In this episode of Builders Wanted, we are joined by Deepak Singh, Vice President of Developer Agents and Experiences at AWS, and Inbal Shani, Chief Product Officer and Head of R&D at Twilio. They discuss what it means to build with AI, the evolution of developer tools, and how they are assisting customers in leveraging AI for customer engagement and innovation. The conversation covers the importance of curiosity, adaptability, and trust in this new era of AI-powered development.

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Key Takeaways:

• Developers need to be curious and adaptable to thrive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
• Successful AI implementation relies on building trust, simplifying processes, and focusing on customer outcomes.
• Enabling experimentation while managing risk helps organizations fully leverage the potential of AI.

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“It is very easy for a dev team or a product team to say, ah, this is the best way of doing something and we are going to follow this through wherever we want to. Instead of working with customers to understand, do you even care? I think with AI it's very important to take constraints away.  So if you combine listening to customers and unconstraining your thinking, you can accomplish a lot.” – Deepak Singh

“  When you're using AI, you need to understand that using a model, training a model, having the data, having a feedback loop, all of that is not a magical thing that just happens by itself. It requires investment and you need to be serious about it. When looking to take AI into production, you need to understand what is the complexity of the problem you're trying to solve, and how to deploy the right AI solution to really solve that problem versus swinging by.” – Inbal Shani

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(02:35) - What it means to be a builder and the hardest part about building tools

‍*(10:50) - The most exciting shift happening in the developer ecosystem

‍*(21:17) - How to manage risk with the pace of innovation

‍*(26:15) - What people underestimate about building AI products at scale

‍*(40:57) - A recent signal that excites Deepak and Inbal about the future

‍*(43:52) - Quick hits

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Links:

Connect with Deepak on LinkedIn

Connect with Inbal on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we’re joined by Eric Helmer, Chief Technology Officer at Rimini Street. Eric shares his insights on how to modernize mission-critical systems without compromising performance. Learn about the misconceptions about tech modernization, the importance of agility and flexibility in tech stacks, and the shift from reactive to proactive IT roles.

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Key Takeaways:

• The importance of modernizing critical systems without diving headfirst into vendor-driven migrations to the cloud.
• Transparency in operations and involving end-users early in the process can build trust and ensure smoother transitions.
• By optimizing existing configurations and processes before implementing new technologies, organizations can achieve significant cost savings and efficiency gains.

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“ When you show organizations that you genuinely want to help them by showing them all the different options that they have in an agnostic way, it's a really best way to build fantastic relationships and keep that engagement simple and strategic. You have to figure out where you're going to spend your budgets. You have to take the emotion out of it. You gotta take tradition out of it and boil it down to data points that create obvious best choices.” – Eric Helmer

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(02:08) - How Eric defines his mission as a builder

‍*(06:12) - One major shift in how IT leaders approach long-term transformation

‍*(13:49) - How Eric keeps customer engagement simple and strategic

‍*(22:05) - A recent transformation Eric is proud of

‍*(28:19) - A low-profile change that made a surprising difference

‍*(36:27) - One thing every CIO should start or stop doing

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‍Links:

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we sit down with Dar Miranda, VP of Customer Engagement at DailyPay, to delve into the innovative strategies behind real-time financial management for workers. Explore how financial stress impacts employee engagement, the shift towards employee-centric pay models, and the bold moves Daily Pay is making to transform traditional payroll systems.

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Key Takeaways:

• DailyPay’s mission to provide employees faster, more flexible access to earned wages.
• Financial stress causes a significant impact on employees' focus, productivity, and job satisfaction.
• The integration of AI will help solve customer problems and drive growth, but will not replace humans.

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“ The trend that I'm watching most closely is the integration of AI to proactively solve customer problems, but also unlock new growth avenues. So it's not just about reactively answering questions or the ability to reactively answer questions quickly, it's about shifting AI from this like cost center efficiency play  to a revenue and loyalty driver.” – Dar Miranda

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(05:36) - The boldest thing DailyPay is building right now

‍*(11:25) - The surprising way users engage with DailyPay

‍*(21:15) - Where Dar draws the line between automation and human connection

‍*(32:01) - A CX trend Dar is watching closely

‍*(36:27) - What every CX leader should start or stop doing

‍*(38:55) - Dar’s advice for builders creating empathetic customer experiences

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Links:

Connect with Dar on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we sit down with Cole Moir, Vice President of Brand and Digital Marketing at TCL North America, to explore what it takes to create a standout brand in a crowded market. Tune in to hear about the methods behind creating high-impact, emotionally resonant brand experiences and the future role of AI and personalization in marketing.

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Key Takeaways:

• A focus on creating memorable and emotional moments for audiences builds a more meaningful connection with consumers and aligns with the brand's identity and values.
• Brands that leverage cultural moments to enhance their relevance and impact connect with audiences on a shared emotional and cultural ground.
• Clarity in messaging often wins over cleverness, especially in crowded markets, and leads to stronger trust and engagement among consumers.

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“ The key is to design brand experiences that respect attention, not demand it. In a world of infinite content, brands that break through are the ones that earn the moment by being useful or entertaining or emotionally resonant. We don't chase eyeballs, we chase impact.” – Cole Moir

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(02:08) - The boldest thing TCL is building right now

‍*(06:08) - How Cole thinks about aligning brand moments with cultural ones

‍*(09:17) - How to design brand experiences without burning out your audience

‍*(12:54) - How TCL stays fresh in a fast moving category

‍*(21:54) - What Cole learned from campaigns early in his career

‍*(28:28) - Quick hits: insight and inspiration

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Links:

Connect with Cole on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we sit down with Dugan Winkie, Head of Commercial Strategy at Cedar, to explore how AI is reshaping one of the most emotionally complex industries: healthcare. From frustrating call center experiences to opaque billing processes, Dugan breaks down how Cedar is reimagining patient engagement with conversational AI, real-time data, and a builder’s mindset.

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Key Takeaways:

• Strategic innovation involves closely monitoring market feedback, especially given significant operational cost constraints, regulatory uncertainties, and budget cuts.
• The use of conversational AI ensures that patients receive timely and accurate assistance, which reduces dependency on call centers and enhances the overall patient experience.
• Health systems must balance using innovative technologies while adhering to strict regulatory frameworks to ensure a seamless and secure patient financial experience.

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“ There is a lot of information silos, simultaneously, where we're expecting patients to know how to navigate a very complex system.  And we think conversational AI and agentic AI is a great manifestation where we can leverage a lot of our core competency and network connections to help answer those patients' questions in a way that is delightful.” – Dugan Winkie

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(02:10) - The boldest thing Cedar is building right now

‍*(03:52) - How Cedar is using AI to humanize the patient financial experience

‍*(14:24) - Recent patient behaviors that pushed Cedar to rethink the billing experience

‍*(23:11) - How Cedar designed its AI agent, Kora, to be helpful and empathetic to patients

‍*(31:10) - How Cedar is balancing AI innovation and healthcare regulations

‍*(35:40) - How AI has already improved the patient journey

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Links:

Connect with Dugan on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

Twilio just reintroduced itself to the world with a bold new brand—and in this kickoff episode of Builders Wanted, you’ll meet the leaders behind it.

Host Kailey Raymond sits down with Chris Koehler (CMO) and Adam Morgan (VP of Brand & Creative) to unpack the strategy, emotion, and hard decisions behind Twilio’s brand refresh. They share how they turned a platform for developers into a movement for builders, what it takes to evolve without losing your DNA, and why the best brands don’t just look good—they make people feel seen.

Expect honest takes on brand risk, leadership, internal buy-in, and one idea that (almost) involved a kidnapper van.

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Key Takeaways:

• How the Twilio rebrand unifies developers, business leaders, and marketers through the ‘builder’ concept.
• How to achieve buy-in from employees and customers for a successful brand refresh.
• How adaptability and a sense of urgency enables swift and decisive actions, fostering creativity and strategic alignment during a brand refresh.

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“ A builder is really anyone. It's anyone who's got a dream or a vision or a passion or excitement to go out and make something. Builders are the people who have an idea and actually go and do something about it. They go out and make it. That's such an important part of our story because what are we as Twilio? We are a platform where you can build amazing customer experiences. That is the invitation to anyone, whether you're the C-suite down to a developer, that you have this freedom to build whatever you want.” – Adam Morgan

“ It actually speaks to me because I may not be building software, but I'm trying to build a team and a culture and a company, I'm building a family. I see myself as a builder, but I'm not hands on keyboard building applications. That's, I think, the secret sauce of this is that it actually applies to everyone. That takes some deliberate thought into, as you build this, and really understanding what your audience cares about.” – Chris Koehler

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(02:37) - Introducing Twilio’s brand refresh

‍*(06:45) - How the term ‘builder’ is central to Twilio’s new identity

‍*(13:58) - How and how not to run a rebrand

‍*(22:47) - How the brand is landing in market

‍*(33:20) - Rapid fire takes

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Links:

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Connect with Adam on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

After three seasons of insightful discussions, deep dives into data and marketing wisdom, we're saying goodbye to Good Data, Better Marketing. In its place rises something bigger, bolder, and better.

Introducing Builders Wanted, the podcast for trendsetters. The ones who break, build, and rebuild. The architects of digital experiences, seamless communication, and next gen strategies.

A builder is not a job title – it's a mindset. Whether you're engineering the future of AI, rethinking customer engagement, or launching something that's never been done before. This podcast is for you.

This season, we go beyond trends and into the trenches, talking to the visionaries, risk takers, and pioneers who are shaping the business world. No fluff, no buzzwords, just the real stories of breakthroughs, pivots, and game changing innovation, one episode at a time.

Hit subscribe and let's get to work, builders.

This episode features an interview with Chris Villarreal, Global Director of Marketing for Wearables at Meta. Chris and his team build and scale programs to drive consumer education, desire, and adoption of immersive devices. Previously, he was the Head of Brand for Meta Financial Technologies, leading brand management, integrated marketing, and the Creative Studio. He has also held roles at Goldman Sachs, American Express, and Equinox.

In this episode, Kailey sits down with Chris to discuss insights on category creation, the significance of solving real consumer problems, and how Meta is leveraging multimodal AI to enhance everyday life with their Ray-Ban Meta Glasses.

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Key Takeaways:

• Wearable technology has evolved significantly with integrated AI for real-time language translation, improved audio and camera quality, and practical daily utilities.
• Creating and promoting a new product category involves raising awareness through high-profile events, leveraging authentic communication via creators, and ensuring marketing messages are consistent across all channels.
• Creating a successful product category requires solving real customer problems and creating delightful user experiences.

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“ What we're trying to do is create more and more value throughout the day for you to be wearing this wearable all the time. It goes from something that you use for a specific use case, like taking a picture or sharing your point of view or listening to something, to something you want to wear all the time, because you're actually finding utility.” – Chris Villarreal

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(02:14) - Chris’s career journey

*(04:09) - Trends influencing wearable technology today

‍*(06:20) - What differentiates Ray-Ban Meta Glasses from other wearable technology

‍*(13:02) - Safety and privacy guardrails around Meta’s Glasses

‍*(20:11) - How Chris defines ‘good data’

‍*(35:01) - Chris’s recommendations for those creating a new product category

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Links:

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Good Data, Better Marketing is brought to you by Twilio Segment. In today’s digital-first economy, being data-driven is no longer aspirational. It’s necessary. Find out why over 20,000 businesses trust Segment to enable personalized, consistent, real-time customer experiences by visiting Segment.com