Podcast

Radical Humanness In The Age of AI With Henrik Werdelin – TWMJ #1008

Welcome to episode #1008 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

What if artificial intelligence didn’t just build faster startups… but redefined what it means to be an entrepreneur? Henrik Werdelin has been exploring that question for years. As the co-founder of Bark (the company behind BarkBox and the new Bark Air) and Prehype (the startup studio that helped launch ventures like AndCo, Ro, and ManagedByQ), Henrik (who also has a great podcast called, Beyond The Prompt) has spent his career creating businesses that live at the intersection of creativity, community and technology. Now, with his new book Me, My Customer And AI, he’s rethinking entrepreneurship for a world where anyone can start a business, but few will build one that truly matters. In this conversation, we explore how AI is changing human behavior, the paradox of accessibility and saturation, and why “interestingness” may be the new metric of success. Henrik explains why the future of entrepreneurship isn’t about scale, it’s about intimacy, authenticity and knowing your customer better than anyone else. We also discuss his latest venture, Audos, a platform designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs build companies using AI agents, and how this movement could usher in a new “neighborhood economy” where small, deeply connected businesses thrive. From reflections on the early internet to insights about the next wave of AI-driven startups, Henrik’s ideas are both practical and profoundly human, reminding us that even in an algorithmic age, it’s our relationships, our curiosity and our resilience that will define what’s next. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 1:02:18.
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Here is my conversation with Henrik Werdelin.
Me, My Customer And AI.
Bark.
Audos.
Prehype.
Beyond The Prompt.
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Chapters:

(00:00) – Introduction to Entrepreneurship and AI.
(02:10) – Understanding AI’s Impact on Human Behavior.
(06:42) – The Evolution of AI Tools and Their Implications.
(11:54) – Navigating the Future: Utopia vs. Dystopia.
(18:46) – The Changing Landscape of Entrepreneurship.
(24:20) – The Role of AI in Business Creation.
(30:40) – Radical Humanness in the Age of AI.
(37:30) – The Future of Capitalism and Entrepreneurship.
(46:33) – The Unbundling of SaaS and Content Creation.
(55:43) – Pursuing Interestingness in Entrepreneurship.

Download the Podcast here: #1008 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).

Before you go… ThinkersOne gives you direct access to the experts shaping tomorrow’s conversations. Get their insights on leadership, AI, culture and innovation all delivered to your team before the rest of the world catches on. Ideal for your meetings, off-sites, and lunch & learns.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.