Why Most AI Strategies Fail—and What Execs Must Do Differently

Most execs operate on “vibe knowledge.” Here’s how to lead AI transformation with clarity and speed.

What do executive decision-making, eCommerce innovation, and AI implementation all have in common? They’re often guided by gut feel—rather than data. In this episode of Applied Intelligence, Chris Perry (Chief Learning Officer, firstmovr) and Oskar Kaszubski (Chief Growth Officer, firstmovr) pull back the curtain on what’s really holding companies back from meaningful change.

We go deep on:

• The difference between core knowledge vs. vibe knowledge

• Why retailers need to stop treating AI like it’s magic

• The “Fourth Mover” strategy that may actually be smarter than being first

• What makes AI operationally useful instead of just shiny

• How retail media is breaking org structures—and what to do about it

• Why incremental KPIs are killing transformation

• What we can all learn from eCommerce’s last 15 years (aka the “training ground”)

Whether you’re a CPG exec, AI optimist, or digital transformation skeptic, this conversation is a must-listen.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

03:12 – Retail media is an operating model, not a channel

12:00 – Want change? Change what you measure

17:18 – Vibe knowledge vs. core knowledge in the C-suite

26:05 – The AI treadmill is speeding up

33:00 – Why AI didn’t fail—you did

53:51 – We don’t have 15 years to figure this out

1:16:24 – The last 15 years was just training

🎙️ Guests: Chris Perry & Oskar Kaszubski, firstmovr

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Watch the Full episode here.