Brex's Bold Move: How They're Winning with AI

Brex, a company known for its corporate credit cards, is tackling the challenge of keeping up with AI advancements. The issue? AI evolves too fast for traditional company processes. Brex's CTO, James Reggio, shared their solution at a recent conference. Initially, Brex tried using their usual, slow procurement process to evaluate AI tools. But, by the time they finished, the tools were outdated, and interest had faded. This was a wake-up call. They realized they needed a new approach. Brex's new strategy involves a faster way to check AI tools and get them to employees quickly. They also give engineers a monthly budget to pick their own tools from an approved list. This empowers employees to choose what works best for them. Reggio calls this a "superhuman product-market-fit test. " It's about finding out if a tool is truly valuable before investing more. Brex has tried many tools, and some didn't make the cut. But that's okay. It's all part of the learning process. Reggio advises other companies to "embrace the messiness. " It's better to try and learn than to wait and fall behind. He warns against spending too much time evaluating tools, as the AI world changes rapidly.