Latest / Genuin Connections / Genuin Connections: Episode 4 -- Ruth Yomtoubian, VP Global Innovation at VSP Vision

Transcript

Genuin Connections: Episode 4 -- Ruth Yomtoubian, VP Global Innovation at VSP Vision · Genuin Connections

0:05
this is genuine connections featuring
0:07
collaborative conversations about
0:09
community content creativity commerce
0:12
and the convergence of media and
0:23
marketing welcome to this episode of
0:26
Genuine Connections i am Matt Worst the
0:28
CMO at Genuine and I'm excited to talk
0:31
with our guest today because she isn't
0:34
just talking about innovation she's
0:36
leading it ruth Yumtubian is the VP of
0:39
global innovation at VSSP Vision where
0:41
she's transforming a multi-billion
0:44
dollar business really from the inside
0:46
out ai strategy she's building it
0:49
sustainability innovations she's driving
0:52
them emerging tech she's already several
0:55
steps ahead and Ruth's career has
0:58
spanned startups uh corporate giants and
1:02
global consulting and she's never really
1:04
stopped exploring the undefined
1:06
uncharted and occasionally uncomfortable
1:10
spaces where true change happens she's a
1:13
genredefying leader with an engineer's
1:16
rigor a storyteller's soul and a startup
1:20
spirit and we'd met a couple years ago
1:23
but I'm excited to dig in with her today
1:25
because we're going to see what it
1:27
really takes to spark innovation to
1:29
build communities and stay relentlessly
1:32
curious in a world that isn't stopping
1:35
moving anytime soon so let's get into it
1:38
and begin our conversation with Ruth
1:40
Yamtubian hi Ruth and welcome to Genuine
1:43
Connections we appreciate you being here
1:46
and making this connection with us it's
1:49
nice to see you nice to talk with you
1:52
great to be here i by the way love the
1:55
name Genuine Connections it just spoke
1:58
to me immediately when you invited me to
2:00
be a part of this conversation
2:02
well I was excited to talk with you and
2:05
make this connection because you are
2:06
someone who I've met and known and seen
2:10
at events and speak on panels but you
2:13
kind of sit at this really unique
2:16
intersection of
2:18
innovation marketing technology
2:22
personality and I am excited to get to
2:25
know you and and let our listeners and
2:27
viewers get to know you as well so let's
2:29
start with like just who you are your
2:31
journey your background and it goes deep
2:34
but it also goes kind of wide right
2:37
consulting startups big tech global
2:40
leadership is there a I don't know a
2:43
throughine that has brought you into
2:46
this more thought leadership
2:49
innovative building mindset
2:52
yeah I I Yes definitely great question i
2:56
think uh one area I would start with is
2:59
just on the genuine connections theme
3:02
just continuing on there is that I think
3:06
I take a very grounded approach to
3:09
innovation and that's been just a
3:12
throughine through my um experience
3:15
professionally and personally and I
3:17
think that's why I kind of um burst
3:20
through the crowd of a lot of what I
3:22
call faux innovation or hype is because
3:25
I really do try and take a genuine and
3:27
grounded approach to innovation and part
3:30
of that is always looking at the past
3:33
and the current state and having respect
3:35
for why things are the way they are and
3:37
much of that I really attribute to where
3:40
I grew up um I grew up with in within an
3:43
immigrant household in Northern
3:45
California where it was a melting pot in
3:49
in the true sense of people from all
3:51
around the world who moved to Silicon
3:53
Valley to to push forward and to make
3:56
progress but also came from various
3:59
heritages and origins that were newer to
4:03
to the US and so this is not only in
4:05
your it's it's not only in your DNA it's
4:07
kind of the nature and nurture that
4:09
we're both cultivating this with
4:12
absolutely so you know I had to convince
4:14
my parents uh why I uh needed to go to a
4:18
sleepover all the way to you know uh
4:21
studying abroad and it it was why would
4:25
you ever do this so foreign to people
4:27
who came to this country and who moved
4:29
to California specifically because this
4:31
was the golden state and then you have
4:34
people who are very tied to their
4:36
heritage who are also um involved in
4:39
progress and technology and I think
4:41
sometimes we don't think enough about
4:43
the role um knowing yourself plays in
4:47
being innovative people who are out of
4:49
touch with their own skill sets um are
4:52
oftentimes not very good at
4:55
understanding where the puck is moving
4:56
if you don't have awareness of where
4:58
things are today or where you are today
5:00
um I like to say that there are a lot of
5:02
variables in innovation and that even
5:04
you are one of those variables so I've
5:06
always been very aware of heritage and
5:09
the past and having respect for the past
5:12
I think makes me um an effective
5:14
innovator and not just an innovator well
5:17
that kind of cultural heritage is really
5:20
is interesting because again it's it's
5:23
um it's not always about like what you
5:26
make it's it's also about who you are as
5:27
you said right think of this as almost
5:29
like alchemy we're turning things into
5:31
other things in this ecosystem and you
5:35
know that that influence is is just as
5:38
important as you've moved throughout
5:40
your career working at you know again
5:44
big companies even even startups from
5:46
and some of those big companies like
5:48
AT&T that you know when I think of
5:50
innovation AT&T is probably at the
5:52
forefront of that but as you move into
5:55
now you're you're at VSSP I know what it
5:58
is I don't know if every one of our
6:01
listeners knows what it is although they
6:02
probably will once you explain it uh but
6:06
how has the mission there aligned with
6:08
your that that personal north star of
6:11
what you're looking to continue to grow
6:13
as yeah i I think just to kind of back
6:15
up on the trajectory a little bit as you
6:18
were sharing I think having that right
6:19
mix of um had also worked in DC right
6:23
after college gone to business school at
6:25
Tulain in New Orleans worked with
6:26
startups that were part of a rebuilding
6:29
movement again respecting the past to
6:32
move forward and understand after
6:34
Katrina how did the market change and
6:36
then how do you rebuild respecting the
6:39
heritage and the beautiful place that is
6:41
New Orleans but also move and modernize
6:45
um with with within the startup
6:47
community and rebuild and then coming
6:49
into AT&T I actually started in
6:51
operations and really understood the DNA
6:54
of the company field operations had to
6:56
wear a logo every day and drive a F-150
7:00
and get yelled at by customers and
7:01
technicians and go in people's homes and
7:04
so really kind of uh understood the
7:06
blood sweat and tears and what it feels
7:08
like to be on the front lines and just
7:11
essentially the DNA of the company so
7:13
when they said we're opening up an
7:14
innovation center in Silicon found in
7:16
Silicon Valley uh they were looking for
7:19
people who understood the DNA of the
7:22
organization but could also hold a broad
7:24
view and be uh adaptable to learning
7:27
because the whole idea of an innovation
7:29
center was relatively new and there were
7:32
designers and engineers and people with
7:34
business backgrounds but how do you tap
7:36
into what's happening because I think as
7:37
I said at some of the events we've met
7:39
at these innovation centers were not
7:42
there as um as stopwatches to say hey
7:46
when are we going to be disrupted just
7:47
go go sit in PaloAlto and let us know it
7:50
was to go in and partner and to say
7:52
we're not going to be left out this time
7:54
we have a team on the ground that's
7:56
talking to these um VCs to these
8:00
founders and facilitating so essentially
8:03
the the mandate was we want AT&T to be a
8:06
platform for innovation not even a
8:09
participant and definitely not left out
8:12
and so this was a big building block in
8:15
terms of a lot of learnings I had about
8:17
the importance of thought leadership but
8:19
also directional experimentation not yes
8:22
or no but what can we learn and bring
8:24
back into the business and then how do
8:26
we do it in a high caliber way so that
8:28
others can come along because they're
8:31
focused on their dashboards as I learned
8:33
being in operations and so they're they
8:36
want everything green to turn a cell
8:38
tower down you have to go red and that's
8:41
hard for people nobody wants wants their
8:42
metrics messed up so I always keep that
8:44
in mind is that I realize as an
8:46
innovator I'm asking people to turn
8:49
their dashboard red for a day or a month
8:52
and that's painful just to make the
8:55
improvement and to create yeah the short
8:57
the short-term pain for the long term
8:59
benefit right yeah exactly which fits
9:01
into the innovator's dilemma and all
9:02
that so that those are some of the
9:04
learnings in the first wave of
9:06
innovation and then I consulted with a
9:07
number of companies in the second wave
9:09
of innovation and spent a lot of time
9:11
with uh peers like some of our shared
9:14
connections and friends um I really got
9:17
to know people from all points of the
9:18
spectrum and work side by side with them
9:20
to say you know how do we from a startup
9:23
perspective and a corporate perspective
9:25
work together to help create really
9:27
successful innovation programs because
9:31
that you have to know what you're
9:32
driving towards and many of our clients
9:34
would say things like I just don't want
9:36
to get
9:37
disrupted okay that's not a directional
9:40
goal so let's help you figure out why
9:43
exactly you want to open up an
9:44
innovation center because sometimes
9:46
there was just a I just our company
9:48
feels like we have to but we're not
9:50
really clear on why so we would help um
9:53
not only design the purpose but also
9:56
help design the mechanisms to support
9:58
those goals so when I got the call from
10:01
BSP it was in a similar sort of
10:03
inflection point of we're trying to move
10:06
from an internal facing R&D and skunk
10:08
works model to an outside in model and
10:12
it was a lot of change management and
10:15
now we're in a a really strong place
10:17
well I would say most people probably
10:18
don't realize just how massive and
10:20
multifaceted VSP even is which makes
10:23
that type of I mean whether you're a
10:26
platform or whether you're an
10:27
infrastructure that type of change with
10:29
that large of an organization um is
10:32
challenging is can you give us a sense
10:35
of of the organization and your role now
10:37
leading this innovation center like what
10:40
what are you innovating yes so it's a
10:44
very interesting company and I think
10:46
many of us go "Oh VSSP that sounds
10:48
familiar um and there are a lot of great
10:52
parallels to other companies I've worked
10:53
with in the sense that they're a brand
10:55
that you might not interact with except
10:58
for enrollment and a bill potentially
11:01
and there's many layers and stakeholders
11:04
because it's an employer sponsored
11:06
benefit." And that's kind of actually
11:08
what excites me there are a lot of
11:10
things that excite me about being a part
11:12
of a company like VSSP and an industry
11:14
like vision care but one is that we are
11:17
employers investment in the health
11:20
productivity and wellness of their
11:22
employees and the future of work is such
11:25
a fascinating place because we all spend
11:27
so much time thinking doing work but it
11:31
doesn't get the a lot of airtime just in
11:33
terms of our uh shared world and so that
11:38
that benefits component is changing ing
11:40
very quickly there's uh vision while one
11:43
of the top benefits is a discretionary
11:45
benefit it's not um regulated or
11:48
mandated in in the way that other
11:50
healthcare benefits are and so as that
11:53
menu of benefits is expanding into stage
11:56
of life benefits caretaker benefits even
11:59
more hybrid benefits to support people
12:01
who want to travel or their mental
12:03
health or training and volunteering it's
12:06
it's uh becoming more complex and vision
12:09
care has to kind of stay relevant to the
12:12
needs in the benefit space and then you
12:14
have a network of providers so a network
12:16
of practices owned retail like vision
12:19
works and now I'm express that VSSP owns
12:22
and then there's a whole supply chain
12:24
and eyewear component to VSSP as well
12:26
which if you think about sustainability
12:29
challenges different um product um
12:33
brands and retailers online so things
12:36
like virtual health but also omni
12:38
channel uh or or new kinds of behaviors
12:42
that both providers need to be in the
12:44
loop on uh as as well as BSP it's it's
12:48
quite a complicated area to innovate in
12:51
well it sounds like you're constantly
12:54
exploring in some ways defined spaces in
12:58
in a traditionally structured healthcare
13:00
adjacent business but also undefined
13:03
spaces where you need to build this
13:06
culture that embraces and I'm putting
13:09
words in your mouth so tell me if I'm
13:10
wrong but like there is some degree of
13:12
uncertainty and iteration of scale that
13:14
needs to happen but the word innovation
13:17
can mean different things to different
13:18
people so I'm like on a day-to-day basis
13:20
or maybe you could take a step back like
13:23
week to week month to month but what
13:24
does that actually mean and how do you
13:26
ensure it's not just this buzzword that
13:28
people hear and and just kind of gloss
13:30
over yeah so I think a really important
13:33
part of this is again going back to the
13:35
mechanisms is having the right team and
13:37
mechanisms in place so that we increase
13:40
our power and our bandwidth and our
13:42
visibility and so we have a few
13:44
mechanisms in place to make sure that
13:46
we're constantly turning the wheel both
13:48
on in ingesting the the innovation
13:51
insights and companies and then pushing
13:54
that back into the organization to bring
13:56
them along i think you know storytelling
13:58
is a really important part of innovation
14:01
uh we I'm sure we'll talk about AI but
14:04
that's that's really how can we not but
14:06
yeah yes we'll get to that part of the
14:08
story yeah i mean as a as as innovators
14:10
it's not just the the area that's
14:12
interesting but it's also the tools for
14:13
us to be more effective storytellers and
14:16
bring others along and so things like
14:19
prototyping is a very important way to
14:22
not just say we should create a new
14:23
smart smart eye benefit okay should we
14:26
how do we know that's even going to be
14:28
profitable or interesting or do
14:30
consumers want it and of course we do
14:32
behavioral research and look at other
14:34
indicators in the market like the
14:36
startups or big companies in tech that
14:37
are taking off but then we also need to
14:40
prototype and start to get people around
14:43
a table looking and reacting and giving
14:46
directional feedback and so tools like
14:48
that we also produce a series of
14:50
futurist reports that we publish about
14:52
twice a year um again to build the story
14:55
and so we focused on everything from
14:57
healthcare deserts to benefits our most
15:00
recent one was on the future of senses
15:02
and so we use startup what we call
15:03
startup proxy innovation to look at the
15:06
startup world and the venture world and
15:09
say what's getting funded what kind of
15:11
runways being created what are the
15:13
partnerships so that we have a sense of
15:15
where this is going these are not just
15:17
ideas but these are um projections that
15:21
are supported by market activity or
15:24
movements as they become or move from
15:28
idea and inception to actual execution
15:30
whether you are at the helm of that or
15:32
others are in in in other ways within
15:35
your space or externally right that
15:36
you're learning from yeah can I I
15:37
actually let me share a really cool
15:39
example and I know you're you're like
15:40
interested in the kind of like marketing
15:42
thought leadership and and and so we
15:44
published this future of senses um
15:47
report because we just saw a lot of
15:49
investment going into not just you know
15:52
augmenting our vision in through
15:54
accessibility devices but also through
15:57
hearing which is coming aiology has
15:59
really started coming into the optical
16:01
space as well and then because of COVID
16:03
you see uh that around a lot of um um
16:08
sensing around taste and smell there's a
16:11
new technologies there uh there's a lot
16:14
of investment especially in the future
16:15
of of of the smells and and then I I I
16:20
keep hearing about Sensidine and how
16:22
they have a new documentary out on Hulu
16:25
that focuses on those who are have um
16:29
sensory challenges and have a really
16:31
hard time going into spaces like the
16:33
dentist's office or even the the optical
16:35
offices because it's an it it's it
16:38
creates a o over stimulating environment
16:42
and uh I haven't watched it yet but I
16:44
just think this is the interesting
16:46
creative ways that something like senses
16:48
is really gaining some traction and
16:51
awareness from the market and can affect
16:54
just where we're all going is and we
16:57
talked about that also in in can with
16:59
Mastercard too yes no absolutely and I
17:02
think one of the themes that has been
17:03
persistent throughout when it comes to
17:05
this type of whether it's curiosities
17:09
that we all have right that certainly is
17:11
a constant theme in your work but
17:13
content and innovation with content is
17:16
something that sometimes gets I don't
17:18
know pushed to the back burner as an
17:20
afterthought because we think of
17:21
technology and we think of of machines
17:23
and AI but you hear and see brands
17:27
creating original content that might not
17:29
normally have been known for that like
17:31
Starbucks has its own original content
17:33
now like that is innovative in its own
17:35
way if it speaks to a consumer but I'm
17:39
curious now like where and what sparks
17:42
your curiosity at the moment and how
17:44
you're cultivating that with your team
17:45
is it content is it technology is it
17:47
both i mean you're doing these these
17:49
these white papers and thought
17:50
leadership but where else are you
17:53
exercising those muscles in your brain
17:55
if that's uh I don't know if that's
17:56
anatomically accurate but so I think you
17:59
know in the past year leaning further
18:02
into tracking and translating where AI
18:05
is going for VSP has been a a very
18:08
humbling experience because I you know
18:12
10 years ago when I was at AT&T there
18:14
was a lot of movement in that space and
18:16
a lot of investment but it was very slow
18:18
and you could certainly catch up pretty
18:21
quickly and now it's super fast super
18:25
super complex and there are so many
18:27
varying opinions and it's even if you
18:30
get hands-on with the technology you
18:32
might not be talking to someone who is
18:34
and so we're all sitting at various
18:36
points in our learning journey and we're
18:40
sitting in different industries and I'm
18:42
just happy that as I said when we were
18:44
at South by Southwest that we're past
18:45
the is this good or is this bad and now
18:48
starting to build build some learnings
18:50
and and moving forward so that's where
18:53
I've spent a lot of time thinking about
18:55
how this is a it's a horizontal
18:57
technology and so there's potential in
18:59
that especially for a VSSP because we
19:03
operate with clients we operate with
19:06
providers we operate with patients who
19:08
are also consumers and members and so
19:11
how do we use AI to pull data and
19:14
information across these various points
19:16
not only in the member experience and
19:19
journey but across the the stakeholders
19:22
so that the data that we might be
19:24
collecting on the client and member side
19:26
can help the providers provide a better
19:28
experience and likewise on the provider
19:30
side bring a better experience to the
19:32
patient so there okay there's a lot to
19:35
unpack here that that you just fully
19:37
squeeze there there's a lot there so I
19:40
want to take one quick step back because
19:42
what you guys are building there's a
19:44
centralized AI strategy that has moved
19:46
into execution in some way i'm guessing
19:49
um because I've seen it you're talking
19:51
about it but to move actually ahead when
19:55
you're defining these things you also
19:56
need to have some degree of whether
19:59
defined objectives or measurement for
20:02
success so how do you define success
20:04
when actually implementing AI across a
20:07
large multiaceted organization that has
20:10
these different constituents and
20:12
stakeholders
20:14
yeah so I think one we're we're kind of
20:16
just moved past phase zero it was kind
20:18
of a long phase zero but you know we
20:20
went and uh and and built out a scorec
20:23
card we worked directly with the
20:25
executive team which was an important
20:27
step because you know as we were also
20:29
talking about Southby so much of this is
20:31
happening bottoms up and it's I think
20:34
there's a lot coming out now that
20:36
there's frustration because you have
20:38
people within an organization starting
20:40
to use tools they're not sure if they
20:42
have the policies in place to support
20:44
them so they're kind of hiding it or
20:46
it's kind of under under the radar sort
20:48
of Don't tell anyone that AI wrote your
20:50
email don't tell them right or should
20:52
you tell them i don't know what what's
20:54
what's acceptable who knows right is
20:56
that what you're saying right there's
20:58
different degrees of understanding and
20:59
acceptance as far as what people can and
21:01
are willing to share exactly and then
21:04
you have people getting maybe frustrated
21:06
because they're not sure of what they
21:07
can and can't use and so there's some
21:10
catching up on the enterprise level that
21:13
as we were talking about needs to happen
21:16
and is it an encouragement or is it just
21:18
an allowance to use AI and then if
21:22
you're also just letting this happen
21:23
that in pockets this is what we were
21:25
really trying to combat last year just
21:27
happening in pockets could result in an
21:29
overinvestment in different AI tools and
21:32
a lack of coordination and
21:33
prioritization and so just in the in in
21:36
the last year we we said let's at least
21:38
put together a scorec card and start to
21:40
prioritize what matters most within our
21:43
organization so something like what
21:45
we're calling provider lift matters like
21:48
we want to lift up providers in in the
21:51
process of putting AI tools in place and
21:54
find a way to take kind of a one one
21:59
network of private practices that is a
22:01
very very important part of VSSP's DNA
22:04
and create a cohesive and consistent
22:07
experience and also let them benefit
22:09
from AI tools as well so we've kind of
22:13
dug in further there just as an example
22:15
and then we've started testing um and
22:17
building out some of the the use cases
22:20
and and so this was our sort of testing
22:22
and planning phase and now we've
22:23
formally stood up an AI studio we're
22:26
going to be announcing more about that
22:28
soon um but to focus on more of the
22:31
transformational use cases so we do have
22:34
an we're we're different from the IT
22:36
team we have a I technology group that
22:39
is focused on the inner workings of the
22:41
business and making sure that we're
22:42
turning on uh solutions like uh GitHub
22:45
co-pilot and Microsoft co-pilot and more
22:48
of the employee um tools and then from a
22:52
transformational perspective we're
22:54
looking at what new products and
22:55
vehicles do we need to build to ingest
22:59
tools like AI scribes and practices how
23:03
do we make sure that um one of the big
23:06
use cases in our industry is around
23:08
using AI for early detection of
23:10
different conditions through the eye and
23:13
there are a number of startups out there
23:15
and and big partners as well working on
23:18
this and we are the we are where that
23:20
will be delivered those insights will be
23:22
delivered to a patient and so we need to
23:25
think about how do we do that because
23:27
that's a very important AI application
23:30
that's going to change this industry
23:32
Yeah I mean as as much as we talk about
23:34
the automation or independence right ai
23:37
is also about people right whether it's
23:41
the patients uh whether it's your teams
23:43
it's it's a the community of partners
23:47
for this kind of collaboration between
23:49
human and machine are
23:51
you I mean you're writing a playbook or
23:54
however you want whatever metaphor you
23:55
want to use but is it written in a way
23:58
like in pencil that you are going back
24:00
and changing things and erasing things
24:02
and rewriting things very quickly or is
24:04
that period of learning and
24:07
experimentation and then measurement and
24:09
optimization like it can't be that long
24:12
because the technology is also changing
24:14
pretty quickly right yeah I definitely
24:17
pencil
24:18
I you I always try and write in pencil
24:23
but really well um we you know we
24:26
produce a lot of assets to make sure
24:29
that the learnings that come out of our
24:31
projects or tests or the the artifacts
24:34
can live on and they and and they're
24:36
public so we share them because we want
24:38
to bring like I said all these providers
24:40
and clients along with us but certainly
24:42
in pencil because we're it's an
24:46
iterative process in innovation and you
24:49
know whenever we're not sure how to
24:50
handle a new undefined space we have to
24:53
lean back on our innovation principles
24:55
and those are having a bias to action
24:58
and just testing and learning and doing
25:00
it directionally but then also being
25:03
willing to okay we went too far left
25:06
let's go right yeah i mean there's no
25:08
mistakes at this point I don't think i
25:10
mean there are things that you want to
25:12
avoid obviously that you probably know
25:14
going in but this is you know one of the
25:17
topics that we've talked about and I
25:19
think this narrative has evolved over
25:21
the last year or two is the role of AI
25:24
and the workforce more holistically and
25:26
clearly different industries are going
25:28
to be impacted differently you know our
25:30
company has built a fleet of AI agents
25:32
that can automate and really think
25:35
independently about and accomplish a
25:37
number of tasks that people might not
25:39
want to be doing and can focus elsewhere
25:41
but then there are other areas where
25:44
jobs that existed then may not need to
25:48
exist now or soon so whether this is
25:52
good or bad is not the way we should be
25:54
thinking about it but kind of how we
25:56
should be preparing what skills we need
25:58
to adapt but I still think many
26:01
companies are are stuck or not stuck but
26:03
still in that prolonged experimentation
26:06
or like hey is this a hype cycle
26:08
question so what what what do you think
26:11
it's going to look like when there is
26:14
this critical threshold that we've
26:16
achieved when AI becomes embedded into
26:18
operational DNA are we doing are we
26:22
happier are we working less like what
26:25
what's what should we be looking for
26:27
here well I think get my golf game back
26:29
in order here i I think you had a part
26:31
one to your question where you were
26:33
talking about
26:35
um really kind of some of the tools I
26:38
think are one of some of the skill sets
26:39
that are important today and I think
26:42
that really informs where we're going
26:44
and I've been thinking a lot about this
26:46
as as you know we had the discussion
26:48
about um AI as a benefit and people
26:50
wanting to work in optimized workplaces
26:53
and I also think that one of the um when
26:57
I think about my team or I think about
26:59
people I work with more and more I look
27:01
for people that know how to wield tools
27:04
to to their benefit
27:07
and think about like a number of years
27:10
ago it was all built not not built here
27:12
and that was a big thing was like if
27:15
it's not invented here then we don't
27:16
want it and I think we're really past
27:18
that not invented here stage but it does
27:21
creep in there's still remnants of that
27:24
not built here that I see with AI and
27:28
it's literally like how are you going to
27:32
build some of these tools in house when
27:33
you have some of the best minds in the
27:35
world building some of these um tools
27:38
and startups and I think sometimes we
27:40
forget that part of working in an
27:42
organization is putting the right pieces
27:45
together to support your mission you
27:47
don't have to invent it here you don't
27:48
have to create it inhouse i think it's
27:50
very there's a kind of meta uh parallel
27:54
to my own um reason why I was asked to
27:57
join VSSP was to move from an internal
28:00
facing R&D kind of skunk works let's
28:02
just brainstorm looking at each other to
28:05
outside in how can we bring an outside
28:07
in mindset and broad view into this
28:10
organization and so I think similarly we
28:12
have a lot of um remnants of that not
28:15
built in house and we have to see that
28:17
being a part of an organization other
28:19
than your core offering you're hiring
28:22
teams that can find the proper tools and
28:26
put them together so even thinking about
28:28
your company genuine is how do you
28:32
understand that your partners are trying
28:35
to put something together and they might
28:37
be missing a piece to do that and it's
28:39
their job to find companies like yours
28:41
to help them better put those pieces
28:43
together it's not their job to invent a
28:46
company like yours and a solution like
28:48
yours and that's a big change in
28:50
people's roles yeah yeah I mean I think
28:53
people realize pretty quickly there are
28:54
things you can build there are things
28:56
you can buy there are things you can
28:57
borrow and that was initially like the
28:58
three options you had now there are
29:02
unique partnerships that can actually
29:04
evolve out of this ecosystem and you
29:06
know people got excited about blockchain
29:09
and the opportunities to connect and new
29:10
technologies and what that meant but
29:13
what that opened up for me was this idea
29:15
of you know redefined roles around what
29:17
the word partnership even means so I
29:20
appreciate that context one of the
29:23
things that
29:25
we should be thinking about and as we
29:27
prepare for AGI and ASI and whatever
29:31
implications come from that which we
29:33
don't need to pontificate yet because I
29:35
think we still have a few years to to
29:36
prepare for it but you're starting to
29:39
hear some of the preparation that is
29:41
taking place and or at least the
29:42
discussions about the preparation about
29:44
what it could potentially be like the
29:46
plan for the plan for the plan yeah but
29:48
you're also spearheading I think right
29:51
VSSP's sustainability efforts and
29:53
thinking about future implications of
29:55
lots of things which I appreciate and
29:57
and commend you for so how do you think
30:00
about innovation in that context of
30:02
long-term impact then on people on the
30:04
planet on the systems we rely on like
30:06
are you is it always kind of there or do
30:09
you have to remind yourself like wait
30:12
what could this mean like how do you
30:14
perceive that yeah yeah yeah and I think
30:16
that this dovtales to the question that
30:18
I um kind of ignored before is I wasn't
30:21
going to let you skirt out of it so yeah
30:23
yeah where where is this all going right
30:25
and I think the thing as I I am very
30:29
like just I realize I'm very in touch
30:31
with the big picture i think big and
30:35
start small and just not not just
30:38
specifically where I'm at today but I've
30:40
been in a lot of situations where people
30:42
are like "Okay yeah you can think big
30:43
and start small." But then they'll try
30:46
and force me to think small and start
30:48
small and there's a real difference
30:50
there and I really pay attention to that
30:52
of when we're saying no no no think
30:54
small start small and try and keep the
30:57
bigger picture in mind and constantly
31:00
remind that like we're not just building
31:02
this vehicle because of this prototype
31:06
for its own sake there's a bigger
31:09
picture at play here so for example we
31:11
have a lot of owned retailers like
31:13
Vision Works if we're going to go test
31:14
something in there always try and remind
31:16
everyone like this is not about just
31:18
this location this is about a bigger
31:20
picture at play where we can bring a
31:22
tool like this to our providers and
31:24
practices in the network so that
31:27
ultimately we are creating a more
31:28
consistent and cohesive experience for
31:31
the member and the patients and then
31:33
ultimately helping clients better invest
31:36
in their workforce and and so I always
31:39
try and kind of keep that bigger picture
31:41
in mind and I think like something like
31:43
where this is all going for AI is is we
31:47
talked at South by also about how People
31:49
want a workplace that is inclusive where
31:52
they're trusted and where they feel
31:56
united into a some something bigger and
31:59
I do think that AI has the potential to
32:02
unite people just around a source of
32:04
truth or information or or even in a
32:09
sense trust or be feel like they're
32:12
given the trust to go out and um do the
32:15
work better and have the best tools to
32:17
do so so there's something there that I
32:20
think needs to be unlocked further and
32:23
that could be really powerful and we're
32:25
in that space like we were talking about
32:27
where there's a lot of frustration and
32:29
maybe I'm just very hopeful about that
32:32
it's a little esoteric and fuzzy but I I
32:35
can see on the other end of it where
32:38
people have more space to think and
32:41
breathe and right now there's a lot of
32:44
like noise and emails and responses that
32:48
could be automated and where we could
32:50
help people do their job better well I
32:53
think that requires a degree of
32:55
connection which is I'm glad we're
32:57
talking and people are hopefully
32:58
listening and watching but that speaks
33:00
to the broader I would almost say
33:03
mandate that we collectively have which
33:06
is
33:06
to connect and coales around our common
33:11
as well as our uncommon learnings and
33:14
and experiences and that's maybe I'm
33:17
giving it away but like that's what
33:19
community means to me i I don't know if
33:21
you use that word if you think about
33:23
that word but in your context what does
33:26
community mean to you
33:29
yeah well I think community is really
33:32
important because being an innovator is
33:35
not for the faint of heart like it
33:37
really sounds cool right oh I'm in
33:39
charge of Oh that's cool right if you do
33:42
it wrong you're probably poking holes
33:44
and throwing rocks over the fence and it
33:48
you know it's already uncomfortable
33:50
enough to share
33:52
uh that hey this industry could go left
33:56
and fall off a cliff or it could go
33:58
uncertainty risk yeah of course and uh
34:00
and there's a bigger more beautiful more
34:03
prosperous mountain but you just have to
34:05
jump over a chasm right and both sound
34:08
really bad to people but I think that
34:11
having a community of innovators just to
34:14
bump ideas up against share inspire get
34:18
you know produce different ways of
34:20
thinking about things is is really
34:21
important and I know I myself I think
34:24
I'm one of the nicest innovation people
34:26
out there but I know that when I walk
34:28
into a room or I share information
34:30
people get really uncomfortable so I'm
34:32
constantly thinking about how do I make
34:34
this more comfortable for people and
34:36
even when I try my best at that it often
34:39
can still come across like you're being
34:41
pushy and I'm like well I'm just
34:42
presenting information so we try and be
34:45
really
34:46
um dispassionate sometimes or really
34:50
think about how we can be extra mindful
34:52
and careful about different triggers um
34:55
when we bring information in but I think
34:58
it's also important to be able to have a
35:00
community to turn to and have the big
35:02
thinking and the real talk about all of
35:05
this and I'll just add that from a
35:08
perspective of like the providers that
35:09
we work with where often you hear oh
35:12
yeah providers they don't want to hear
35:13
anything about innovation um I've
35:16
definitely had a number of providers
35:17
that have come up to me and said like
35:19
keep going keep sharing your thoughts
35:21
like it's uncomfortable but we need to
35:24
hear this and and your team is getting
35:27
me thinking about things differently i
35:29
mean it is meta in a way when you think
35:31
about the double antandra and metaphor
35:33
of vision in what you do i'm sure I'm
35:36
not the first to have pointed that out
35:37
but as you're talking and hearing and
35:40
seeing and uh participating in your
35:42
vision with you is um it's it's really
35:46
exciting and it's hard to be
35:47
dispassionate about it because the way
35:49
you talk about it is uh I mean it's
35:52
enthralling i I would just ask as a last
35:55
question like instead of looking too far
35:57
ahead next 6 to 12 months what are you
36:00
really most excited about whether it's
36:01
for VSSP or or for the broader landscape
36:05
um in which we are both living and
36:07
building yeah I think probably just more
36:11
on the the just on the AI learnings
36:13
front um as you said we're moving from
36:17
just testing and learning into actual
36:20
action and I think you know to borrow a
36:23
Jim Collins you know good to great kind
36:25
of metaphor about the if you hold your
36:28
gunpowder too long and put it in one big
36:31
cannonball and shoot it out in the wrong
36:33
direction it's it's really a mis you're
36:35
going to have a mistake there and I
36:37
think this industry still suffers from
36:39
scar tissue around that and so I think
36:42
um I always take the approach of the
36:44
small shots with the gunpowder and I
36:48
find that sometimes we just walk we're
36:51
like we can't see the whole target and
36:53
we just walk back further and walk back
36:55
further and walk back further and I
36:58
think this time actually for once like
37:00
I've seen the gunpowder kind of emerge
37:02
more quickly um in this vision care
37:04
industry like typically they step back
37:06
and they step back and then you know I
37:08
more irony there for you on the vision
37:11
part but to see the whole target right
37:14
but even if you see the whole target
37:16
you're in the dark and I have found that
37:19
many of these private practices have
37:22
been extremely impressed have put out
37:24
some gunpowder have used AI I for
37:27
creating job descriptions or user
37:29
manuals or even the AI scribes and their
37:33
willingness and desire to try some of
37:35
the new tools around early detection is
37:38
very much there so I'm very hopeful that
37:41
this is one time where I've clearly seen
37:43
some shots taken early and that we can
37:46
get more out in the market well I have
37:49
no doubt it is also the result of your
37:53
enthusiasm expertise experience that all
37:56
pushes not just those people but kind of
37:59
all of us really forward in a way that
38:01
uh I continue to um be excited about as
38:04
well so I Ruth thank you for this uh
38:08
just window into and into your eyesight
38:11
and vision of where we're headed but
38:13
also um you know where you've been and
38:15
and what you're doing i think there are
38:17
a lot of people who are going to learn
38:18
some really interesting things from this
38:20
so thanks again for your time and for
38:22
making this connection with us yeah it
38:24
was fun chatting with you every time
38:26
we've met and and today as