CEO Rapidfire: Eightfold AI CEO Ashu Garg On Balancing Optimism and Paranoia

Welcome to CEO Rapidfire, fast-paced questions with today’s most successful founders and CEOs. Be sure to look for these special Q&A editions of my newsletter, where I’ll share insights from the amazing leaders in my network.

This week, I’m talking with Eightfold AI co-founder and CEO Ashu Garg, who wants you to know that entrepreneurship is a one-way door—once you go in, there’s no coming back. (To learn more, read on!)

Eightfold AI is a talent acquisition and management platform based in Mountain View, California. Powered by deep-learning AI, its technology makes it easier for organizations to find great people with the skills they need, both internally and externally. Valued at $2.1 billion, Eightfold counts Activision , Chevron and LG among its clients in 155 countries and 24 languages. Forbes recently named it one of this year’s top 50 private companies in AI —the only HR tech firm on the list.

So how does it work? Eightfold’s platform matches employees with internal jobs, offers learning and development opportunities, and connects people with the right upskilling and reskilling. The company also helps customers source contingent staff and runs a workforce exchange for job seekers and employers. Underlying it all is the latest AI technology.

Besides helping managers ensure that employees reach their full potential, AI reduces bias and improves transparency, Ashu argues . “AI can bring transparency into how your organization is growing … What are the pockets where there is more bias than others? Are they giving people the right opportunity?”

Ashu is no newcomer to AI. In fact, he’s one of the world’s top experts on machine learning, with more than 50 patents to his name. Born and raised in India, he earned a PhD in AI from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Ashu worked as a research scientist at Google before co-founding his first business, marketing automation firm BloomReach , in 2009. Seeing an opportunity in the talent market, he and Varun Kacholia launched Eightfold in 2016.?

Ashu’s HR advice for entrepreneurs? “Constantly keep looking for people who are better than you.”

Here's what Ashu shared in our CEO Rapidfire interview:

The one secret to succeeding as an entrepreneur, in 5 words or less: Balance of optimism and paranoia.

What was the most exciting “minute” of your entrepreneurial journey? Launching the Eightfold talent exchange in the middle of the pandemic to connect people who had lost their jobs with companies that are hiring.?

One truth you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before starting? Once you start, there is no going back. You are in it for life.

If you had to do battle with a giant, what weapon would you use? Customers. If customers are on your side, you can battle with anyone.

Your worst mistake as an entrepreneur (and what you learned from it): Not prioritizing family. Entrepreneurship is a lifelong journey, and if you don’t pay enough attention to family, this journey is worthless.

Top 3 websites, blogs, or podcasts you can’t imagine your day without: TechCrunch , The Josh Bersin Company and The Talent Code (our own podcast!).

What popular entrepreneurial advice do you disagree with? It’s not one size fits all. Learn from other companies’ success and failures, but there is no set formula to building a successful startup. Every company is different.

One life hack you can’t live without: Calling my mom every day in the morning. A feeling that someone cares about me is a great way to start the day.

One soft skill that you’ve realized is supremely important: Empathy.

The one thing that makes a good leader great is: Being curious about people.

Your secret to building a great team is: Realizing that it is the most important thing and putting all your effort into making it happen.

The key to navigating hypergrowth is: Every day will be different, and my role will continuously evolve. Be comfortable with adopting and adjusting to the new reality every day.

Every entrepreneur must read … The Hard Thing About Hard Things .??

What are you most excited about at work right now? The implications of generative AI on the workforce and opportunities it is opening for Eightfold.?

Your one “non-negotiable” in business (or life) is … My ethics.

Thank you, Ashu, for sharing your leadership thoughts this week. To learn more, follow Ashu on LinkedIn or check out Eightfold AI .

Thank you for reading! I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below. For more insights from my experience as a serial entrepreneur and how we can harness the power of software to change the world, be sure to subscribe to Entrepreneurship and Leadership.?