DisrupTV Episode 331: Customer-Centric Innovation, App Capital & Winning the Hiring Game

In this compelling episode of DisrupTV, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar welcome three industry leaders:

Mika Yamamoto – Executive VP & Chief Customer Engagement and Marketing Officer, F5

Mika shares how she repositioned F5 from hardware to a SaaS-first, branded-house model—focused on customer centricity and powered by clean, unified data. Her leadership helped F5 become a trusted cybersecurity partner to 85% of the Fortune 500.

Kara Sprague – Executive VP & Chief Product Officer, F5

Kara explains the importance of “application capital”—why apps are more than features—they're the key revenue drivers, loyalty builders, and competitive differentiators. She dives into three ways organizations can thrive in this era: differentiation, innovation, and simplification.

Mike Fitzsimmons – Co-founder & CEO, Crosschq

Mike spotlights the critical gap in talent acquisition, revealing that 45% of new hires never deliver a positive ROI. He emphasizes the importance of linking hiring metrics to performance outcomes, combating candidate fraud, and using data to boost recruiter effectiveness and hiring intelligence.

Key Insights from the Episode

  • Data-Led Customer Engagement: Building a connected back-end with clean data enabled F5 to eliminate friction and truly listen to its customers.
  • App Strategy as Capital: In today’s landscape, apps aren’t just tools—they’re strategic assets that deliver value and separation in a crowded market.
  • Hiring for Quality, Not Speed: Measuring quality of hire, integrating talent systems, and using outcome-driven hiring are essential to reduce wasted investment.

Final Thoughts

Episode 331 captures how modern enterprises succeed by aligning culture, tech, and talent with real data and purposeful strategy. Mika Yamamoto’s data-centric customer engagement, Kara Sprague’s vision of app-led differentiation, and Mike Fitzsimmons’ mission to tie hiring decisions to business outcomes create a powerful trifecta. Whether you’re focused on marketing transformation, product leadership, or talent acquisition—this episode delivers actionable insights and forward-thinking perspectives.

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Business Research Themes

Innovation and Product-led Growth, Marketing Transformation, Next-Generation Customer Experience

Roles

Chief Customer Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief People Officer