Why Sustainable Businesses Start With Integrity | Rakesh Tiku | The Value Creation Mindset

In this episode of The Value Creation Mindset, host A.J. Singh is joined by Rakesh Tiku, President and CEO of Infield Solutions, for a deep conversation on why sustainable businesses start with integrity, ethical leadership, and long-term thinking.

Rakesh shares his journey from an academic upbringing to becoming a serial entrepreneur focused on solving real problems through technology, IoT platforms, and workflow automation. The discussion explores decision-making with incomplete information, forgiveness in leadership, fairness in negotiations, and why people are the only asset that truly increases in value over time.

If you are a founder, CEO, CTO, or business leader building for the long term, this episode offers practical insight into values-driven leadership, creating real customer value, and building teams that thrive on trust.

00:00 Why integrity matters
01:00 Rakesh’s origin story
04:30 Solving real problems
06:00 Happiness as a choice
07:40 Forgiving yourself
10:00 Letting go of baggage
12:10 Ethics and fairness
15:00 Sustainable profit
17:10 Trust and leadership
20:00 Redefining success
24:00 Building trust at scale
27:00 Leadership styles
30:00 Strategy and focus
33:00 Working on the business
36:00 People as the core asset
39:00 Loyalty and culture
43:00 Global productivity
47:00 Quality over hours
50:00 Identity and culture
53:00 Being on the right path
55:40 Defining legacy
58:30 Purpose and joy
01:01:00 Final reflections

In this episode of The Value Creation Mindset, host A.J. Singh speaks with Eyal Katz, CIO of Priority Software and a serial product builder with decades of experience in commercial software and platforms.

Eyal shares a practical, experience-led perspective on building real products versus one-off projects, scaling teams, and creating value in an increasingly AI-driven world. The conversation explores why probabilistic AI systems are risky in enterprise environments, how human-in-the-loop and deterministic design unlock trust, and why simplicity, persistence, and first principles still matter more than speed alone.

This episode is essential listening for founders, CEOs, CTOs, product leaders, and engineers who want to understand how to use AI responsibly, build scalable products, and create lasting value without sacrificing discipline or judgment.

Episode Highlights and Timestamps

• 00:01:16 – The electricity of building software
  Why the ability to turn ideas into working products is addictive for builders.
• 00:02:34 – Always saying yes and learning the hard way
  Early career lessons on responsibility, growth, and paying your dues.
• 00:05:22 – Software engineers are still building products
  Why thinking like a manufacturing engineer leads to better software.
• 00:07:10 – Hiring engineers who can solve real problems
  Why interviews rarely tell the full story and how great teams are built.
• 00:12:21 – Agile versus waterfall misses the point
  Why extremes fail, and structure still matters.
• 00:19:35 – Why probabilistic AI is dangerous in enterprise systems
  Trust, accuracy, and the risks of relying on 90% answers.
• 00:21:10 – Human-in-the-loop and deterministic AI design
  How to combine AI speed with reliability and control.
• 00:26:27 – AI as a force multiplier, not a replacement
  Why AI increases job security when used correctly.
• 00:35:15 – Never give up
  Persistence is the real secret behind long-term success.
• 01:18:10 – Time to value is now dramatically faster
  How experienced builders can create and deliver value at unprecedented speed.

In this episode of The Value Creation Mindset, host A.J. Singh sits down with Pieter van Schalkwyk, CEO of XMPro, to explore how real value is created in complex, technology-driven businesses.

With a background spanning mechanical engineering, industrial IoT, and enterprise software, Pieter shares hard-earned lessons on leadership, first principles, and decision-making under real-world constraints. The conversation dives into why many software and AI initiatives fail, how poor strategic focus can destroy millions in value, and why staying rational matters more than ever in an era of hype-driven innovation.

This episode is essential listening for CEOs, CTOs, product leaders, and engineers who want practical insight into building scalable, profitable, and durable technology products while avoiding the costly mistakes that derail growth.

Episode Highlights and Timestamps

• 00:05:16 – First principles and staying rational
  How Pieter’s engineering background shaped his approach to leadership and decision-making.
• 00:07:30 – Why design must come before code
  The dangers of jumping from the whiteboard straight to the keyboard.
• 00:09:17 – Building software close to the physical world
  How real-world consequences force better discipline in engineering teams.
• 00:14:16 – The cost of avoiding hard truths
  A candid story about uncovering millions in wasted investment and what happened next.
• 00:21:05 – The four buckets every decision must fit into
  Revenue retention, new revenue, lifetime value, and cost reduction as a universal framework.
• 00:26:00 – What makes software a real product
  Why stability, scalability, profitability, and serviceability all matter.
• 00:29:28 – AI without structure creates noise, not value
  Why most of the work in AI happens outside the model itself.
• 00:47:40 – Human judgment in AI-driven systems
  Why automation should reduce noise, not replace decision-makers.
• 01:03:33 – Legacy, leadership, and lifting others
  A closing reflection on purpose and long-term value creation.