Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Fortune

Nick Lichtenberg

An Iowa company that builds wood chippers doesn't care about your AI buzzwords: 2 Silicon Valley CEOs get real about the hype-slop-cycle

Dennis Woodside Singh Cassidy Silicon Valley Iowa Valley Fortune Vermeer Xero Freshworks

Woodside (Credit: Fortune)

In the echo chamber of Silicon Valley, artificial intelligence is often marketed as a revolutionary force of autonomy and “whiz-bang” reasoning. But according to two top tech CEOs, the customers actually paying the bills—like a heavy equipment manufacturer in the Midwest—are asking the tech industry to shut up about the hype and show them the receipts.

During a Fortune Brainstorm AI panel earlier this month, two tech executives from multibillion-dollar market cap companies got real with Fortune‘s Allie Garfinkle. Freshworks CEO Dennis Woodside and Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy dismantled the current AI narrative, arguing that the gap between what developers find “sexy” and what businesses actually need is widening.

Sign up to read this article

Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here

Top stories on inkl right now

Denny Hamlin had 'no idea' that he gave Kyle Larson the wave-around by pitting

Denny Hamlin had 'no idea' that he gave Kyle Larson the wave-around by pitting

Hamlin inadvertently gave his main title rival the wave-around early in the NASCAR Cup race at Las Vegas, and still didn't know about Larson's early struggles when he spun out

Vegas woman wins $29.5M settlement after spending 15 years in prison based on murder evidence fabricated by cops

Vegas woman wins $29.5M settlement after spending 15 years in prison based on murder evidence fabricated by cops

Kirsten Lobato was arrested for murder when she was 18 and later jailed, spending nearly 16 years behind bars

The Independent UK

Christa Pike’s lawyers in court after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Christa Pike’s lawyers in court after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Tennessee prisoner awake and speaking after surviving state’s attempt to execute her last Wednesday

The Guardian - US

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

NAACP files lawsuit after head of DoJ’s civil rights division says she hopes to send election monitors to polls

The Guardian - US

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

A Michigan woman admitted filing federal tax returns that understated her income by more than $1.6 million, with prosecutors saying the money included cash taken from her employer and gambling proceeds. According to the IRS, Erin Patti-Coveyou of Moran, Michigan, pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a federal…

The Times of India

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Danilo Alves Silva claimed he had bought ‘prop costume’ on Amazon

The Independent UK

Related Stories

Top stories on inkl right now

Denny Hamlin had 'no idea' that he gave Kyle Larson the wave-around by pitting

Denny Hamlin had 'no idea' that he gave Kyle Larson the wave-around by pitting

Hamlin inadvertently gave his main title rival the wave-around early in the NASCAR Cup race at Las Vegas, and still didn't know about Larson's early struggles when he spun out

Vegas woman wins $29.5M settlement after spending 15 years in prison based on murder evidence fabricated by cops

Vegas woman wins $29.5M settlement after spending 15 years in prison based on murder evidence fabricated by cops

Kirsten Lobato was arrested for murder when she was 18 and later jailed, spending nearly 16 years behind bars

The Independent UK

Christa Pike’s lawyers in court after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Christa Pike’s lawyers in court after she regains consciousness in hospital – latest updates

Tennessee prisoner awake and speaking after surviving state’s attempt to execute her last Wednesday

The Guardian - US

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

Trump administration sued over plans to send election monitors to voting sites

NAACP files lawsuit after head of DoJ’s civil rights division says she hopes to send election monitors to polls

The Guardian - US

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

Michigan woman accused of hiding $1.66 million after reporting $39,960

A Michigan woman admitted filing federal tax returns that understated her income by more than $1.6 million, with prosecutors saying the money included cash taken from her employer and gambling proceeds. According to the IRS, Erin Patti-Coveyou of Moran, Michigan, pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a federal…

The Times of India

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Man arrested for posing as ICE agent to intimidate voters at polling station

Danilo Alves Silva claimed he had bought ‘prop costume’ on Amazon

The Independent UK

Our Picks

Travis Barker hospitalised

Travis Barker has shared photos from hospital, where his wife, Kourtney Kardashian, and daughter, Alabama Barker, were by his side.

Man goes to Tim Hortons and sees some Harry Potter-themed donuts. Then he takes a closer look: ‘I was deeply concerned’

Those are definitely not going to the Hogwarts feast!

We Got This Covered

Ex-Dunkin’ worker says her paycheck was withheld. Then she airs alleged dirty laundry about drinks, creamers, and more: ‘When you’re not looking’

She allegedly was treated differently after getting a new job

We Got This Covered

Ultraprocessed Meal Raised Insulin More Than a Calorie-Matched Whole-Food Meal in Small Virginia Tech Brain Imaging Trial

Two 300-calorie meals with matching nutrients drew different insulin and metabolic responses in a small Virginia Tech trial. Here is what it means.

Trump may kill free chips and salsa

Tariffs on tomatoes could turn one of dining's smallest gestures of hospitality into a line item

Selena Gomez Fans Beg Her To Dump Benny Blanco After Latest Comment About Their Relationship

What seemed like a funny story about their relationship left some viewers deeply uncomfortable, with critics accusing Benny Blanco of repeatedly embarrassing Selena Gomez in public.

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.

Download on the AppStore

Get it on Google Play