Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric break down the brutal reality of AI transformation inside real organizations, why just telling your team to "use AI" completely backfires, how C players are using AI to hide and do less, and why rockstar employees are becoming 100x more valuable overnight. They share the exact systems they use to roll out AI internally, from weekly hackathons to AI fluency standups to Friday agents that hold every employee publicly accountable. Plus, why the entire marketing job pyramid is being flipped upside down, what the Travis Kalanick robotics bet tells us about where jobs are really going, and why even a 2,000-person global law firm says their AI tool makes their job harder, not easier. Key Takeaways: - Telling your team to "just use AI" produces slop, you need AI that adapts to each person's experience level - Rockstar employees given AI tools work harder; C players use them to get lazy - The marketing job pyramid is flipping, fewer low-level roles, more A and B players paid significantly more Chapters: 00:00 The Hardest Part of AI Transformation Nobody Talks About 02:20 Why Training Your Team on AI Doesn't Work 04:14 The System That Actually Gets Teams to Adopt AI 08:00 How Eric Uses Friday Agents to Hold Every Employee Accountable 10:04 Why the Marketing Job Pyramid Is Being Flipped Upside Down 11:47 How AI Exposes Weak Employees in Job Interviews 15:25 Travis Kalanick's Robotics Bet and Where Jobs Are Really Going 18:17 Why a 2,000-Lawyer Firm Says Their AI Tool Makes Work Harder 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟 Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Hosted by Eric Siu and Neil Patel, recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer. 🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel 📩 Free Resources Ubersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/ Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/ ✅ Subscribe for Daily Marketing Insights!

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric break down why AI is quietly killing the marketing channels most businesses still rely on — cold email open rates have dropped over 40%, AI-generated content is getting near-zero engagement, and outreach inboxes are completely flooded. They share exactly where they're shifting their marketing spend in 2026, why branding and in-person events are the new moat, and why Neil basically quit doing podcasts. Key Takeaways: Cold email open rates dropped 40%+ from end of 2024 to Q1 2026 across 11 B2B companies AI-generated content gets terrible engagement unless it's specifically about AI topics Brand, relationships, and intellectual horsepower are the only real moats left in 2026 Chapters: 00:00 AI Is Destroying the Marketing Channels You Rely On01:13 The Cold Email Saturation Problem Nobody Is Admitting02:51 Open Rates Dropped 40% — Real Data From 11 B2B Companies05:48 Why Branding Is the Only Real Moat Left in 202606:44 Why He Basically Quit Doing Podcasts11:46 The 3 Things That Survive AI: Brand, Relationships, Horsepower13:23 Why Manual Content Is Beating AI Content Right Now 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Hosted by Eric Siu and Neil Patel, recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer. 🎙️ Learn More About the HostsEric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficialNeil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel 📩 Free ResourcesUbersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/ ✅ Subscribe for Daily Marketing Insights!

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric react to Jensen Huang's bold claim that a $500K engineer should be spending $250K on AI tokens, and why the real answer involves open source. They break down how AI costs are exploding internally, why Cursor's $2B revenue run rate doubled in 3 months, and the rise of vertical AI models. The conversation also covers 7 SEO trends for 2026, how AEO audits expose major gaps, the Agentic Commerce Protocol changing checkout forever, and a live breakdown of IM8's $120M bundle strategy. Key Takeaways: 70-80% of your AI usage should run on open source infrastructure. Sites that link to you are the easiest wins for GEO and SEO. AEO audits are exposing massive gaps most companies are ignoring. Chapters: 00:00 Jensen Huang's $250K Token Claim 01:25 Open Source vs Paid AI Tokens 02:40 Eric's $5.6K Monthly Anthropic Spend 03:32 AI Costs Exploding Internally 04:05 Cursor's $2B Revenue & $40B Valuation 05:48 Vertical Models & Intercom's Finn 06:35 SEO Trends for 2026 08:42 Doing SEO via API 09:20 Brand Search Driving Rankings 09:48 AEO Audits With Oracle 10:30 Human-Written Content & E-A-T 11:23 Publishing Where Your Customers Aren't 12:32 Agentic Commerce Protocol & Stripe 15:22 IM8's $120M Checkout Breakdown 18:03 Legion Protein & Supplement Talk 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟 Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode delivers actionable marketing tips and strategies from two entrepreneurs who truly practice what they preach. The show is hosted by Eric Siu, founder of Leveling Up and Single Grain, and Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital and recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer. 🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel 📩 Free Resources Ubersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/ Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/ ✅ Subscribe for Daily Marketing Insights!

In this episode, we break down how easy it currently is to “game” AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini—and why those loopholes won’t last. We discuss the risks of short-term hacks versus long-term credibility, how AI will reshape job markets by rewarding bottleneck skills, and why strategy and adaptability will matter more than ever. We also share real-world wins and failures using AI in marketing and operations, highlighting where it drives massive leverage—and where it still falls short. 🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel 📩 Free Resources Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Ubersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/ Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/

🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel 📩 Free Resources Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Ubersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/ Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/

In this episode, we react to a bold take from Jensen Huang on why AI shouldn’t be used as an excuse for layoffs—and instead should be a tool to do more with more. We break down the real reasons companies are cutting jobs, why the “AI efficiency” narrative is often misleading, and how top performers are using AI to scale output rather than replace people. We also dive into what’s actually driving growth today, from optimizing for platforms like ChatGPT to the overlooked power of boring but effective marketing channels, and why the future belongs to teams that combine AI fluency with strong judgment.

In this episode, we break down one of the wildest shifts happening in content and marketing right now: AI-powered media at scale.After discovering a highlights channel from Alex Hormozi pumping out dozens of videos per day, we reverse engineer how it works—and how you can replicate (and improve) the strategy using AI tools. We also dive into real-world insights from global marketing teams—what’s actually working, where AI is falling short, and why most people are wasting the time AI is saving them. If you want to understand where content, AI, and marketing are really headed and how to stay ahead this episode is a must-listen.

Neil and Eric discuss Meta hiring the team behind Moltbook, a social network for AI agents, and what it signals about the future of marketing to bots. They break down why adaptability in the AI era matters more than intelligence, and how marketers are already positioned to succeed. The conversation shifts to personal strategy, with Neil doubling down on brand building while Eric goes all-in on AI. They also explore work-life balance, long-term priorities, and why consistency and resilience are key to business success. Key Takeaways: Marketing to AI agents is the next big shift Brand building remains a long-term moat Consistency and resilience drive success Chapters:(00:00) Meta hires Moltbook founders(00:32) Rise of AI agent networks(01:13) Marketing to AI agents(01:41) Adapting to AI change(02:23) Branding vs AI focus(04:42) Know your strengths strategy(06:16) Work hours and priorities(07:27) Family vs business tradeoffs(10:49) Wealth vs quality of life(15:20) McDonald’s CEO content lesson(16:34) Power of consistency

Neil and Eric break down a live AI startup pitch for Single Brain, sharing raw feedback on sales decks, messaging, and positioning AI without triggering fear of job replacement. They discuss how to simplify slides, improve storytelling, and sell AI as a productivity partner. The conversation also dives into AI business models, comparing Cursor vs Lovable, retention challenges, and hidden unit economics behind fast-growing AI tools. A must-watch for founders, marketers, and operators navigating AI monetization and go-to-market strategy. Key Takeaways: Sell AI as augmentation, not replacement Simple decks close more deals AI growth ≠ sustainable revenue Chapters: (00:00) Live AI pitch breakdown (01:01) Single Brain concept explained (03:33) Fixing AI sales messaging (05:42) AI adoption vs reality gap (07:01) Simplifying product slides (08:52) AI agent team strategy (11:04) AI startups and growth models (12:18) Lovable vs Cursor economics (15:22) AI cost and retention insights

Neil and Eric discuss how AI can turn you into a learning machine or a lazy one, why AI agents inside teams are transforming productivity, and how businesses can win by training AI instead of people. They break down ChatGPT ad performance vs Google and Meta, the winner-take-all nature of AI SEO rankings, and why relationships still drive enterprise revenue. Learn how to leverage AI for marketing, sales, and operations while avoiding costly mistakes. Key Takeaways: AI makes you smarter or lazier AI agents are reshaping teams Position #1 wins AI search Chapters: (00:00) AI: Learning vs Laziness (00:33) Smart vs Lazy Users (01:04) AI Agents in Teams (01:29) AI Coaching Employees (03:00) AI Business Opportunities (05:19) AI SEO Rankings Data (06:47) ChatGPT Ads vs Google (09:13) APIs and AI Agents (10:59) Power of Relationships (14:18) Networking and Trust