of the reasons we work with startups is to give our organization the opportunity to see when people are just thinking differently…engagement with the innovator's mind keeps us healthy.”On how to nurture innovation: “...for CIOs, if you're encouraging innovation from within, you have to figure out how to align your own success and interests with the innovator's success and interests.”Recent book recommendation: Caste by Isabel Wickerson---Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/ Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser, Josh Meer and Emily Shaw. 

On the second episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Shamim Mohammad, Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Technology Officer of CarMax. CarMax has been at the forefront of the used car business for decades and has consistently stayed at the frontier by being unafraid to adopt new technologies alongside their core business. Shamim walks through the differences of what he calls “start-up” vs “end-up” companies, and the multiple ways CarMax has deployed exciting new technological innovations to keep their business thriving. From AI models to an omni-channel customer experience, CarMax is a worthy example of a previously exclusively brick and mortar business that has successfully transformed themselves into a digital platform.Quick hits from Shamim:On CarMax disrupting itself in their transformation to being a digital business: “…fortunately for CarMax, we were not afraid to disrupt ourselves because we knew that if we didn't guess what's gonna happen, you know, maybe not immediately 3, 4, 5 years, 10 years down the road, we would be disrupted. So we wanted to disrupt ourselves before somebody else did.”On the omni-channel approach CarMax offers its customers: “If somebody is not as comfortable with all the digital experiences and they want to go talk to a human being in a store, they could do that. So what I found is in our omni-channel approach, most of the customers are taking advantage of the digital tools and capabilities we have built, but then also a lot of them are going to the store and finishing their transaction."On the importance of a startup ethos: “I've seen what a startup kind of mindset can do. And the energy and the passion a startup company has is invaluable. And when the company gets too big and gets away from that startup mindset is when trouble begins.”Recent book recommendation: Getting To Nimble by Peter High---Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/ Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser, Josh Meer and Emily Shaw. 

On the first episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Michael Keithley, CIO of United Talent Agency. UTA is one of the world’s top talent companies, working across music, sports, film, and other high impact areas of entertainment. Previously, Michael was CIO and CTO of Creative Arts Agency, another large talent organization, where he worked for 24 years. In this conversation, Michael shares stories on how CIOs in entertainment can best leverage data, the benefits of partnering with startups, his take on the most exciting next frontiers in technology, and moments in his career where disruptive technology implementations were met with pushback from the old guard.Quick hits from Michael:On how UTA benefits from exposure to startups: “...[We] learn from startups themselves on how they work and what their philosophy is…and infuse that in our culture.”On colleagues recognizing startup-inspired workflow methodologies: “And I remember vividly, we had these crisis things early on in the pandemic where every morning we'd get on the Zoom and talk about stuff. And I said, ‘Do you guys realize that we have been practicing agile the last two months?’ “On the old guard being resistant to new technology: “When I came to the realization that the Internet was going to be a thing, I ended up getting a short .com domain. And I bought it for $5,000 and the CFO was furious because ‘what possible use would there ever be for the Internet.’ There's just a lot of stories like that, where people aren't ready to get on board with the new technologies” Recent book recommendation: The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson---Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/ Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser, Josh Meer and Emily Shaw.