The unusual, unexpected, and human side of B2B technology
Automated traffic hit 57% of web requests this June. Most enterprise marketing teams are optimizing for an audience that isn't human anymore.
A logistics software company let drivers choose their own loads and set their own schedules. In an industry where 80% of workers quit every year, one carrier's turnover fell to 35%.
An industrial automation firm repurposed its factory simulation software to schedule embalmings and cremations. Funeral homes say it cut wait times in half.
A simulation designed to teach nurses how to discuss menopause is being sold to hospitality companies to train managers. One hotel group cut housekeeping churn by 27%.
A Midwest logistics company installed vision software to reduce wasted steps. The system flagged something else: workers subtly changing how they moved to avoid pain.
Flexport's Ryan Petersen is doing something almost unheard of in B2B: publicly encouraging customers to use less of what he sells. The strategy reveals a bigger shift in how platforms compete.
Sometimes the most interesting thing about B2B coverage is what doesn't get covered. A search for unusual company pivots turned up only generic advice.
After losing nearly $500,000 to a vendor scam, one company started requiring suspicious payment changes be delivered by courier. 27% of requests vanished instantly.
Drive-thru lanes are becoming logistics nodes. Watchmakers are selling cybersecurity. Mining companies are teaching AI safety. The weirdest partnerships in B2B right now.
An Italian port authority got hit by hackers who explicitly framed the attack as a message to maritime infrastructure everywhere. Welcome to thought leadership by criminal syndicate.
Nearly every B2B marketer has adopted AI tools, but only half report better efficiency — and the industry's biggest bet after AI is live events.
The B2B data giant famous for automation now says its secret weapon is a 300-person team doing manual research. In the age of AI, expensive humans are suddenly the moat.