The COO Decade: Why Operations Leaders Own AI's Future

For every bold AI vision from a CEO, there's a COO thinking: “That's not happening on your timeline.” Zero100’s new survey reveals the scale of the disconnect: 83% of COOs see a significant gap between what’s being promised and what’s operationally feasible. But COOs aren't skeptics – they’re realists who know what execution actually takes. Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah and VP, Research & Advisory Services Lauren Acoba reveal how top COOs are bridging the gap: targeting specific workflows, building on existing tech stacks, and playing the long game while delivering near-term wins.

1. Inside the data: What 100 COOs told us about AI (01:45)
2. Closing the loop and creating value beyond the sale (05:32)
3. Why COOs want to move from execution to strategy (and why CEOs should be relieved) (09:16)
4. Stop! Don’t rip out your tech stack: Why layering AI is the smarter play (14:31)
5. The Goldilocks approach to placing successful AI bets (17:50)
6. The COO decade and why ops leaders are built for what’s next (21:11)