EP 124: He Built His Own AI Company Then Shut It Down

EP 124: He Built His Own AI Company Then Shut It Down

August 18, 2026 · 1h 1m

About this episode

Roger Hurni discusses the lessons learned from hiring mistakes and the decision to abandon an in-house AI project.

A toxic hire nearly cost him his agency. Then he made a similar mistake again, this time trying to build his own AI instead of renting one. In this episode, Roger Hurni, founder and Chief Brand Strategist of Off Madison Ave, whose client roster includes Nike, Wells Fargo, PetSmart, and P.F. Chang's, breaks down the culture-first hiring lesson he learned the hard way, why his team abandoned an in-house AI build for an off-the-shelf tool, and the AI philosophy he wrote for his own staff: expand...

More episodes of Embracing Marketing Mistakes

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Embracing Marketing Mistakes podcast page.