Convergence.fm

Stop treating AI as a sales shortcut and start redesigning your business from the ground up to survive the fastest technology adoption in history . In this episode, Ashok Shivanand deconstructs a recent workshop with veteran CEOs to reveal why so many established leaders are struggling with an AI confidence gap . We explore the dangerous instinct to "wait and see" and why delegating AI to your "de...

Dawid Naude, CEO of Pathfindr and one of Australia's leading AI implementation experts, joins the show to break down what it actually takes to drive meaningful AI transformation inside a business. Drawing from his work with companies ranging from small teams to enterprise retailers like Coles, Dawid shares why most organizations overcomplicate AI, and how the biggest wins often come from simple, a...

Ashok sits down with Ron Baker, co-founder of THRESHOLD and founder of the VeraSage Institute, to explore how mid-market companies must rethink their economic model in the age of AI. Ron began his career at KPMG before pioneering value pricing and leading a decades-long movement away from time-based billing. He is the author of eight books, including Times Up, and has sold more than 80,000 copies...

Stop letting a software rollout define your leadership. In this episode, we dive into why relying solely on Microsoft Copilot might be giving your team the wrong impression of AI's true potential. While Copilot offers deep integration into your Microsoft 365 environment and enterprise-level security, many leaders find that a "Copilot-only" approach creates more culture friction than creativity. We...

How does a young agency land a partnership with Netflix, Pepsi, and Doritos? Meet Jay Singh, the founder of Casper Studios and a former LinkedIn Business Development lead who is redefining how we think about distribution in the age of AI. Jay's team recently powered a voice AI experience for Stranger Things that saw over 400,000 fans call in to speak with their favorite characters, resulting in a...

Stop overthinking and start acting: learn how to use the TRIZ framework to resolve business contradictions and implement AI automation without blowing up your team. In this episode of The Convergence , Ashok Sivanand tackles the common trap of executive paralysis. Many leaders identify "choke points" in their business but relegate them to the back burner when firefighting mode kicks in. This episo...

Master the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) with Ivan Gekht to resolve complex product contradictions and build ideal systems that deliver results without over-engineering. Most business owners don't struggle with a lack of ideas; they struggle with wasted effort and innovation bets that don't pay off. In this episode, Ivan Gekht, CEO of Gehtsoft, joins the show to discuss how his backgr...

April Palmer joins this episode of Convergence.fm to break down a practical, repeatable approach to product innovation that starts with customer conversations and ends with shipped improvements. We talk about why most innovation is actually "amelioration," how to run a closed loop ladder from stories to product decisions, and how to earn buy-in from sales and frontline teams so innovation becomes...

In this episode, I walk through a real, high-stakes moment inside a warehousing and logistics operation, thousands of pallets of telecom cable, a hard year-end deadline, and a task nobody actually owned. The team was facing a potential six-figure hit, measuring precious metal content by hand with clipboards and micrometers, under serious time pressure. During a simple office hours session, we paus...

Is your team writing code before they've actually validated the problem? In this episode, Ashok sits down with Mohammed Ali Cherwala (MAC), co-founder of Wednesday Solutions, to dismantle the traditional "build first" mentality. Mac explains why "Product Engineering" is distinct from simple software development and how his firm uses "Sprint Zero" to validate ideas cheaply using methods like fake d...

Are you stuck deciding between building custom software or buying an expensive SaaS solution? In this episode, Ashok breaks down a real-world workshop with a medical device CEO facing a costly operational bottleneck. You'll learn how to size problems effectively to ensure they are worth the tech investment and why "renting" software might actually be the fastest path to owning your own high-value...

Why do smart leadership teams with great strategies still fail to execute? The answer often isn't a lack of talent, but a hidden structural problem called Information Asymmetry . In this episode, host Ashok Sivanand breaks down a real-world case study of a CEO (Visionary) and COO (Integrator) who trusted each other implicitly but still struggled to drive change. You'll learn why "scaling efficienc...

Ben Perreau has helped CEOs of some of the world's most influential companies define their next act. But instead of staying in the boardroom, he turned his attention to the managers on the front lines, the people who quietly make or break culture every day. In this episode, Ben joins Ashok to talk about why so many managers feel underprepared, how culture actually changes, and how his latest ventu...

Learn how a garbage collection company saved millions by adopting AI without a tech team or a massive budget. This episode deconstructs how traditional businesses can bypass expensive $100k software contracts by using local devices and open-source models to generate massive ROI safely and quickly . Watch our full episode with Ryan Collins of Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal: https://youtu.be/O249ZlOr...

Ryan Collins calls himself a garbage man, but he's also the Managing Director at Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal (TTSD), a third-generation waste collection and recycling company in Northern California. After a stint in Silicon Valley, he came back to join the family business and walked into a world still powered by slide rulers, highlighters, and paper-heavy workflows. Today, his team is building i...

In this episode, Ashok is joined by Maya Hari, global executive, board member, and now co-founder of Genie Health. Maya has led teams across Twitter, Google, Samsung, and other global companies, and now sits on the boards of public enterprises like Saint-Gobain. What makes her perspective rare isn't just her resume. It's her clarity around what culture really is, how to measure it, and how to buil...

Leaders are under pressure to "do something with AI," but many end up making the same preventable mistakes that derail their data strategy before it starts. In this episode, Ashok sits down with David Cohen, founder of Superposition Strategy, to run a live workshop identifying the top five strategic missteps leaders make—and more importantly, how to avoid them. If you're leading or supporting a da...

In this episode, Ashok shares a story from a long established services company with a big vision for transformation. The leadership team set their sights on launching a new AI enabled membership business. The original plan involved technology, acquisitions, and a long wait before revenue or even a customer touchpoint.  Instead of waiting nine months to learn whether the idea would land, they adopt...

Learn the best culture secrets from top tech companies! Guest Farhan Thawar of Shopify shares powerful principles—from "Responsibility vs. Accountability" to "Subtraction"—that CEOs in any industry can use to build elite teams . You've heard the AI hype, but what about the culture that builds it or integrates it well? Successful tech companies run on foundational values that are just as applicable...

In this episode of Convergence.fm, Ashok Sivanand sits down with Farhan Thawar, Head of Engineering at Shopify, to go behind the scenes of how Shopify not only keeps pace with rapid change but leads it.  The discussion explores how Shopify became one of the first platforms to allow merchants to sell products directly inside ChatGPT, why that move challenges Amazon's dominance, and what it takes to...

AI-powered "vibe coding" makes it easier than ever to turn your imagination into a working app, but are you building a fun hobby or a viable business? The line is blurring, and many creators are confusing the joy of building with the traction needed for a real startup. This episode provides a framework to help you distinguish between a passion project and a profitable venture, outlining the mindse...

AI strategist Tommy Högström, who has guided giants like Spotify, H&M, and McDonald's , reveals the truth about implementing AI, scaling product teams, and the entrepreneurial journey. From founding his own AI consultancy in Sweden to leading financial forecasting at Spotify and now launching a search fund to acquire a software business , Tommy offers a rare look inside the strategic shifts that s...

A company spends $10M over two years on a critical software product, but after firing one vendor and hiring a second, they still have nothing to show for it . This case study details the 5-step action plan used to rescue a failing project, restore internal credibility, and get product delivery back on track. From revamping the product roadmap and redefining vendor contracts to empowering a true pr...

From testing markets with a simple Google ads landing page to scaling a multi-million dollar education business, John Rood has learned what it takes to build, exit, and start again. In this episode, John shares the lessons that shaped his journey: the importance of hiring specialists at the right time, why EOS was transformational for scaling, and how "feedback is a gift" became one of his guiding...

A successful business with two aligned co-founders is transforming into a software and AI-enabled company, but after years of development, they aren't getting closer to launching a valuable product…what's the solution? In this episode, learn how the founders' greatest strength—their ability to delegate—became a blind spot that nearly derailed their company's evolution. Discover the practical steps...