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What does it take to lead with clarity and purpose in the era of AI? That question brought our ICONIQ Community to Healdsburg for ICONIQ Ascent, a 48-hour gathering of founders, CEOs, and other visionaries. Together, we explored how mastering the alchemy of AI innovation and human insight is critical to differentiating merely disruptive companies from those that truly endure.
Guided by bold thinkers and world-class operators, we immersed ourselves in a mosaic of top-of-mind topics, from agentic AI to operating models, decision science, and leadership evolution. Highlights included:
- In a forward-looking conversation with Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, predicted a pivotal window between 2025–2027 when virtual collaborators shift from concept to co‑workers, unlocking 20 %+ productivity gains and moving humans largely “out of the loop” for routine development.
- Reinforcing that customer closeness still beats grand vision, Tooey Courtemanche, CEO and Founder of Procore, urged leaders to get out of the boardroom and onto the job site. He framed AI not as a tool, but as a cultural shift—one that demands empathy, urgency, and field immersion.
- Drawing from hard-earned lessons across multiple market shifts, Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, laid out a manifesto for scaling with clarity and urgency—owner’s mindset, uncompromising standards, and decisive talent moves.
- Offering a blueprint for navigating change at scale, Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan, shared how their IPO discipline sharpened growth priorities and how tying AI usage to performance keeps the company outcome‑obsessed.
- In a case study in first-principles leadership, Adam Foroughi, co-founder and CEO of AppLovin, outlined how flattening his organization and cutting excess headcount paved the way for an AI-native mindset, and why every investor update should emphasize lasting value over quarterly noise.
- In a bold bet on reinvention, Bhavin Shah, CEO and co-founder of Moveworks, recounted rebuilding 35 percent of his codebase to pivot from chatbot to agentic platform, a shift that culminated in an upcoming acquisition by ServiceNow.
- Drawing on championship experience, Andre Iguodala, NBA champion and investor, likened high-performing companies to elite sports teams, emphasizing that trust, humility, and razor-sharp role clarity are the superpowers behind sustained success.
- Blending insights from psychology and poker, Maria Konnikova, author, psychologist, and professional poker player, offered a disciplined framework for high-stakes decision-making: distinguish process from outcome, prepare with rigor, and place strategic bets rather than emotional ones.
- Sharing perspective on where the market is heading, Will Griffith and Matt Jacobson, Partners at ICONIQ, outlined a roadmap for the AI era that argues tomorrow’s winners will harness proprietary data, embrace agentic workflows, rethink pricing models, and stay technically close to both product and customer.
As every founder knows, the entrepreneurial path is rarely smooth. We’re grateful to partner with our Community on their ascent, turning insight into action and driving uncommon outcomes now and for the future.
Published:
June 24, 2025
