Why Most AI Projects Fail (And How to Be the Exception) | Stephen Straus & Ben Szuhaj
Notas do episódio
GET THE BOOK: Wayfinding: A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637749848
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Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Wayfinding/Stephen-Straus/9781637749845
Most AI projects never make it to production. Stephen Straus and Ben Szuhaj's team gets 96% of theirs there.
In this episode, I sat down with Stephen Straus and Ben Szuhaj, co-authors of Wayfinding: A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI. Stephen started KUNGFU.AI back in 2017, long before most "AI experts" showed up, and his team now gets 96% of its AI projects into production while most of the industry struggles to get even 10% there. We talked about why they wrote the book as a parable, the AI tools business owners forget exist beyond ChatGPT, and why "we're automating our business" isn't a strategy if you believe AI will disrupt everything. Ben broke down how a trucking finance company used AI to approve invoices in seconds instead of hours without laying anyone off, and Stephen shared the wild story of waking up in Yellowstone with the entire outline of the book in his head. If you want to be the disruptor in your industry instead of the next Blockbuster, this one is for you.
In this episode:
- Why Wayfinding was written as a business parable
- The full AI toolbox: predictive analytics, computer vision, anomaly detection and more
- How KUNGFU.AI gets 96% of AI projects into production
- Why automating your business isn't the same as having an AI strategy
- The real reasons companies struggle with AI: misalignment, egos, and fear
- How to grow revenue without growing headcount (and without layoffs)
- The Triumph Financial case study: invoice decisions in seconds, not hours
- Wayfinding vs. navigating: leading when you don't know the destination
- The Yellowstone moment that sparked the book
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Stephen Straus is the co-founder and CEO of KUNGFU.AI, an AI management consulting and engineering firm he launched in 2017. KUNGFU.AI is his sixth startup. Before that, he spent nine years as a venture capitalist during the dot-com boom and bust. He's founding chair of Impact Dyslexia and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenstraus/
Ben Szuhaj is a Senior AI Strategist at KUNGFU.AI, where he helps executives find high-impact AI opportunities and design teams where people and AI work together. He previously led strategic initiatives at Doblin, Deloitte Consulting's innovation practice, and studied English and human-centered design at Dartmouth College.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-szuhaj-183b83115/
Learn more about KUNGFU.AI: https://www.kungfu.ai
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About Justin:
Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The M.O.R.E Show podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.
Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.
Connect with Justin:
- Instagram: @thejustincolby
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- LinkedIn: Justin Colby
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