Most CEO interviews run on a familiar track. Two people sit across from each other, a camera rolls, and the questions move from strategy to outlook to a closing thought about the year ahead. When Sol Wilkinson of Hello Partner sat down with CJ CEO Santi Pierini at CJU 26, both of them had guitars on their laps.
Santi has been a musician all his life, and he currently plays in a Grateful Dead tribute band. The two trade riffs between questions and have a candid conversation about the industry, AI, CJ’s future plans, and, of course, music.
Music and leadership
Santi's career runs through software and performance marketing, and he was working with AI well before it became a fixture on conference agendas. In the interview, he talks about how those threads connect, starting with what playing music has taught him about running a business.
Anyone who has played in a band knows a few things that also apply to leading a company. You spend more time listening than playing, and you learn to recover fast when someone takes the song somewhere nobody planned. The Grateful Dead built their whole reputation on that second skill, so it makes sense that our CEO would have opinions about improvisation. Santi explains how that mindset shows up in the way he leads CJ and the teams around him.
AI and what comes next
The conversation then moves to AI. Santi adopted it early, and he gives his read on where the technology stands today and how it's changing the way brands and partners find each other. He also talks about where he's taking CJ next, which matters to every advertiser and publisher in the network as the industry works through big changes in how people discover and buy products.
These sections give clients and partners a direct look at the thinking behind CJ's priorities. For anyone who attended CJU 26, the interview fills in some of the reasoning behind what they heard on stage. For those who couldn't make the trip, it's an engaging summary of CJ's direction.
Then the jams
Between topics, Sol and Santi break into a few jams. It's a great watch! Check it out now. The full interview with Santi is available now on Hello Partner.
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