Three AI Executives Share Views on Company Sustainability Amid Surging Investments

By Staff Reporter

Three executives from AI-related companies discussed factors they believe contribute to business sustainability, as artificial intelligence investments reached $252 billion globally in 2024, according to PitchBook data.

AI founders and researchers have examined business practices amid rapid funding growth into the sector. Executives from Checkr, Glean, and Together AI recently spoke with Business Insider about strategies such as cost management and revenue diversification that they see as important for company longevity, particularly if investor enthusiasm cools.

Concerns about potential overvaluation in AI have been raised by some observers, though the technology's long-term role remains a topic of debate among industry participants.

Daniel Yanisse of Checkr

Daniel Yanisse, cofounder and CEO of Checkr—a company that uses AI for background checks—stated that he views current valuations for some AI-focused companies as unsustainable.

"I think it's definitely a bubble for AI-only focused companies. Some of them are going to die, and some of them are not going to be able to live up to those valuations and expectations," Yanisse said. "The valuations are crazy for companies that have no revenue, no profit, so we're watching that."

Yanisse emphasized Checkr's position outside a potential downturn. He described the company as "a very scaled business," with most revenues coming from non-AI sectors.

"Most of our revenues are not from AI companies," Yanisse said. "They're from real-world companies across all kinds of industries, from healthcare to small businesses, to automotive, manufacturing, retail—those are big businesses."

Checkr, founded in 2014, provides background screening services to employers and has incorporated AI to streamline processes. The company's customer base spans multiple industries, reducing reliance on AI-specific funding trends.

Arvind Jain of Glean

Arvind Jain, cofounder and CEO of Glean—an AI-powered enterprise search and workplace productivity platform—expressed confidence in AI's enduring impact regardless of investment fluctuations.

"I think bubble or not, the AI technology is powerful, and it is going to be here, and it's going to change how we work, how everybody works, how everybody spends their day," Jain said. "The new world is fundamentally different from the current world."

Jain positioned Glean as a problem-solving platform rather than purely an AI venture. "Now, if the bubble bursts, it kind of doesn't matter to us," he said. "We are built more as a strong enterprise business. We do not spend billions and billions of dollars trying to train models, and I think we have a strong balance sheet and a really awesome customer base, which makes us feel like our chances are good."

Glean, launched in 2020, focuses on helping enterprises search internal data and improve productivity. Its approach avoids heavy investments in foundational model training, relying instead on enterprise contracts.

Dan Fu of Together AI

Dan Fu, vice president of kernels at Together AI—a company involved in AI infrastructure and model training—highlighted cost efficiency as a critical factor for viability.

"AI companies actually have a lot of revenue. So the question is not so much whether this is some new technology of unknown value," Fu said. "If you look at OpenAI or Anthropic's sheet, they're taking in a lot of revenue, but they're also spending a lot on the compute."

Fu stressed the importance of improving economics. "So I think in one sense, the question of the day is: Can you deliver what people want and would use in their work and life in a way that will actually be cost-effective?" he added. "If some of these companies can just flip the cost model from something expensive to run to less expensive, and they just flip those unit economics a little bit—that's a trillion-dollar company there."

Together AI develops open-source AI models and provides compute resources for training. Fu oversees kernel development, a component in machine learning optimization. His comments reflect the high compute costs associated with large AI models, where companies like OpenAI and Anthropic have reported significant revenues alongside substantial expenditures on infrastructure, per public statements and investor disclosures.

Broader Investment Context

The AI sector has seen explosive growth, with $252 billion invested in 2024 alone, per PitchBook, fueling advancements in models and applications. This influx has supported rapid scaling but also prompted discussions about profitability timelines.

Business Insider has previously covered investor perspectives on AI funding, though specific predictions from figures like Mark Cuban and Bill Gurley about cash runways were not independently verified in recent reporting.

The executives' remarks underscore a common theme: diversification beyond pure AI hype and focus on operational efficiency. Checkr serves traditional industries, Glean targets enterprise needs, and Together AI emphasizes infrastructure optimization.

As AI adoption expands—projected to contribute trillions to global GDP by decade's end, according to McKinsey estimates—companies face pressure to demonstrate returns amid varying investor appetites.

These views come from leaders whose firms benefit from current trends, highlighting strategies they employ. Industry analysts note that while some AI startups lack revenue, others like OpenAI have annualized revenues exceeding $3 billion, balanced against high costs.

The conversation reflects ongoing debates in AI about balancing innovation with financial discipline.

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