EPISODE · May 21, 2026 · 47 MIN
80% of AI Projects Are Failing. Here's Why | Ryan Drumheller
from Stay Hungry · host Matthew Malan
Most companies are racing to adopt AI without fixing the basics first. In this episode, Matthew sits down with Ryan Drumheller, founder of Stellar Horn Group and Fractional CIO, to break down why less than 20% of AI projects are actually succeeding and what businesses are getting catastrophically wrong.Ryan shares 20+ years of IT experience including a $764 million acquisition where he uncovered hundreds of thousands of security vulnerabilities, a real horror story of an AI bot retraining itself and deleting an entire company's data, and the leadership philosophy that made his teams stick with him through the hardest projects.They cover AI governance, why "set it and forget it" automation backfires, the rise of fractional executive leadership, and the real reason corporate giants are falling from #1 to #6 after cutting their teams for AI.If you're a founder, business leader, or anyone trying to make sense of the AI hype, this conversation will reset how you think about it.Key Takeaways Less than 20% of AI projects succeed because companies skip the human planning phase and treat AI like set-and-forget automation. Bad data in means bad results out. Ryan calls it the "mud water" problem and it's why most AI rollouts fail. Every business adopting AI needs a governance committee, a clear human owner per initiative, and contracts that protect trade secrets from being used to train competitors' models. The fractional executive model gives small and mid-size companies access to C-level expertise without the C-level price tag. Real IT leadership means putting people first, quietly building a Plan B when you know the official plan will fail, and remembering that "a little good every day adds up to a lot of good in time."About the GuestRyan Drumheller is the founder of Stellar Horn Group and a Fractional CIO with over 20 years of IT leadership experience. He has led mergers and acquisitions, technology transformations, and team-building initiatives at companies across industries, with a focus on helping businesses adopt AI the right way.He hosts the Decline Invite Podcast and is finishing his first book on leadership and the IT industry, set to release later this year.Connect LinkedIn: Ryan Drumheller Website: https://stellarhorn.com Podcast: The Decline Invite Podcast
What this episode covers
Most companies are racing to adopt AI without fixing the basics first. In this episode, Matthew sits down with Ryan Drumheller, founder of Stellar Horn Group and Fractional CIO, to break down why less than 20% of AI projects are actually succeeding and what businesses are getting catastrophically wrong.Ryan shares 20+ years of IT experience including a $764 million acquisition where he uncovered hundreds of thousands of security vulnerabilities, a real horror story of an AI bot retraining itself and deleting an entire company's data, and the leadership philosophy that made his teams stick with him through the hardest projects.They cover AI governance, why "set it and forget it" automation backfires, the rise of fractional executive leadership, and the real reason corporate giants are falling from #1 to #6 after cutting their teams for AI.If you're a founder, business leader, or anyone trying to make sense of the AI hype, this conversation will reset how you think about it.Key Takeaways Less than 20% of AI projects succeed because companies skip the human planning phase and treat AI like set-and-forget automation. Bad data in means bad results out. Ryan calls it the "mud water" problem and it's why most AI rollouts fail. Every business adopting AI needs a governance committee, a clear human owner per initiative, and contracts that protect trade secrets from being used to train competitors' models. The fractional executive model gives small and mid-size companies access to C-level expertise without the C-level price tag. Real IT leadership means putting people first, quietly building a Plan B when you know the official plan will fail, and remembering that "a little good every day adds up to a lot of good in time."About the GuestRyan Drumheller is the founder of Stellar Horn Group and a Fractional CIO with over 20 years of IT leadership experience. He has led mergers and acquisitions, technology transformations, and team-building initiatives at companies across industries, with a focus on helping businesses adopt AI the right way.He hosts the Decline Invite Podcast and is finishing his first book on leadership and the IT industry, set to release later this year.Connect LinkedIn: Ryan Drumheller Website: https://stellarhorn.com Podcast: The Decline Invite Podcast
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80% of AI Projects Are Failing. Here's Why | Ryan Drumheller
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