QXO CEO Brad Jacobs sees AI and robotics automation as the biggest trend since humanity began, poised to transform the freight and logistics industry. Jacobs outlines his vision for an automated trucking future, the role of technology in M&amp;A, and his playbook for building multi-billion-dollar enterprises. Discover why he believes automation will drive efficiency and precision across the supply chain, from brokerage to warehousing. ⁠Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Jacobs on Why AI is The BIGGEST Trend Since Humanity Began

FreightCasts

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**Podcast:** FreightCasts

## Transcript

We have Brad Jacobs, the author of How to Make a Few Billion Dollars, or a Few More Billion Dollars, but you also wrote the first book. Brad, tell us, what is the secret to making a few billion dollars? It's having good relationships with powerful people like you, Craig. Well, we're going to clip that one and put that as a permanent record for FreightWaves today. We're so happy to have you. Brad, you built eight companies worth more than a billion dollars, which is very remarkable.

It may be the best run in business history, certainly the best in the industries that you're involved in. Is there something that I've read both your books, I'd love for our audience to sort of boil down. You have a playbook that you'd like to talk about on really how you sort of exercise both business but also life. Is there a couple of sort of core points that you have that really drive your decision making? Yeah, there is. So my approach to business starts here.

It starts with your mindset. It starts with figuring out how you get in the zone and how do you stay in the zone when you get kicked out of the zone. I have two chapters in the second book all about that. I think it's really important. I think the most important thing to succeed in business in a big way is to keep your head in a good place. Because there's always stuff coming in. There's incoming missiles all day long, all year long. You've got to stay cool. And you've got to think very rationally and very intelligently with some wisdom and some big picture and long-term thinking.

So that's where it starts. It starts in the mind. Now, in terms of my particular way I've applied the toolkit to the business is through M&A and then integrating and optimizing the businesses I've bought. That's what I did in all my companies. And that's what I'm doing here. So, first of all, finding good companies to buy, but good companies that can be even better. And then improving them, largely with technology and removing a lot of inefficiencies and a lot of waste.

And also paying attention to the human quality of the organization. Making sure everyone's happy. Make sure they're very engaged. Make sure they bleed the color of the company. The mindset is very, very important, collectively and individually. One of the things that I think you talk about is rearranging your brain. And what I love about your books is, again, it's not just about business.

This is not just a business biography, but it's really a playbook for everything in someone's life, their family life, how they think about decisions. We live in a very noisy environment, particularly in the industries that we cover, which is the goods economy and freight. There's a lot of noise out there, Brad. How does someone really hone in? You've talked about meditation being a core part of your life. But how does someone really get started in rearranging their brain? I think it's a different answer for every pe...

Brad Jacobs on Why AI is The BIGGEST Trend Since Humanity Began

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.

Brad Jacobs on Why AI is The BIGGEST Trend Since Humanity Began

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.