#149 - Adam Brotman: Building the Mindset of an AI‑First CEO

Episode notes

Adam Brotman is the former Chief Digital Officer of Starbucks and Co-CEO of J.Crew, and co‑author of the e‑book AI‑First: The Playbook for a Future‑Proof Business and Brand. At Starbucks, he helped create one of the most admired digital customer experiences in the world and was named Chief Digital Officer of the Year. Today, as co‑founder of Forum3, Adam helps executives navigate the next era of business transformation - one where AI is no longer optional, but foundational. Over the past two years, Adam has interviewed some of the most influential voices shaping artificial intelligence - Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Ethan Mollick, among others. Through those conversations, he’s uncovered what separates companies that simply experiment with AI from those that truly transform. In this episode, we unpack what it really means to become an AI‑first leader - someone who doesn’t need to code or build models, but who develops the instinct and conviction to guide their teams into this new frontier.

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