
"Quit If Your CEO Isn't Using AI" with John-D Trask
From Tech Waka Podcast by Tech Waka Podcast
April 13, 2026 · 40 min · Season 3 · Episode 5
About this episode
JD Trask discusses his radical approach to integrating AI into his companies and the implications for CEOs.
JD Trask has been building global tech companies from Wellington since 2007, first Mindscape, then Raygun, now Autohive. When ChatGPT arrived, he didn't wait to see what happened. He shut down his company for a week, made every employee pass an engineering hiring test using AI, and started rebuilding his entire organisation around agents. In this episode, JD shares what he actually saw during that week, why he put TVs around the office showing each employee's token usage, and why he thinks the "AI makes mistakes" argument says more about the person making it than about AI. He also shares his AI economic maturity model, his take on headcount as an ego metric, and why the most important thing a CEO can do right now is get their hands dirty. Autohive: https://www.autohive.com/ Raygun: https://raygun.com/ This episode is sponsored by Wires Uncrossed - helping teams across New Zealand, Australia and beyond untangle software delivery and build systems that truly perform. wiresuncrossed.co.nz
People in this episode
Guest: John-D Trask
Topics covered
- AI implementation
- CEO strategies
- organizational change
- technology in business
- economic maturity model
Keywords
- AI
- CEO
- organizational change
- engineering hiring test
- economic maturity model
- token usage
- software delivery
Sponsors
Wires Uncrossed
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mindscape, Raygun, Autohive
Places: Wellington
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