Microsoft

Xero CEO: The Strategy to Achieve 31% Revenue Growth in 12 Months

Aug 16, 2026 · 52:18

Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, CEO of Xero, explains how the cloud accounting platform reached $2.7 billion in revenue, 31% growth, and 5 million customers by cracking the US through the Milio acquisition, building product from the US, and narrowing focus to a "US unicorn" number. She details why the US took 20 years—Intuit's entrenched home-market advantage and the need for local engineers—and why she treats "respected vs. liked" as a false choice, backing layoffs with data and speed. On AI, she argues thin application wrappers can't replicate Xero's tens of thousands of edge cases, regulatory connections, payment rails, and trusted data across 180 countries, making infrastructure the real moat. She also answers whether accountants stay relevant by pointing to Client Advisory Services, and describes the customer spectrum from AI-native builders to those needing basic AI chat support.

Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn Founder: 99% of People Are Using AI Wrong

Jul 19, 2026 · 1:00:42

Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, argues most people underutilize AI by treating it as a search engine rather than an agentic workforce, predicting a shift where humans become managers of AI agent teams. He explains that Blitzscaling today means using AI to rapidly build and discard prototypes, while distribution remains a critical moat for startups. Hoffman warns that negative AI perception in the US and Europe risks ceding leadership to Asia, which embraces the cognitive Industrial Revolution. He highlights the importance of taste and judgment as skills that AI amplifies rather than replaces, and contrasts Anthropic's enterprise focus with OpenAI's consumer strength. Drawing from his decade on Microsoft's board, he shares Satya Nadella's lessons on rebuilding culture, corporate partnerships, and treating AI agents as employees that work for the company. Hoffman also spotlights applications in drug discovery (Manus AI) and personalized AI to maintain human connections.