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Guest Bio
Siqi Chen is the founder and CEO of Runway, a next-gen FP&A (financial planning and analysis) platform.
After experiencing firsthand how broken decision-making was — especially during COVID revenue shocks — Siqi set out to build a tool that empowers operators to make sharper, faster calls. Instead of endless spreadsheets and fragile assumptions, Runway gives teams AI-powered decision support that feels less like Excel and more like an Iron Man suit for operators.
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🎙 Episode Intro
Most teams make decisions with brittle spreadsheets, endless debates, and delayed insights. Siqi Chen realized this was holding companies back — especially during moments of crisis. His answer: build AI into the fabric of decision-making itself.
In this conversation, Siqi shares how Runway is embedding “ambient AI” across finance workflows, how to spread AI judgment across an organization, and why hackathons and culture matter as much as product design in making AI actually stick.
📑 What’s Covered
(00:00) Introduction — Siqi’s background and how Runway began
(05:03) Ambient AI in practice — embedding intelligence subtly across workflows
(09:36) Scaling AI judgment: how Runway spreads AI “taste” through hiring, culture, and team norms
(13:15) From hackathons → hack sprints: why rapid iteration is key, and how to turn prototypes into production
(17:10) Avoiding AI sprawl — letting teams experiment without getting lost in tools
(19:24) Practical wins: how Runway transformed lead scoring, customer success, recruiting, and internal workflows with AI
(25:40) How Siqi keeps headcount < 100 using AI
(33:15) How to empower non-technical teams to supercharge their workflows with AI
(43:22) Tools Runway uses internally (Cursor, Zapier, n8n, custom GPTs, etc.)
(47:40) Lessons learned from AI adoption sprints — what sticks vs. what fizzles
(51:05) The future of AI in decision-making — where FP&A is headed
(55:18) Lightning round + final thoughts
💡 Key Takeaways
AI-native design > AI add-ons. The magic happens when AI shapes the core workflow, not when it’s bolted on.
Lead from the front. Siqi built internal AI tools himself early on, setting the tone for company culture.
Celebrate quick wins. Encouraging non-technical team members to use AI builds momentum across orgs.
Hackathons must evolve. What starts as flashy demos must become shipped features.
Hire for taste and agency. AI multiplies great judgment; weak foundations get weaker.
Don’t fear AI sprawl (yet). Exploration creates more value than consolidating tools too early.
🔗 Where to Find Siqi
Twitter/X: @blader
LinkedIn: Siqi Chen
Runway: runway.com
📚 References & Mentions
Cursor – AI-assisted coding tool
Universal Primer (GPT) – Siqi’s educational GPT
Joel Spolsky essays – on software abstractions and product design
If this conversation resonated, share this issue with a teammate or founder wrestling with financial decision-making.
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Until next time,
Haroon