Favorite Books and AI-Related Myths: Interview with Mikhail Dubov, CEO of Chattermill, an AI Tool for Customer Feedback

Mikhail Dubov is the CEO and co-founder of Chattermill, an AI tool for businesses that collects and analysis customer feedback, helping companies make better decisions.

From our interview you’ll find out what books helped him fall in love with economics and learn to see the world in a different way, those that affected how he runs his company, and stories that put his experience in context. Mikhail also talks about the common myths related to AI. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible.

It’s always hard to choose a favourite book, but if I had a gun to my head, I’d probably choose Shoe Dog by Phil Knight in the business category and Moonwalking with Einstein in Non-Business (but still non-fiction) category. I like both of these because of fantastic story-telling quality and insights relevant to what I do in business and in life more generally.

Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell us about it?

So many times! A few books had a dramatic impact on how I work day to day (eg. Deep Work, Influence, Rework etc), others affected how I run the company (Play Bigger, Zero to One, The Hard Thing About Hard Things). Still others are very useful stories that put your experience in context (Shoe Dog, Bad Blood, Masters of Doom).

What books had the biggest impact on you? Perhaps changed the way you see things or dramatically changed your career path.

I’d have to say, Freakonomics. Back when it came out I wanted to do economics but for the wrong reasons. This book helped me fall in love with the subject and learn to think about the world in a slightly different way. Influence by Robert Cialdini is a close second.

What five books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path & why?

• The Mom Test
• Influence
• Zero to One
• Play Bigger
• Shoe Dog

We’re interested in finding out more about your reading habits. How do you make time for reading? How often do you read? What format do you prefer?

These days I do most of my long form reading through audiobooks on the way to and from work, at lunch etc. Audible has been a godsend for me. Sometimes I would just walk around a town (especially on trip) listening to a book. Occasionally, I would also read an e-book on Kindle. I’ve completely given up paper books at this point. Short form reading (articles, blog posts etc) I read on iPad, typically before bed, saving them to Pocket.

Do you take notes or have any other technique for conquering the torrent of information?

No, never have. I don’t necessarily remember every little detail, but the important stuff seems to stay in your memory. If I had more time, I’d like to write book reviews to highlight the most important stuff.

How do you choose what books to read next? Do you prioritize books recommended by certain people?

Typically, I rely on recommendations from people I trust. These most often come via podcasts, interviews and blog posts, but occasionally in person too.

With the jobs market more and more unstable and insecure, lifelong education is key. At the same time, learning resources are becoming increasingly commoditized and know-how also becomes obsolete faster. What fundamental skills, those that will always matter, do you believe should be learned in schools?

I don’t really agree with the premise. I think people are a bit too eager to over-optimise learning, be hyper efficient at it. But a lot of learning is the same as it ever was. And it’s not always a good idea to learn faster. You need to read, particularly read books, and more specifically, old books. You need to apply the knowledge to internalise the lessons. School’s main job in my opinion is to not make learning boring, so people continue with it afterwards.

What common myths related to AI do you encounter on a day-to-day basis?

• That AI works like a human brain. In fact, if you spent even a bit of time with a 2-3 year old, you would see that humans process information on a completely different level then even the best of today’s models.
• That AI is just about a cool result in a paper. In fact, these days 90% of the art is in building datasets, identifying the right problems to solve, calibration the models and other less sexy challenges.
• The biggest of them all, that AI will leave millions out of work. I don’t know the future, but I find that one very hard to believe based on what I’m seeing so far.

Last question: what book are you currently reading and what are you expecting to gain from it?

I am just finishing The Five Dysfunctions of A Team by Patrick Lencioni. It’s a rare combination of a book. Full of valuable, practical ideas and yet hard to put down. I can’t wait to apply the learnings with my team.

Links where you can follow Mikhail Dubov or find out more about his projects:

• Chattermill
• Connect with Mikhail on LinkedIn | Twitter

All books mentioned by Mikhail in our interview:

• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight
• Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by Joshua Foer
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini
• Rework, by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
• Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets, by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, and Kevin Maney
• Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter Thiel
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz
• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, by John Carreyrou
• Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, by David Kushner
• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt,‎ Stephen J. Dubner
• The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you, by Rob Fitzpatrick
• The Five Dysfunctions of A Team by Patrick Lencioni