Dueling Views on the GenAI Hype and Recommended Reads
By: Arman Eshraghi
So far in 2025, we’ve welcomed six guests to the SaaS Scaled Podcast and GenAI continues to be a hot topic. Some guests expect tremendous changes in the near future. Rahul Pangam showed enthusiasm for the potential of GenAI to revolutionize how users interact with software and data. Zach Wasserman discussed using GenAI to bridge the gap between technical queries and human understanding.
On the other hand, some guests were more conservative and believe global transformation will require more time. Mohan Rao discussed the, “mismatch between the real possibilities with AI and the ability of the human to consume it.” People feel like they’re cheating using AI tools, and that cognitive dissonance could slow mass AI adoption.
Book Recommendations
I always ask our guests to recommend a book, or perhaps a blog or podcast, that has been helpful in their lives, whether professionally or personally. Here’s what our guests for 2025 have recommended.
Transversing the Traction Gap was described by Luis Garcia as his "Bible for everything that I do," especially for startups and SaaS companies, helping with systems and navigating growth stages.
Playing to Win breaks down strategy into a practical set of five integrated questions that every part of the company should ask and answer.
PayPal Wars is an invaluable read for startup founders, illustrating the challenges of building a company even with a talented team and offering an insider's perspective on the daily battles.
How to Win Friends and Influence People is Rich Kahn’s all-time favorite, with lessons on communication, particularly the importance of listening more than talking in conversations.
Competing Against Luck changes the way you think about product development, focusing on the "jobs to be done" framework.
Made to Stick provides a framework for effectively communicating ideas so that they are memorable, applicable across various fields like journalism, advertising, and branding.
Leadership and Self-Deception increased Srikrishnan Ganesan’s awareness of defensiveness and encouraged a more open approach to feedback and personal growth.
GitLab Handbook is an amazing resource for understanding how GitLab runs its organization and scaling various aspects of a company's operations, culture, sales, and engineering.
Braiding Sweetgrass, a personal recommendation, offers a thoughtful reflection on modern consumption, environmentalism, and lessons from indigenous cultures.
