A Playbook For Growth With Nicolas Darveau-Garneau - TWMJ #1043
Release Date: 07/05/2026
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1044 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). has spent more than twenty-five years helping organizations prepare for the future of technology. A former Senior Director and in-house futurist at during the launch of , former Chief Evangelist and Futurist at , entrepreneur and advisor, Steve has worked with global brands including Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Samsung, Disney and more to navigate digital transformation and the rapidly evolving AI landscape. His latest book, , argues that AI is not another technology deployment but a fundamental...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1043 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). has spent his career helping organizations understand where technology creates lasting competitive advantage. A serial entrepreneur, former General Manager of in Canada, and then off to the Valley (where he still resides) as Google’s former Chief Evangelist, Nicolas has advised more than a thousand executives on digital transformation, AI, marketing, and growth strategy. His latest book, , challenges one of business’s most common assumptions: that efficiency is the ultimate measure of success....
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1042 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). has spent more than three decades changing how organizations think about people, performance, and leadership. As one of the pioneers of the strengths movement, his research has influenced millions of managers around the world and helped reshape the way companies approach employee engagement and organizational culture. After beginning his career as a researcher at , Marcus became one of the driving forces behind some of the most influential ideas in modern management. His books include , , , and . He has...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1041 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when every leadership team is being told that artificial intelligence will change everything, has spent her career helping organizations separate signal from noise. A New York Times bestselling author and trusted advisor to CEOs and boards, Charlene first became widely known for helping leaders understand transformative shifts through books like , and . Her latest book, , co-authored with , tackles one of the most pressing questions facing business leaders today: not what AI is, but what to do...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1040 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). Long before artificial intelligence became the dominant business conversation, was helping leaders understand another profound shift in economic power: the rise of platforms. As the co-author of , founder of , advisor to global corporations and governments, and a respected thinkers on digital business models, Sangeet has spent years studying how technology changes the sources of competitive advantage and reshapes entire industries. His latest book, , extends that work into the age of artificial...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1039 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). I believe that communication has always been one of the most valuable skills in business. But in an era of AI-generated content, algorithmic feeds, podcasts, newsletters, keynote stages, short-form video and endless digital noise, it may be becoming even more important. Few people have spent more time studying what makes ideas resonate than . A communication coach, author, and instructor in executive education at , Carmine is best known for bestselling books including , , and . His latest project, , is...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1038 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when technology feels simultaneously more powerful and more opaque than ever, is making a case for something many people feel they’ve lost: agency. A Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at , Marcus has spent decades helping build the infrastructure that powers the modern internet, including leadership roles at , and . His new book, , is both a guide to understanding the technologies shaping our lives and a reminder that we are not merely passengers along for the ride. Drawing on...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1037 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a moment when certainty has become both a cultural obsession and a commercial product, is asking a far more uncomfortable question: what if the real skill is learning how to live without it? A journalist whose work has appeared in publications like and author of the bestselling book , Simo has built his work around examining the hidden psychological contracts shaping modern life… especially our increasingly tangled relationship with work, ambition and identity. His new book, , pushes that...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1036 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). did not set out to become a management expert. Trained as an employment lawyer and later serving in senior HR and leadership roles supporting organizations including , Ashley built her career at the intersection of people, performance and workplace culture. What began as practical leadership advice shared through short-form social media videos evolved into a , with hundreds of thousands of managers turning to her for direct, actionable guidance on how to lead teams without burning people out. Her new...
info_outlineThinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1035 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when marketers have more data, more technology and more precision than ever before… consumer trust, attention and loyalty somehow feel more fragile than ever. Few people are exploring that paradox more deeply than . An entrepreneur who started his company at just fourteen years old, Michael has spent years studying the intersection of marketing, behavioral science and human decision-making (he runs an agency, vventure capital firm and leads several other businesses). His book, (along with...
info_outlineWelcome to episode #1043 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation).
Nicolas Darveau-Garneau has spent his career helping organizations understand where technology creates lasting competitive advantage. A serial entrepreneur, former General Manager of Google in Canada, and then off to the Valley (where he still resides) as Google’s former Chief Evangelist, Nicolas has advised more than a thousand executives on digital transformation, AI, marketing, and growth strategy. His latest book, Be A Sequoia, Not A Bonsai - The Seven Growth Secrets of the World’s Most Successful Companies, challenges one of business’s most common assumptions: that efficiency is the ultimate measure of success. Instead, Nicolas argues that the companies built to last optimize for profitable growth, customer lifetime value, experimentation, and long-term resilience rather than short-term metrics like customer acquisition cost or return on ad spend. In this conversation, Nicolas (an old friend) explores why AI is forcing leaders to rethink not only their technology investments but the very way they measure success. He explains why human change management remains the biggest obstacle to AI adoption, how organizations can redesign incentives to encourage innovation, and why every company should be preparing employees for AI-enabled careers rather than AI replacement. The conversation also examines the future of work, the democratization of expertise across industries like healthcare and law, and the responsibility leaders have to balance profitability with human flourishing. Throughout, Nicolas makes a compelling case that the organizations best positioned for the AI era won’t necessarily be the most efficient… they’ll be the ones most willing to rethink how value is created in the first place. Enjoy the conversation…
- Running time: 56:45.
- Hello from beautiful Montreal.
- Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.
- Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.
- Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel.
- Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn.
- Check out ThinkersOne.
- Here is my conversation with Nicolas Darveau-Garneau.
- Be A Sequoia, Not A Bonsai - The Seven Growth Secrets of the World’s Most Successful Companies.
- Follow Nicolas on LinkedIn.
Chapters:
(00:00) - Introduction to Nicolas Darveau-Garneau.
(02:06) - The Journey of Evangelism at Google.
(05:54) - Shifting Marketing KPIs for Success.
(11:38) - The Role of an Evangelist in Business.
(12:47) - The Rise of AI in Marketing.
(18:31) - Optimizing Customer Acquisition with AI.
(26:50) - Navigating the Future of AI and Employment.
(30:21) - Envisioning AI-Enabled Career Paths.
(32:13) - The Future of Work and Human Purpose.
(34:08) - The Ethical Implications of AI in Warfare.
(36:50) - Balancing Profit and Human Values in Business.
(38:55) - The Optimistic View on AI Efficiency.
(40:39) - The Role of AI in Mental Health Care.
(42:52) - The Future of Healthcare and AI.
(46:49) - Navigating the AI Landscape: Optimism vs. Skepticism.
(52:19) - Preparing for an AI-Driven Future.