What’s Next in 2026: Rikki Singh on the Future of Customer Engagement

In this special episode of Builders Wanted, recorded live from Twilio Transform in New York City, we’re joined by Rikki Singh, Twilio’s VP of R&D for Emerging Technologies. Rikki explores groundbreaking advancements in AI, security, and communications, touching on the evolution of technology and customer expectations as we approach 2026. The conversation delves into the role of AI in software engineering, the importance of trust and privacy by design, changes in customer engagement, and the future of agentic workflows.

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Key Takeaways:

• Building robust systems and prioritizing speed empowers organizations to drive innovation rapidly while maintaining high standards of quality.
• Reliable, well-structured data and clearly defined, measurable objectives are critical for achieving success in AI and analytics initiatives.
• The most impactful product enhancements stem from actively listening to customers, understanding their challenges, and reimagining features as needed.

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“ The fact that we want to give you contextual memory that is able to capture communication, that matters. Because that's where you're expressing your satisfaction, your happiness, your joys. So how do we take that and then use that to help you rather than microsegment you on demographics and target you? I think that's the positive pivot I hope we make as this technology allows for that.” – Rikki Singh

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Episode Timestamps:

‍*(01:48) - What excites Rikki heading into 2026

‍*(02:54) - What feels different about today compared to a year ago

‍*(07:14) - Themes shaping the next 12 months for builders

‍*(19:43) - What’s evolving fastest: the tech stack, the buyer, or the org chart?

‍*(27:50) - What builders underestimate about AI and where it’s going

‍*(43:36) - Quick hits

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Links:

Connect with Rikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Kailey on LinkedIn

Learn more about Caspian Studios

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Sponsor

Builders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what’s next? Learn more at twilio.com.

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