Fractional CTO Vidar Hokstad breaks down the compounding AI security risks quietly destroying adoption inside companies—and what founders and tech leaders must do differently starting now. Thirty years of startup truth, no filters.
Most companies aren't failing at AI because the technology doesn't work—they're failing because they're layering it onto broken processes, handing it dangerous permissions, and calling it a strategy.
In this episode:
• What the "lethal trifecta" of AI risk actually is—and how three seemingly harmless decisions combine to create a serious security breach
• Why overlaying AI on legacy processes doesn't fix the process—it exposes it
• The real cost of cloud platform lock-in and how to negotiate your way out before it becomes critical
• What fractional leadership actually looks like on day one—and why the title almost never matches what the company actually needs
Vidar Hokstad co-founded his first company at 19, has scaled high-traffic platforms, raised VC capital, and spent three years inside a VC fund before returning to the operator and consulting side. He is the founder of Hokstad Consulting, where he works at the intersection of DevOps, AI risk, and startup leadership. He brings a rare full-circle view—having sat on both sides of the capital table and inside the chaos of early-stage technical builds across more than three decades.
Connect with Vidar Hokstad:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidarhokstad
Website: https://hokstadconsulting.com
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