From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht
Claim This Podcastby Phil Fersht
Podcast Overview
<p>As technology rapidly evolves, the world has undergone a significant transformation. Society has shifted from being human-centered to a complex web of digital automation, AI, and human workers who support it. This rapid innovation outpaces regulations and threatens social mobility.</p><p>The rise of AI presents a critical challenge: how can businesses and policymakers ensure that AI enhances, rather than hinders, human creativity and innovation? Automating routine tasks could free up people for roles requiring creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, but it demands a focus on continuous learning and digital literacy.</p><p>The first season of From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht explores the intersection of AI, work, and society, aiming to shape the future.</p>
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Publishing Since
9/18/2024
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Recent Episodes
July 2, 2026
Phil pods with Exponential View Founder Azeem Azhar: There is no AI bubble: The enterprise velocity gap & China's efficiency moat
In this episode of From the Horse's Mouth, HFS Research CEO and Chief Analyst Phil Fersht sits down with Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View, Bloomberg contributor, and author of Exponential, for a candid conversation about where AI really stands inside the enterprise. Azeem explains why he believes there is no imminent AI bubble, pointing to enterprise investment, customer spending, and revenue growth as signs of sustained momentum. Together, Phil and Azeem discuss the growing AI velocity gap between individuals and enterprises, why legacy systems and leadership remain major barriers to adoption, and how AI agents, forward-deployed engineers, and organizational agility are reshaping competitive advantage. They also explore China's AI progress, enterprise trust in AI, workforce reskilling, and why speed of execution, rather than technology alone, will define tomorrow's market leaders. This episode is essential viewing for business leaders, technology executives, consultants, investors, and anyone looking to understand the real impact of AI on enterprise transformation and the future of work. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:23 – AI in the enterprise today 04:24 – Is there really an AI bubble? 08:47 – The AI velocity gap 14:13 – Culture, talent, and AI adoption 21:21 – Building competitive advantage with AI 30:30 – Lessons from China's AI ecosystem 37:15 – Why enterprise trust in AI matters 44:05 – The future of work and productivity 52:55 – Closing thoughts Learn more & connect * HFS Research: https://www.hfsresearch.com [https://www.hfsresearch.com/] * The podcast: https://horsesmouthpodcast.com [https://horsesmouthpodcast.com/] * Phil Fersht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfersht * Azeem Azhar's Exponential View: https://www.exponentialview.com [https://www.exponentialview.com/] About From the Horse's Mouth From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht brings together founders, executives, and contrarian thinkers for unfiltered conversations on the forces reshaping business and technology. Hosted by HFS Research CEO and Chief Analyst, Phil Fersht. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #FutureOfWork #AzeemAzhar #PhilFersht #HFSResearch
June 25, 2026
Phil pods with Genpact CEO Balkrishan "BK" Kalra: The $18 trillion reason your AI isn't working
In this episode of From the Horse's Mouth, HFS Research CEO and Chief Analyst Phil Fersht sits down with Balkrishan "BK" Kalra, President and CEO of Genpact, for a candid conversation on why most enterprises are still chasing AI returns on broken foundations, and what it actually takes to unlock value at scale. BK argues there is no artificial intelligence without process intelligence. Drawing on Genpact's roots in running mission-critical operations at GE, the birthplace of Lean and Six Sigma, he makes the case that the fundamentals have never changed: until enterprises do the foundational work in data, process, technology, and talent, the ROI on AI simply won't materialize. At the heart of the conversation is the concept of enterprise debt. Technology debt, BK says, is only the tip of the iceberg — the real drag lies in the hidden process, data, and talent debt beneath the surface. Phil and BK unpack the HFS–Genpact research showing aspirations are high while readiness is low, why only 6% of enterprises have meaningfully acted despite widespread awareness, and why the challenge now is less about awareness and more about leadership courage, ownership, and execution speed. They also dig into the staggering $18 trillion in recoverable enterprise value tied to debt remediation, and why AI transformation and enterprise debt remediation are really the same program — a holistic, CEO-level agenda rather than a CIO/CTO technology project. BK explains why the payoff is a factor change, not just incremental improvement, why the gains compound over three to six years of disciplined execution, and why active, high-frequency governance is what separates enterprises that execute from those that remain stalled. Finally, BK shares how this is reshaping Genpact itself: the "five billion dollar startup" mindset, the Yin-and-Yang leadership blend of deep-domain veterans and tech natives, and the bold workforce bet that within three to four years there will be only two kinds of people at Genpact —AI builders and AI practitioners — with nearly 10,000 builders and 20,000 practitioners already earned, with zero whitewashing allowed. Essential viewing for CEOs, CFOs, COOs, heads of supply chain, services, and outsourcing leaders, and anyone serious about turning AI ambition into measurable enterprise value. Learn More & Connect * HFS Research: https://www.hfsresearch.com [https://www.hfsresearch.com/] * The podcast: https://horsesmouthpodcast.com [https://horsesmouthpodcast.com/] * Phil Fersht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfersht [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfersht] * BK Kalra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balkrishan-kalra About From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht brings together founders, executives, and contrarian thinkers for unfiltered debate on the forces reshaping business and technology. Hosted by HFS Research CEO and Chief Analyst Phil Fersht. #AI #EnterpriseAI #FutureOfWork #Genpact #AgenticAI #BKKalra #PhilFersht #HFSResearch
June 11, 2026
Phil pods with Cognizant Co-Founder Frank D'Souza: Why AI is breaking the IT services industry
The man who co-founded Cognizant and scaled it from a startup to 280,000 people, $16B in revenue, and ~$40B in market cap has a blunt message for the IT services industry: the scarcity-era playbook is finished. In this episode of From the Horse's Mouth, HFS Research CEO and Chief Analyst Phil Fersht sits down with Frank D'Souza, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Recognize and author of the new white paper The Great Decoupling, for a candid debate on how AI is rewriting the economics of services. They unpack "the great paradox": code has never been more valuable, yet the cost of producing it is collapsing toward zero. Frank explains why the industry's habit of pricing the input (billable hours, utilization, headcount) instead of the output is the real threat — and why the firms that survive will sell certainty and outcomes, not tires and spark plugs. This is a no-nonsense conversation about the AI reckoning facing IT services, consulting, and digital transformation — and a roadmap for the leaders willing to drop revenue before they grow it. Chapters 00:00 – Meet Frank D'Souza: from Cognizant to Recognize 01:43 – The 3 things that built Cognizant into a $16B giant 03:27 – The innovator's dilemma: why incumbents get disrupted 04:41 – The great paradox: code priceless AND worthless 07:45 – Selling the experience, not the inputs 09:46 – Why talent — not tech — is the real bottleneck 12:13 – The J-Curve danger: how to spot a firm on the wrong side 14:19 – Wall Street, Jevons' paradox & people-heavy businesses 17:08 – The "first mile and last mile" services opportunity 20:15 – OpenAI & Anthropic services deals: threat or gift? 22:46 – Mass retraining, young talent & "artificial wisdom" 25:21 – From the pyramid to the diamond: the new talent geometry 30:26 – A NASSCOM-style industry-wide apprenticeship? 32:10 – Building culture from the bottom up 34:49 – Do we need better leaders in services? 36:03 – Big vs. small: who wins the AI transition? 39:46 – The Syclum story: managing through war and the J-Curve 43:24 – "Outcome density": what we'll talk about in 2 years 45:10 – The coming wave of chaotic consolidation & M&A Explore More * HFS Research: https://www.hfsresearch.com/ [https://www.hfsresearch.com/] * The Podcast: https://horsesmouthpodcast.com/ [https://horsesmouthpodcast.com/] * Phil Fersht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfersht/ * Frank's white paper, The Great Decoupling: https://recognize.com/the-great-decoupling/ * Frank D'Souza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscodsouza About From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht brings together founders, executives, and contrarian thinkers for unfiltered debate on the forces reshaping business and technology. Hosted by HFS Research CEO and Chief Analyst Phil Fersht. #AI #ITServices #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #DigitalTransformation #Consulting #leadershiptips
45 total episodes available
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- What is From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht?
<p>As technology rapidly evolves, the world has undergone a significant transformation. Society has shifted from being human-centered to a complex web of digital automation, AI, and human workers who support it. This rapid innovation outpaces regulations and threatens social mobility.</p><p>The rise of AI presents a critical challenge: how can businesses and policymakers ensure that AI enhances, rather than hinders, human creativity and innovation? Automating routine tasks could free up people for roles requiring creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, but it demands a focus on continuous learning and digital literacy.</p><p>The first season of From the Horse's Mouth: Intrepid Conversations with Phil Fersht explores the intersection of AI, work, and society, aiming to shape the future.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 6 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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