AI Agents, Clearly Explained in 40 Minutes | Wade Foster (Zapier)

Wade is the co-founder and CEO of Zapier. We’re both sick of everyone calling everything an “AI agent” so we had some real talk about what actually works instead. Wade gave me a practical demo of his AI workflow that triages 100+ emails to 10 and shared exactly how to find automation opportunities on your calendar.

Wade and I talked about:

(00:00) Why most people asking for agents actually want workflows

(01:25) The AI automation spectrum explained with real examples

(05:16) Live demo: Wade's email agent that triages 100+ emails down to 10

(13:27) The difference between APIs vs MCPs

(18:52) Making Zapier AI-first: Why the CEO memo isn’t enough

(24:08) Wade's response to AI influencers saying "RIP Zapier"

(32:09) How Zapier tests for AI fluency in job interviews

(35:31) How to identify what to automate with AI in your calendar

This episode is brought to you by Vellum.Use the code AIAGENTS25 to get 25% off your first 3 months with Vellum: https://vellum.ai/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=PeterYangPodcast

📌 Get my top 10 takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/ai-agents-clearly-explained-in-40-minutes-zapier-wade-foster

Where to find Wade:

X: https://x.com/wadefoster

Website: https://zapier.com

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