The CFO’s AI Playbook: How to Roll Out AI Across Your Company, with Ryan Roccon (CFO at Zapier)

AI is no longer just an experiment. For many companies, it is quickly becoming an expectation.

But rolling it out across a business is a very different challenge from giving a few people access to a few tools.

So what does AI adoption actually look like when it is done at scale?

In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, Alex Louisy and Lauren Pearl sit down with Ryan Roccon, CFO at Zapier, to unpack how one of the world’s leading automation companies is approaching AI across the organisation.

Ryan shares why Zapier has taken a broad-access approach to AI tools, how they balance speed with control, and why CFOs need to avoid getting stuck in a purely cost-focused mindset.

Because according to Ryan, the risk of getting left behind is far greater than the risk of a few expensive experiments.

The conversation also gets into how Zapier measures AI usage, why telemetry matters, how to build guardrails without killing momentum, and why finance can be one of the best places to prove what AI can really do inside a company.

They also discuss Ryan’s own journey from controller to CFO, the importance of curiosity in finance leadership, and why the modern CFO has to play a much more active role in shaping company culture.

If you are a CFO, finance leader, founder, or operator thinking about how to move from AI experimentation to real adoption, this episode is a great place to start.

Check out this episode on YouTube.

Connect with Ryan Roccon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanroccon/

Learn more about Zapier: https://zapier.com/

Subscribe for more conversations with growth-minded finance leaders shaping the future of the CFO role.

The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl, Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU, and Alex Louisy, FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate, speak with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organisations.

For the full episode summary and key takeaways, visit: https://growthmindedcfo.com/podcast/ryan-roccon

Got a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at hello@growthmindedcfo.com

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