To convince executives at traditional companies of AI's potential, abstract presentations fail. Instead, provide tangible, immersive experiences. A ride in a Waymo car, for instance, serves as a powerful product demo that makes the future feel concrete and inevitable, opening minds in a way slideshows cannot.

When investing in high-risk, long-development categories like autonomous vehicles, the key signal is undeniable consumer pull. Once Waymo became the preferred choice in San Francisco, it validated the investment thesis despite a decade of development and high costs.

Go beyond static prototypes by using text-to-video tools like Flow or Sora to create promotional clips. This final step allows stakeholders to visualize the product in a real-world context and emotionally connect with the user experience, making your pitch significantly more persuasive.

To market self-driving cars, Waymo focused on the problem: the 1.4 million annual traffic deaths from human error. This framed their technology not as a sci-fi novelty, but a necessary solution to a deadly status quo, making audiences more receptive to the radical new idea.

Despite dreaming of self-driving cars for decades, the host found himself bored and checking his phone within minutes of his first ride. This reveals how quickly truly revolutionary technology can shift from a marvel to a background utility, losing its novelty upon proving its reliability.

To overcome public skepticism about safety, autonomous vehicle companies need a grand public demonstration. A livestreamed, overnight "robo-taxi" journey between cities, framed as a "self-driving hotel," could serve as a modern spectacle to prove the technology is safe and build consumer trust, much like elephants walking the Brooklyn Bridge did.

While Figure's CEO criticizes competitors for using human operators in robot videos, this 'wizard of oz' technique is a critical data-gathering and development stage. Just as early Waymo cars had human operators, teleoperation is how companies collect the training data needed for true autonomy.

Verkada sold its entire cloud platform not on a daily feature, but on the 'magic' of texting a live camera link. This simple action showcased the platform's modern capabilities in a way legacy systems couldn't, creating an unforgettable 'aha' moment that made the entire value proposition click for buyers.

When customers are hesitant to adopt a new product due to uncertainty about its value or ease of use, lower the upfront cost of trial. Create a low-risk way for them to experience the benefits firsthand, like a car test drive or a 'white glove' training session, to resolve their uncertainty directly.