{"podcast":{"title":"Fit Happens: Why CEOs and Leaders Succeed or Fail","slug":"fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405","podcast_index_feed_id":7795405,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/gACIuRL7b7JSP4dtyitL00UT6qf9BTU7KbE36WYw6Fs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yNTdl/MDY2MDQyMDAzMmFk/MWIzNjMwMzMwZjFh/NTRmMS5wbmc.jpg","author":"Andy Milad","episode_count":26,"summary":"Why do talented leaders fail in one role and thrive in the next? Jason Baumgarten has led hundreds of Board, CEO and c-suite transitions at Spencer Stuart. He covers CEO succession, how boards hire a CEO, and shares leadership research alongside candid opinions about leadership and governance. His guests include CEOs, Board Directors, Researchers, Authors and unique executives who share their own observations about leadership but also their own lessons and life stories. Jason covers everything from the impact of technology and AI on leaders to the personal toll and stress of leadership. Every episode brings new lessons, fresh perspectives and a glimpse into a leader’s story.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-25T00:17:11.274712+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405"},"episode":{"title":"Why Krishna Iyer Left Big Tech for a 170-Year-Old Railroad","slug":"why-krishna-iyer-left-big-tech-for-a-170-year-old-railroad","published_at":"2026-08-06T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405/why-krishna-iyer-left-big-tech-for-a-170-year-old-railroad","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/1c3e2c29","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/media.transistor.fm/1c3e2c29/86e04302.mp3","summary":"He spent two decades at the frontier of tech. Then he chose a 177-year-old railroad instead. In this episode, I talk with Krishna Iyer, head of software engineering at BNSF, a Berkshire Hathaway company. Krishna spent years building enterprise software at Microsoft, scaling consumer products at Amazon's Kindle, and working at the edge of generative AI at AWS, before deciding the biggest opportunity wasn't in another tech company. It was in applying AI to a foundational industry the world can't live without: freight rail. We talk about how he thinks about career decisions in decades, not years, why intellectual humility matters more than expertise right now, and what parenting has taught him about growth. This conversation covers executive search themes around fit, timing, and how leaders evaluate the right career move, even when it looks like a detour to everyone else. Key Takeaways: - Why Krishna compares AI's impact to the arrival of electricity - The \"power plant vs. transmission lines vs. appliances\" framework for thinking about where to build in AI - Why freight rail is one of the most consequential, least understood industries in the country - How to know when it's time to stop iterating and pick a direction - The \"2,000 coins\" analogy for thinking about time and weekly output - Why \"just delegate\" is bad leadership advice, and what situational leadership looks like instead - The \"heart, tree, star\" exercise for understanding what actually motivates someone - How three 90-minute blocks a day can change your output - Why intellectual humility is now a \"need to have,\" not a \"nice to have\" Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbaumgarten/ Email the show here: jason@fithappens.fm 00:00 Introduction to Fit Happens 00:38 The Fit Happens Thought Experimen…","meta_description":"He spent two decades at the frontier of tech. Then he chose a 177-year-old railroad instead. In this episode, I talk with Krishna Iyer, head of software e…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2767,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405/episodes/why-krishna-iyer-left-big-tech-for-a-170-year-old-railroad/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fit-happens-the-executive-search-podcast-7795405/why-krishna-iyer-left-big-tech-for-a-170-year-old-railroad.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}