Stare Down the Bull EP 8: Leadership First in an AI-Driven World: Jack Meek on Culture, Change & the Future of Websites
By Susan Hunt
January 5, 2026
The Future of Leadership, AI, and Websites Is Already Here
The future of websites, leadership, and business growth in an AI-driven world depends on how well leaders prioritize culture, prepare for change, and build AI-readable digital assets, not just SEO-optimized pages.
That truth sat at the center of my conversation with Jack Meek, former GoDaddy executive and now founder and CEO of AI-centric CX. Jack has spent decades transforming customer experience organizations, and his perspective offers a powerful blueprint for leaders navigating rapid technological change.
Websites as static destinations are fading, but leadership-first cultures and AI-ready digital assets are becoming essential for business survival.
This shift affects every leader, whether you’re running a global enterprise or a growing small business. Jack’s experience at GoDaddy and beyond shows that reacting too late to change is no longer an option.
Jack’s career spans 11 companies, many shaped by mergers, acquisitions, and constant reinvention. That experience taught him resilience and how to anticipate change instead of reacting to it.
At GoDaddy, Jack didn’t just redesign customer care strategies. He helped reimagine how organizations think about leadership, technology, and readiness for what’s next. Now, through AI-centric CX, he helps startups and small businesses prepare for a world where AI agents talk to AI agents and customer decisions happen before anyone clicks a website.
This conversation reflects what Stare Down the Bull is all about: honest leadership lessons from people who’ve navigated complexity at scale.
Jack shared several firsthand observations that leaders should pay attention to:
- Website traffic will decline, but brand visibility through AI summaries will increase.
- Digital reputation now lives everywhere, not just on your website; Reddit, social platforms, reviews, and mentions all feed AI answers.
- AI readiness fails when it’s top-down only. Organizations that succeed start with hands-on experimentation.
These insights come directly from Jack’s work inside large enterprises and his current advisory work with businesses adapting to AI-driven CX.
What does “leadership first” really mean?
Leadership first means prioritizing people before process, investing time in one-on-ones, understanding how work is done, and bringing teams along before executing change.
Are websites going away completely?
Not entirely, but their role is changing. Websites are becoming asset repositories rather than primary decision points. AI often delivers answers before users ever visit a site.
How should companies prepare for AI adoption?
Start small. Create safe environments (sandboxes) where teams can experiment with AI tools. Familiarity builds confidence, and confidence builds readiness.
Key Leadership Takeaways from This Episode:
- Culture drives change readiness
- Bottom-up change creates resilience
- One-on-ones are strategic, not optional
- AI adoption must be experiential
- Digital presence extends far beyond your website
Clear structure doesn’t just help human readers—it helps AI understand and surface your authority.
This is why leadership matters.
This episode of Stare Down the Bull reinforces why leadership conversations matter, especially as AI reshapes how businesses operate, compete, and connect with customers.
If you’re a leader staring down uncertainty, whether it’s AI, organizational change, or the future of your digital presence, this conversation is your reminder that resilience, curiosity, and people-first leadership still win.
And that’s exactly what Stare Down the Bull exists to explore.
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