Rivian's software chief thinks you don't need CarPlay or buttons | The Verge

Rivian just made a bold call: rip out the familiar buttons and bet everything on AI instead. Their customers pushed back hard. Some walked straight to a competitor. Sound familiar? You've probably

Rivian just made a bold call: rip out the familiar buttons and bet everything on AI instead.

Their customers pushed back hard. Some walked straight to a competitor.

Sound familiar?

You've probably felt that same pressure — adopt the shiny new AI thing fast, or get left behind. Maybe you already bought a tool that promised to change everything. Now it sits unused at $200/month while your team works around it.

Here's what Rivian's story actually teaches us about AI adoption: the technology doesn't win by being impressive. It wins by solving a real, specific problem better than what people already trust.

Rivian's software chief isn't wrong about AI's potential. But rolling it out without understanding what your customer actually needs in that moment? That's how you lose them to the simpler option every time.

The lesson for your business is simple. Before you add any AI tool, name the one friction point costing you the most time or money right now. Just one. Then ask whether AI solves that specific problem — or just adds complexity around it.

That single question has saved my clients tens of thousands in the wrong direction.

What's the one business problem you'd most want AI to actually fix?

#AIStrategy #SmallBusiness #BusinessGrowth #AIImplementation

Original Source

Are you going to make that developer build an agentic AI integration into the Rivian Assistant, or are you just going to lose that customer to CarPlay ...