How Intercom rose from the ashes by betting everything on AI | Eoghan McCabe (founder and CEO)

Aug 21, 2025 1h 23m 21 insights Episode Page ↗
Owen McCabe, co-founder of Intercom, shares how he transformed their late-stage SaaS business into an AI-first, agent-based company (Fin) that's now rapidly growing. He details the aggressive, top-down strategy, cultural overhaul, and hard decisions needed to navigate AI disruption and achieve success.
Actionable Insights

1. Aggressively Embrace AI Disruption

Recognize that AI will violently disrupt all industries and that not engaging with it means being left behind. Proactively roll up your sleeves to understand and integrate AI into your business, as there is no choice but to adapt.

2. Adopt a Wartime Company Mindset

When facing existential disruption, adopt a ‘wartime company’ mindset, fighting aggressively for survival and transformation, as inaction can lead to business failure.

3. Employ Hardcore Founder Mode

If a business transformation is stalled by resistance, adopt a ‘hardcore founder mode’ with a top-down, aggressive, and authoritarian approach to make brave, unilateral decisions and own the results.

4. Make Brave, Unilateral Decisions

Greatness and innovation are created when a CEO is willing to make brave, hard, and often unilateral decisions, taking full responsibility for the outcomes, rather than relying on committee decisions.

5. Redesign Culture with Values

Redesign company values to be a ‘sharp knife’ that clearly defines the desired culture, focusing on traits like resilience, high standards, hard work, and shareholder value, to cut out ineffective parts of the company.

6. Grade Performance by Values

Implement quarterly performance processes that grade both goal achievement and adherence to company values, using clear thresholds to respectfully part ways with individuals who don’t align, thereby shaping the desired organization.

7. Strategically Pick a Focus

To overcome diluted strategy, pick a clear strategic lane and focus intently on it, even if it means abandoning other profitable ventures, to achieve clarity and impact.

8. Allocate Capital to AI

Make a significant financial commitment to AI development, allocating substantial capital (e.g., nearly $100 million in cash) to demonstrate conviction and accelerate the transformation.

9. Hire & Empower AI Talent

Actively recruit and empower top-tier AI scientists, leaders, and young talent, as their expertise is crucial for success in building AI-first products and applications.

10. Work Extremely Hard in AI

To compete and succeed in the current AI era, be prepared to work exceptionally hard, mirroring the dedication of young AI companies that operate with intense, continuous effort (e.g., 12 hours a day, 365 days a year).

11. Integrate AI Internally

Integrate AI into daily internal operations and creative tasks, such as coding, writing job descriptions, or answering questions, to enhance efficiency and stay competitive.

12. Hire Young, Driven AI Leaders

If established founders are unwilling or unable to match the intense work ethic required for AI transformation, consider hiring a young, driven leader to spearhead the AI efforts.

13. Aggressively Cut Costs

When facing financial challenges or slow growth, aggressively cut unnecessary costs, cancel non-essential projects, and adopt a frugal mindset to conserve resources.

14. Align Pricing with Value

Design pricing to be 100% aligned with the value customers attain, rather than being based on internal costs, to ensure fairness and foster healthier customer relationships.

15. Cultivate Product-First Culture

Foster a culture where product innovation and design are central, attracting individuals who are passionate about building and owning products.

16. Grant PMs Mini-CEO Autonomy

Empower Product Managers with significant autonomy, allowing them to act as ‘mini-CEOs’ for their products, thereby developing broader skill sets beyond typical PM responsibilities.

17. Employ First Principles Thinking

Adopt a first principles thinking methodology, creating frameworks for every aspect of the business to ensure deeply considered, joined-up strategy and problem-solving.

18. Hire Founder Types

Actively hire individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit (‘founder types’) and explicitly encourage them to learn how to build great companies, with the understanding that they may eventually start their own.

19. Engage in Therapy for Leadership

Engage in high-quality therapy to smooth out counterproductive ’edges’ (insecurities, triggers, ego), fostering self-awareness, authenticity, and improved communication, which are essential for brilliant leadership.

20. Embrace Ego Death

Experience ’ego death’ by facing difficult challenges that eviscerate your self-perception, leading to the removal of insecurities and ego-driven behaviors that hinder effectiveness and leadership.

21. Remember Life is Short

Regularly reflect on the brevity of life (memento mori) to counter living on autopilot, encouraging intentional choices that align with personal values and make the most of available time.