Alex Krieger

I partner with CEOs and senior executives to design personalized longevity strategies that unlock peak performance and sustained vitality. Through cutting-edge protocols, precision health optimization, and evidence-based interventions, I help high-performers achieve a biological age 15 years younger than their chronological age.

My approach combines advanced diagnostics, tailored nutrition and fitness programming, stress resilience techniques, and regenerative therapies to ensure leaders maintain their competitive edge while extending their healthspan. 

The result: executives who lead with enhanced mental clarity, physical strength, and sustained energy. Not just for years, but for decades to come.

Specializing in discrete, time-efficient solutions that integrate seamlessly into demanding schedules, I enable transformational health outcomes without compromising professional commitments.

Founder / Longevity Architect

Mozza

I invest in and advise early-stage startups.
This is my portfolio:
- Blok
- Nurra Health
- OpenHealth Technologies
- Kursinsel
- Notch
- Formel Skin
- Mister Balcony
- ThinkImmo
- CrossLend

Angel & Advisor

Interim Head of Growth

FORMEL Skin

FORMEL Skin is backed by Singular, Heal Capital, Cherry Ventures and Heartcore Capital. Recent series A funding of €30m. A HealthTech start-up offering customised, high-quality, medical treatments online.

VP of Product

nuture

I always had a passion for healthy nutrition. I was invited to kitchen town, a food accelerator and developed two products and brought them to market.

1. nuture

- Goal: Build the perfect portable meal with organic paleo ingredients
- Started working on nuture as a side project in 2016 because of my own pain as a commuter
- Implemented results of more than 676 scientific studies
- Became a certified nutritional coach with Precision Nutrition
- Sourced and tested more than 100 ingredients world wide
- Build a formula with 25 ingredients that contain all 26 essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids
- Combined and calculated >2000 data points to make the formula perfect
- Tested and launched nuture with > 200 people

2. munchy

Goal: Develop a sugar free cereal for everyone who loves cereals but has dietary restrictions and/or wants to eat healthier

- Developed a new formula for sugar free cereals with erythrit, inulin and stevia
- Tested with over 1000 participants and got 5 star ratings
- Bootstrapped to 1000+ subscribers with 40+ 5 star reviews from customers
- Terminated because of increased prices and supply shortage due to Covid

Founder

volders GmbH

✓ Assumed leadership of engineering department and successfully orchestrated complete tech stack refactoring, resulting in 10x improvement in development velocity
✓ Drove revenue growth w. marketing of over 300% through strategic initiatives and service optimization
✓ Grew a platform serving 3+ million customers while maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction (4.9/5.0 rating)

Volders is an innovative online service that allows users to conveniently cancel, organize and access their personal contracts (such as phone, energy or gym memberships) anytime from anywhere. Be in the know about all of your contracts’ remaining terms and how much you are paying for them. volders automatically reminds you about upcoming deadlines and informs you if there’s a better deal for you to be made.

Chief Product Officer (CPO)

smava GmbH

✓ Pioneered the first credit-to-go service and established strategic partnership with mobile.de, resulting in significant sales volume expansion
✓ Built and led the company's first growth team, driving continuous improvement in conversion rates
✓ Played key role in securing €65M Series C funding by generating over €600M in additional sales volume

Smava is Germany’s leading loan portal makes personal loans transparent, fair, and affordable for consumers. Based on digital processes, smava provides a market overview of 70 loan offers from 25 banks, ranging in value from €1,000 to €120,000. In 2017, the volume of loans originated through smava was c. $1.5 billion, with a total of more than $3 billion since inception. As one of the largest Fintech businesses in Germany, smava employs 300 staff with 36 nationalities under the direction of an experienced management team with strong backgrounds in finance and technology.

Growth Lead

CrossLend

✓ Led comprehensive business validation and market analysis, successfully driving strategic pivot from B2C to B2B model
✓ Optimized conversion rates across landing pages and registration funnels, achieving 30% improvement in user acquisition
✓ Spearheaded product discovery initiatives in collaboration with Head of Product, defining core product strategy and market fit

Crosslend aims to unlock capital stuck on banks’ balance sheets, giving both private clients and SMEs across Europe better access to financing, helping promote economic growth within the EU and taking a significant step towards establishing a Capital Markets Union.

Lead Product Marketing Manager

konversionsKRAFT (Web Arts AG)

✓ Led interdisciplinary product teams, driving growth across multiple clients and projects
✓ Spearheaded concept development and successful relaunch of Deutsche Telekom Cloud
✓ Designed and implemented UX strategies for Telefonica O2 and their subsidiary brand blau.de
✓ Achieved over 100% conversion rate improvement for Germany's largest direct insurance
✓ Delivered comprehensive optimization services including:
- Strategic website relaunches
- In-depth UX audits
- Data-driven A/B testing programs
- Persona development workshops
- User behavior analysis and research

With an estimated 15 bn € revenue in charge for optimization and over 40 consultants, Web Arts is on of the leading conversion optimization service providers worldwide. Operating under the brand of "konversionsKRAFT", the company works for major german and international brands, most of them Top 100 retailers, financial, travel and internet industry. Web Arts' founder and CEO André Morys is known as an international keynote speaker and is regarded as on of the Top 10 international influencers in the topic of conversion optimization.

Senior Conversion Consultant

Want to live longer, feel sharper, and perform at your peak for decades? 

I’m here to guide you, sharing science-backed strategies to extend your healthspan. 

Without chasing fads or disrupting your busy life.

Here’s what you’ll discover through my content:

✅ Simple ways to boost your energy, focus, and resilience, tailored to your demanding schedule
✅ Evidence-based habits to optimize your healthspan, so you thrive well into the future
✅ Practical tips to integrate longevity practices, whether you’re traveling or leading high-stakes projects
✅ Inspiration to extend your productive years while feeling vibrant every day

No extreme biohacking or quick fixes here. Just straightforward, sustainable habits designed for your unique biology.

Here’s what others like you have achieved through applying my content:

"I went from afternoon slumps to all-day energy and sharper focus in just weeks." — Fabian L., Entrepreneur

"These strategies added hours to my day and made me feel years younger." — Thomas D., Psychologist

"The routines I adopted gave me more energy and clarity to crush it daily." — Robert S., Public Speaker & CEO

Ready to redefine aging and unlock your best self? Follow me for daily tips, insights, and inspiration to optimize your health and live a longer, fuller life.

Let’s make longevity your edge! 

Connect with me for the latest on longevity and peak performance optimization.

Alex K.

I know people who spend $30,000 on stem cell therapy. 

Did you know your body can do this for free? I'm doing it right now!

You're looking at an ice bath photo.

But I'm not talking about cold exposure today.

I'm talking about something FAR more powerful for regeneration.

Something that costs $0.

Let me explain.

I know people that pay $30,000 for stem cell injections. 

It's even available in Europe.

But in 2014, Dr. Valter Longo at USC discovered something remarkable:

Your body already knows how to regenerate stem cells.

You just have to give it the right signal.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹? 

Prolonged fasting.

Here's the science:

- When you fast for 3-5 days, your IGF-1 plummets. 
- This inhibits PKA, an enzyme that normally keeps stem cells dormant.
- With PKA suppressed, your stem cells wake up.
- They start regenerating.
- Old, damaged immune cells get cleared out.
- New ones take their place.

The data is compelling:
→ Stem cells increase approximately 6-fold 
→ Biological age reduced by 2.5 years (after 3 cycles) 
→ Immune system literally rebuilds itself

The magic happens AFTER the 72-hour mark. 

That's when your body completes the metabolic switch.

And when you start eating again? 

That's when stem cells EXPLODE with proliferation.

Fasting might be the most underrated regeneration tool you have.

And it's completely free.

I'm on day 3 right now and will be finished by Saturday :)

Do you want to try this instead of spending $30,000 on stem cell therapy?

I have created a 5-day fasting guide with special electrolytes, pre- and refeeding cycles, etc.

This is also the guide I use for my clients.

Write a comment and I'll send you the guide via DM.

Longevity Architect for CEOs | Perform, Feel & Look 15 years younger | Ex-Tech Executive | Angel Investor

You are tired. You know that you need to improve your sleep.

But most sleep advice is garbage. Here's what works.

The problem isn't that you don't value sleep.

It's that you haven't made it your identity.

Here's my mindset shift that changed everything:

I stopped being "someone who sleeps when possible."

I became a professional sleeper!

And my performance exploded.

The Protocol:

→ Schedule sleep like your most critical meeting
No "just this once." 
It's a sacred time.

→ Set TWO alarms (not for waking up)
9 PM: Wind-down begins 
10 PM: Lights out
That hour is non-negotiable transition time.

→ Replace scrolling with reading 30 minutes before bed. 
Your mind needs decompression, not dopamine hits.

→ Create a sleep sanctuary 
Blackout curtains Cool temp (65-68°F / 18-21 Celsius) 
Complete darkness 
White noise if needed

→ Cut caffeine at noon 
Not because you can't fall asleep. 
Because your DEEP sleep gets destroyed.

My results after 90 days:
- Sharper decision-making in high-pressure moments 
- Better emotional regulation with my team 
- Consistent energy from 6 AM to 6 PM 
- HRV improved by 23 points

Sleep isn't recovery.

It's your performance and longevity enhancer.

The best CEOs and executives I know treat it that way.

What's stopping you from becoming a professional sleeper?

Hey friends 👋 I spent the past few weeks soaking up some sun.

Back in Berlin (winter) and also on LinkedIn now 😊

I help business users succeed with AI. I share my knowledge via The Artificially Intelligent Enterprise newsletter.

Mark R. Hinkle is an accomplished executive in high-growth technology companies, specializing in the strategic integration of artificial intelligence to enhance enterprise infrastructure and productivity. Committed to continuous learning, Mark updates his expertise to remain at the forefront of technological advancements.

Mark combines deep technical knowledge with business acumen, thriving in diverse market conditions—from startups to established companies facing competitive pressures. He is recognized for his strategic insights that navigate complex challenges and capitalize on opportunities in the tech landscape.

Career Highlights:

- Capital Strategy: Raised over $8 million in seed capital from entities including Index Ventures and Cisco.
- Operational Leadership: Managed a 2500-person support center for MindSpring/Earthlink, leading to top customer satisfaction rankings from J.D. Power and Associates and awards from PC Magazine and PC World for outstanding technical support.
- Industry Recognition: Achieved a Gartner Cool Vendor title in Cloud Computing.
- Thought Leadership: Authored content with over 10 million views in publications like Wired and The New Stack.
- Community Engagement: Leads the RDU Meetup Group, fostering a network of over 1000 business users in North Carolina.

Additional Contributions:

- Publishing and Media: Publishes The Artificially Intelligent Enterprise, focusing on Generative AI for business users. Regular guest on The TechStrong Gang and contributor at The New Stack.
- AI Strategy: Applies his expertise in emerging technologies to drive AI integration within enterprises, enhancing operational agility and decision-making.

Mark's blend of vision and technical expertise makes him a valuable asset for organizations leveraging emerging technologies to improve productivity and competitive edge.

Mark Hinkle

Some retailers are still finalizing their November discount calendars. Others are adjusting prices 47 times per hour based on real-time demand signals. That gap defines Black Friday 2025.

Morgan Stanley expects nearly half of online shoppers to rely on AI assistants by 2030, driving more than $115 billion in new e-commerce volume. The retailers who figure out how to win in that environment are building the infrastructure now.

This piece breaks down how.

I am fanatical about upskilling people to use AI. I publish newsletters, and podcasts @ TheAIE.net. I organize AI events @ All Things AI. I love dogs and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  🐶🥋

Leading retailers are using AI to dominate discovery, pricing, and performance this Black Friday. AI agents are not replacing retailers—but they are c

Open article: AI Is Rewriting Black Friday by Mark Hinkle • 5 min read

I am very excited about  All Things AI 2026 the Southeast's biggest AI Conference in conjunction with my partner in events, Todd Lewis. 

But before the main stage. Before the thousands of AI enthusiasts. Before the amazing full-length talks. Before t𝘩𝘦 AI event everyone will be talking about—there’s 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗽𝗮𝗱 and it's free to attend live! 

https://lnkd.in/etyMu_PW

This is where the magic starts. Where a conversation over pizza becomes your next co-founder. 

Where an idea scribbled on a napkin turns into next year's breakthrough. 

Where you stop being an attendee and become part of the story. 

This kicks of our run up to the southeast's biggest AI conference and community dedicated to providing accessible learning opportunities. 

Here's the talks from experts with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives sharing an inspiring AI talk in five minutes a piece, bringing the fire, and inspiring you with their AI stories.

🔥 Abigail Merrill 𝘈𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭, GrowthUp Partners, AI for ROI in 3 Steps
🔥 Marc Sirkin 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯, Founder, Marc Sirkin Consulting | Former CEO, Third Door Media (acquired by Semrush)| Host of Playbook Broken, Force Yourself to Experiment: How AI is Rewiring the Modern Marketer
🔥 Guoliang Cao, Research Triangle AI Society, Stop Learning, Start Building, Idea to product in one day!
🔥 Jen McFarland 𝘥, Founder at Marit Digital | Writer for WRAL TechWire & Cary Magazine, Green AI: Finding Your Sustainable AI Solution
🔥 Harsha Upadhyay , All About Data LLC, 3 Simple Rules to Become an Agentic Polymath
🔥 Una Stevenson, COO , Pinno Marketing & Business Development, The One Shift That Gets AI Out of Pilot Purgatory
🔥 Brittany B., How my digital twin stole my real life
🔥 Danny Castro , AI Tinkerers, RTP is the community where AI innovation will thrive
🔥 Chip Kennedy , CivicReach, Our Relationship with Government: Building the AI-Native front Desk for Government Social Services
🔥 Nicholas Allen , NPower, Three Questions That Launch Careers: Empowering Young People in the AI Era
🔥 Yassah Reed , Gridiron Survivor, Prescription for Change: Addressing AI’s Place in Healthcare
🔥 @𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, Knowledge Reactor, Composite AI
🔥 Sarah Lien Finnerty, AI, Meet Real Life: How I’m Using It to Lead Smarter

I hope you can join us, also before that Marc Sirkin, Greg Boone and I are doing an AI for GTM - https://aiforgtm.carrd.co/. A day of training for those that are involved with Go To Market and want to leverage AI.

This morning on my way back from the gym, I almost had a breakdown.

I was in a hurry, following a car going 10 MPH in a 25 zone. She stopped 100 feet before every traffic light—even the green ones. When we hit the 35 MPH zone, she sped up to 15.

I was irate. Running late. White-knuckling the steering wheel.
I was tempted to lay on the horn. Pass her the second I could, even in a no-passing zone.

Then I stopped and looked. 
This was probably a grandmother taking her grandson somewhere. She was scared to go faster. And there was nothing I could do to improve the situation—only make it worse.

So at the next intersection, I took a different route.
I kept thinking about this for the rest of the day.

We tend to double down on bad situations. We stay on the slow road because we've already invested the miles. We convince ourselves that if we just push harder, honk louder, or wait longer, things will change.
But sometimes you can't fix what's in front of you. You can only go around it.

I can look back at the most miserable stretches of my career and realize I learned that lesson much later than I would have liked.

Sometimes the fastest way forward is a different road entirely.

Silicon Valley minds. Durham zip code. 

What’s going down at this AI event is NOT normal.

Not fancy, but super practical and actionable for people that want to really get into how AI can supercharge their business. 

So far Greg Boone  (CEO, Walkwest) and Marc Sirkin (former CEO of Third Door Media - Now Semrush) are sharing their inside tips and tricks for accelerating their GTM. 

I'll be showing all my secret sauce for marketing after lunch. 

Q&A after that. 

Also, if you want to meet them we are having a free networking and pizza session at 5:00 p.m. along with All Things AI.

Sign up below. 

https://lnkd.in/e_MPmZ5T

I am really excited about having Chip Kennedy speak on December 3rd at All Things AI Launchpad. 

This is a free event and we have a crazy interesting and diverse lineup of AI speakers. We want to back the house so please go and sign-up for the free AI event and networking. 

https://lnkd.in/etyMu_PW

Also you'll hear from these speakers as well, It's going to be a special event so don't miss All Things AI Launchpad! 

🧠 Abigail Merrill, GrowthUP AI Partners, AI for ROI in 3 Steps
🧠 Marc Sirkin, Founder, Marc Sirkin Consulting | Former CEO, Third Door Media (acquired by Semrush)| Host of Playbook Broken, Force Yourself to Experiment: How AI is Rewiring the Modern Marketer
🧠 Guoliang Cao, Research Triangle AI Society, Stop Learning, Start Building, Idea to product in one day!
🧠 Jen McFarland, Founder at Marit Digital | Writer for WRAL TechWire & Cary Magazine, Green AI: Finding Your Sustainable AI Solution
🧠Harsha Upadhyay , All About Data LLC, 3 Simple Rules to Become an Agentic Polymath
🧠  Una Stevenson, COO, Pinno Marketing & Business Development, The One Shift That Gets AI Out of Pilot Purgatory
🧠 Brittany B., How my digital twin stole my real life
🧠 Danny Castro, AI Tinkerers, RTP is the community where AI innovation will thrive
🧠 Yassah Reed , Gridiron Survivor, Prescription for Change: Addressing AI’s Place in Healthcare
🧠Scott Gerard, PhD, Knowledge Reactor, Composite AI
🧠 Sarah Lien Finnerty, AI, Meet Real Life: How I’m Using It to Lead Smarter
🧠 Robert Thelen, LlamaFarm, AI at the Edge: AI That Works Offline Isn't a Feature, It's Table Stakes
🧠 Melanie M., Your Training Failed the 7-Hour Test AI A Innovations
🧠 Angela Liu, The Secret Element Behind AI Transformation, Ikaru Consulting
🧠 Raj Marri, Optimizing AI Agents with Reinforcement Learning for Smarter Decisions, Cerebrone.ai

Join Chip Kennedy from CivicReach as he unpacks how AI can dramatically improve how communities interact with government services.

This session is all about modernizing public service delivery with AI-native workflows that meet people where they are.

🗓️ December 3, 2025
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 Durham Armory

Register here: https://cstu.io/0fa22b

Come hear my friend Nicholas Allen speak at All Things AI Launchpad this week December 3rd at the Durham Armory. I think NPower is a very important initiative to help more folks embark on tech careers. You'll learn how  they are helping to provide a strong AI workforce here in the Triangle. 

Also here's some other interesting folks I think you should be watching out for who are going to be bringing the fire! 

🔥 Marc Sirkin, Founder, Marc Sirkin Consulting | Former CEO, Third Door 
🔥 Guoliang Cao, Research Triangle AI Society, Stop Learning, Start Building, Idea to product in one day!
🔥 Jen McFarland, Founder at Marit Digital | Writer for WRAL TechWire & Cary Magazine, Green AI: Finding Your Sustainable AI Solution
🔥 Harsha Upadhyay , All About Data LLC, 3 Simple Rules to Become an Agentic Polymath
🔥 Brittany B., How my digital twin stole my real life
🔥 Chip Kennedy , CivicReach, Our Relationship with Government: Building the AI-Native front Desk for Government Social Services
🔥 Yassah Reed, Gridiron Survivor, Prescription for Change: Addressing AI’s Place in Healthcare
🔥 Scott Gerard, PhD, Knowledge Reactor, Composite AI

Hope to see you there - https://lnkd.in/etyMu_PW

Spotlight on Nicholas Allen! Nicholas is helping young people break into AI with three powerful career-launching questions. His work at NPower is transforming futures — and he’s bringing that impact to the stage.

🗓️ December 3, 2025 
🕡 6:30 PM 
📍 Durham Armory 

Register here: https://cstu.io/bcf046

Ever spent 45 minutes making a presentation look "not terrible"—only to have a colleague ask if you made it in 2015? 

That frustration is exactly what Google's latest Gemini features aim to address. With "Beautify this slide," the AI analyzes your content and generates a “professionally” designed alternative in under 30 seconds. 

This isn't an incremental improvement. Google Workspace serves over 3 billion users, and as of January 2025, premium AI features are bundled into all Business and Enterprise plans at no additional cost. Organizations already paying for Workspace now have access to capabilities that previously required separate subscriptions or third-party tools. 

I recently wrote about how the enterprise AI market has clarified into a binary choice: Microsoft with OpenAI or Google with Gemini. If you're in the Google ecosystem—or evaluating which platform to standardize on—this guide shows you what's genuinely useful, what the limitations are, and how to start using these features today. 

This guide is for marketing managers, sales leaders, operations professionals, and anyone who spends 5+ hours per week in Google Workspace apps. No technical background required—if you can use Gmail, you can use these features.

A Practical Guide to the AI Features Reshaping the Productivity Suite How to Access Gemini in Google Workspace Before diving into specific features, h

Open article: Mastering Google Gemini by Mark Hinkle • 7 min read

This week, Google released Gemini 3, its most advanced model yet, and the AI and business world is abuzz. 

Here’s my take. We will have multiple AI models, ranging from small, bespoke models we fine-tune for our businesses to large, general-purpose models tied to our productivity suites. That means the majority of the world will be using either Google Workspace or Microsoft Office.

The enterprise AI market has clarified into a binary choice: Microsoft with OpenAI or Google with Gemini.

Both platforms offer frontier models integrated with productivity suites used by billions of people. Google's November 18th launch of Gemini 3 Pro at $2 per million tokens—60% below OpenAI's pricing—reflects this reality.

Wall Street's response has been unequivocal: Alphabet stock reached record highs, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a $4.3 billion position, and Loop Capital declared the "wall of worry" around Google's AI position "obliterated".

For enterprise technology leaders, this pattern should feel familiar—it mirrors the cloud infrastructure wars that saw AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud capture 66% of a market that exceeded $500 billion in 2023. The same dynamics that drove cloud consolidation are now reshaping AI: integration advantages trump technical superiority, platform economics beat point solutions, and distribution determines winners.

One of my friends, a tech-savvy executive, when asked about the release, gave me this amusing quote. Obviously, he was bullish on Google’s AI play:

“Everyone else is out there selling you a chatbot that can write a haiku about a dishwasher. Cute stuff, Sam. Google built a system that plans, builds, and learns. Put it this way, it’s the most intelligent employee you’ve ever hired that doesn’t ask for stock options, has a side hustle, or expects to be fed. As Google promised, build anything.”

Enterprise AI now mirrors the cloud wars: integration beats innovation, and scale drives consolidation. The Cloud Wars Precedent History rarely repeat

Open article: Google Gemini 3 and the Two-Platform AI Market by Mark Hinkle • 8 min read

Google Gemini 3 and the Two-Platform AI Market

As AI companies grow more powerful by the day, I keep thinking about what kind of leadership we truly need at the helm.

Peter Drucker taught us something crucial decades ago: there are two types of corporate responsibility. What companies do FOR society is nice—but what companies do TO society is what really matters. The social impact of our inventions isn't a side concern; it's central to the work itself.

This distinction hit me hard while listening to a story about Kirk Kerkorian and the 1980 MGM Grand fire. When 85 people died in that tragedy, insurance companies balked at paying settlements. Kerkorian didn't hide behind lawyers or wait for courts to sort it out. 

He paid victims out of his own pocket, then fought the insurers himself. His reasoning? "These were our guests."

That's the standard.

Now I look at today's AI leaders—the Altmans, the Zuckerbergs, the Huangs—and wonder: when AI inevitably causes harm (and the realist in me believes it will to some degree), will they stand behind their creations the way Kerkorian stood behind his? Will they say "these are our users" and act accordingly?

Drucker believed that taking responsibility for what your business does to society isn't just ethical—it's a competitive advantage. It builds trust. It creates sustainable success.

The companies building the most powerful technology in human history need leaders who understand they're not just building products—they're shaping society. And when things go wrong, we need leaders who won't point to fine print or insurance policies, but will step forward and say: 

"This happened on our watch. We'll make it right."

Here's hoping the future is full of more Kirk Kerkorians.

Some thought provoking reading for those that are interested:

Kirk Kerkorian's biography, The Gambler by William Rempel, 2018 - Thanks to the recommendation of Sam Parr on the MFM Podcast

Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, Peter Drucker, 1973 - There are about five chapters on social responsibility as a corporate practice and advantage. 

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI, Karen Hao , 2025 - The unauthorized story of OpenAI. Really worth the read. f

The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip, Stephen Witt, 2025 - Jensen did collaborate with the author and it's a great story. 

Anyhow the book that sat on my desk for almost ten years is also a great read of all Drucker's wisdom. I highly recommend that for the ;tldr.

While Silicon Valley chases the next billion-dollar SaaS unicorn, a massive arbitrage opportunity exists in applying AI to "boring businesses" – traditional service companies that generate steady cash flow but haven't adopted modern technology. 

This issue of the AIE focuses on what I think is a hugely overlooked opportunity. Businesses that aren’t immune but are resistant to the near-term AI boom while still able to benefit.

The Opportunity: The U.S. home services and trades are a great example. The U.S. HVAC, plumbing and electrical services industries generate about US $318 billion in service revenue. These markets remain highly fragmented. That fragmentation, plus a largely paper‑based operating model, underscores how little digital adoption has occurred.

The AI Gap: While 78% of all companies now use AI (up from 55% in 2023), traditional trades lag significantly. Small businesses that have adopted AI report saving 20+ hours monthly and $500-$2,000 in costs, with a 3.7x ROI on AI investments. Tools like Eagleview's drone AI can reduce quote time from 2 hours to 10 minutes while increasing close rates by 30-40%.

The Valuation Arbitrage: Small service businesses currently trade at just 2.2-3.8x EBITDA. Adding AI automation that increases margins by 20% can boost valuations to 5-7x EBITDA – an immediate value creation opportunity. Constellation Software has proven this model, generating 30%+ annual returns since 2006 by rolling up and optimizing vertical market software companies.

The entrepreneurs who win the next decade won't just be building AI – they'll be deploying commodity AI into industries where "machine learning" still sounds like science fiction. 

The future belongs to those who use AI to make human workers superhuman, not replace them.

How Traditional Businesses Are Quietly Building AI-Powered Empires While Everyone Else Chases Unicorns I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I a

Open article: The Unsexy AI Revolution by Mark Hinkle • 6 min read

Today I'm sharing an unexpected discovery that will probably save me thousands of dollars over the next year—and it has nothing to do with AI (though it will save me from unnecessary AI services too).
 
Here's what happened:
 
I recently made a large purchase on my credit card to maximize points. This maxed out my credit limit, so I initiated a wire transfer from one account to another to pay it off immediately.
 
In theory, wire transfers should be instantaneous. In reality? 

The transfer between Wells Fargo and Chase apparently travels by carrier pigeon—it took several days.
 
During those days, my maxed-out card started declining subscription charges. And that's when the magic happened.
 
I discovered subscriptions I'd completely forgotten about. Five services I never use got auto-cancelled after three failed payment attempts. No hour-long phone calls. No navigating impossible cancellation mazes. They just... disappeared.
 
My biggest frustrations with the current system:
 
😠 Credit card statements rarely link to vendor account management pages—just phone numbers that lead to customer service purgatory

😠 Some companies make cancellation nearly impossible  services that require phone calls during business hours, and then send you through IVR hell)

😠 Stripe is particularly frustrating—they process payments but send you on a wild goose chase to find the actual cancellation page
 
What I wish existed: A main stream  credit card that lets me block specific recurring charges with one click, without having to lock the entire card or dispute charges after the fact. (If anyone has recommendations, please share!)
 
While services like Rocket Money exist, this accidental method proved surprisingly effective.
 
Sometimes the best solutions come from happy accidents.

Do you use ChatGPT all day long, but still find yourself cutting and pasting across apps? Switching takes time and adds distraction.

You can save a ton of time and improve your workflows from ChatGPT by connecting the AI chatbot to your Gmail, Notion, Microsoft, and Canva accounts. Instead of toggling between systems, you run everything through a single conversation interface.

This is the promise of Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard developed by Anthropic that's rapidly becoming the USB port for AI systems. MCP creates a universal way for AI assistants to connect with your data sources and applications—from Google Drive to Slack to your internal databases—without complex API integrations or custom code.

In an earlier edition of The AIE, I described MCP as the USB-C of AI. Think of MCP as the plumbing that transforms AI from a smart chatbot into a capable digital employee. Instead of copy-pasting between systems, your AI assistant can directly access the tools it needs, just like giving a new team member their login credentials on day one.

What's emerging is a future where AI agents operate as true digital workers—complete with their own system access, the ability to create reports, triage tasks, and handle complex workflows. 

They won't just answer questions; they'll actively work across your tech stack, updating CRMs, scheduling meetings, and coordinating projects. The difference between an AI that can only chat and one that can actually do comes down to these connectors.

Bring your apps and data to ChatGPT instead of switching tabs all day. How AI Integration Can Improve Your Business Before diving into the how-to, let

Open article: Use ChatGPT Connectors to Work Smarter Across Systems by Mark Hinkle • 5 min read

Use ChatGPT Connectors to Work Smarter Across Systems

Best thing I've seen on the internet this week...

The old guys are coming. And they're fired up like the young bucks.

I've been watching John Willis, Patrick Debois, and Gene Kim—the guys who started DevOps.
They are neck-deep in AI, attacking problems like it's 2009 again... AI native infrastructure, vibe coding, post quantum AI.  

These aren't tourists. Decades of scar tissue meets tools you just discovered.

LIAM DARMODY walked out of our AI for GTM workshop with Greg Boone and Marc Sirkin talking about "soaking up insane amounts of knowledge."

The old guys aren't here to spectate. They're here to build.
Buy the ticket, take the ride. The greybeards have the playbook

Personal Brand Strategist & AI Coach | Helping humans build soulful brands & smarter operating systems w/ AI | Linkedin Sales Navigator Expert | Hot Sauce Aficionado 🌶️

Currently soaking up insane amounts of knowledge at the AI for GTM summit hosted by Marc Sirkin, Mark Hinkle, & Greg Boone and all I have to say is:

I think a lot of folks are interested in how LinkedIn can grow their personal brand and business. If you aren't following Richard van der Blom you are missing out. Really great analysis and his his annual LinkedIn reports are must reads.

Helping B2B Sales & Marketing Teams Turn LinkedIn into a Lead Generation & Business Growth Engine | Social Selling Expert | International Keynote Speaker| 4x Investor

Everyone is guessing how the LinkedIn algorithm works. But very few have data. 10 myths people still follow that are destroying their reach without them even noticing.
 
I wrote it in yesterday's newsletter (missed it? Sign up), LinkedIn isn’t punishing you. It's your strategy that needs an upgrade.
 
Here are 10 myths I still see people swear by — myths that silently cap your growth, bury your best posts, and keep you wondering why “the algorithm hates you.”
 
MYTH 1: “Post multiple times a day”  

MYTH 2: “Use hashtags to improve your reach”  

MYTH 3: “External links kill your reach”  

MYTH 4: “The first hour decides everything”  

MYTH 5: “Video always wins”  

MYTH 6: “Pods boost visibility”  

MYTH 7: “Tag more people = more reach”  

MYTH 8: “Don’t like or repost your own post”  

MYTH 9: “Personal posts hurt credibility”  

MYTH 10: “AI-written content performs just as well as human”
 
If you’re nodding along.
You’re already losing reach before you hit “post.”
 
I’ll show you why each of these myths collapses under real data — and what the algorithm actually rewards in 2025.
 
👉 Swipe the Carousel to see the breakdown. 
... but be prepared to unlearn 90% of the “LinkedIn tips” you’ve picked up over the past years.
 
PS: The Algorithm Insights 2025 will get another big Update in January.  If you want lifetime access, now’s the time.

RvdB 10 LinkedIn Algorithm Myths Everyone Believes

As long as I have been in tech I've never seen such a rapid and effective adoption of tech, that includes Docker back in the early cloud days. 

MCP just turned 1 year, and my friend Shannon shared the update. MCP has become the USB-C for AI and it's opening up a ton of ways to apply AI to other systems. 

Congrats to Anthropic for creating something amazing, and to everyone in the industry who contributed. 

I can't image what year 2 looks like!

As always, I'm late to the party!   Fantastic post about a fantastic project that has grown like crazy during a fantastic year. 

Never would have happened if David Soria Parra and the rest of the Anthropic team hadn't decided to be dramatically open in how MCP was managed.  

So many people did so much good work this year.  I have personally really appreciated the work of Tadas Antanavicius, Den Delimarsky, Toby Padilla, Angie Jones, Liad Yosef, Ido Salomon, Aaron Parecki, and Nick Cooper.  As well, of course of my co-founder Darren Shepherd who has come full circle on MCP as usual.

Here’s to the next year of #MCP.

https://lnkd.in/gKJNsJuk

Open article: One Year of MCP: November 2025 Spec Release by blog.modelcontextprotocol.io

One Year of MCP: November 2025 Spec Release

I am excited to hear Chip Kennedy speak at All Things AI Launchpad. I am excited to hear his talk. 

https://lnkd.in/e3RSm55K

I also love his company because of two things. 

One dealing with government systems are often archaic and CivicReach is helping them modernize. 

Two, his company is a modern incarnation of GovWorks from the movie Startup.com. One of my favorite documentaries. I mean this in a good way.

https://lnkd.in/eAztRXtw

Back during early bubble days GovWorks had a good idea but it pre-dated the wide adoption of microservices and cloud(in those days it was called SOA). 

Today we have API-driven systems and cloud making what Chip and his team are doing is the right idea at the right time.

Founder x CivicReach | Tech for Better Local Government | #TriangleTechNight

Pumped to share this! ⚡️

On December 3rd, I’ll be taking the stage at All Things AI Launchpad to talk about something that’s at the core of my life’s work:

Our relationship with government and how AI can meaningfully improve it.
At CivicReach, we’re building the AI-native front desk for government social services.
⚪️ Because navigating public services shouldn’t feel impossible.
⚪️ Because people deserve clarity, dignity, and timely help.
⚪️ Because local government can work better for everyone, and AI can help unlock that future.

If you’re curious about:
🟢 AI Innovation in the Triangle
🟢 What “AI-native government infrastructure” can look like
🟢 How startups (like CivicReach) are building for the social good

Come join us.

📍 Durham Armory, Durham, NC
 🗓️ December 3, 2025
 ⏰ 6:30 PM

Excited to learn from other builders, cheer on the community, and keep pushing the Triangle’s AI momentum forward.

Hope to see you there!

#CivicTech #AI #TriangleTech #GovTech #Durham #CivicReach #AllThingsAI

If you've been waiting for the right moment to invest in your AI skills, this is it.

Three opportunities worth your attention:

🎟️ All Things AI Conference 2026 (March 23-24, Durham) Save 20% with code BlackFridaySale through December 5th. Larger venue, expanded programming, and more tracks for builders, executives, and practitioners ready to move from AI pilots to real productivity.

📚 AI for Go-To-Market Training (December 3rd) Save 40% with code BlackFriday through Monday. Build actual campaigns and walk away with workflows that students say give them 8+ hours back every week.

💼 MetLife Career Event New grads and early-career professionals—MetLife is highlighting their Global Technology Hub in Cary, NC. Hear from SVP & CIO Venkata Natarajan and other tech leaders about open roles, career paths, and what it's really like to work there. Several positions are open for recent graduates and those with under 4 years of experience.

The professionals who invest in learning early don't just keep up—they lead.

Full details:

Open article: Black Friday: Upgrade Your AI Skills for Less by news.allthingsai.org

Join us in Durham, March 23rd and 24th for the southeast's biggest and best AI event.

Black Friday: Upgrade Your AI Skills for Less

Heard this quote in a movie this weekend...and it got me thinking. 

Miles Davis once said, "If you understood everything I said, you'd be me."
I think about this theme a lot—not just with AI, but with people.

Sometimes you're speaking the same language and still not connecting. Not because anyone's wrong. Just different. Like mayo on fries: delicious to some, disgusting to others. Neither side is broken.

As AI becomes more woven into our lives, the goal isn't perfect understanding. It's finding complementary relationships. Sometimes the fit is there. Sometimes it isn't.

That's not failure. That's just reality.

Not every human clicks with every human. Not every human will click with every AI. The skill is knowing when you've found a match worth building on—and when to move on without making it mean something it doesn't.

I think there's a lot of times when AI and humans are a match, it's just finding the opportunities.

I am super jazzed about this event tomorrow with Greg Boone and Marc Sirkin. Tickets are still available. 

https://lnkd.in/e5RAYM7V

Join us for AI for Go To Market (GTM), a one-day event dedicated to mastering artificial intelligence in marketing on Dec. 3, 2025 at the Durham Armory in Durham. The day will provide sessions and workshops sharing actionable insights on leveraging AI for sustainable business growth, with hands-on frameworks for developing AI readiness across your leadership, teams, and systems. Align culture, capability, and execution for successful AI adoption to your organization's marketing efforts.

Speakers include CEO at Walk West Greg Boone, Marc Sirkin Consulting's 
Marc Sirkin, Founder at The AIE Network & Co-founder All Things AI Mark Hinkle. 
Link to register in the comments.
#AI #Marketing #GTM #GoToMarket #Innovation #DurhamNC #RaleighNC #MarketingAI #Training #Sessions #workshops

I really enjoy what Shubham, has to say in general, I haven't taken it yet but I am confident it's pretty amazing. Take a look and let me know.

AI Product Manager @ Google | Open Source Awesome LLM Apps Repo (#1 GitHub with 80k+ stars) | 3x AI Author | Views are my Own

I just released this AI Agent Course for free what others charge $2,000+ for 🤯

A complete crash course on Google's Agent Development Kit with Gemini 3.

No paywall.
No email gate.
No get link in DM

Just drop everything and learn:
•  Agent creation & structured outputs
•  Tool integration (MCP, LangChain, custom functions)
•  Memory systems (in-memory + SQLite persistence)
•  Multi-agent patterns nobody teaches
•  Sequential, parallel, and iterative agentic workflows

9 tutorials. Real code. Real working examples.

Why free?
Because the best things I ever learned came from strangers who asked for nothing in return.

This is me paying that forward.

The repo already has 80,000+ stars.
80,000 developers who said "finally, someone just GAVE us the thing."

Go build something incredible.

🌟 Open Source GitHub Repository: https://lnkd.in/dW6b_dEn

♻️Repost to share it with your network. And follow me Shubham Saboo for more such tutorials.

taplio

The Battle

Alex K.

Mark Hinkle

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Performance ScoreMark Hinkle's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Alex K.

Mark Hinkle

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alex K.'s LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMark Hinkle's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAlex K.'s LinkedIn Performance