Zapier CEO and co-founder Wade Foster has incorporated AI agents into his daily executive workflow, using them for automated briefings, customer outreach, decision support and hiring. Foster said the systems save him about two hours each day while helping him reduce routine work and focus more closely on critical responsibilities.
Key Takeaways
- Foster uses a collection of AI automations and agents as a “robot staff” for recurring executive tasks.
- An automated system reviews Foster’s calendar, email and meeting notes to deliver a daily briefing at 6 a.m.
- Foster uses an AI agent to challenge his ideas rather than simply affirming his decisions.
- AI identifies customers for potential outreach and drafts suggested emails for Foster to review.
- A seven-agent “war council” assists Foster and his hiring team in evaluating candidates.
Zapier CEO Wade Foster Uses AI for Recurring Executive Tasks
Foster described his use of AI during a recent episode of the My First Million podcast, explaining how he has added multiple automations and agents to his daily workflow at Zapier. He said the systems handle recurring tasks that would otherwise require him to initiate or monitor them manually.
Foster refers to the collection as his “robot staff.” He described it as functioning like a chief of staff by combining different automations and AI agents for several parts of his executive work.
The system is designed to operate in the background rather than requiring Foster to start each task himself. That setup allows AI tools to process information, prepare material and take certain actions based on tasks Foster has already established.
Foster said the systems save him about two hours each day. He also described the time savings as a way to increase his output without increasing the number of hours he works.
The AI tools cover several areas of Foster’s responsibilities, including customer relationship management with enterprise customers, executive preparation, communication and hiring. Their functions differ depending on the task, with some systems providing information and others taking action.
One example involves a commitment Foster makes during a meeting. Instead of simply reminding him about the task, the system can make the introduction he agreed to arrange.
That distinction is central to Foster’s approach. The AI does not only prepare a list of tasks for him to complete; in some cases, it performs the next step itself.
Foster’s approach fits within a wider body of executive discussion around enterprise agentic AI systems, but his system is specifically built around his own daily responsibilities rather than a company-wide deployment.
Daily Briefings and End-of-Day Reviews
Foster receives an AI-generated Slack message at 6 a.m. each day. The system reviews his calendar, email, meeting notes and other information before preparing the briefing.
The morning report gives Foster a consolidated view of his schedule and outstanding responsibilities. The system is intended to reduce the need for him to manually gather information from several sources before starting his day.
A second report runs at the end of the day. It reviews meeting notes, unfinished tasks and outstanding email.
The end-of-day system also asks Foster how his day went. Foster uses his response to record whether the day was good or bad and explain the reason.
He said that information is logged so the AI can learn how to adjust his daily workflow. The process gives the system additional information about the types of activities and circumstances that Foster considers productive or unproductive.
Automated Briefings Organize Foster’s Daily Priorities
The daily briefing connects several information sources into one recurring report. Calendar entries, email and meeting notes are reviewed before the 6 a.m. Slack message is delivered.
The end-of-day report provides a separate review of unfinished work and recent activity. It also records Foster’s assessment of how the day went, creating an additional input for the system.
Foster’s use of these reports extends beyond information retrieval. The AI can identify an outstanding action and complete it when the task is suitable for automation.
For example, an introduction Foster committed to making during a meeting can be handled by the system rather than remaining as a manual follow-up item.
The setup therefore combines briefing, task tracking and execution. Foster remains responsible for the executive work, while the AI systems handle selected recurring activities connected to that work.
Foster said the broader objective is to use AI to increase his output without adding working hours. He estimated that the tools save him approximately two hours per day.
The daily reporting system also gives Foster a regular record of his activities. His feedback about each day becomes information that the AI can use when adjusting the support it provides.
The use of AI to organize executive work also connects with wider questions around AI adoption inside companies, particularly the allocation of responsibility when automated systems become part of routine business processes.
AI Agents Challenge Executive Decisions and Ideas
Foster also uses AI as a source of pushback when considering ideas. He said employees can be reluctant to challenge a founder and boss, making direct scrutiny of his thinking harder to obtain from people within the organization.
His approach is to configure an AI agent to argue against his ideas rather than automatically agree with them. Foster uses Cursor for this purpose and said similar AI systems can be configured to have these kinds of conversations.
He described the ability to receive disagreement as an important part of the system. The agent is instructed to scrutinize his thinking and identify weaknesses rather than simply confirming that an idea is correct.
Foster provided a free-tier decision as an example. He ran a scenario in which he proposed eliminating Zapier’s free tier, and the AI argued against the proposal.
The system presented reasons to reconsider the decision and prompted Foster to examine alternative approaches. The example shows the AI being used as a structured source of opposing arguments rather than only as a drafting or administrative tool.
This function differs from the automated briefing system. The briefing gathers and organizes information, while the “thought partner” role is intended to test Foster’s assumptions.
Foster said the use of AI in this role addresses a specific leadership problem: obtaining scrutiny of decisions from people who may hesitate to challenge the CEO directly.
AI Identifies Customer Outreach Opportunities
Foster also uses AI to identify enterprise customers who may warrant direct outreach. The system examines patterns such as declining usage and upcoming renewals to identify accounts that may require attention.
The AI also tracks relevant people inside an account who could be contacted. It then provides Foster with a list of 10 customers to contact each Sunday morning.
The system prepares proposed outreach for those customers. Foster said it provides suggestions for what he should say and why he should make the contact.
The emails are also drafted in Foster’s inbox before he reviews them. He can then edit the messages or send them.
Foster said the system addresses a personal difficulty with networking and customer outreach. Rather than relying on himself to identify every account and begin each communication, he has placed an AI agent into the process.
The workflow combines account information, outreach recommendations and email drafting. Foster still reviews the proposed communications before sending them.
The customer system therefore performs several steps in sequence. It identifies accounts based on available signals, recommends people to contact, prepares suggested messaging and places the drafts in Foster’s inbox.
The use of AI agents for customer engagement also has parallels with AI-assisted sales workflows, where automated systems can handle parts of prospect research and communication while people retain review responsibilities.
Seven-Agent Council Assists With Hiring Decisions
Foster also uses AI during hiring, although he said he and his hiring team continue to meet with potential employees themselves.
For candidate evaluation, Foster uses a tool he calls a “war council.” The system creates seven AI agents, with each agent assigned a different personality.
The different perspectives are used to examine candidates from multiple angles. Foster said the approach can help him identify concerns about a candidate that he may have noticed but struggled to articulate.
The AI agents can also assess a candidate’s likelihood of succeeding in the role. Foster described the system as another layer in the hiring process rather than a replacement for meetings between candidates and the hiring team.
The council can identify traits in a candidate and point out areas that the interview panel did not examine closely. Foster said this can prompt the hiring team to investigate those areas further.
He attributed part of an improvement in the way hiring decisions were made to adding AI to the process.
The hiring system gives Foster another use for multiple AI perspectives. Instead of asking a single system for one assessment, the seven-agent structure provides different styles of analysis before the hiring team makes its decision.
AI-Assisted Candidate Evaluation
Foster’s hiring process still includes direct interaction with candidates and human decision-makers. The AI council adds analysis to that process by generating separate perspectives and identifying areas that may need additional scrutiny.
The approach also gives Foster a way to express concerns that are difficult to articulate. An AI-generated assessment can identify candidate traits or gaps in an interview panel’s evaluation, which Foster and his team can then examine.
Foster’s use of AI in hiring can also be considered alongside discussions about AI reshaping hiring workflows, although his system is being used to assist his own evaluation process rather than to replace the hiring team.
Across his executive workflow, Foster is using AI for different functions rather than one general-purpose task. The systems provide daily information, perform selected follow-up work, challenge ideas, identify customer contacts and assist with candidate evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Zapier CEO Wade Foster?
Wade Foster is the CEO and co-founder of Zapier. He co-founded the company in 2012.
How does Wade Foster use AI agents at Zapier?
Foster uses AI agents for recurring executive tasks, daily briefings, customer outreach, decision support and hiring assistance. He refers to the collection of systems as his “robot staff.”
How much time does Foster say his AI systems save each day?
Foster said the AI tools save him about two hours per day. He uses the systems to handle selected recurring tasks without increasing the number of hours he works.
How does Foster use AI in hiring?
Foster uses a seven-agent AI system called a “war council” to assist with candidate evaluation. The agents have different personalities and can identify candidate traits or areas that the hiring panel may need to examine further.
How does Zapier’s CEO use AI for customer outreach?
AI identifies 10 customers for Foster to contact each Sunday based on signals such as declining usage and upcoming renewals. The system also prepares proposed outreach and drafts emails for Foster to review before sending.
