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Des Traynor

Des Traynor

founderenterprisesaastransformation

About Des Traynor

Des Traynor is co-founder of Intercom, the customer service platform founded in 2011. He's become a leading voice on what real SaaS-to-AI transformation looks like - warning that most companies claiming to be "AI companies" haven't actually transformed.

Career Highlights

  • Intercom (2011-present): Co-founder, grew to $1M-$50M ARR in 3 years
  • Led Intercom's AI transformation after ChatGPT launch (Nov 2022)
  • Built Fin, Intercom's AI customer service agent

Notable Positions

On Transformation

"A lot of SaaS companies think they're AI companies, but they're not. They're not true deep AI companies. If you've not gone through brutal transformation, you're not there yet."

On Scale of Change

"Take Intercom three years ago versus today - they are entirely different companies. Unrecognizable. That's what real transformation looks like."

On Why It's Hard

Intercom had an ML team since 2015-2016. When ChatGPT arrived, that team told leadership: "This is the moment. A one-way door for humanity. The iPhone moment." Having internal expertise to validate the shift was crucial.

On GTM Changes

"AI changes who you're selling to. A CEO and a customer service leader live in different universes. They care about different things, speak different languages. You need to engage both simultaneously."

Key Quotes

  • "If your transformation wasn't brutal, you're not there yet."
  • "This is a one-way door for humanity."
  • "Unrecognizable in three years."