July 29, 2025 • 8 min read
The Visionary CEOs Leading the Path of Agentic CX
CEO & Founder
July 29, 2025
Customer experience is emerging as one defined by proactive digital agents, intelligent voice interfaces, and real-time AI orchestration.
This is Agentic CX: where AI and humans collaborate, not compete; where the customer journey is powered by decision-making, not just data; and where CEOs aren't just building software, they're re-architecting service itself.
While big names like Salesforce and Microsoft dominate headlines, a quieter revolution is underway. CEOs are actively building toward a world where AI copilots, agent orchestration, and proactive voice intelligence define every customer interaction. This list is a snapshot of that movement in motion. These CEOs are leading some of the most innovative companies in CX, CCaaS, and conversational AI. Their platforms are voice-first, automation-rich, and deeply agentic by design.
Tomas Gorny - CEO, Nextiva
Tomas Gorny is building a new kind of AI communications company: one that puts customer relationships at the center of every interaction. With Nextiva, Tomas has fused voice, surveys, automation, and analytics into a seamless CX platform for SMBs, midmarket, and enterprise teams.
"AI is the great equalizer, if we use it properly. At Nextiva, we believe AI should level the playing field, not widen the gap."
Agentic CX Moves:
Nextiva is setting a new bar for unified CX platforms. Gorny's approach makes complex AI simple, accessible, and actionable for everyday business.
- Built a unified platform from the ground up with native CX and automation tools.
- Champions simplicity over feature bloat, making AI approachable for non-technical users.
- Focuses on providing agents and businesses with actionable insights in real-time.
These foundational capabilities position Nextiva as a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to integrate AI without overwhelming complexity.
Bret Taylor - CEO, Sierra.ai
Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, is now focused on building Sierra into a transformative force in AI-native customer experiences. With a team of top engineers and advisors from companies like OpenAI, Sierra is developing outcome-driven digital agents that can autonomously resolve complex customer interactions. Taylor has made it clear that Sierra isn’t building a better chatbot, they’re building a new class of enterprise AI.
"Our thesis is really simple. We think that conversational AI will become the dominant form factor that people use to interact with brands, not just for the sort of current trends like customer service, but really for all aspects of the customer experience."
Agentic CX Moves:
Taylor is bringing first-principles thinking to the design of digital agents. Sierra's mission is to deliver outcome-based AI models that rethink CX from the ground up.
- Applying deep product vision to the creation of digital agents, not just chatbots
- Positioning Sierra as a generational CX platform, purpose-built for autonomy
- Reimagining how enterprises scale humanlike support without human overhead
Taylor's track record suggests Sierra could emerge as a defining force in autonomous customer service.
Ping Wu - CEO, Cresta
Ping Wu and the Cresta team are redefining what AI coaching means. Cresta is a real-time agent assist and orchestration engine that helps human agents respond more effectively, efficiently, and intelligently.
“We’re excited about transforming contact centers with AI, aiming to build an AI‑native contact center… Future contact centers will be hybrid human‑AI systems.”
Agentic CX Moves:
Cresta is the gold standard in AI-powered agent assist. Wu has kept the product ahead of the market while staying grounded in real contact center pain points.
- Focuses on real-time intelligence that improves agent performance in the moment
- Blends human intuition with AI recommendations to drive outcomes
- Acts as an orchestration layer that learns from every interaction and scales best practices
This approach has made Cresta an essential tool for contact centers seeking immediate performance improvements.
Mike Murchison - CEO, Ada
Mike Murchison co-founded Ada with a belief that great customer service doesn't require waiting on hold. Today, Ada enables enterprises to deploy AI-powered customer service agents that resolve requests autonomously across digital channels.
"Our vision has always been to resolve every customer service conversation. And that meant that we knew we had to automate conversations not only in messaging channels but also over the phone voice channels."
Agentic CX Moves:
Ada is redefining containment in customer service. Murchison has built a platform where AI handles complex interactions while maintaining quality and brand consistency.
- Positioned Ada as a platform for autonomous support, not just deflection
- Focuses on containment without compromise—resolutions, not redirection
- Built an agent-first philosophy that complements human support, rather than replacing it
Ada's emphasis on resolution quality has helped establish it as a trusted autonomous support solution.
Swapnil Jain - CEO, Observe.ai
Swapnil Jain is helping shape the next generation of contact center AI. With Observe.ai, he's moving beyond call transcription toward real-time agent guidance, automated QA, and intelligent coaching, all underpinned by rich voice data.
"At Observe.AI, one of our core principles is simple: We’re a customer solutions company, not a technology company."
Agentic CX Moves:
Observe.ai is turning voice data into a performance engine. Under Jain's leadership, it's become an indispensable layer for QA, compliance, and real-time coaching.
- Built a platform that transforms voice data into actionable coaching insights
- Introduced AI-fueled quality assurance and compliance monitoring
- Empowering supervisors and agents with real-time, in-the-moment feedback
This comprehensive approach to voice analytics has made Observe.ai a critical component of modern contact center operations.
Arvind Jain - CEO, Glean
Arvind Jain is turning search into a strategic advantage for enterprise CX. With Glean, he's applying cutting-edge AI to unify knowledge across tools, enabling employees and agents to instantly find answers, reduce time-to-resolution, and deliver more informed service.
“At Glean we believe that AI agents are not just about finding information but about doing real work… our vision is to create AI‑native companies where human work and AI work complement each other to drive unprecedented productivity and innovation.”
Agentic CX Moves:
Glean is what happens when enterprise search meets agentic automation. Arvind Jain is building a knowledge infrastructure that empowers every frontline team.
- Built an AI-powered workplace search engine that surfaces real-time knowledge contextually
- Accelerates agent productivity by removing knowledge silos
- Powers smarter, faster CX interactions through proactive information delivery
Glean's ability to break down information barriers has proven essential for organizations seeking to optimize agent efficiency.
Daniel Michaeli - CEO, Glia
Daniel Michaeli is redefining digital-first customer service by enabling seamless, on-screen support. With Glia, he's building a channel-less platform that converges voice, chat, video, and co-browsing, offering uninterrupted and personalized customer experiences.
“We're pioneering a fundamental shift in customer interactions technology that drives both: operational efficiency AND customer satisfaction. This has historically been an either/or choice—until now.”
Agentic CX Moves:
Michaeli's vision for digital-first service addresses a critical gap in modern customer support. Glia demonstrates that channel-less, AI-guided experiences are not only possible but also more effective.
- Pioneered the concept of Digital Customer Service (DCS) that eliminates channel switching
- Integrates AI and human guidance into a single interface, in real time
- Enhances agent productivity and customer satisfaction with embedded voice and visual context
This unified approach has positioned Glia as a leader in seamless, multi-modal customer engagement.
Dan O’Connell - CEO, Front
Dan O’Connell is driving Front’s mission to reinvent the shared inbox for the age of AI. With a background at Google and Dialpad, he understands the power of real-time communication and how AI can enhance human connection. Under his leadership, Front has become a platform where high-trust customer communication happens faster, more personally, and more intelligently.
Yes, we’re a modern support tool. But more than that, it’s how teams rally around customer feedback and use Front to shape what gets built next.
Agentic CX Moves:
Front is building the agent’s workspace of the future. O’Connell’s leadership is anchoring AI to tangible business outcomes, enhancing personalization, reducing agent effort, and amplifying impact.
- Embeds generative AI directly into the inbox to suggest replies, surface insights, and reduce manual work
- Bridges CRM, email, and chat to give agents full context at every touchpoint
- Designed to help support teams deliver 1:1 experiences at scale without sacrificing speed or empathy
Front's human-centered approach demonstrates how AI can amplify rather than replace the personal touch in customer service.
The Bottom Line
The future isn't just automated, it is agentic. These CEOs are building the foundational technologies that will define the next decade of agentic customer experiences.
Whether it's through real-time voice AI, autonomous service agents, or full-stack orchestration, their work embodies the principles of Agentic CX: collaborative, contextual, and continuously learning.