#BR29
Going in with aplomb
The word that stayed with me after the latest episode of Slideshow was intrepid. My guest was Laura Burkhauser, CEO of Descript.
Wait (you say)..... what is Descript? It's the platform that lets you edit video and audio like a Google Doc. You edit the transcript, and the video edits itself. It's become the tool of choice for podcasters, marketers, and video teams who want to produce professional content without a film crew, and it’s growing fast.
Laura took over as CEO in 2025 after being identified as a successor from almost the day she joined. And yes, this episode of Slideshow was recorded and edited on Descript. Which makes the whole thing a bit meta. Laura's German literature degree (class of 2008, one of the worst job markets in recent memory) and my fine arts degree (2000, not a screaming year for abstract expressionists) got us off to a flying start.
Back to being intrepid
Intrepid people go into uncertain territory with aplomb (love that word!)..... they suspect there might be some adventure in the unknown, not just danger. It's the attitude Laura says you need to lead a business through a disruptive moment. And right now, most businesses are in one.
Here's the problem with uncertainty. It's not that you don't have information — it's that
most of it is designed to produce a feeling rather than a decision. The worry sits there,
shapeless and hard to act on.
The good news: there's a tool for it. And it's surprisingly simple.
Laura's fix: make a sandwich bet.
Delicious AND strategic.
You name what you think will happen and by when. If you're right, the other person owes you a sandwich. If you're wrong, you owe them one.
That's it. But making the bet does something important: it forces you to turn a shapeless worry into a specific, testable claim. And a specific claim is something you can actually think about, plan around, and revisit.
Laura uses it at Descript to align her team when she makes a call they weren't expecting.
It works for AI predictions, hiring decisions, pricing calls, and market bets. Wherever you
have conviction, but not certainty.
You had some thoughts
In BR25, I asked for your sandwich bets on AI and jobs. Here's a sample of what came back, from LinkedIn and directly:
Mark Lawrence, AI literacy educator, NZ: by the end of 2027, entry-level job openings will be down 10% relative to senior roles. Specific and measurable (and a little sobering).
Javier Yebenes, B2B marketing strategist: by 2028, marketing teams will shrink sharply. Generalists who can think and use tools will thrive. He's already set a calendar reminder for December 2028.
Andrea Halal, tech marketing leader: AI's productivity gains won't only show up in output — they'll show up in how we live. More time for health, focus, and the things that actually matter.
Three completely different conclusions from the same information. That's the other thing Laura loves about this tool: a sandwich bet makes it visible that the future isn't fixed, and that reasonable people can disagree. Which means your read on what's coming is worth something.
Try it this week
Pick something in your business that's currently living in the "not sure about this" category. Write one sentence: what do you think will happen, and by when? Tell someone.
Name your sandwich.
The intrepid move is being willing to go on record, before you know how it ends.
Laura goes deeper on all of this in Season 2, Episode 4 (#17) of Slideshow with Dave Hayward, including how she runs the sandwich bet with her own team at Descript. It's a cracking conversation.
Cheers, Dave
