Futureproof by Xano

The Machine That Builds the Machine: How AI Is Rewiring Software Development with Alex Pape (AssetMark)

What happens when AI makes code faster to write than it is to govern? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran sits down with Alex Pape, EVP and Chief Technology & Product Officer at AssetMark, a wealth management technology platform serving independent financial advisors. Alex has spent his career at the intersection of investing, product, and technology, from building a direct to consumer investing platform at The Motley Fool to leading product for BlackRock's Aladdin Wealth Tech before joining AssetMark to lead its technology and product organization. Together, they explore why the biggest technology shifts often happen below the surface, and what it takes to modernize a 30 year technology estate without putting the business on pause. Alex breaks down AssetMark's three part AI strategy, including Nitro, the company's internally built AI development harness that encodes its architectural principles directly into the software development process. They dig into how AssetMark says it increased development velocity roughly 6x, why traditional measures like story points break down in an AI powered development environment, and how to decide when to optimize for speed versus experimentation. They close with Alex's framework for hiring adaptable "athletes" in a world where the boundaries between engineering and product are changing fast, and the question he uses to bring every technology decision back to its purpose: are our clients flourishing because of us? Topics covered include: The real transformation happens underneath: Why fragmented data and disconnected systems can matter more than flashy new features, and why AssetMark is rebuilding the foundation that allows advisors to spend more time with clients. When less product usage is a good thing: Why Alex does not see logins and engagement as the ultimate measure of success, and how making technology disappear can create a better advisor experience. Three jobs for AI: How AssetMark separates its AI strategy into AI for advisors, AI for software development, and AI for employees, with each tied back to a specific business outcome. The machine that builds the machine: Why AssetMark built Nitro instead of relying entirely on third party coding tools, and how encoding architectural principles into AI agents can give developers more freedom without giving up governance. How do you measure 6x?: Why story points stopped working as AI changed the amount of software an engineer could produce, and how AssetMark uses lines of code, pull requests, and cycle time as a proxy for development velocity. Hire athletes, not job descriptions: Why Alex looks for people who could become exceptional in a completely different role within months, and why adaptability, curiosity, and humility matter more as AI reshapes traditional disciplines. Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Outsource the Work, Not the Thinking—with Nikolaj Brammer (Heimstaden)

What does digital transformation actually look like when your product is a physical home—and a leaky faucet can't be fixed with a line of code? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran sits down with Nikolaj Brammer, Chief Digital Officer at Heimstaden, one of Europe's largest residential real estate companies, managing tens of thousands of homes across multiple countries. Nikolaj's background isn't in technology — he came up through Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs, and Maersk before joining Heimstaden, where he's held roles across business development and commercial leadership before taking on the company's entire digital transformation. Together, they explore what it actually looks like to digitize the operations of a physical business, why culture and mindset matter more than technology in making transformation stick, and how Heimstaden is building toward a future where a junior AI analyst can answer complex data questions in seconds. They also dig into the hardest part of any AI rollout — measuring real impact — and close with a candid conversation about the risk of outsourcing critical thinking to AI at the exact moment judgment matters most. Topics covered include: The product is physical. The operations aren't.: Why the home itself doesn't need to change for a real estate company to undergo a meaningful digital transformation — and what that looks like in practice at scale. Culture before technology: Why the mindset and habits of an organization determine whether digital transformation actually sticks — and why Heimstaden's approach to even the smallest decisions creates the conditions for it. Three levels of AI value: From personal productivity to team-wide tools to full end-to-end workflow redesign — and how to find and prioritize the right use cases at each level. The measurement problem nobody has solved: Why proving that AI created a specific business outcome is harder than it sounds — and why judgment and storytelling end up being just as important as data. Outsource the work, not the thinking: Why both Nikolaj and Prakash have had to consciously pull back from delegating too much to AI — and why the risk of losing critical thinking is one of the most important conversations leaders should be having right now. Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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The Invisible Work AI Can't Replace—with Paul Traficanti (Nextworld)

If AI can produce the deck, write the PRD, and draft the battle card—what's left for you to own? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran sits down with Paul Traficanti, Director of Product Marketing at Nextworld and writer behind the Substack newsletter Somebody Manage Me. Paul is a founder turned operator who has worked across gaming, direct-to-consumer, and enterprise SaaS—and he's been writing about something most AI conversations skip over: as AI takes over the visible work, the invisible human layer underneath becomes even more invisible. Together, he and Prakash explore what taste, judgment, and critical thinking actually look like in daily work, why AI-generated documents are creating a new kind of organizational noise, and how leaders can start making the invisible contributions of their teams visible again. They also dig into how hiring is changing when the floor has been raised, why meetings are shifting from document reviews to alignment conversations, and what it means that an LLM-written document is now being summarized by another LLM so no one has to read it. Topics covered include: Taste as the new competitive advantage: Why the human decisions behind a prompt—what to say, to whom, and why—matter more than the polished output AI produces. The document graveyard problem: How AI-generated PRDs, battle cards, and decks are creating more content but less understanding, and why less is about to become more again. "Show me the prompt": A practical framework for cutting through AI slop by asking teammates what context they gave the model and why—and the water cooler test for whether they truly understand their own output. Hiring when the floor is raised: Why interview homework assignments no longer reveal much, and how companies are rethinking evaluation to test for critical thinking, not production skill. AI literacy gaps across functions: Why developers adopted AI fastest but sales and marketing teams are still catching up, and the emerging need for internal AI enablement roles. Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Enterprise Architecture in the Age of AI—with Fred Hennige (Jack in the Box)

If everyone in your organization wants AI, but half of them can't explain what for—where do you start? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran sits down with Fred Hennige, Director of Enterprise Architecture at Jack in the Box, to explore what enterprise architecture actually looks like inside a fast-growing restaurant company navigating AI adoption. Fred shares lessons from building EA practices at three very different organizations (Jack in the Box, Starbucks, and Alaska Airlines) and explains why the discipline must start with business outcomes, not technology inventories. Together, they unpack how AI is showing up across the organization today, why cross-functional AI value is harder to unlock than personal productivity, and how to govern AI adoption without over-indexing on hype. Topics covered include: Business-first EA over technology-first EA: Why starting from business outcomes and process alignment yields better results than cataloging application inventories. EA across three industries: How enterprise architecture looks radically different at a growing brand, a mature global operation, and a safety-critical airline—and what each taught Fred about the discipline. AI adoption at different maturity levels: Why some teams are already creating value with AI while others are still learning to spell it—and how to stack-rank where to invest. Cross-functional AI is the hard part: Why personal productivity gains come first, but the real challenge is unlocking AI value across departments and business functions. The AI uncanny valley: Why AI output still requires human synthesis, and why using your own voice matters more than copying and pasting what a model returns. Episode ID: 19469167-enterprise-architecture-in-the-age-of-ai-with-fred-hennige-jack-in-the-box Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Your Agent Doesn't Know What It Doesn't Know—with Heather Lutz (Datasite)

If you plug an AI agent into your data, how do you know it's giving you the right answer—and not just a confident one? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Heather Lutz, Director of Engineering at Datasite, the provider of AI-powered solutions that enable private market investment, including virtual data rooms for mergers and acquisitions. Together, they unpack what happens when you point an agent at a massive data set without doing the foundational work first, why data readiness and governance are non-negotiable prerequisites for any AI initiative, and how Datasite is layering semantic views, verified queries, skills, and a "data doorman" to make agents actually useful. About Datasite Datasite provides the infrastructure that enables information flow for private market transactions, with purpose-built tools to optimize outcomes. Datasite’s innovative product portfolio, spanning sell-side virtual data rooms, buy-side intelligence, agentic AI applications, and an open data infrastructure layer, drives execution across the full investment lifecycle while generating unique data insights to empower investors, advisors, and deal professionals worldwide. Trusted by top private equity firms, investment banks, and consultancies, Datasite is built on 26 years of enterprise-grade security, compliance, and reliability. For more information, visit www.datasite.com Topics covered include: Agents are confident interns, not seasoned analysts: Why an AI agent querying your data won't know about data quality issues, duplicate revenue tables, or missing filters—and why confidence without context is worse than no answer at all. Data readiness as CI/CD: Why testing data should follow the same discipline as testing software—with checks at every stage of the pipeline—and why continuous data quality monitoring barely exists as a standard practice yet. Data governance makes agents work: How domain ownership, shared metric definitions, and semantic layers turn an unnavigable ocean of tables into a surface an agent can actually be expert on. Don't work with the ocean: Why starting with your top ten metrics, your most important structures, and a bounded consumable layer is the only practical path to making AI-over-data work at scale. Episode ID: 19329740-your-agent-doesn-t-know-what-it-doesn-t-know-with-heather-lutz-datasite Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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The Right Answer Isn't Enough—with Karthik Narayan (Komodo Health)

If an AI agent gives you the correct answer but took the wrong path to get there, can you actually trust it? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Karthik Narayan, Director of Product Management at Komodo Health, where he leads Marmot, an enterprise AI product for life sciences. Marmot's promise is that life sciences companies no longer need to send their data to McKinsey and wait months for an answer—they can ask complex healthcare questions and get answers directly. The catch? The answers aren't binary. Together, Karthik and Prakash unpack why grading an agent on whether it got the right answer is only half the story, how Komodo uses parallel critique agents and friction detection to close the gap between AI confidence and analyst rigor, and what changes when AI makes product leaders more powerful than they've ever been. Topics covered include: Why the path matters more than the answer: How an agent can arrive at the correct number through the wrong query, pass traditional evals, and then fail catastrophically on the next question—and why trajectory evals are the real measure of trustworthiness. Steering, not just answering: How Marmot uses research plans, follow-up questions, and full code transparency to give analysts maximum control over subjective healthcare methodology decisions. Friction detection over thumbs up/down: Why users rarely use explicit feedback mechanisms, how Komodo infers dissatisfaction from behavioral patterns, and how that drove a complete platform rewrite at the six-month mark. Build vs. buy when AI makes prototypes easy: Why a junior engineer's weekend demo isn't the same as a production system with fallback models, context compaction, token optimization, and continuous evaluation—and how to think about total cost of ownership. Episode ID: 19252007-the-right-answer-isn-t-enough-with-karthik-narayan-komodo-health Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Foundational Thinking in the Age of AI—with Doug Merritt (Aviatrix)

If AI is making us faster, why does it feel like we're understanding less? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Doug Merritt, CEO of Aviatrix. Doug is one of the most accomplished enterprise technology leaders of the last two decades—after serving as CEO of Splunk for years, he's now leading Aviatrix to tackle cloud-native security. Together, they unpack why the speed of AI adoption is outrunning foundational understanding, how a recent supply chain attack on the popular LiteLLM framework exposed a massive blind spot in cloud security, and why the leadership principles that matter most right now—curiosity, empathy, and purpose before action—are the same ones our attention-starved culture makes hardest to practice. Topics covered include: As agents become more human, humans become more binary: Why the speed and abstraction of AI is making our thinking shallower at the exact moment we need it to be deeper—and how to fight back. The LiteLLM supply chain attack, explained: A breakdown of how attackers injected malware into LiteLLM, harvesting credentials from cloud environments—and why basic egress filtering would have stopped the damage cold. The three fundamental runtime controls: Why identity, endpoint, and network security are the only controls that actually stop attacks in progress—and why most cloud workloads are missing at least one. Cloud providers sold speed without brakes: How permissive outbound defaults became the norm, why cloud providers made firewalls an aftermarket add-on, and what that means for every organization deploying AI agents today. Five leadership principles for the AI age: Doug's hard-won framework—relentless curiosity, leading with empathy, purpose before action, radical accountability, and celebrating success—and why daily mastery beats chasing the next shiny thing. Episode ID: 19139581-foundational-thinking-in-the-age-of-ai-with-doug-merritt-aviatrix Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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AI Makes Security Everyone's Problem—with Tim Olshansky (Fencer)

If AI agents are writing your code, how are you making sure it's secure? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Tim Olshansky, CTO and co-founder of Fencer, to explore what application security really looks like in a world where AI writes most of the code and open source software underpins everything. Tim shares his journey from engineer—navigating bureaucratic security processes at larger organizations—to building a platform that makes security accessible for companies under 200 employees. Together, they unpack why compliance certifications often create a false sense of security, how the open source supply chain has become a prime target for attackers, and what "trust but verify" means when Claude is opening your pull requests. They also discuss practical steps any builder can take today—from package manager hygiene to cooldown periods—and why hiring for engineering talent has never been harder to figure out. Topics covered include: Security as hygiene, not a project: Why treating security like brushing your teeth—small, consistent habits—prevents catastrophic outcomes, and why most small companies still skip it. The open source supply chain is under attack: How threat actors exploit volunteer-maintained libraries like Axios to gain access to thousands of commercial products at once—and why it's only getting worse. AI-generated code and the false sense of security: Why LLMs trained on publicly available code don't encode the highest corporate security standards, and why the code itself may not be what gets you hacked. Trust but verify in an AI-first workflow: How Tim's team moved to nearly 100% AI-driven development while still requiring human review. Episode ID: 19061977-ai-makes-security-everyone-s-problem-with-tim-olshansky-fencer Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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From Prototype to Enterprise-Grade Compliance—with Michael Konrath (Choice Digital)

What does it really take to build a regulated fintech product from scratch—with a small team and a bootstrapped budget? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Michael Konrath, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Choice Digital, a fintech company that ensures customers—including the unbanked—actually receive the payments they're owed. Michael shares the full arc of building Choice Digital: from prototyping on Bubble in a co-working space to processing nearly $1 billion in payments today. Along the way, they dig into the realities of compliance in a regulated industry, the trade-offs of building fast versus building right, and how AI is starting to reshape the way his team ships software. Topics covered include: Starting small with no-code: Why Choice Digital's first product was built on no-code tools in 30 days, processed $20 million in payments, and lasted far longer than expected—plus how that scrappy mindset still matters in the age of AI. Compliance as a foundation, not an afterthought: The case for investing in SOC 1 and SOC 2 frameworks early, how PCI compliance shapes product architecture, and why segmenting systems can simplify your regulatory journey. AI adoption in a regulated space: Why Choice Digital is taking a deliberate, human-in-the-loop approach to AI, focusing on deterministic processes and clear policies before letting models touch customer data. Episode ID: 18983940-from-prototype-to-enterprise-grade-compliance-with-michael-konrath-choice-digital Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Dissecting the AI Hype Cycle—with Joshua Greenbaum (Enterprise Applications Consulting)

What if AI is just the latest Blockchain? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Joshua Greenbaum of Enterprise Applications Consulting to explore the AI hype cycle. Josh reflects on his 30 years of technology consulting and examines whether AI is following the same trajectory as other technologies, where true value can get lost in the froth and frenzy of investors and founders trying to capitalize on it. Together, they explore the reality of whether SaaS really is dead, the criticality of standardizing data in the AI era, and the central question that all AI companies should be able to answer. Topics covered include: Technology history repeats itself. While technology itself changes constantly, the way it is received in the market doesn’t. From dotcom to Blockchain, the hype cycle has a pattern. The hard parts of SaaS. SaaS is certainly changing, but reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated. AI that can build prototypes is far from replacing companies like Salesforce, which have learned from years of on-the-ground work with real customers and real problems. The importance of data standardization. The value of AI will come down to how well it can access the information it needs. Standardization of data and logic is critical to this outcome, and one that companies have to get right before they can succeed with AI. The lone wolf developer. Developers aren’t going away, but developers that work in a vacuum may be. Building is a team sport even more than it was before, and the developers who can see and understand business problems are the ones that will build the future. The real question all AI companies need to ask. No business leader is waking up in the middle of the night thinking, “I need a large language model!” All companies, and AI companies in particular, must remain laser-focused on the actually important question: “What business problem am I solving?” Episode ID: 18906617-dissecting-the-ai-hype-cycle-with-joshua-greenbaum-enterprise-applications-consulting Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Build vs. Buy in an AI-First World—with Yvonne Lau (HR Verticals Inc.)

If enterprises already have massive SaaS platforms, why would they build custom tools instead? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Yvonne Lau, CEO of HR Verticals Inc., to explore the real tradeoffs of build vs. buy in technology—and what changes when AI and low-code tools enter the picture. Yvonne shares her journey from corporate HR practitioner to founder, tracing a career spent implementing global HR systems at scale before deciding to build her own. Together, they unpack why enterprise SaaS feels bloated for many organizations, how rapid prototyping with no-code and AI wins over skeptical buyers, and what it takes to sell custom-built software into compliance-heavy environments. They also discuss the shifting identity of non-technical founders, the importance of staying hands-on, and why the next generation of HR professionals may simply build the tools they wish they had. Topics covered include: The SaaS bloat problem: Why enterprises pay for full suites but use only a fraction of the features—and how modular, custom-built tools offer a better fit. Rapid prototyping to win trust: How shipping an MVP in days using no-code and AI helps enterprise clients visualize what's possible and move past the subscription-only mindset. Compliance and IT collaboration: Why founders must bring IT into the conversation early, stay current on regulations, and anticipate security concerns—especially when AI is involved. AI as force multiplier: How Yvonne uses AI across operations and development to automate admin work, accelerate learning, and shorten build cycles. Episode ID: 18799836-build-vs-buy-in-an-ai-first-world-with-yvonne-lau-hr-verticals-inc Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

AI Development Isn’t an Easy Button—with Aleksander Hakestad (Apart Tech)

What if writing code isn’t actually the most important part of engineering? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Aleksander Hakestad, CTO and co-founder at Apart Tech, to explore what it really takes to build software in an AI-native world without losing quality, craft, or control. Aleksander explains why the best leaders stay hands-on so they can evaluate quality, why depth of expertise beats climbing the career ladder, and why communication becomes the true bottleneck in modern engineering—especially across cultures and teams. Together, they unpack a pragmatic model for AI-assisted development where agents touch everything, humans own the architecture, and teams learn fast by setting clear standards, building tight feedback loops, and committing fully to a new way of working. Topics covered include: AI-assisted development is still engineering: Why prompting is only the start—and disciplined iteration is what makes it reliable. Hands-on leadership and quality control: Why leaders must stay close enough to the craft to evaluate output and set the bar. Communication as the real bottleneck: How visual systems reduce misalignment across teams, languages, and cultures. From big teams to small, leveraged teams: How agentic workflows can create outsized throughput with a small core team. Depth over titles: Why mastering a domain matters more than career climb—and why expertise is more valuable than ever. Episode ID: 18740056-ai-development-isn-t-an-easy-button-with-aleksander-hakestad-apart-tech Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Building an AI-Ready Team—with Alfonso Quijano, Lean Solutions Group

What if your biggest AI advantage isn’t a model—it's how fast your team can learn together? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Alfonso Quijano, CTO of Lean Solutions Group, to explore how Lean is becoming AI-ready by turning learning into a team sport. Alfonso explains how they create space for engineers to test new tools, teach each other what works, and build a culture where mentorship and experimentation fuel weekly shipping. Together, they unpack why speed comes from clarity and collaboration—not just new technology—and how leaders can design habits that help teams adopt AI confidently while staying grounded in real outcomes. Topics covered include: Shared learning loops: How Lean creates internal sessions where engineers teach each other new tools and workflows. Weekly shipping as culture: Why fast MVP cycles and rapid iteration compound learning across teams. Hands-on leadership: How Alfonso builds trust by working alongside engineers and reinforcing experimentation. Tool experimentation with discipline: How Lean tests new vendors quickly while making deliberate long-term platform choices. Clarity over tooling: Why product thinking and communication—not shiny tech—ultimately determine velocity. Episode ID: 18656694-building-an-ai-ready-team-with-alfonso-quijano-lean-solutions-group Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

High-Agency Builders, Personal Software, and the Rebirth of Developers—Karthik Puvvada, Netlify

What qualities matter most for builders in an AI-native world? In this episode of Futureproof, Prakash Chandran sits down with Karthik Puvvada (KP), Head of Community at Netlify, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping creation, careers, and community-driven growth. KP explains why the industry is moving away from rigid “developer vs. non-developer” labels toward a new divide of high-agency vs. low-agency builders, how AI is becoming a tutor and force multiplier, and why shipping real projects matters more than passive learning. Together, they make the case that we are entering an era of personal software, faster experimentation, and community flywheels where champions and curiosity determine who wins. Topics covered include: High-agency builders: Why initiative and ownership now matter more than traditional credentials. AI as a learning engine: How models collapse skill gaps and accelerate cross-functional work. Shipping over tutorials: Setting concrete goals that force real-world iteration. Community as growth: Champion programs, authenticity, and “show, don’t tell” storytelling. The rise of personal software: Why n=1 apps may define the next wave of creation. Episode ID: 18573101-high-agency-builders-personal-software-and-the-rebirth-of-developers-karthik-puvvada-netlify Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

From Proof of Concept to Product — Chris Horn, Deriv

Are engineering leaders asking the wrong questions when deciding what to build? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran talks with Chris Horn, SVP of Operations at Deriv, about what it takes to build AI inside a regulated, global software environment. Chris explains the difference between prototypes and proofs-of-concept, why data architecture is the real unlock, and how Deriv used a Shark-Tank-like model to introduce AI into internal operations. Together, they explore the mindset shift required for AI-native development — and why the most important question isn’t “Can we build it?” but “Should we build it?” Topics covered include: Prototype vs. PoC: Why technical feasibility matters less than solving a real problem. AI as product work: The critical role of discovery, KPIs, and iteration in AI projects. Data as the foundation: How Deriv built a medallion architecture to get ready for AI. Internal AI first: Why customer-facing AI wasn’t the starting point (and what worked instead). Upskilling at scale: Building an AI-native culture through curiosity, training, and incentives. Episode ID: 18501541-from-proof-of-concept-to-product-chris-horn-deriv Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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AI and the Future of Creative Work — Sylvain Montreuil, Animatix

If AI becomes a creator, where do humans bring value to storytelling? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran talks with Sylvain Monterrey, founder and CEO of Animatix, an AI-powered film production platform used by leading advertising agencies and media studios. Sylvain shares his journey from fashion to AI — and explains how the creative production pipeline is being rebuilt on top of foundational models. Together, they explore what AI means for storytelling, why creativity still begins with humans, and how new workflows are transforming not just content creation — but company building itself. Topics covered include: End-to-end creative pipelines in AI: Why the next era isn’t about standalone models — it’s about stitching them together so teams can go from brief to storyboard to finished film in a single workflow. AI as co-creator, not replacement: Technical barriers are collapsing, but the creative spark still comes from people — the message, meaning, and emotional arc. The rise of enterprise-grade AI filmmaking: Why big studios care about continuity, licensing, and digital actors — and how legal frameworks will shape adoption. AI-native organizational design: How team structure, roles, and product velocity change when everyone can build and iterate at real-time speed. Real-time personalization and the cultural question: Why “your own version of the movie” is coming — and why it could reshape culture, marketing, and identity. Episode ID: 18454919-ai-and-the-future-of-creative-work-sylvain-montreuil-animatix Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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The New Builder Mindset — JJ Englert, NoCode Alliance

What does it mean to be a builder in a time when AI can build all on its own? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran sits down with JJ Englert, founder of NoCode Alliance and community and education lead at Softr, creator, teacher, filmmaker-turned-builder, and a major voice in the no-code movement. JJ shares the unlikely journey from roofing to becoming a filmmaker, to finally discovering no-code — and now AI-powered coding. Together, they explore how AI is reshaping what it means to create software, why curiosity is becoming the most important developer skill, and how even seasoned engineers must adapt to avoid “legacy doubt.” Topics covered include: The rise of the AI-literate builder: Why today’s advantage isn’t syntax — it’s understanding architecture, knowing what to ask, and working fluidly with AI as a coding partner. From no-code to full-stack with AI: How JJ went from “I don’t think I’m smart enough for this” to building full applications with real code in weeks, powered by no-code and, eventually, AI IDEs. The adoption gap inside companies: Why C-suites got excited, then cautious — and how organizations are slowly figuring out their AI-first vs. AI-layered strategies. Curiosity as survival skill: How both new makers and veteran engineers need the same thing: the willingness to experiment, learn, and challenge long-held assumptions. The future of multimodal computing: From personalized software that builds itself to real-time AR copilots — why the next leap goes far beyond chat. Episode ID: 18356341-the-new-builder-mindset-jj-englert-nocode-alliance Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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The Role of AI in GTM — Derek Evjenth, Adobe

If AI can find the lead and write the email… what still separates the best GTM teams from everyone else? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran talks with Derek Evjenth, longtime go-to-market leader and current enterprise sales lead at Adobe, about what it really takes to build a successful GTM strategy in the age of AI. Derek draws on his journey from bootstrapped founder at Second Media to Salesforce enterprise rep, startup advisor, and now Adobe leader to explain why mastering fundamentals still beats chasing shortcuts. Together, they dig into how AI changes research and outreach, where human connection still wins, how to manage change inside sales orgs, and why maybe, just maybe, AI isn’t the secret to the last mile of selling. Topics covered include: Fundamentals over shortcuts: Why a clear sales process, ICP definition, and stage discipline matter more than any single AI tool. AI as a force multiplier, not a closer: How AI can collapse hours of research into minutes — but can’t replace real conversations, trust, and in-person connection. The new AI-literate seller: Why BDRs, SDRs, and AEs need prompt engineering, call recording, and data hygiene as part of their core skill set. Beyond the sale: How post-sale partnership, call insights, and customer success alignment turn wins into long-term, referenceable relationships. Episode ID: 18298698-the-role-of-ai-in-gtm-derek-evjenth-adobe Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Building an AI-Native Enterprise — George Bock, Generali Global Assistance

How do you prepare a decades-old enterprise for an AI-native future? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran talks with George Bock, CIO at Generali Global Assistance, about what it takes to modernize an enterprise when the technology landscape is moving faster than ever. George shares lessons from a career of leading complex transformations — from cloud migrations and legacy system retirements to M&A integrations — and why the fundamentals of people, data, and communication still matter more than any single tool. Together, they break down how leaders can build AI-ready teams, create strong data foundations, mitigate organizational risk, and navigate the human side of change without losing momentum. Topics covered include: Human-centered transformation: Why the first step in any AI initiative is aligning teams, breaking silos, and strengthening communication. Data before disruption: How clean, governed, high-quality data becomes the foundation for every effective AI system. Upskilling for an AI era: How to prepare teams for the shift in skills, roles, and decision-making that AI introduces. Risk, governance, and vendor trust: What enterprise leaders should look for when evaluating AI tools, partners, and security postures. The future enterprise: Why AI will flatten org structures, automate mid-level decision work, and create new hybrid workflows between humans and agents. Episode ID: 18296467-building-an-ai-native-enterprise-george-bock-generali-global-assistance Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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Building the Next Interface — Tony Casparro, OpenAI

Have the basic requirements for building a good user experience actually changed? In this episode of Futureproof, Xano CEO Prakash Chandran sits down with Tony Casparro, senior staff software engineer at OpenAI, to talk about his current work on ChatGPT. Tony shares some of the past user experience lessons he learned at Netflix, and how they can be translated into an AI world. Together, they cover how to get the most out of AI (and what not to do with it), some of ChatGPT’s critical UX features (deep thinking, pivot points, third-party app support), and the way in which AI is changing how we interact with software. Topics covered include: From streaming to chat: What Netflix taught Tony about usability, accessibility, and anticipating human behavior. AI as a design partner, not a design maker: The best results come from working with AI, not outsourcing thought to it. The rise of contextual interfaces: ChatGPT’s new third-party apps are changing how users interact with brands and information. Cognitive offloading with care: How to delegate tasks to AI while keeping your creative and critical skills sharp. Subscribe to Futureproof wherever you get your podcasts. From Xano - The fastest way to create a production-ready backend for any app or agent. Xano unifies AI speed, code control, and visual clarity, so you never trade reliability for velocity. Sign up for free today.

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