The age of transformation we have witnessed over the past few years has done many things, both good and bad. On the positive side, we have witnessed elegant digital enterprises emerge designed to help brands better weather the new blistering pace of global change. Also, for the better has been a push for leading companies to invest in technology across the board to achieve improved customer experiences and other agilities at scale. However, on the negative side, we have watched technology dehumanize many brands, with an over reliance on things like AI and other tech at the sacrifice of human touch and differentiation. While once heralded as the great equalizer, technology has also in many instances in recent times been dilutive in its latest role as the great commoditizer.
For my latest column I wanted to speak to a CMO who understands how important it is to make brands behave more like humans, demonstrating emotional intelligence that allows them to be both more accessible as well as better equipped to withstand change. I also was interested in someone who was leveraging brand in new ways to achieve category reinvention with an eye toward standing out in the sea of sameness that has become the norm in virtually every industry, especially those within the B2B space.
Arielle Gross Samuels is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at leading VC General Catalyst. She was just named to the Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50 List for her incredible work over the last year to evolve the legendary firm into an investment and transformation powerhouse designed to bring the world’s leading companies focused on applied AI and global resilience to scale. She is an industry veteran also having served as a lead marketer at Meta and as the first CMO of Blackstone. Following is a recap of our conversation:
Billee Howard: The CMO role has changed significantly over the last several years requiring new thinking and different skillsets that span technology, marketing and finance. You have a unique background as a leading marketer. Can you share a bit about your journey to your current role?
Arielle Gross Samuels: I’m living proof that the best careers are built on detours, not straight lines. I started as an engineer – drawn to the satisfaction of solving complex problems but became even more fascinated by how businesses thrive.
I spent nearly a decade at Meta working across product operations and business marketing, where I learned how to scale products, shape narratives, and build trust with global audiences. Then I joined Blackstone to lead marketing, bringing a creative and customer-first lens to a legacy financial institution. Now, at General Catalyst, I oversee Marketing and Communications for our company and portfolio, helping define and amplify our mission to transform ecosystems.
The throughline? I love tackling hard, ambiguous problems, building from zero, and assembling high-performing teams that thrive in the gray space between art and science.
Howard: You and I discussed your thinking around brand as moat. I love this idea and how it translates to humanizing a brand in ways that drive resilience and anti-fragility. Can you talk to me more about that?
Gross Samuels: Maya Angelou nailed it: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” That’s not marketing fluff—it’s competitive strategy and the heartbeat of a brand. In a world overflowing with choice and noise, it’s the emotional connection that separates brands from commodities. Why does Erewhon command a cult following? Why do people queue up for a $20 smoothie when protein shakes cost $3? It’s not about the ingredients – it’s the identity, the experience, and the feeling. Side note – they are also absolutely delicious.
When businesses have a soul, they become more resilient. Economic downturns, new competitors, and supply chain chaos matter less when customers see your brand as part of their identity. The most resilient companies aren’t just solving problems; they’re creating movements that people want to belong to. That’s what separates commodities from culture-makers.
Howard: B2B is often thought of as an emotionless category, yet you believe, as I do, that it is critical to speak to any customer as a human first, via an empathetic lens. Tell me a bit more about this thinking and why it is so important to gain customer insight as early in the process as possible?
Gross Samuels: I’ll borrow from two icons: First, AG Lafley, the former CEO of P&G, who ingrained in me during my first internship there at 19: “The customer is always right.” Second, Jay Z: “I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man.” Whether you’re selling enterprise software or sneakers, every decision still comes down to people. The most enduring companies deeply understand the human on the other side of the transaction. That means obsessing over customer feedback, even when it’s messy or inconvenient.
At Meta, my first role was channeling beta product feedback from consumers directly into engineering roadmaps. That taught me how product strategy and empathy are inextricably linked. At Blackstone with investors and General Catalyst with founders, the same principles apply – always stay curious, connect the dots, and see around corners. Let’s also not forget leadership shapes business and culture. Iconic brands are powered by visionary leaders who understand that being in business is ultimately about building trust.
Howard: As commoditization continues across industry, there is an incredible need to reinvent and innovate to differentiate and stand out. You have evolved General Catalyst from a VC to a global transformation and investment firm focused on applied AI and global resilience. This feels like strong new category creation to me, something that many people attempt but often fail at. You have executed on this exceptionally well, can you share best practices for strategy and execution?
Gross Samuels: It’s a privilege to help shape what we believe is a category of one: a global investment and transformation company with venture capital at the core and ecosystem transformation as the outcome.
Strategy: Our transformation flywheel creates what we call “uncommon collaborations.” We connect builders with operators, startups with incumbents, across private and public sectors. The friction between these worlds is where transformation sparks. Most firms pick a lane—we build the highway.
Execution: Three words—fewer, bigger, better. Instead of chasing every trend, we doubled down on two massive shifts: applied AI and global resilience. These aren’t just investment themes; they’re the twin engines of how the world rebuilds itself.
The secret isn’t complexity, it’s clarity. When everyone else is hedging their bets, we’re making bold, clear statements about the future. That’s how you create a category instead of just competing in one.