104: Using AI Coworkers to Build Smarter Business Operations with Karl Simon

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Most companies are using AI, but very few are redesigning work around it.

In this episode Chris sits down with Karl Simon, co-founder and CTO of Subatomic, an AI workflow orchestration company, to explore why task based AI adoption is limiting business impact. They discuss the shift from isolated AI use cases toward unified workflows powered by clean data, AI coworkers, and cross functional orchestration. The conversation also explores how organizations may flatten hierarchies as AI takes over information movement and decision support responsibilities.

Chris and Karl unpack practical steps leaders can take to move from experimentation into operational transformation, including workflow discovery, data readiness, security, and ROI prioritization. Leaders looking to move beyond AI pilots and toward business redesign will find this episode especially valuable.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:05 Meet Karl Simon and Subatomic
04:59 From Hierarchy to Intelligence Layers
07:58 Why Unified Data Changes Everything
11:10 What Companies Get Wrong with AI Adoption
13:06 Integration vs Workflow Orchestration
16:40 What AI Workflow Orchestration Looks Like
19:42 Building a Unified Data Layer
25:00 Where AI Delivers the Fastest ROI
30:47 Security and Compliance by Design
33:08 What are AI Coworkers
35:00 Managing Teams with AI Coworkers

Resources:

🔎 Find Out More About Karl Simon

Karl Simon LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlsimon

Subatomic Website
https://getsubatomic.ai/

Subatomic LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/subatomicai

Subatomic YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvluGpd82E00q-s-wXBx4FQ

🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned:

Subatomic 
https://getsubatomic.ai

ChatGPT
https://chatgpt.com

Microsoft Copilot
https://copilot.microsoft.com

Block
https://block.xyz

Sequoia Capital
https://www.sequoiacap.com

Nate B. Jones YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@NateBJones

Vistage 
https://www.vistage.com