Scaling Smarter_ How Liat Ben-Zur Turns AI into Strategic Advantage_.pdf

Liat Ben-Zur, CEO of LBZ Advisory LLC. A former senior executive at Microsoft, Philips, and Qualcomm, her approach goes beyond traditional AI strategy consulting.

1. For years, the blueprint for scaling a product was clear: acquire users, drive
engagement, measure conversions. But in the age of real-time personalization,
shifting customer expectations, and exponential AI capability, those playbooks
are crumbling. Static funnels can’t keep up with dynamic users. Growth isn’t just
about reach anymore; it’s about relevance.
As companies scramble to retrofit AI into outdated models, one thing is clear:
intelligent growth starts with systems designed to learn and adapt from day one.
Every product interaction should do more than respond; it should coach,
personalize, and evolve in real time.
This is where the next era of leadership comes into focus, one that blends
technical depth with strategic clarity and a deep understanding of human
behavior. Few embody this better than Liat Ben-Zur, CEO of LBZ Advisory LLC.
A former senior executive at Microsoft, Philips, and Qualcomm, her approach
goes beyond traditional AI strategy consulting. She drives transformation at every

2. level, weaving together culture, code, and a commitment to real-time learning,
ethics, and user trust in every product decision.
Architect of the AI Era
Liat Ben-Zur’s path from tech executive to sought-after advisor was never
conventional, and that’s exactly what makes it impactful. Over a 25-year career,
she’s navigated engineering, global P&Ls, and inflection points across industries.
She’s built a career by anticipating and capitalizing on disruption.
At Qualcomm, her influence reached into the heart of the mobile revolution,
helping to shape its direction and impact. From 2G to 5G, she led the company’s
first open-source IoT platform, scaling its developer base from zero to 1,000+ in
under two years, setting the stage for today’s connected ecosystems.
As SVP of Digital Transformation at Philips, she helped the 120-year-old
healthcare giant embrace the IoT era, launching 30+ connected devices and
introducing data-first business models.
At Microsoft, she inherited a flatlining $6B portfolio and grew it to $13B in four
years, embedding AI into product experiences, launching GPT-4 via Bing, and
reviving the Edge browser after 15 years of decline.
In 2023, she founded LBZ Advisory LLC to help CEOs and boards lead through
AI disruption, product-led growth, and cultural change. Today, she advises firms
ranging from Amazon and credit unions to genomics and healthtech companies
to B2B SaaS and impact-focused startups, bringing technical depth, strategic
precision, and outcome-driven execution.
And as a queer woman who’s driven culture change from the inside, she knows
real innovation isn’t just about the levers you pull but who gets to pull them.

3. The Genesis of LBZ Advisory LLC
LBZ Advisory LLC was the natural next step in a career spent navigating and
leading through disruption. After three decades at the helm of transformative
tech initiatives at Qualcomm, Philips, and Microsoft, Liat Ben-Zur had seen
enough to recognize a widening gap: while many companies were reacting to
disruption, few were leading it.
LBZ Advisory is a boutique consultancy that brings C-suite precision to the
intersection of AI, product-led growth (PLG), and cultural transformation. Liat’s
approach is rooted in operational excellence honed from scaling global
businesses and turning around multibillion-dollar portfolios, and elevated by a
deeply human lens. Built for impact rather than scale, her firm works closely with
CEOs, boards, and executives steering through critical technological and business
transformations. Whether helping Fortune 500 giants reimagine their AI strategy or guiding
startups through lean, insight-driven experimentation, LBZ Advisory operates
with one North Star: measurable, sustainable growth powered by intelligent
systems—and led by inclusive, forward-thinking people.
AI-Driven Product-Led Growth
In the old PLG playbooks, every user was pushed through the same funnel, static,
linear, and slow to adapt. But in today’s fast-moving digital world, that model
breaks down. Liat Ben-Zur brings a transformative lens: AI-powered PLG isn’t
just automation—it’s adaptation. Imagine giving every user their own real-time
GPS: intuitive, contextual, and designed to remove friction instantly.
Here are five core shifts she champions:

4. Static Funnels → Self-Learning Flywheels: Every user interaction feeds the AI,
refining journeys on the fly—no need for manual A/B testing.
Sporadic Nudges → Continuous Coaching: AI spots when users are stuck and
delivers timely suggestions, boosting activation and upgrades in real time.
App-Hopping → Embedded Help: Smart assistants and tooltips are built directly
into the UI, keeping users in flow and in control.
Generic Outreach → Contextual Guidance: Personalized prompts appear at the
exact moment of need, tailored to each user’s role, behavior, and goals.
Opaque Logic → Transparent AI: Every suggestion includes a simple “why,”
helping users trust the system—and keep engaging.
Liat’s unique blend of technical fluency and user empathy ensures that AI doesn’t
overwhelm; it empowers. Her approach transforms PLG from a passive strategy
into a proactive growth engine, where every interaction makes the product
smarter by design.
No One-Size-Fits-All: Liat’s AI Strategies by Sector
“There’s no universal AI playbook,” says Liat Ben-Zur. “Every business faces
fragmented workflows and slow decision loops, but solutions must align with
their unique context.”
Startups: With limited time and resources, startups benefit from lightweight AI
nudges like an in-app coach suggesting next steps when users stall. “In days, you
learn where users struggle and can tweak onboarding without heavy builds.”
Regulated Enterprises: In sectors like healthcare and finance, pilots often get
stuck in compliance loops. Liat recommends a dual-track model:

5. ●​Fast Lane for low-risk UX tweaks (tooltips, nudges),
●​Safe Lane for core AI systems under full audit controls.
This approach enables innovation without compromising trust.
Industrial & IoT: Disparate factory data limits AI effectiveness. Liat suggests
deploying AI agents that use shared protocols, enabling systems to communicate
and self-orchestrate tasks like predictive maintenance without major
integrations.
Enterprise Culture Shifts: Beyond the tech itself, culture and change management
prove to be the toughest challenge companies face. Liat recommends that her
clients hold AI Culture Labs, where junior and senior staff co-create solutions and
where AI early adaptors can encourage and support AI resistors. These sessions
foster trust, highlight quick wins, and reshape incentives to reward human-AI
collaboration.
How Liat Powers AI-First PLG at Scale?
Vision without execution stalls. That’s why Liat Ben-Zur doesn’t just talk about
intelligent growth, she builds the frameworks to make it real. Her advisory work
helps companies embed AI into product-led growth strategies from pilot to full
deployment, even without deep in-house expertise.
Here’s how she helps teams move fast and drive measurable outcomes:
Conversational Copilots: In-app chat assistants (like ChatGPT) that guide users
with answers, walkthroughs, or next-best actions.
Recommendation Engines: Dynamically surface features, content, or tools based
on live behavioral signals.

6. Automated Dashboards: Agent-powered business intelligence surfaces trends and
anomalies—no SQL required.
No-Code AI Builders: Rapidly test and deploy smart features using platforms like
MindStudio—perfect for lean teams.
MLOps Suites: Tools like MLflow and Databricks help teams track, retrain, and
scale AI models without disruption.
“Smart agents in the product flow turn AI from a demo into daily impact,”
Liat Ben-Zur
Where Smart Personalization Meets User Trust
Liat Ben-Zur believes that the most effective AI experiences support users quietly,
and true innovation in AI-powered product-led growth depends not only on what
AI can do but also on how it makes people feel.
“Automation without trust is noise,” she says. “The real power of AI lies in
delivering value without compromising a user’s sense of control.”
To strike this balance, Liat helps companies design AI systems that are
transparent, optional, and user-configurable. That begins with explicit opt-ins,
letting users choose the level of assistance they’re comfortable with, from
light-touch prompts to full guidance. Every AI suggestion is accompanied by a
“Why You Saw This” explanation, demystifying the recommendation and
reinforcing the product’s reliability.

7. Furthermore, she champions built-in control panels that allow users to adjust
settings or opt out entirely, and human-in-the-loop safeguards for sensitive
contexts like healthcare or finance.
“Trust isn’t a feature,” Liat emphasizes. “It’s the foundation. And when users feel
respected, that’s when personalization truly works.”
High-Impact Sectors for AI-Driven PLG
Where AI-led product growth is driving measurable transformation
Where AI is Creating the Biggest Impact
1. Finance
Why It’s Hot: Clear ROI, strict regulation, intense competition​
AI in Action: Fraud detection, dynamic credit scoring, personalized investing
2. HealthTech
Why It’s Hot: Demand for efficiency and better patient outcomes​
AI in Action: Triage bots, remote alerts, personalized care plans
3. Industrial IoT
Why It’s Hot: Downtime is costly​
AI in Action: Predictive maintenance, digital twins, quality control
4. B2B SaaS

8. Why It’s Hot: Small changes = big revenue​
AI in Action: Onboarding coaches, churn nudges, upsell prompts
5. Food & Hospitality
Why It’s Hot: Thin margins, labor shortages​
AI in Action: Menu personalization, staffing forecasts, AI guest support
6. Social Impact & Nonprofits
Why It’s Hot: Need to maximize time and resources​
AI in Action: Volunteer matching, resource models, impact fundraising
7. Retail & E-Commerce
Why It’s Hot: Need for Amazon-level personalization​
AI in Action: Virtual try-ons, dynamic pricing, supply optimization
The Biggest Misconception About AI in PLG
A common myth? That AI alone will drive growth. “Teams expect magic,” says
Liat Ben-Zur, “but without streamlined processes, even the best models stall.”

9. She recalls a SaaS firm that built an AI onboarding coach in weeks, boosting
activation by 20% in pilot testing, but internal reviews delayed the launch by
three months. By then, user patterns had changed, and the momentum was lost.
The solution: a two-speed governance model
Fast Lane: Rapid UI experiments like tooltips or nudges—shipped in days.
Safe Lane: Full-compliance review for backend or sensitive features.
Each rollout is tied to one clear metric and a 30-day sunset clause if no impact is
seen.
“AI needs disciplined execution,” Liat adds. “Without it, even brilliant tools
gather dust.”
Thought Leadership on the Horizon: The Bias Advantage
While LBZ Advisory LLC remains focused on high-impact executive advisory
work, Liat Ben-Zur is expanding her influence through a powerful new platform:
authorship. Currently working on her upcoming book, The Bias Advantage: Why
AI Needs the Leaders It Wasn’t Trained to See, Liat is challenging one of the most
persistent assumptions in AI—namely, that bias is always a flaw.
Drawing from her lived experience as a queer woman in tech and her boardroom
tenure across Fortune 500 firms, Liat reframes bias as a strategic superpower.
The book weaves together vivid case studies, organizational research, and
actionable frameworks to show how leaders shaped by exclusion, not privilege,
possess the precise pattern recognition, ethical vigilance, and radical empathy
that AI systems desperately need.

10. As the industry continues to debate fairness in AI, The Bias Advantage makes a
bold claim: the very people AI has historically failed to see are the ones best
equipped to shape its future.
Not Just Better Models—Better Leaders for the AI Era
As artificial intelligence reshapes every layer of business, from workflows to
workforce dynamics, the leaders best equipped for this era aren’t always those
with the most credentials or corner offices. They’re the ones who’ve spent their
careers navigating bias, ambiguity, and systems not built for them, developing
rare capabilities that AI transformation demands.
Liat Ben-Zur believes that underrepresented leaders bring a critical edge. “The AI
era doesn’t just need coders and data scientists,” she explains. “It needs pattern
readers, ethical stewards, and systems thinkers.”
1.​Pattern Recognition: Years of decoding bias and power dynamics
sharpen the ability to spot risks, shifts, and overlooked opportunities.
2.​Radical Empathy: Lived experiences of exclusion build a deep
understanding of user needs—key to creating human-centered AI.
3.​Ethical Vigilance: A heightened sensitivity to fairness helps prevent
algorithmic harm before it scales.
4.​Systems Literacy: These leaders grasp both formal and informal
structures critical for navigating complex orgs and tech stacks.
5.​Creative Problem-Solving: When standard playbooks don’t apply, they
reframe problems and find new paths forward.
6.​Influence Without Authority: Strong coalition-building skills drive
change across teams, even without formal power.
7.​Adaptive Resilience: Accustomed to ambiguity, they pivot fast. An
essential trait in AI-driven disruption.
Ben-Zur sums it up: “AI doesn’t just need better models. It needs better models of
leadership.”

11. Scaling Impact, Shaping Systems
Liat Ben-Zur combines consultancy expertise with the bold vision of a movement
builder. By 2030, her vision for LBZ Advisory LLC extends far beyond bespoke
boardroom counsel. She imagines an open-source future where every company,
whether a startup or a Fortune 100 enterprise, has access to modular frameworks
and plug-and-play templates that demystify AI-powered product-led growth
(PLG). Through this global “AI-PLG Playbook,” Liat is codifying years of deep
executive insight into accessible, ethical, and user-obsessed innovation
roadmaps. She’s shaping a legacy that influences leadership as much as it shapes strategy.
Her forthcoming book, The Bias Advantage, repositions lived experience, not
privilege, as the most essential asset in the AI era. It’s a bold call to action: build
products that serve everyone by elevating leaders who’ve navigated exclusion,
challenged opaque systems, and learned to see what algorithms miss.
In her hands, advisory work becomes a dual mandate: accelerate responsible
innovation, and ensure those powering it reflect the full spectrum of human
insight.
An Open Letter to Every Team Building AI-Powered Products
Dear Builders, Designers, and Innovators,
In your race to launch the next AI-driven breakthrough, pause for a moment.
Technology isn’t the hero; humans are. Start by identifying where your users give
up. That moment is your opportunity. Then, design a gentle AI nudge, not a
shove, to help them stay on track.
Form a cross-functional “rapid learning cell,” product, design, data, compliance,
working in tight two-week sprints. Think fast, learn faster.

12. Choose one meaningful metric, like time-to-first-success or trial-to-conversion,
and let that guide your experiments. Treat every AI feature as a hypothesis, not a
guarantee.
And above all, be radically transparent. Tell users what data you collect and why.
Trust isn’t a UX layer; it’s your foundation.
It’s as important to consider the how and why as it is to focus on what you’re
building. Let your users lead the way.
Sincerely,
Liat Ben-Zur,
CEO, LBZ Advisory LLC.
From Code to Culture: The New Rules of AI Leadership
1. AI-PLG Is Not a Feature—It’s a Systemic Shift
Liat redefines product-led growth by embedding AI at the core of user
experience, replacing static funnels with dynamic, real-time learning loops.
2. Leadership Beyond Code: Empathy, Ethics, and Inclusion
Her model champions underrepresented leaders as the next generation of AI
stewards—those with the lived experience to lead with fairness and foresight.
3. From Fortune 500 to Startup Labs: Strategy Tailored by Context

13. Liat’s advisory approach adapts to each organization’s maturity, offering
dual-speed models that balance innovation with governance across industries.
4. Trust Is the New Growth Engine
In Liat’s framework, transparency and user control aren’t afterthoughts—they’re
prerequisites for scalable, personalized AI adoption.
5. The Bias Advantage: A Blueprint for Responsible AI Leadership
Her forthcoming book flips the narrative on bias by positioning it not as a flaw,
but a leadership advantage in shaping inclusive and resilient AI systems.