The How This Works show

Talking to 100 people who've never stopped asking why

Episode no. 33 of the How This Works show with Drew Burdick from StealthX

Wednesday, January 29th, 2025 at 3:00 AM north carolina nc team building business strategy agency founder electronic music ux design service design charlotte tech scene regional tech hubs future of work digital transformation professional development bootcamp alternatives career transition product management design leadership startup founder community building design teams product strategy ai in design customer experience entrepreneurship design

In this episode of the How This Works show, StealthX founder Drew Burdick discusses the intersection of design, entrepreneurship, and customer experience. From his unconventional start with a bootleg copy of Photoshop to launching multiple successful ventures, Drew shares insights on how the design industry is rapidly evolving and how it might evolve in the future, particularly as AI continues to reshape how we work.

You can listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.howthisworks.show/033-drew-burdick. You can also watch this episode — full video — on Youtube: https://youtu.be/mxyRWsKJEDg?si=5EmG0VKhiA99US5m.

Our conversation explores:

  • His journey from political science major to design entrepreneur, sparked by a chance internship
  • Growing up in the Philippines (age 4-18) and running an electronic music clothing brand with 163 street team members
  • The evolution of customer experience beyond "fast, easy, and cheap" to creating memorable moments
  • His prediction about the shift from large design teams to nimble, AI-augmented small groups
  • Why designers need to develop deep industry expertise rather than remaining generalists
  • The importance of local, in-person communities in an increasingly virtual world
  • His guiding philosophy "do the next right thing" and its impact on business decisions
  • Predictions for how AI will transform product development and team structures by 2025

You can find Drew on social media @drewhburdick and learn more about StealthX at stealthx.co.

Listen to the second part of our conversation over at Drew's podcast, "Building Great Experiences" —
• On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/future-of-cx-beyond-product-into-ecosystems/id1776618976?i=1000686740180
• On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/329mlkTWefrP7nQr8KMRV5?si=doVa-TrxS52MyNIjGHDDCA
• Or watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RShAkpaXRwU?si=KX9sgbXRQDABmL_Z