If you want a clear-eyed read on where artificial intelligence is actually changing business — not in the abstract but in the specific disciplines of marketing, data, and enterprise strategy — David Steinberg is an authoritative voice. As co-founder and CEO of Zeta Global, a publicly traded company that applies AI to marketing at scale for some of the world's largest brands, Steinberg has spent years at the front edge of that transformation. When David Steinberg joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour, the conversation was a thoughtful tour through technology, entrepreneurship, and the personal habits that underpin long careers.
The episode covers Zeta's platform and how it uses AI to help Fortune 100 companies reduce marketing costs while driving revenue, but it goes well beyond product discussion. Steinberg shares his views on the metaverse, blockchain, live shopping, and the education system's readiness for a world being reshaped by AI — alongside personal philosophy on networking, mentorship, and what learning from failure really looks like in practice.
About David Steinberg
David Steinberg is the co-founder and CEO of Zeta Global, a marketing technology company he built into a publicly traded enterprise that serves major brands with an AI-driven platform designed to acquire, grow, and retain customers at scale. Zeta's business sits at the intersection of data, artificial intelligence, and marketing — a combination that has made it a significant player in the enterprise technology landscape. Steinberg has spent decades building and scaling businesses, and that experience gives his views on AI and entrepreneurship a practical texture that goes beyond trend commentary.
Beyond Zeta, Steinberg is known as a builder and connector — someone who places high value on the relationships that compound over a career and on the kind of mentorship that actually changes how a person thinks. He speaks about the interpersonal dimensions of professional life — employee relationships, the power of networks, the courage to restart after failure — with the same directness he brings to technology.
What David Steinberg and Sean Kelly Talked About
- How Zeta Global's AI platform helps major companies lower marketing costs and increase customer revenue
- David Steinberg's view on where AI is creating the most significant shifts in business, education, and daily life
- The case for midsize language models and why specialized AI may outperform general-purpose tools in enterprise settings
- What the rise of live shopping and new commerce formats means for brands and consumers
- Why Steinberg chose to build and fund Zeta largely through self-funding rather than conventional venture capital
- How he thinks about failure — what it teaches, what it costs, and when it is time to move forward
- The networking philosophy that has compounded into one of his most important professional assets
- What he looks for in mentors and employees, and how he thinks about building enduring working relationships
Why This Conversation Matters
David Steinberg is one of the few technology leaders who can speak about AI from the vantage point of someone who has actually deployed it at enterprise scale over many years — not just as a product pitch but as a real operational question. This episode of the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly is a grounded, optimistic conversation about where technology is taking business, and how the habits of entrepreneurship remain constant even as the tools transform.
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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