In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Jay Lauf, Co-Founder of Charter and former founding publisher of Quartz. With two successful media exits under his belt and decades leading iconic brands like The Atlantic and WIRED, Jay shares why the biggest AI opportunity isn't buying more tools—it's redesigning how people work. From building indispensable media businesses to creating sustainable high-performance cultures, he offers practical lessons for CEOs navigating AI, leadership, and the future of work.

Why Listen:

• Learn why 93% of AI investment goes into tools while only 7% goes into training, and why that imbalance is holding companies back.
• Discover how AI can increase productivity without increasing burnout by giving employees time back to focus on higher-value work.
• Hear why the future belongs to businesses that become indispensable, not just interesting, by earning meaningful, recurring attention.
• Explore practical leadership strategies from Charter, including no-meeting Fridays, manager user manuals, and using AI to improve quality rather than simply increasing output.
• Understand why founders often underestimate the human side of acquisitions, and how vision, leadership, and storytelling influence successful exits.

CONNECT WITH JAY: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lauf-b7452724/

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.

Learn more or apply for membership at https://www.revenueroomcxo.com/apply