
"The CEO Must Be the Chief AI Officer"
From Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator
June 10, 2026 · 54 min
About this episode
Pedro Franceschi discusses the transformative impact of AI on companies and the role of the CEO as the chief AI officer.
Brex co-founder and CEO Pedro Franceschi believes most people still underestimate how much AI will change the way companies are built. AI isn't just another tool, it's a new foundation for building products, teams, and companies.In this episode of Lightcone, Pedro shares why he thinks we're only months into a platform shift as significant as the invention of electricity, how AI has changed the way he works, and why every founder should be "token maxing" to understand the limits of the technology firsthand.He explains why the CEO needs to be the chief AI officer, how Brex is rebuilding itself around AI, and why founders should rethink what's possible when intelligence is available on demand.
People in this episode
Guest: Pedro Franceschi
Topics covered
- AI
- leadership
- technology
- startups
- innovation
Keywords
- AI
- CEO
- Brex
- technology shift
- founders
- innovation
- platform shift
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Brex
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