A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI
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Wayfinding is a business fable about what happens when a successful CEO has to re-evaluate her approach to leadership during a period of seismic change. Through Sarah's race to save her job, Stephen Straus and Ben Szuhaj turn hard-won lessons from their AI consulting firm, KUNGFU.AI—honed across 100+ engagements spanning more than 30 industries—into a gripping narrative about what it takes to lead well in this new era.
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Stephen Straus is CEO of KUNGFU.AI, which he co-founded in 2017. Prior, he started, ran, and successfully sold two companies and was a General Partner at Austin Ventures during the dot-com era, at the time the largest venture capital firm between the two coasts. Stephen holds a degree from Colgate University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. As co-author of Wayfinding: A Business Fable About Leading in the Age of AI, he translates his AI professional services experience into guidance for leaders navigating the AI era.
Beyond his work at KUNGFU.AI, Stephen is founding Chair of Impact Dyslexia, a non-profit focused on bold solutions to the dyslexia crisis, Chair of The African American Leadership Institute, and serves on the Engineering Advisory Board of the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. He is a former board member of Sustainable Food Center and Austin Film Society, spearheaded the launch of The Startup Diversity and Inclusion Pledge, and is a partner and mentor at Capital Factory. He and his wife are proud parents of four great kids and enjoy being empty nesters in Austin.
Ben Szuhaj is a Senior AI Strategist at KUNGFU.AI, where he partners with executives to change the basis of competition in their industries, identifying high-impact AI use cases, redesigning organizations, and translating complex technological capabilities into clear business value. A student of history and the societal consequences of technology, Ben brings a foresight lens to his work, helping leaders think critically about where AI is heading and what it demands of them. He's particularly drawn to how people and machines learn to work together, and how individuals and communities can gain new skills to thrive during periods of intense change. As co-author of Wayfinding, he brings that perspective to the page, turning the fears, missteps, and breakthroughs he sees in his work into actionable narrative.
Previously, Ben led strategic initiatives at Doblin, Deloitte Consulting's innovation practice, focusing on AI strategy and sustainability. Earlier, he worked as a business researcher at Gartner. He holds a BA in English with a minor in human-centered design from Dartmouth College, where he won the Mecklin Prize for creative nonfiction. He lives in Cambridge, MA, and is a competitive long-distance runner.
“This book is a quick read that delivers clear, practical insights that leaders can immediately apply in their day-to-day decisions. The story and frameworks deliver concrete, actionable messages that help teams move from ideas to measurable impact.”
“Wayfinding isn’t just a timely guide—it’s an urgent call for leaders navigating the world of AI. Through engaging storytelling and practical wisdom, Stephen and Ben show how to build the systems and teams that win in a rapidly changing landscape. Every CEO and business builder should read this book if they want to turn disruption into sustainable growth.”
"I wish every CEO facing the “AI question” had this book in hand. It's the no-nonsense guide we all need right now."
“AI begets hyperbole. Heroes and Villains. AI books too: They're typically either breathless or brittle. In Wayfinding, Stephen Straus and Ben Szuhaj avoid these cartoonish corners and, through vivid stories and clear frameworks, help us move from anxiety and theatrics to practical tactics.”
“In a moment when AI conversations generate more heat than light, Wayfinding delivers something rare: genuine clarity. Straus and Szuhaj use the power of narrative to cut through complexity, offering leaders a coherent framework for thinking about AI that respects both the technology's potential and its limits. This is the book I wish more AI advocates would read.”
"Thank you to Stephen and Ben for taking a confusing topic and making it easy to understand. I run a mid-size, tech-based services company and the challenges, discussions, and solutions captured in this book are real life representations of what is going on in our company today. Most CEO’s need practical guidance and approaches when it comes to figuring out how to effectively incorporate AI into our overall business strategy and Wayfinding is an excellent resource for any leadership team that wants to be better educated and enlightened about AI."
Wayfinding, a modern business fable, brings to life the urgent challenges executives face as artificial intelligence rewrites the rules of competition.