Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
How will AI impact the business I have spent years building?
When Sal Khan, CEO and founder of Khan Academy, was confronted with this question in 2023 he didn’t wait for someone to answer, he learned quickly and built the outcome he wanted. The result was a personalized learning model that enhanced education for 200 million users across the world.
Join host Jimmy Allen of Bain & Company and Sal as they discuss how to embrace the discomfort of navigating disruption, the importance of relearning how to learn, and how CEOs can use AI to strengthen their competitive positions.
Sal also reveals the promise he made to his team - if they’re creating AI that can automate their roles they won’t be replaced, they will be promoted. How can leaders find new ways to drive productivity amid the uncertainty surrounding AI?
This is a conversation about turning disruption into new opportunities, how curiosity can help us navigate the unknown, and how leaders can leverage AI to set their businesses apart.
bain.com/founders-mentality
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:22 The astonishing ability of emerging AI
03:21 Experimenting with an early AI model
04:14 Turning fears into features
04:56 Sal’s quick decision to adopt AI
05:46 The concerns of AI in education
07:04 Sal’s symbiosis with AI developers
07:57 Why Khan Academy had to understand AI
08:32 How Sal seized the opportunity of disruptive technologies
09:22 Getting the team on board through confronting risks
10:05 Preparing to launch
10:34 The need for a responsible actor becomes clear
11:56 How Sal built his tiger team
13:17 How Sal’s mentality helps embrace AI uncertainty
15:23 Learning how to learn again
16:11 Helping people learn in the right ways with AI
18:05 How AI facilitates a deeper education
19:08 The choice: to thrive with AI, or to be replaced by AI
19:55 Three key things about learning with AI
20:36 Sal’s promise
20:55 A CEO’s guide to using AI
24:03 The fundamental question answered by Sal’s journey
25:28 What is personalized mastery education
28:21 How AI facilitates Khan Academy's personalized learning model
28:50 Gaining the conviction to adopt AI
29:54 When conviction turns into validation
30:37 What we can learn from Sal’s journey
LINKS
A Scorecard on our 3 AI Journeys - Jimmy Allen - Blog [tinyurl.com/AIJourneyScorecard]
Bain & Company LinkedIn [linkedin.com/company/bain-and-company/]
Bain & Company X [https://x.com/BainandCompany]
Jimmy Allen LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/james-allen-3442b/]
Sal Khan LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/khanacademy/]
How will AI impact the business I have spent years building?
When Sal Khan, CEO and founder of Khan Academy, was confronted with this question in 2023 he didn’t wait for someone to answer, he learned quickly and built the outcome he wanted. The result was a personalized learning model that enhanced education for 200 million users across the world.
Join host Jimmy Allen of Bain & Company and Sal as they discuss how to embrace the discomfort of navigating disruption, the importance of relearning how to learn, and how CEOs can use AI to strengthen their competitive positions.
Sal also reveals the promise he made to his team - if they’re creating AI that can automate their roles they won’t be replaced, they will be promoted. How can leaders find new ways to drive productivity amid the uncertainty surrounding AI?
This is a conversation about turning disruption into new opportunities, how curiosity can help us navigate the unknown, and how leaders can leverage AI to set their businesses apart.
bain.com/founders-mentality
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:22 The astonishing ability of emerging AI
03:21 Experimenting with an early AI model
04:14 Turning fears into features
04:56 Sal’s quick decision to adopt AI
05:46 The concerns of AI in education
07:04 Sal’s symbiosis with AI developers
07:57 Why Khan Academy had to understand AI
08:32 How Sal seized the opportunity of disruptive technologies
09:22 Getting the team on board through confronting risks
10:05 Preparing to launch
10:34 The need for a responsible actor becomes clear
11:56 How Sal built his tiger team
13:17 How Sal’s mentality helps embrace AI uncertainty
15:23 Learning how to learn again
16:11 Helping people learn in the right ways with AI
18:05 How AI facilitates a deeper education
19:08 The choice: to thrive with AI, or to be replaced by AI
19:55 Three key things about learning with AI
20:36 Sal’s promise
20:55 A CEO’s guide to using AI
24:03 The fundamental question answered by Sal’s journey
25:28 What is personalized mastery education
28:21 How AI facilitates Khan Academy's personalized learning model
28:50 Gaining the conviction to adopt AI
29:54 When conviction turns into validation
30:37 What we can learn from Sal’s journey
LINKS
A Scorecard on our 3 AI Journeys - Jimmy Allen - Blog [tinyurl.com/AIJourneyScorecard]
Bain & Company LinkedIn [linkedin.com/company/bain-and-company/]
Bain & Company X [https://x.com/BainandCompany]
Jimmy Allen LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/james-allen-3442b/]
Sal Khan LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/khanacademy/]
