Episodes

  • Salesforce on Measuring Agentic Work Outcomes

    Salesforce on Measuring Agentic Work Outcomes
    Mar 25 2026
    “Enterprises cannot vibe operate,” declares Madhav Thattai, GM and EVP of Salesforce AI, on this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Tech Disruptors podcast. Thattai and BI senior technology analyst Anurag Rana discuss why Salesforce thinks the “SaaSpocalypse” narrative misses how agents change outcomes and how the company is trying to measure that shift with Agentic Work Units (AWUs) — a way to track work performed rather than just token inputs. Thattai outlines Salesforce’s four-part agentic enterprise framework: system of context, system of work, system of agency and system of engagement. The conversation explores how large-language model flexibility plus deterministic workflows are used to reduce “prompt doom loops,” improve latency and manage cost. The discussion also covers how Salesforce is monetizing agents via license bundles and consumption, and why AWUs and session-trace tooling are positioned as budgeting and operational aids for CIOs and CFOs.
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    53 mins
  • Qlik CEO on Building AI-Ready Data Foundations

    Qlik CEO on Building AI-Ready Data Foundations
    Mar 23 2026
    AI adoption is moving from experimentation to execution, exposing gaps in data quality and governance. Qlik CEO Mike Capone joins Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Software Analyst Sunil Rajgopal to discuss why enterprises must build strong data foundations rather than rely on plug-and-play LLMs. “SaaS isn’t going away — it just has to be rewired,” Capone says, highlighting how AI is reshaping software architectures and limiting returns without strong data infrastructure. The discussion also covers Qlik’s positioning, competitive dynamics and how AI-driven productivity is influencing growth and product strategy.
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    42 mins
  • Block’s Jennings on Building AI-Native Fintech

    Block’s Jennings on Building AI-Native Fintech
    Mar 19 2026
    The assumption that output grows linearly with headcount no longer holds. As AI tools drive a step-change in productivity, companies are rethinking their operating models. In this episode of the Tech Disruptors podcast, Owen Jennings, executive officer and business lead at Block, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Fintech and Payments Analyst Diksha Gera to discuss Block’s decision to reduce its workforce and how AI is reshaping both internal operations and the company’s products – from Cash App’s MoneyBot, which helps automate financial planning and budgeting, to Square’s upcoming ManagerBot, an AI-assistant designed to streamline SMB operations. Listen to hear more about how Block is deploying AI across its ecosystem — and how its approach differs from that of banks.
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    39 mins
  • Capital One on Building AI Moats in Banking

    Capital One on Building AI Moats in Banking
    Mar 17 2026
    In banking, the AI question isn’t “Can you build it?” — it’s “Can you explain it, monitor it, and shut it off when required?” As the hype cycle moves past chatbots, a real competitive divide is emerging: institutions that can operationalize AI with auditability and control versus those layering copilots onto legacy workflows and hoping for the best. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Tech Disruptors podcast, Capital One’s Chief Scientist and Head of Enterprise AI Prem Natarajan joins BI fintech and payments analyst Diksha Gera to discuss why the bank is building — not just buying — its AI stack, and what gives Capital One a technology edge over competitors. Listen in to hear more about the bank’s expansive approach to AI as a capacity multiplier rather than a means to cut costs.
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    38 mins
  • Lumentum on Optics Shifts in AI Data Centers

    Lumentum on Optics Shifts in AI Data Centers
    Mar 13 2026
    Lumentum CEO Michael Hurlston and VP of Investor Relations Kathy Ta join Bloomberg Intelligence’s Jake Silverman on this episode of the Tech Disruptors podcast to discuss how optics are playing an increasingly critical role in networking inside and across AI data centers. They explore how the company is becoming a key supplier of systems and lasers to hyperscalers. Hurlston unpacks his broad and lengthy tenure as an executive across semiconductors and hardware and how it’s helping him tackle new challenges as the data center evolves. The conversation also covers how Lumentum’s past as a sleepier supplier to telecom networks positions it well to address today’s AI networking needs.
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    42 mins
  • Reddit COO on Gen AI Models, Ads Platform

    Reddit COO on Gen AI Models, Ads Platform
    Mar 11 2026
    Reddit’s Chief Operating Officer Jen Wong discusses the impact of gen AI models on its platform and how the company is positioning itself in the era of chatbots and LLMs. Wong sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence’s Global Head of Technology Research Mandeep Singh to discuss the company’s ads business and how it plans to leverage LLM search to boost engagement. All the metrics referenced in the episode are as of December 2025.
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    40 mins
  • ThredUp’s CEO on AI and the Future of Resale

    ThredUp’s CEO on AI and the Future of Resale
    Mar 10 2026
    Resale is evolving from a fragmented, thrift-driven experience into a technology-enabled infrastructure layer for the apparel industry. James Reinhart, co-founder and CEO of ThredUp, joins Bloomberg Intelligence senior equity retail analyst Poonam Goyal on this episode of the Tech Disruptors podcast. They discuss how automation, machine learning and AI are reshaping the economics of secondhand retail. He explains the “single-SKU” challenge that makes resale fundamentally different from traditional e-commerce, and how ThredUp’s investment in supply-chain automation and data science aims to unlock scale, margin expansion and improved inventory velocity. Reinhart also explores the company’s shift toward AI-driven discovery, its expansion into direct-selling capabilities and the growing role of resale as a recommerce partner to brands. He outlines why he believes technology — not just consumer demand — will determine which resale platforms achieve durable profitability in the next phase of retail disruption.
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    44 mins
  • Microsoft on Getting Beyond the Pilot Phase

    Microsoft on Getting Beyond the Pilot Phase
    Mar 5 2026
    “No great company became a great company because they saved a lot of money,” says Eric Boyd, president of Microsoft’s AI platform. “They became a great company because they delivered amazing innovative experiences.” In this episode of Tech Disruptors, Boyd explains to Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst Anurag Rana how Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Machine Learning and Azure AI Foundry fit together. He also discusses what’s required to move to broad usage from a pilot: securing enterprise data, retrieving the right context (including “IQ” tooling), evaluating prompts across models and managing costs with techniques like model routing.
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    42 mins