CMO Confidential

A CMO Confidential Interview with DJ Patil, Great Point Ventures investor and former U.S. Chief Data Scientist in the Obama Administration. DJ discusses why AI adoption is "lumpy" like unbaked cake mix, the difference between large models and focused applications, and why consultants are probably not the best way to make progress. Key topics include: Maslow's Hierarchy of AI with power, data and water as the foundation; a timeline juxtaposition of AI evolution versus culture and policy change; and his belief that marketers have a unique position to add "human connectivity" in to the mix. Tune in to hear a view on AI and health care as well as how Waymo almost ruined a date night. What does AI adoption *really* look like inside large organizations—and why does it feel so uneven?In this episode of **CMO Confidential**, host **Mike Linton** sits down with **DJ Patil**—former U.S. Chief Data Scientist, AI leader at eBay and LinkedIn, and longtime advisor and investor—for a clear-eyed update from the front lines of AI.DJ explains why AI progress feels “lumpy,” why culture—not technology—is the biggest blocker to ROI, and what boards, CEOs, and CMOs must do now to avoid falling behind. From autonomous warfare and small models to Wall Street hype cycles, job displacement, and what AI means for the future of marketing, this is a practical, executive-level conversation about what’s real, what’s noise, and what comes next.If you lead a company, manage a brand, sit on a board, or are building a career in marketing, this episode will recalibrate how you think about AI adoption, investment, and organizational change.🎧 New episodes of **CMO Confidential** drop every Tuesday.--- Chapters / Timestamps00:00 – Welcome to CMO Confidential00:32 – Introducing DJ Patil and today’s AI focus01:26 – Where are we really on the AI adoption curve?02:54 – Why AI progress feels “lumpy” across industries03:35 – AI fluency vs. AI-native talent05:22 – AI in education: banning it vs. embracing it05:57 – AI on the battlefield: Ukraine, drones, and autonomy07:50 – Big models vs. small models and open source AI08:12 – The AI investment landscape and industry chaos09:12 – AI breakthroughs in math and problem-solving10:52 – Where AI is actually delivering value today11:50 – ROI, hype cycles, and Amara’s Law13:46 – When AI savings really show up on the balance sheet15:17 – Why culture is the biggest blocker to AI success16:03 – AI speed vs. slow-moving organizations and policy18:13 – Why executives can’t delegate AI leadership19:56 – The limits of traditional consulting for AI22:41 – Job cuts, automation, and what AI is really replacing25:48 – Why AI isn’t “ready” yet—but is getting close26:32 – AI as the biggest prize in the history of capitalism27:18 – Where DJ Patil is investing in AI29:00 – AI opportunities in healthcare and government30:27 – What AI means for marketers and marketing careers34:10 – A Waymo story: the promise and imperfections of AI35:12 – Final thoughts and where to find more episodes---CMO Confidential, DJ Patil, Mike Linton, AI adoption, artificial intelligence strategy, AI for executives, AI and marketing, AI ROI, AI investment, AI leadership, AI culture, future of marketing, chief marketing officer, CMO podcast, executive podcast, boardroom strategy, AI transformation, AI jobs, AI and automation, AI in healthcare, AI governance, enterprise AI, AI fluency, AI native, tech leadership, data science, digital transformationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A CMO Confidential interview with Dick Satterfield, the founder of Satterfield Rezenbrink Search and former P&G sales leader. Dick discusses career management under the framework of "successful and happy" and outlines why you should constantly be thinking about and evaluating your career. Key topics include why career progression is defined as continuous learning and getting promoted, tips for networking, when is too early or too late to leave, and why counter offers almost always fail . Listen in to hear why you should view the "next job" as a stepping stone versus the perfect landing. Dick Satterfield, veteran executive recruiter and former P&G sales leader, breaks down when to leave, how to create real options, and what it takes to land (and succeed in) your next role. We cover the “successful and happy” framework, real vs. faux promotions, how to run a stealth search while employed, the truth about counteroffers, and why marketers must present as business leaders driving revenue and efficiency. Practical, no-nonsense advice for CMOs, aspiring CMOs, and any exec managing a high-stakes career. Chapters00:00 Intro: CMO Confidential + today’s topic00:00:43 Meet Dick Satterfield + why this conversation matters00:02:11 Framework: “Are you successful and happy?”00:03:39 What recruiters really scan first: promotions and scope00:05:38 Real vs. “quasi-fake” promotions (one direct report ≠ management)00:05:59 Could I leave? Too early vs. too late; the commuting rule of 300:08:12 Knowing when your learning curve has flattened00:10:24 Would I leave? How to search while employed (and build leverage)00:12:25 Target list → warm intros → the right recruiters00:14:31 Time management for the search (30 minutes a day)00:15:14 If you’re in transition: process, momentum, and managing home life00:17:21 Offers: optimize for where you’re most likely to succeed00:19:31 Interview the company: decision speed and what success looks like00:21:00 Counteroffers: why ~85% don’t stick00:22:38 Negotiating severance (and when it actually gets set)00:24:00 Biggest career mistake: not managing your career like a project00:25:00 For marketers: be a business leader, not “just” marketing00:26:13 Practical closer: return recruiter calls—before you need them00:26:55 WrapTagsCMO Confidential,Mike Linton,Dick Satterfield,executive search,career management,career strategy,CMO career,marketing leadership,job search,career progression,promotions,scope of responsibility,learning curve,commuting rules,hybrid work,networking,warm introductions,recruiters,retained search,counteroffers,severance negotiation,compensation,offer negotiation,interview tips,decision rights,success metrics,marketing as investment,top line growth,cost efficiency,business leader,P&G,Procter & Gamble,board ready,executive transitions,VP marketing,chief marketing officer,senior leadership,career mistakes,practical adviceSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A CMO Confidential Interview with Kate Bullis and David Wiser, Managing Partners and Global Marketing Practice Leaders for ZRG Partners. Kate and David translate their extensive search experience to classify common mistakes into "movie themes" and share tips on how to recognize if you are directing or reading for a part in a disaster film. From "Play It Again, Sam," to "No, No, It's Really A CMO Role!" to "Death by Committee!" they describe the all-too-familiar plotlines and how to tear apart the hype from the facts. Hints: Look at the dashboard, listen to the questions and beware of the "Hands on the keyboard" role. Tune in to hear why companies should focus on outcomes versus qualifications and why you should always check your Zoom background. What are the five bad “movies” CEOs and boards keep remaking when they hire CMOs—and how do you avoid starring in one? Mike Linton sits down with ZRG Partners’ Kate Bullis and David Wiser to unpack 2025’s CMO market, why early-stage hiring should rebound, and how capital and IPO activity reset expectations from “profit at all costs” back to growth. They break down the most common failure modes—chasing a playbook, hiring an “orchestra,” titling a demand-gen job as “CMO,” forcing marketing to “stay in its lane,” and letting committees kill momentum—and the exact questions candidates and CEOs should ask to surface scope, KPIs, authority, and alignment.You’ll hear red flags like “hands-on keyboard,” why the KPI dashboard effectively *is* the job description, and how cross-functional interviews reveal whether a CMO will be a strategist or an order taker. David and Kate close with urgency discipline for searches and a three-year business-back plan for defining the role.CMO Confidential, Mike Linton, ZRG Partners, Kate Bullis, David Wiser, CMO hiring, marketing leadership, executive search, CEO, board of directors, hiring mistakes, KPI dashboard, hands-on-keyboard, demand generation, brand vs performance, org design, stay in your lane, death by committee, playbook vs framework, 2025 job market, private equity, IPOs, marketing strategy, B2B marketing, growth vs profitability---Chapters00:00 – Welcome & show setup01:08 – Meet Kate Bullis & David Wiser (ZRG Partners)01:32 – 2025 CMO job market outlook02:56 – Where hiring rebounds first (startups vs. public)04:24 – From profitability snapback to growth focus05:35 – Theme 1: “Play it again, Sam” (playbook thinking)06:48 – Frameworks over playbooks: why “fetch” fails08:16 – KPIs as the real scope: the dashboard test10:08 – Theme 2: “I want the orchestra” (do-it-all CMO)12:44 – Red flag: “hands-on keyboard” and checkbox hiring14:19 – Theme 3: “No, really, it’s a CMO role” (but it’s demand gen)15:31 – B2B trap: title inflation and scope mismatch18:25 – Measure what matters: aligning title, work, and KPIs19:00 – Theme 4: “Stay in your lane” (the Yes Center)20:20 – Sales/product-driven constraints and influence22:00 – Theme 5: “Death by committee” (misalignment & vetoes)23:18 – Fixing alignment: who decides and how25:26 – Why bad movies still get made: urgency and drift27:54 – The other mistake: lack of urgency in searches28:43 – Funniest recruiting moments (Zoom era)30:21 – Practical advice: define the next 3 years, then the role31:29 – Wrap and where to listenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A CMO Confidential Interview with Tom Stein, the Chairman and founder of Stein and Jann Schwarz, Senior Director of Marketplace Innovation at LinkedIn and founder of Think tank, The B2B Institute, who join us to discuss the 2025 Brand-to- Demand Maturity and the B2B Buyability studies. Tom and Jann share results showing the need to integrate brand and performance marketing in an era when the marketing funnel has collapsed needs fundamental re-thinking and Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) are still a key measure (in spite of data showing they've lost their usefulness). Tom and Jann explain why nearly all survey respondents acknowledge a problem but only 20% are taking action. Key topics include: why a good product or service are now "table stakes”; how buyer confidence, human connection and customer experience have become key Buyability differentiators; and the belief that B2B creative is way behind B2C on average. Tune in to hear why “demand-focused marketing" was one of the greatest brand misdirects of all time and a fabulous story of an alter boy accidentally dropping the Baby Jesus. The Truth Behind the Curtain in B2B: Brand + Demand, MQLs, and “Buyability” with Tom Stein & Jan SchwartzDescription:Mike Linton sits down with Tom Stein (Stein) and Jan Schwartz (LinkedIn’s B2B Institute) to unpack new ANA research on brand–demand maturity and a bold operating model they call “buyability.” They cover why 80% of marketers say integration matters but aren’t doing it, why MQLs are failing modern buying groups, how to financialize creative and brand, and what CEOs/boards should actually measure to accelerate revenue. Chapters:00:00 Intro & guest setup02:36 Why a brand–demand maturity study now05:36 The 80% integration gap07:17 Org design: why teams move slowly09:36 MQLs under fire (and better alternatives)10:45 Creative quality in B2B: reality check13:34 ServiceNow, Idris Elba, and distinctive assets15:01 The CEO/CFO/Board disconnect19:00 “Buyability” explained: becoming easier to buy22:12 Brand as a full-funnel commercial driver23:40 The funnel is broken; AI ups the stakes26:59 Playing offense: fewer, better buyer-group leads28:20 Financializing the case for change29:56 The budget stat that shocked everyone31:41 What to do now: category fame, trust, real metrics34:41 Funniest stories and practical parting advice37:35 Wrap & where to find more episodesTags:B2B marketing,brand and demand,buyability,MQL,pipeline velocity,CMO Confidential,Mike Linton,Tom Stein,Jan Schwartz,LinkedIn B2B Institute,ANA,B2B brand,B2B demand gen,marketing measurement,go to market,Salesforce,ServiceNow,Idris Elba,B2B creative,category fame,board metrics,CFO,CEO,CRO,sales alignment,MarTech,lead gen,buyer groups,brand strategy,revenue growthSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A CMO Confidential Interview with Dr. Joel Shapiro, Managerial Economics & Decision Sciences Professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, formerly Varicent Chief Analytics Officer. Joel discusses his NFL study including why some teams handle injury better then others, the idea of finding variables which can't be seen by the naked eye, and his conclusion that resilience has a lot to do with planning, resource deployment and the foresight to think about potential problems. Key topics include: the importance of back-ups; the ability to find business problems that can be solved with data; and how to use data and AI to predict "bad stuff." Tune in to hear about the "percent cash wasted measure," and how Joel's class beat Las Vegas on predicting last year's NHL playoff teams.**What NFL Injury Data Teaches Business About Resilience — with Joel Shapiro (Kellogg)**Northwestern Kellogg’s Joel Shapiro returns to CMO Confidential to unpack a surprising finding: predicting player injury isn’t a “failed use case” — and the lessons translate directly to how leaders design resilient organizations. We cover the data model behind injury prediction, Joel’s “percent cash wasted” metric, the real effect of injuries on winning (including offense vs. defense), why backups matter, and how to build purposeful resilience across sales, supply chain, and leadership. Plus: a student project that beat Vegas and a fearless (and funny) Super Bowl take. Chapters00:00 Intro — Why this episode matters for executives01:10 Joel’s remit: turning data & AI into business outcomes03:19 Injury prediction isn’t a failed use case05:45 Why the NFL: clean injury data and an 11-year dataset07:32 What the model outputs: games likely to be missed08:51 “Percent Cash Wasted”: paying for injured players10:15 Do injuries really impact winning? The curve is flatter than you think12:19 Offense vs. defense: wasted cash effects aren’t equal13:47 Healthy one year, injured the next: who stays good?14:36 The lever that breaks teams: losing a highly paid QB15:25 Purposeful resilience vs. “toughing it out”16:34 Backups matter — translating roster depth to business18:29 If you can’t prevent every injury, recruit for availability19:17 Business translation: resilience in sales, supply chain, and leadership21:42 Treat resilience as strategy, not back-office insurance24:22 Which companies are structurally resilient (and why scale helps)24:49 Joel’s bold pick: the Bears’ weird start and a playful prediction25:36 Data, betting, and integrity — what changes as information improves27:25 Students vs. Vegas: NHL playoff models that won28:20 How much data it really takes (rows, columns, and what matters)29:54 Wrap and where to find more CMO ConfidentialTagsCMO Confidential, Mike Linton, Joel Shapiro, Northwestern Kellogg, data science, AI, predictive analytics, NFL injuries, sports analytics, resilience, business resilience, risk management, leadership, percent cash wasted, roster construction, backups, quarterback, offense vs defense, supply chain, sales teams, machine learning, predictive modeling, DraftKings, FanDuel, NHL, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, C-suite, marketing leadership, podcast, YouTube chaptersSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.