Entrepreneur / CEO / COO / General Manager building great technology product and services businesses in cloud, enterprise software, SaaS and related products/services. Passionate early-adopter and evangelist for cloud computing - and all things cloud-native -  and its ability to transform IT. Strong across multiple competencies - sales, marketing, technology, finance & operations.

John. Treadway

I believe there’s a parallel between the autonomous driving market and internal AI strategy. Let me know what you think.

Elon Musk has said he doesn’t understand why other automakers won’t license Full Self-Driving (FSD) from Tesla. Some automakers, notably Rivian, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz, have determined that this technology is so central to their businesses that they cannot just abdicate it and let another company control their destiny. While this makes for more work and higher upfront risk, they are not wrong to want to "own" something so fundamental.

In 2026, we are seeing a similar shift in the enterprise. The bigger companies are often avoiding "renting" external AI stacks tied to a single vendor (OpenAI, Salesforce, etc.) in favor of building a sovereign internal AI stack. Here is why the "Own vs. Rent" debate is shifting:

- Data Sovereignty & Security: You keep your IP and customer data behind your own firewall, not a third-party black box.

- Operational Control: You aren't at the mercy of a vendor's pricing hikes, model deprecations, or roadmap pivots. Control your roadmap, control your destiny.

- The "Unified Brain": An internal stack connects all your siloed data (CRM, ERP, Slack) into one cohesive intelligence layer.

- Unit Economics: While "renting" is cheap at first, building your own infrastructure avoids the compounding "SaaS tax" at scale. If you have 2,000 employees, even part of the stack will be $720k per year (at $30). Add in the siloed AI add-ons from Salesforce, ServiceNow and others and that number can quickly balloon! You can "own" your own stack for a lot less - and use the savings to fund enablement, process change and other super-important efforts. 

- Custom Moats: Generalist vendor AIs are a commodity; an AI stack fine-tuned on your proprietary processes is a competitive advantage.

The takeaway: If AI is going to be the "engine" of your company, do you want to own the engine, or just lease the same system your competitor is using?

#AIStrategy #EnterpriseAI #SovereignAI #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

John Treadway

CEO of AI Technology Partners, provider of governed, adopted, enterprise AI—deployed in our client’s environment and under their control

I am very excited to welcome Dave MacKay as SVP, Client Strategy & Partnerships at AI Technology Partners!

Dave is a senior go-to-market and strategy leader with more than 25 years of experience helping technology companies translate AI, advanced analytics, and cloud capabilities into clear customer demand and measurable business outcomes. At AI Technology Partners (AITP), he is focused on accelerating early customer traction and shaping our go-to-market strategy in the generative and agentic AI landscape.

His background spans enterprise analytics, cloud platforms, and professional services, with leadership roles at SAS, Cognos, Onica, and Slalom, as well as early-stage growth firms. Across these environments, Dave has consistently helped organizations open new markets, validate repeatable sales motions, and extend platforms into new use cases and verticals. He is particularly known for building and leading high-performing, cross-functional teams that align strategy, sales, partners, and delivery around concrete outcomes.

Dave’s strength lies in bridging strategy and execution. He brings a pragmatic, market-driven perspective that helps teams focus on what actually drives adoption, revenue, and scale.

Dave is working closely with me and the rest of the leadership team to inject real-world market signal into how we position, sell, and partner as the company grows. His mandate is to drive early market traction through hands-on collaboration with clients and strategic partners, helping refine and scale AITP’s go-to-market approach.

Outside of work, Dave enjoys staying active and spending time outdoors, including fishing and tennis.

Dave is widely respected for his strategic judgment, collaborative leadership style, and ability to create clarity through action. We are excited to have him join AITP as we continue to build practical AI solutions that deliver real business outcomes.

AI + Marketing | VP Marketing & Strategy @ HatchWorks | Host of the Built Right Podcast 🎙

AI isn’t coming—it’s already reshaping how we work, build, and compete.

I help companies prepare their teams for this shift through practical, hands-on AI training tailored to your industry and team needs.

From exec briefings to full-team workshops, I make AI accessible and actionable—no jargon, no hype. Just real use cases, real tools, and real skills your team can use immediately.

Whether you're just starting your AI journey or looking to go deeper, I’ll help your team build the confidence and capability to lead in the age of AI.

Let’s talk if you’re ready to future-proof your team.

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