Bold Names 2026: AI, Data, and Cybersecurity Drive Business Innovation
TL;DR
- The 2026 season of "Bold Names" will feature CEOs from diverse industries including Chobani, Southwest Airlines, Qualcomm, and Lamborghini, signaling a focus on leadership across traditional and emerging business sectors.
- Max Levchin, former PayPal Mafia member and CEO of Affirm, will appear, highlighting the growing importance of "buy now, pay later" companies and data-centric business models.
- Christian Klein, CEO of global software giant SAP, is slated to be a guest, underscoring the continued influence of enterprise software in shaping business operations and innovation.
- The podcast will explore how AI is transforming business speed and innovation protection, with CrowdStrike's AI-native cybersecurity platform being presented as a solution for Fortune 100 companies.
Deep Dive
The "Bold Names" podcast is launching its 2026 season with a roster of influential leaders from diverse industries, signaling a focus on innovation and the strategic use of data in a rapidly evolving business landscape. The lineup, featuring CEOs from companies like SAP, Qualcomm, Affirm, Lamborghini, and Southwest Airlines, underscores the podcast's commitment to exploring how top executives navigate technological shifts and market dynamics. This curated selection of guests suggests an overarching theme of understanding the foundational technologies and leadership strategies that will define success in the coming year.
The implications of this guest selection extend to the podcast's core message: that data and artificial intelligence are becoming central to enterprise security, business speed, and overall innovation. By featuring leaders from companies at the forefront of both established industries (like automotive and aviation) and emerging tech sectors (like buy-now-pay-later and non-alcoholic beverages), "Bold Names" is positioning itself as a platform for understanding how diverse organizations are leveraging technology, particularly AI, to protect their innovations and accelerate their operations. The explicit mention of CrowdStrike's AI-native cybersecurity platform, designed to secure businesses and the AI fueling their innovation, highlights a critical second-order implication: as AI adoption accelerates, so does the imperative for robust, AI-driven cybersecurity to prevent breaches and maintain operational integrity. This suggests that the conversations will likely delve into the practical challenges and strategic advantages of integrating advanced technology, with a particular emphasis on the symbiotic relationship between AI-driven business transformation and the security measures required to support it.
Ultimately, the "Bold Names" 2026 season promises insights into how leading companies are adapting to a future where data is paramount and AI is a transformative force, emphasizing that strategic technological adoption, coupled with advanced security, is crucial for sustained innovation and competitive advantage.
Action Items
- Audit enterprise security: Assess adaptive identity platform for 3 core trust vulnerabilities (ref: SalePoint).
- Measure AI impact on business speed: Track innovation velocity for 5-10 AI-driven initiatives (ref: AI transforming speed).
- Evaluate cybersecurity platform: Verify AI-native capabilities for 70% Fortune 100 trust (ref: CrowdStrike).
- Track CEO guest insights: Categorize 3-5 key business strategy themes from upcoming interviews (ref: Bold Names guests).
Key Quotes
"We got the CEOs of Chobani, the yogurt company, Southwest, Qualcomm. Even the CEO of Athletic Brewing Company, that non-alcoholic beer maker, you know, if you're kind of sober curious for January."
This quote highlights the diverse range of business leaders who will be featured on the podcast. Mims indicates that guests will include CEOs from established companies like Chobani and Southwest, as well as from technology firms like Qualcomm and emerging industries such as non-alcoholic beverages.
"We've also got Lamborghini. We have former member of the PayPal mafia and CEO of buy now pay later company Affirm, Max Levchin. Data is everything is probably the shorthand I have for today."
Higgins points out two significant guests, emphasizing their impact and background. He mentions the CEO of Lamborghini, representing the automotive luxury sector, and Max Levchin, a notable figure from the fintech world, underscoring the theme that "data is everything."
"And it looks like we're also going to have the CEO of global software giant SAP, Christian Klein. Or you're you're dogfooding, I imagine. Oh, yes, yes. We call it drink your own champagne."
Mims confirms the appearance of Christian Klein, CEO of SAP, a major player in enterprise software. Higgins uses the idiom "drink your own champagne" to describe the practice of a company using its own products, implying SAP's internal use of its software solutions.
"Time is your most important asset. And AI is transforming the speed of business. Your innovation and how you protect it depends on the technology you choose to trust."
This statement emphasizes the critical role of time and the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on business operations. It suggests that the ability to innovate and safeguard those innovations is directly tied to the reliability of chosen technology.
"70% of the Fortune 100 trust CrowdStrike's leading AI-native cybersecurity platform, built to secure their business and the AI fueling their innovation. AI is changing the world. We're securing it. CrowdStrike. We stop breaches."
This quote positions CrowdStrike as a trusted provider of cybersecurity solutions for major corporations. It highlights their AI-native platform as essential for protecting businesses and the AI technologies they employ, with the assertive claim that CrowdStrike prevents breaches.
Resources
External Resources
People
- Max Levchin - Former member of the PayPal mafia and CEO of buy now pay later company Affirm
- Christian Klein - CEO of global software giant SAP
Organizations & Institutions
- Chobani - Mentioned as a company whose CEO will be a guest
- Southwest - Mentioned as a company whose CEO will be a guest
- Qualcomm - Mentioned as a company whose CEO will be a guest
- Athletic Brewing Company - Mentioned as a company whose CEO will be a guest
- Lamborghini - Mentioned as a company whose CEO will be a guest
- Affirm - Mentioned as a buy now pay later company
- SAP - Mentioned as a global software giant
- PayPal - Mentioned in relation to the "PayPal mafia"
- Fortune 100 - Mentioned as a group that trusts CrowdStrike's platform
- CrowdStrike - Mentioned for its AI-native cybersecurity platform
Other Resources
- SalePoint Adaptive Identity - Mentioned as the foundation for enterprise security and trust
- AI - Mentioned as transforming the speed of business and fueling innovation