Episode Details

Enterprise AI is less about flashy intelligence and more about control, latency, and trust. In this condensed recap of the a16z Podcast episode with Jesse Zhang and Ashwin Sreenivas, Decagon’s founders explain how they built AI agents that can serve as the front door of a business, why software and business rules still matter, and how open-source models now power most of their workflow. You’ll hear how they moved from frontier models to smaller specialized models, why rigorous benchmarks and a research team are essential, and how their “glass-box” deployment approach helps enterprises roll out AI safely. The episode also covers Duet, an agent that manages other agents, the role of CRM and business context, and what AI automation means for jobs, careers, and the future of support and sales. Listen now to get the key ideas in minutes.