Ilya Kravtsov

Serial Entrepreneur in fintech. Founder PILLAR. Mentor @PlugandPlayAPAC & @Antlerglobal

[Gabriel @gbrl_dick]

canva CTO just quit.

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

lol

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

Last quarter I rolled out Microsoft Copilot to 4,000 employees.

$30 per seat per month.

$1.4 million annually.

I called it "digital transformation."

The board loved that phrase.

They approved it in eleven minutes.

No one asked what it would actually do.

Including me.

I told everyone it would "10x productivity."

That's not a real number.

But it sounds like one.

HR asked how we'd measure the 10x.

I said we'd "leverage analytics dashboards."

They stopped asking.

Three months later I checked the usage reports.

47 people had opened it.

12 had used it more than once.

One of them was me.

I used it to summarize an email I could have read in 30 seconds.

It took 45 seconds.

Plus the time it took to fix the hallucinations.

But I called it a "pilot success."

Success means the pilot didn't visibly fail.

The CFO asked about ROI.

I showed him a graph.

The graph went up and to the right.

It measured "AI enablement."

I made that metric up.

He nodded approvingly.

We're "AI-enabled" now.

I don't know what that means.

But it's in our investor deck.

A senior developer asked why we didn't use Claude or ChatGPT.

I said we needed "enterprise-grade security."

He asked what that meant.

I said "compliance."

He asked which compliance.

I said "all of them."

He looked skeptical.

I scheduled him for a "career development conversation."

He stopped asking questions.

Microsoft sent a case study team.

They wanted to feature us as a success story.

I told them we "saved 40,000 hours."

I calculated that number by multiplying employees by a number I made up.

They didn't verify it.

They never do.

Now we're on Microsoft's website.

"Global enterprise achieves 40,000 hours of productivity gains with Copilot."

The CEO shared it on LinkedIn.

He got 3,000 likes.

He's never used Copilot.

None of the executives have.

We have an exemption.

"Strategic focus requires minimal digital distraction."

I wrote that policy.

The licenses renew next month.

I'm requesting an expansion.

5,000 more seats.

We haven't used the first 4,000.

But this time we'll "drive adoption."

Adoption means mandatory training.

Training means a 45-minute webinar no one watches.

But completion will be tracked.

Completion is a metric.

Metrics go in dashboards.

Dashboards go in board presentations.

Board presentations get me promoted.

I'll be SVP by Q3.

I still don't know what Copilot does.

But I know what it's for.

It's for showing we're "investing in AI."

Investment means spending.

Spending means commitment.

Commitment means we're serious about the future.

The future is whatever I say it is.

As long as the graph goes up and to the right.

[Kris @kris]

https://t.co/aL87Is0WjP

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

https://t.co/oR5OOB8VTI

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

I rarely praise Trump but this is a genuinely incredible speech https://t.co/H1EPlwbF5h

I've been arguing for close to a decade that the single biggest reason for the growing divide between the West and "the rest" was the West's inability to accept diversity (the genuine kind, not the fake ersatz of it sold to you under liberalism). Diversity of cultures, traditions, civilizations, governance systems, etc.

Incredible, and kind of disturbing, that Trump is the first Western leader who seems to understand this and to criticize the West's missionary zeal to remake others in its image.

[Paul Graham @paulg]

The AI boom is not just probably bigger than the two previous ones I've seen (integrated circuits and the internet), but also seems to be spreading faster.

[Peng T. Ong @peng_t_ong]

[Beyond Transactions: AI and the Power of Relationships]

. The Transactional Trap
In 2018, young people protested Facebook’s $270 valuation of a 13-year-old’s lifetime worth, exposing the flaws of transactional thinking. Reducing human value to short-term profit margins ignores emotions, relationships, and experiences—core elements technology often fails to capture.

. Transactions vs. Connection
Tech-driven systems, like dating apps and platforms like X, prioritize speed over depth, turning interactions into snap judgments or anonymous arguments. This erodes empathy and undermines meaningful human connection.

. Trust: The Core of Relationships
Trust, built on competence (emotional intelligence and precision) and loyalty (“I’ve got your back”), creates lasting value. Unlike transactions, trust-based relationships transcend monetary measures.

. AI’s Relational Potential
AI marks a turning point, shifting from transaction-focused technology to relationship-driven innovation. This “transactions to relationships” (T2R) approach will redefine industries by prioritizing trust and connection over short-term efficiency.

. Proprietary Relationships as Advantage
Authentic relationships, enabled by AI, create proprietary insights and customer loyalty. Companies that prioritize trust over transactions will gain a lasting competitive edge.

. Conclusion
AI offers a chance to move beyond transactional limits, using technology to foster trust and genuine connections. The future lies in relationships as the true currency of progress, amplifying humanity rather than reducing it to just profit.

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

I do expect a lot of VCs to cut staff, some of them have been doing 1 or 2 deals a year with several offices globally and big amount of employees. #vc #employees #cuts

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

@Microsoft censoring @deepseek_ai posts on LinkedIn? True or not true? #linkedin #censorship

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

@deepseek_ai is a great example that innovation can come from anywhere not only from Silicon Valley.. something that large VCs should keep in mind in allocating their resources. #VC #techtalk #innovation

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

Ex founders of failed startups tend to be very pessimistic.. or should I say realistic? #startups #techtalk

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

Let’s try this out again, revival after so many years!

[Ringkas | KPR Lebih Ringkas @lebihringkas]

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#KPRTakeOver

[Ringkas | KPR Lebih Ringkas @lebihringkas]

Selamat pagi, semangat hari senin pejuang cicilan KPR~

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

#NewProfilePic

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

@seatodaynews visit https://t.co/e4yRjtQX8U for more informaton

[SEA Today News @seatodaynews]

#Pouchpass, a gadget that can be used to measure our body temperature instead of a thermometer. This smart wristband is designed with sensors that can monitor our body temperature. Checkout the full coverage on Youtube #SEAToday News!

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

Interesting insights into the industry!

#events #festivals #experiences #pouchnation #trends #technology #pricing #marketleaders https://t.co/YSfSdOXPnd

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

Happening now!!! #Philippines #pouchNATION #events #disrupt #tech https://t.co/gcHZU8S308

[Ilya Kravtsov @kravilli]

@gojekindonesia So what does mean?