What animal has nine brains, eight arms, three hearts, adapts rapidly, and possesses exceptional intelligence?
Yes, the description applies to octopuses. But according to Stephen Wunker, managing director of New Markets Advisors, it is also an apt description of business owners and CEOs who harness artificial intelligence to transform their companies into super-high-performing organizations.
Steve and his colleagues advise companies and organizations, including Microsoft, Meta, Nike, and the World Bank, on innovation strategy and capabilities. His latest book, co-authored with futurist Jonathan Brill, is AI and the Octopus Organization: Building the Superintelligent Firm.
Steve, who previously was a guest on this podcast in April 2024, sees the cephalopod's decentralized decision-making, lightning-fast problem-solving, and hyper-responsive behavior as an ideal model for AI-empowered leadership.
As he explains, winning with AI doesn't mean squeezing new tools into old systems. It requires leaders to rethink — even rewire — how their organizations operate so they can swim with the intelligence and adaptability of an octopus.
Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.
Photo: Stephen Wunker, New Markets Advisors
Posted: December 1, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 44:44
Episode: 14.26
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