How Sunrun Found $80M in Hidden Costs by Finally Understanding Its Data

Adam Schwartz, Co-founder and CEO of Parable, explains why most enterprise AI initiatives fail before they ever touch the P&L. Drawing on firsthand work with Fortune 500 and private equity–backed companies, he breaks down how hidden operational inefficiencies block real transformation—and what leaders must measure to unlock durable AI-driven value.You’ll LearnWhy executives consistently misjudge how teams actually spend their time—and how that blind spot derails AI strategyHow “keep-the-lights-on” work and operational debt quietly consume 50–70% of enterprise capacityWhy data warehouses and dashboards lack the context required for effective AI agents and decision-makingHow mapping work at the activity level enables AI use cases to be prioritized by ROI, not intuitionWhat Sunrun uncovered when it quantified technical and operational debt—and how that led to $80M+ in savingsChapters00:00 Intro01:33 Why leaders lack visibility into real work05:12 The hidden cost of “keep the lights on” work09:10 Why data warehouses fail at operational understanding13:20 What a contextual work graph actually looks like18:29 Measuring AI impact beyond adoption23:46 Operational debt and resource allocation30:01 Sunrun case study: uncovering $80M in inefficiencies35:43 AI vs. process change—what to automate and why41:57 The mindset shift leaders need for AI at scaleLinksWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zDDspYqT_7oConnect with Adam Schwartz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgregoryschwartz/Explore more interviews: https://www.justcurious.io/articles/how-sunrun-found-80m-in-hidden-costs-by-finally-understanding-its-dataProof of Work is the podcast of Pluris, a platform connecting investors and operators with the world's leading applied AI experts. Each episode features the builders, operators, and investors who've actually put AI into production, turning it from buzzword to bottom line through sharp case studies and practical conversations. We explore how AI is used to grow revenue, expand margins, improve operations, and create measurable value inside real businesses.Learn more at checkpluris.comExplore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com Subscribe to our newsletter at https://proof-of-work-ai.beehiiv.com/