Brad Wetherall: AI Search, Agentic AI, and How Corporations Must Adapt to Digital Discovery

About this episode

Brad Wetherall discusses the transformative impact of AI on search engines and how corporations must adapt to digital discovery.

Brad Wetherall: AI Search, Agentic AI, and How Corporations Must Adapt to Digital Discovery In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by Brad Wetherall, former Director of Operations at Google and current COO of Esquire Digital, to unpack the transformative impact of AI on search engines and digital visibility. The conversation explores how search is moving beyond traditional search engine optimization (SEO) to an era where AI agents, neural networks, and zero-click searches are redefining how brands are discovered, trusted, and chosen online. Brad Wetherall outlines the emergence of "agentic AI" and the rise of the "frontier firm," where human expertise and AI collaborate to generate both authority and visibility in this new digital ecosystem. This episode offers actionable strategies for corporations, regulated industries, and innovators aiming to future-proof their digital presence and leverage the next chapter of AI-led search. KEY TAKEAWAYS The traditional SEO playbook is now outdated. The critical question is no longer “How do I rank number one on Google?” but “What does AI say about my company?” AI-generated summaries and answer engines sit at…

People in this episode

Host: Sabine VanderLinden

Guest: Brad Wetherall

Topics covered

• AI Search
• Agentic AI
• Digital Discovery
• SEO
• Corporate Strategy
• Digital Visibility

Keywords

• AI
• search engines
• digital visibility
• SEO
• agentic AI
• corporate strategy
• neural networks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Google, Esquire Digital

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