DisrupTV

What separates the companies that will define the AI era from those that will be displaced by it? In this episode of DisrupTV, hosts R "Ray" Wang and Vala Afshar bring together two guests with very different vantage points on the same question — one from the front lines of AI-first transformation, and one from the deeply human side of leadership development. Alejandro Laplana, CEO of Shokworks — t...

What does it actually take to win with AI at the enterprise level — and what does it mean for society as AI becomes inseparable from how we live, work, and relate to one another? In Episode 444 of DisrupTV, hosts R Ray Wang and Vala Afshar bring together two leaders at the front lines of those questions from very different vantage points. TVN Reddy, CEO of Aptean — a vertical enterprise software c...

Charlene Li makes the case that AI is a leadership and strategy test, not a tech rollout — and that most organizations stall because they hand AI to IT instead of owning it as a CEO-level priority. She explains why leaders should kill their pilots, why speed has become the real competitive moat, and why the smartest companies are using AI for value reclamation — building new capabilities and servi...

Patricia Martin introduces the concept of persona fog — a civilizational malady born from a decade of curating ourselves for algorithms, where our online persona becomes load-bearing and our true self becomes hard to access. She explains why AI may become the most colossal persona fog machine we’ve ever encountered, capable of getting you, amplifying you, and optimizing you until it authors versio...

How do companies create entirely new markets—and why are the best organizations rethinking profit, trust, and corporate purpose? Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Bruce Cleveland, author of Market Engineering, and Eric Ries, author of Incorruptible. We’ll explore what “Market Engineering” really means and why companies must actively shape markets to stay ahead, why trust has become...

In this episode of DisrupTV, hosts Vala Afshar and R “Ray” Wang are joined by Malcolm Turnbull, Lucy Turnbull, Dr. David Bray, and Sheri Jacobs for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of AI, geopolitics, governance, and leadership. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping global power structures through energy and infrastructure, why disinformation and synthetic media...

What happens when intelligence is no longer exclusively human? In DisrupTV Episode 439, Vala Afshar and R "Ray" Wang are joined by internet pioneer Vint Cerf, Dr. David Bray, and decision scientist Cheryl Strauss Einhorn for a far-reaching conversation on agentic AI, governance, misinformation, autonomous systems, and the future of human judgment. Together, they explore: Why agentic AI changes the...

What do values and organizational truth have to do with AI success? In this episode of DisrupTV, Vala Afshar and R "Ray" Wang are joined by Paul Ingram, Columbia Business School professor and author of What Do You Really Stand For?, along with Jon Reed, co-founder of diginomica, for a deep conversation on leadership, AI, and the critical importance of context. Topics include: Why values are a lead...

AI is scaling fast—but can your organization secure it, govern it, and power it responsibly? In this episode of DisrupTV, Vala Afshar and R "Ray" Wang are joined by Bob Gourley, David Bray, and Andrea Bonime-Blanc to explore the real challenges behind enterprise AI adoption. From data center vulnerabilities and AI-driven cyber risk to the “messy middle” of security and the rise of exponential gove...

AI is ready—but leadership isn’t. In this episode of DisrupTV, Ray Wang and Vala Afshar are joined by Joe Kim (CEO of DRUID AI) and Paul McCarthy (author of The Fired Leader) to explore the rise of agentic AI and the leadership crisis holding organizations back. They break down why AI is now a CEO mandate, how agentic systems are changing enterprise architecture, and why modularity, governance, an...

On DisrupTV Episode 435, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar explore what it takes to lead in an era of AI, cyber risk, geopolitical tension, and climate disruption. Featuring Paul Abbate (former FBI Deputy Director), Dr. David Bray (CEO, LeadDoAdapt Ventures), and Caroline Stokes (CEO coach and author), this episode dives into insider threats, AI-driven security risks, and why resilience must beco...

On DisrupTV Episode 434, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar explore what it really takes to succeed in an AI-driven world—with insights from Ena Hull (Ultimate Health School), Dr. Michael Wu (PROS), and Ron Miller (FastForward). They dive into the nursing workforce crisis and how education must evolve, debunk the myth of a “SaaSpocalypse” as AI reshapes—but doesn’t replace—enterprise software, and...

In Episode 433 of DisrupTV, Vala Afshar and R “Ray” Wang explore the shift from AI demos to real business impact—and why love may be the ultimate competitive advantage. Featuring Brian Bryson (MIT Technology Review) and Marcus Buckingham (Designing Love In), this episode covers: Why AI is becoming core infrastructure—and a CEO-level priority How agentic AI is driving revenue, reclaiming value, and...

In DisrupTV Episode 432, R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar explore how AI, algorithms, and global competition are reshaping human agency and technology. Guests Marcos Fontoura (Microsoft CTO, Human Agency in the Digital World) and Rebecca Fannin (Tech Titans of China) share insights on: Auditing your digital life and deploying AI to amplify human value China’s tech, EV, and AI revolution amid global ge...

In DisrupTV Episode 431, hosts Vala Afshar and R “Ray” Wang explore how globalization, social status, and AI agents are reshaping business strategy. Russell Haworth, CEO of Acclaro, explains why localization is no longer just translation—it’s a core market access strategy. Companies that want to scale globally must design for international audiences from day one, combining AI-powered localization...

In DisrupTV Episode 430, R "Ray" Wang and Vala Afshar explore the next evolution of business value: the Transformation Economy. Joe Pine, co-author of The Experience Economy, explains why companies must move beyond staging memorable experiences and start guiding customers toward meaningful outcomes—helping them become healthier, wiser, more successful, or more purposeful. Later in the episode, CRM...

In this episode of DisrupTV, hosts R "Ray" Wang and Vala Afshar explore three critical performance levers in the AI era: negotiation strategy, meeting discipline, and founder focus. Brian Doyle (Holden Advisors) explains why AI-armed procurement teams are reshaping B2B negotiations—and why sellers must shift from discounting to outcome-based value conversations. Dr. Rebecca Hinds (Work Innovation...

On DisrupTV Episode 428, co-hosts Vala Afshar and R “Ray” Wang are joined by Seth Ravin (Rimini Street), Elizabeth Weingarten (How to Fall in Love with Questions), and James Taylor (SuperCreativity) to explore how agentic AI is transforming enterprise strategy, leadership, and innovation. From layering AI on legacy ERP systems to offset labor shortages, to developing a leadership mindset rooted in...

What does it take to beat the odds in an AI-driven world? On this episode of DisrupTV, Kyle Young (Success Is a Numbers Game) and Jon Reed (diginomica) join Vala Afshar and Ray Wang to explore probability hacking, enterprise AI leadership, and why kindness still matters. From de-risking big goals to navigating the paradox of AI in the enterprise, this conversation offers practical insights for lea...

This week on DisrupTV, we go beyond the AI hype and into the decisions shaping 2026. Peter Danenberg, Senior Software Engineer at Google DeepMind, joins us to unpack the rapid evolution of multimodal models like Gemini, the race toward AGI, and what he’s seeing from inside one of the world’s most influential AI labs. We’re also joined by David Bray, PhD, Distinguished Chair of the Accelerator at T...

Why do most GenAI initiatives never make it past the pilot stage? On this week’s DisrupTV, Vernon Keenan and Nicholas Thorne cut through the hype to explain why enterprise AI stalls, where real value in AI architectures is emerging, and how founders and leaders can co-build with AI to create lasting competitive advantage—from virtual employees to radically human entrepreneurship.

Broadcast live from Davos, this special edition of DisrupTV features Vala Afshar and R "Ray" Wang in conversation with global leaders shaping the future of AI and enterprise transformation. Drawing from the spirit of dialogue at Davos 2026, the episode distills the most important AI insights, lessons learned, and signals executives need to understand what’s coming next. If you’re a senior executiv...

On this episode of DisrupTV, we explore what it truly means to grow with intention in a world defined by disruption. Whitney Johnson, founder of Disruption Advisors, breaks down personal disruption, the S-Curve of Growth, and how leaders and individuals move through fear, imposter syndrome, and uncertainty to reach real momentum. We’re also joined by Dean E. Carter and Mark Levy, co-authors of Emp...

In this episode of DisrupTV, we tackle one of the most urgent leadership challenges of our time: navigating AI-driven cybersecurity threats, geopolitical uncertainty, and converging risk. Hosts Ray Wang and Vala Afshar are joined by: Andre Pienaar, CEO & Founder of C5 Capital Dr. David Bray, Distinguished Chair at the Stimson Center & CEO of LDA Ventures Ken Banta, leadership expert and advisor To...

What should leaders be reading to prepare for the future? In this special episode of DisrupTV, we reveal DisrupTV’s Top 25 Books of 2025, featuring powerful conversations with authors whose ideas are shaping leadership, AI, innovation, and human potential in the Age of Intelligence. The discussion explores themes including AI co-creation, mission-driven leadership, personal branding for introverts...