Miro's CEO says companies should treat spending on AI as part of their employee learning budget

In a landscape where many companies are still weighing the benefits of expensive AI subscriptions, Miro is taking a bold stance. Andrey Khusid, the co-founder of Miro—renowned for its innovative online whiteboard platform—believes in providing employees with virtually limitless access to cutting-edge AI tools to enhance their learning and efficiency. Miro's approach is made feasible by its profitability since 2016 and a substantial funding pool of $476 million, which Khusid asserts eliminates the need for additional capital. He emphasizes that this investment in AI is integral to traditional employee training, stating, "Our L&D budget is unlimited tooling." Instead of expecting employees to navigate learning on their own time or at their own expense, Miro encourages collective exploration of these technologies within the organization. Khusid points out that although AI tools should be assessed for their business value, Miro's focus is on overall speed and progress rather than just individual productivity improvements. The company employs a systematic tracking method dubbed "discover, define, deliver," which measures the duration required to advance through phases of project development. The primary objective is to minimize this timeline, with Khusid stating, "The most important metric from my perspective is velocity of innovation. If you don't innovate fast enough, you're out of the game." Looking ahead, Khusid acknowledges that the current utilization of AI in workplaces is likely not the final form. He suggests it may take until the end of this year or even next for businesses to fully grasp how these tools will reshape their operations. Until then, Miro is already witnessing significant time savings across its engineering, product, and design teams, although challenges remain, such as time-consuming code reviews. In a rapidly evolving tech environment, where companies like Google and Microsoft are intensifying their push for AI integration, Khusid’s insights signify a critical shift. As AI fluency becomes an essential workplace competency, Miro's forward-thinking investment in AI tools may well pave the way for a more innovative future.