AI Drives Accountability for Software Vendors: Wes McKinney on Data Renegades

Europe does well in tech category creation when it specialises, building a defensive moat out of deep knowledge of the context of the application. In the latest episode of The Difference Engine tech strategy podcast, Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett argue Europe’s strength is building applications you run an economy on, not scroll through. With massive amounts of US money circulating to build AI software and hardware infrastructure, who are the European AI category contenders and will the future category winners actually be a blend of services and tech? Also in this episode: OpenClaw is making waves as an open-source, self-hosted AI agent platform. But is it a true breakthrough, a passing fad, or simply another feature dressed up as a revolution? And as SaaS stocks slide, is the SaaS market readjusting or structurally repricing traditional subscription software?. Tune in to the latest and all previous episodes of The Difference Engine today across all major podcast platforms. https://lnkd.in/e-Xd58Ej #openclaw #categoryleadership #podcast #tech #SaaSpocalypse

Europe does well in tech category creation when it specialises, building a defensive moat out of deep knowledge of the context of the application. In the latest episode of The Difference Engine tech strategy podcast, Jonathan Simnett and I argue Europe’s strength is building applications you run an economy on, not scroll through. With massive amounts of US money circulating to build AI software and hardware infrastructure, who are the European AI category contenders and will the future category winners actually be a blend of services and tech? Also in this episode: OpenClaw is making waves as an open-source, self-hosted AI agent platform. But is it a true breakthrough, a passing fad, or simply another feature dressed up as a revolution? And as SaaS stocks slide, is the SaaS market readjusting or structurally repricing traditional subscription software?. Tune in to the latest and all previous episodes of The Difference Engine today across all major podcast platforms. https://lnkd.in/ecis8eVk #openclaw #categoryleadership #podcast #tech #SaaSpocalypse

Most agencies don’t have a tech problem. They have an operating model problem. And more software won’t fix that. We recently joined Kylie Walker AKA That Property Mum on The Property Management Podcast to unpack what’s actually changing in our industry, and what’s getting in the way. In this conversation, CEO Curtis Thomson Thompson shares a grounded perspective on AI, automation and the role of software in property management: ☑️ Why most “automation” still creates work ☑️ What it looks like to actually remove admin, not just move it ☑️ How property managers can step out of reactive work and into more valuable roles If you’re reviewing your systems or feeling the pressure of constant admin, this is worth a listen. 🎧 Available wherever you listen to podcasts or via That Property Mum’s website: https://lnkd.in/gHA-Y5Pc

I had a great chat with Kylie Walker on the Property Management Podcast recently. One thing keeps coming up in conversations with agencies: You’ve added more software… but the work hasn’t reduced. That’s the problem. Most systems don’t remove admin. They just move it around. In this episode, we talk about what actually needs to change and where AI and automation can genuinely help (and where it can’t). If your team still feels stuck in reactive, day-to-day work, this conversation might resonate.

The Page 2 Podcast guest Patrick Reinhart, VP of Professional Services at Conductor predicts the future 😜 We spent most of our time talking about the 2026 AEO/GEO Benchmarks Report that Conductor just released, but we did talk a lot about the future too. Patrick makes smart predictions about the future of referral traffic from LLMs, and I think he's right about all of it. We also talked about how to get a job at Conductor and the expection around AI literacy. It was a really fun conversation. I think everyone in SEO, everyone in retail, or anyone just getting started with their career would benefit from listening to this episode. I'll post a link in the comments. If you think LLMs will refer more than 10% of traffic to your website this year, please comment with why.

I was at a peer dinner last week discussing something that’s becoming harder to ignore: who actually controls how influence spreads now? The old model (big publications, big headlines, traffic spikes) still matters. But it no longer explains how opinions are formed. Two shifts came up repeatedly: First, discovery is changing. AI summaries are increasingly satisfying intent before a user ever clicks through. Which means you can see impressions rise… while clicks quietly fall. Second, influence is fragmenting. More decisions are shaped in smaller, harder-to-see environments (closed forums, group chats, newsletters, podcasts). Put together, it changes the game. Visibility is no longer just about being seen. It’s more about ensuring you're being summarised, cited, and repeated in the right places, in the right way. We’re moving fast from a traffic model of influence to something closer to a citation model. As a communications lead, that is something I find fascinating and energising.

There's a version of the AI story that goes like this: AI can write code; anyone can build software; the barriers to entry are gone. That's true enough, but it misses a more important narrative — that it takes more than code to ship great products. Episode 3 of the Thinking Straight podcast is live, featuring Eric Schneider. In it, we unpack how AI isn't just changing how code gets written. It's fundamentally rewriting the rules of the entire Product game, from ideation and discovery to the business models behind the software. We also explore Eric's startup, getcora.io, which isn't just being built with AI, but is embedding intelligence into the interface itself. Check it out below, and please like and subscribe to support the show! https://lnkd.in/gQXC6uVB

We’re excited to see our CEO Eric Schneider featured on the latest episode of the Thinking Straight podcast. In the conversation, Eric talks about how AI is changing far more than how code gets written - it’s reshaping how products are imagined, built, and experienced. He also shares the thinking behind Cora and why we believe the next generation of software will embed intelligence directly into the product experience. Thanks to the Jason Griffing and the Thinking Straight team for the thoughtful discussion. Give it a listen below. 🎧

Is the “software apocalypse” narrative overblown? William Blair’s co-head of technology, media, and communications research, Jason Ader, joins Macro Analyst Richard de Chazal to unpack the sharp selloff in software stocks and the growing fear around AI-driven disruption. They explore how AI could ultimately expand the software market, and what investors should watch as winners and losers begin to separate. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/en8rtBJ8

What is the most exciting thing in the quality industry? Diaries of Becoming QA- Episode 25 The landscape of quality is evolving pretty much faster than we could pre-empt Digital systems. Automation. Data-driven monitoring. AI-supported audits. Quality is no longer just about paperwork and checklists. It is becoming about intelligent systems and predictive thinking. This excites me. I don't have to tire myself with lots of paperwork yet a working system can do the job! It pushes me to keep learning beyond traditional methods. To understand technology. To anticipate where standards are headed. So that I can get some minutes to nap or sneak out to do my podcasts. Quality professionals must not just want to be in the busyness of maintaining systems but we must future-proof them. I want to be part of that future. I am all in for better days in the quality industry! I am open-minded to learn, unlearn and relearn these methods. Cheers, see you at the top! #QualityAssurance #ContinuousImprovement #CareerReflection #LearningJourney #QualityProfessional