26 Days to 3: How Zoetis Is Building an AI-Powered Operating Model

Zoetis is reducing a 26-day infrastructure workflow to 2-3 days with a three-agent pipeline. One agent designs, another produces infrastructure as code, and a third executes.

I talk with Kumar Venugopal, CTO of Zoetis, about moving from personal AI productivity to organization-wide impact. We cover the four levels of AI integration, the operating-model changes behind faster delivery, and why design thinking becomes more important as agents get faster.

Kumar also explains how fast prototypes change build-versus-buy decisions, which skills employees need, and why Zoetis is doubling down on Agile while delivery cycles compress.

"The real opportunity with AI isn't strictly automation. It's how you embed it into how we make decisions." - Kumar Venugopal

"We are doubling down on Agile. Even the agentic approach has to be built with a minimum viable product approach, with proper user stories. The cycles are a lot faster, but the process doesn't go away." - Kumar Venugopal

Chapters
00:00 Introduction - from 8086 to the AI era
03:01 Why this AI wave feels systemically different
05:30 AI in veterinary diagnostics and decision-making
08:12 The four levels of AI integration
11:01 Infrastructure automation - 26 days to 2-3 days
13:57 Design thinking as the missing AI skill
16:29 Build vs. buy - can vibe coding replace SaaS?
19:26 Who does this work and what is the real constraint?
21:58 Three competencies every employee needs
25:11 Why Agile is more important now
27:45 Scaling AI beyond the technology organization
30:30 Kumar's three-step change model for leaders

Links and resources
Kumar Venugopal on LinkedIn
Zoetis CTO on AI operating-model change
Scaling AI: From Activity to Impact
Yuval Yeret on LinkedIn