AI Pretenders, platforms and scaling extraordinary talent: Phil Fersht with Malcom Frank

In the latest episode of From the Horse’s Mouth, Phil Fersht sits down with Malcom Frank to unpack why the IT Services model is starting to crack, as well as what comes next once AI reshapes delivery, scale, and value.

They delve into topics from Wall Street’s growing skepticism of traditional services economies to the challenge of scaling extraordinary people. It’s a conversation that cuts through the noise to find where real advantage will be created in the AI era, and the gap between hype and execution is rapidly growing.

This isn’t about chasing a first-mover advantage. We’re not even sure that matters anymore. It’s about understanding which business models can actually scale, and which ones are set to fail.

What you’ll hear in 30 minutes

• Why Wall Street no longer trusts five-year cash flows in IT Services.
• Why extraordinary people don’t scale and what replaces that model.
• First mover versus fast followers, and where the real advantage is created.
• How hyperscalers are positioning themselves as the new advisors
• The parade of pretenders, and what it signals about market transitions
• Where the next generation of services winners will come from

Guest Snapshot

Malcom Frank is a longtime technology services leader, advisor, and board member with more than three decades of experience helping services firms scale through major market transitions. He has held senior leadership roles at firms like TalentGenius and Cognizant.

Explore More 

Malcom Frank on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/malcolm-frank-92028/
Phil Fersht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfersht/
More from HFS: https://www.hfsresearch.com
More from From the Horse's Mouth: https://horsesmouthpodcast.com/