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

Send us Fan Mail 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 YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvluGpd82E00q-s-wXBx4FQ/abouthttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvluGpd82E00q-s-wXBx4FQ 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned: Subatomic  https://getsubatomic.ai 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