AI has become a highly competitive industry. As Olivier Toubia, Glaubinger Professor of Business, said in an interview with The New York Times, it’s similar to “the late-1990s dot-com boom.” Like in the 1990s, companies are eager to lure in top talent from competitors and be the first to introduce new features and tools. One story detailed how a competing company signed up for a trial of an AI product, even going as far as to fabricate an identity and invite their boss to the meeting. “We know people would do crazy things to get ahead,” said Toubia.
With venture capitalists in heavy competition to invest in the leading AI start-ups, the industry is thriving and primed for innovation. Read more about the climate of the AI industry and how companies are eager to get ahead of the game.
Mentioned Faculty

Olivier Toubia
- Glaubinger Professor of Business
- Marketing Division
Olivier Toubia is the Glaubinger Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. His research focuses primarily on innovation, customer insights, and creative industries. Specifically, he combines methods from social sciences and data science in order to study human processes such as motivation, choice, and creativity. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief at the journal Marketing Science. He teaches Foundations of Innovation, Generative AI for Business and the core marketing course. He received his MS in Operations Research and PhD in Marketing from MIT.