We’re looking forward to introducing you to Craig Greiwe. Check out our conversation below.
Craig, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
We’re so often pulled into a melee of meetings, calls, emails, and beyond, that it can be difficult to “find your center.” While I have no shortage of tugs on my time, I start every day alone in my own thoughts, meditation, workouts, and writing. I get a grasp on what I mean to accomplish, and what the latest priorities are and should be. How can I ever accomplish anything if I can’t find my own center? So that’s where I start, and encourage everyone to do the same.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the Chief Growth Officer for GoDigital, a privately-held holding group with interests across music, entertainment, finance, and other consumer passion points. In my role, I oversee marketing, corporate development, and operational tactics focused on the growth of our assets. As wide as my remit is, and it can certainly feel that way sometimes, it’s also remarkably focused in a way that I find comforting. At the end of the day, is what I’m doing driving growth? If not, it’s no longer a priority. That clarity is incredibly helpful as a work across sectors, and my background certainly fosters cross-discipline and unorthodox views that drive innovation.
I “came up” by working in marketing in Hollywood, riveted to law school, then became a consultant, and ultimately, the Chief Strategy Officer for a division of IPG, where I was the lead outside strategist to clients at Meta, Verizon, and the late Kobe Bryant, among others. Going so far afield allowed me to develop new views across my and my team’s work, which I bring to play now in my role at GoDigital.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I grew up so poor we couldn’t afford new shoes. Now, we call it “generational poverty,” but back then, it was just “barefoot.” No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see a way out. But kind benefactors and mentors saw that way out for me, and guided me at every turn. They saw what I might humbly call my potential, and fostered my growth, encouraging me to keep going, even I didn’t know where I was headed. They could see a future for me, one I’ve happily achieved, where I couldn’t see beyond a hungry, empty stomach and bleak nights in a cold cellar room under the stairs in the house I lived in.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I change my mind with consistency, but not with constancy. It’s important for me to be decisive, and to lead with confidence, but never too much that I become rigid. Those around me count on an informed point of view, but they also know that I listen to every voice in the room, and consider ever-changing circumstances in my decision-making process. They know I will stand by my word and my decisions, but never at the cost of making the wrong decision. There’s no room for pride or preciousness to stand in the way of doing the right thing.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Everyone who’s talking about AI is missing the forest for the trees. While they worry about the impact on business, they ignore the strong fundamental questions no one has solved for. First, AI isn’t even “artificial intelligence,” or anything close to it. In most cases, these LLMs are just advanced coding modules, and need to be treated with the skepticism they deserve while being embraced for the productivity and efficiency gains they offer. At the same time, no one is talking about security. Without pieces of new code–like those being created by one of the companies I advise–dynamic training modules are dangerous and vulnerable to bad actors. And beneath it all, there is a pull on our energy consumption. If AI were to achieve even one-tenth of what we can see, its energy consumption alone–save that of humanity’s needs–would be more than double the world’s energy production capacity. Lastly, we need to call for an immediate ban on AI impersonation of humans, even with automated disclosures. People have a hard enough time connecting to each other as it is; AI promises unwavering loyalty with no personal accountability, and will drive us further from each other, into an echo chamber of psychosis, without proper guardrails.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I can only hope they will talk about the spaces I created for others to connect with each other, the kindness I showed to others, and the focus I have always had on driving authentic and real relationships in the community around me. Let it not be stock prices, or homes purchased, or places traveled; let the focus be on the people I reached and called dear friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.craiggreiwe.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/theworldatcraig/
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/cgreiwe/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/theworldatcraig
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/theworldaccordingtocraig5640
Image Credits
Jacob Tucker
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