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Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin steps down after nine years building experience platform ready for AI’s inflection point

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**Zig Serafin Steps Down as Qualtrics CEO Amid Strategic Shift Toward Agentic AI**

Zig Serafin is stepping down as CEO of Qualtrics after nine years with the company—a surprise move that comes as the experience management (XM) vendor positions itself to help buyers guide and better understand their agentic AI deployments.

Serafin announced this week that he’s transitioning to Vice Chairman and Special Advisor. Meanwhile, board members Jim Whitehurst (former Red Hat CEO) and Mark Gillett (from Silver Lake) will step in as interim co-CEOs while the company searches for a permanent replacement.

In a note to employees, Serafin acknowledged that “there’s never a perfect time to step back from something you love,” but emphasized that “now is the right time to begin a thoughtful search for our next CEO.” He added:

> “Today, Qualtrics is the AI Experience Management partner to the world’s most iconic organizations, shaping the most critical experiences in business and in people’s lives. That’s a legacy and a future we should all be incredibly proud of.”

### Timing and Company Trajectory

The timing of Serafin’s departure is especially interesting, as Qualtrics has maintained a clear strategy in recent years and is heading toward $2 billion in revenue.

The vendor is also preparing to integrate Press Ganey Forsta, the $6.75 billion healthcare experience management acquisition announced earlier this year. (You can read my recent interview with Serafin on that announcement [here].)

More significantly, the company has been making substantial bets on agentic AI—positioning itself not as a competitor to operational agents from the likes of Salesforce, ServiceNow, or SAP, but as something different: the “experience layer” that measures and ensures quality across AI-driven interactions.

### Building the Foundation

When Serafin joined Qualtrics in 2016 as COO, he came from an 18-year career at Microsoft where he led products like Skype for Business. At that time, Qualtrics was already a significant player in survey and experience management software.

His tenure, which saw him become CEO in 2020, has been marked by significant transitions, including:

– An $8 billion acquisition by SAP
– An IPO in 2021
– Returning to private ownership in 2023 at a $12.5 billion valuation led by Silver Lake

Throughout these ownership changes, Serafin appeared to be building toward a specific vision.

In conversations with diginomica earlier this year, Qualtrics executives outlined a strategy that feels quite different from the agentic AI approaches pursued by most enterprise software vendors.

Rather than building standalone AI agents or rushing to acquire AI startups, the company has been embedding agentic capabilities into its core products—the ones customers already use heavily.

Brad Anderson, President of Products at Qualtrics, explained the approach during our conversation at the company’s X4 Summit in April:

> “A survey, a good old fashioned survey—the next button is clicked 50,000 times every 60 seconds for Qualtrics surveys, and it peaks at 300,000 times every 60 seconds. By agentifying that, every one of those can be an opportunity to close the loop for the customer.”

This pragmatic, build-not-buy strategy came after Qualtrics evaluated more than 100 potential acquisition targets, according to Anderson. The conclusion was that buying technology in such a rapidly evolving market wouldn’t provide meaningful advantages—particularly when no vendor has yet achieved scale with agentic deployments.

### The Experience Data Advantage

What Serafin leaves behind is a company with a unique asset: a vast repository of human sentiment data collected through billions of customer and employee interactions and an expanding platform.

This isn’t operational data about transactions or processes—it’s data about how people feel about those experiences.

When I spoke with Gurdeep Pall, Qualtrics’ AI President, earlier this year, he suggested that this experience data could eventually enable applications beyond traditional experience management.

The company’s thesis is that in a world where multiple AI agents will handle operational tasks, someone needs to ensure these agents deliver the kind of experiences that build trust and loyalty—rather than eroding them.

Given that trust in agentic AI will be critical to its success, this is a compelling argument.

Anderson articulated this positioning clearly:

> “One of the unique values that we bring, independent of what agent is being used, is the ability to be able to tell an organization: Is your digital agent giving the same experience that your best humans do? That’s the difference between an operational agent and an experience agent.”

### Healthcare as a Proving Ground

The Press Ganey Forsta acquisition takes on added significance in this context. Healthcare is arguably the most critical of all human experiences—moments when people are at their most vulnerable and where the quality of interaction can have long-lasting consequences.

When Serafin announced the deal, he told me healthcare was becoming “the proving ground for the enterprise.”

The sector’s combination of complex regulations, life-or-death stakes, and massive inefficiencies makes it an ideal testbed for whether AI can truly improve human experiences at scale.

With Press Ganey, Qualtrics gains not just a larger healthcare presence but deeper domain expertise in a sector ripe for AI-driven transformation.

If the company can demonstrate that its experience platform can improve healthcare interactions while maintaining quality and trust, the argument for deploying similar approaches across other industries becomes considerably stronger.

### My Take

What’s clear from Serafin’s tenure is that Qualtrics understands where it adds value.

Rather than attempting to be everything to everyone, it’s carved out a specific role: the layer that ensures AI systems deliver the kinds of human experiences organizations actually want.

The agentic AI market is still nascent, and many competing visions exist for how enterprise AI architectures will evolve.

Qualtrics is betting that as organizations deploy multiple operational agents, they’ll need a way to ensure these agents don’t degrade customer and employee experiences—and that experience data will be the key to making that assessment.

In his announcement, Serafin emphasized that the company is “at a key acceleration and inflection point.”

He’s built the platform and established the strategic direction. Now it falls to his successors to execute against that vision in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.

Let’s see who and what comes next!

In the meantime, I’m pleased Serafin is sticking around as an advisor and look forward to seeing what the next few months bring.
https://diginomica.com/qualtrics-ceo-zig-serafin-steps-down-after-nine-years-building-experience-platform-ready-ais

Honeywell International beats Q3 estimates, raises FY guidance

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Honeywell International Beats Q3 Estimates, Raises Full-Year Guidance

Date: October 23, 2025 | Time: 6:05 AM ET

Honeywell International Inc. has reported better-than-expected results for the third quarter, surpassing analyst estimates across key metrics. In response to the strong performance, the company has raised its full-year guidance, signaling confidence in its continued growth.

Stock Performance

Following the announcement, Honeywell’s stock showed notable activity. Below is a snapshot of the recent trading information:

  • Symbol: HON
  • Last Price: [Insert Last Price]
  • Percentage Change: [Insert % Change]

Market Insights

Investors and market analysts are closely watching Honeywell, as the company’s strong quarterly performance and optimistic outlook could influence sector dynamics. Trending analysis and news updates continue to highlight Honeywell International’s market position.

Stay tuned for further updates and detailed coverage on Honeywell International’s financial results and market impact.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4507336-honeywell-international-beats-q3-estimates-raises-fy-guidance?utm_source=feed_news_all&utm_medium=referral&feed_item_type=news

AEW drops blockbuster Collision announcement

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At AEW WrestleDream 2025, Mina Shirakawa faced a tough challenge in an impromptu match for the interim ROH Women’s World Television Championship. Unfortunately for Shirakawa, she was defeated by Mercedes Mone, resulting in a significant setback in her career.

This unexpected loss has shifted the dynamics within the women’s division, leaving fans eager to see how Mina will respond moving forward. The impromptu nature of the match added an element of surprise, making Mercedes Mone’s victory even more impactful.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/news-aew-drops-blockbuster-collision-announcement

Bears Predicted to Shop 44-Game Starter Ahead of Trade Deadline

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The Chicago Bears find themselves balancing delicately between buyers and sellers as the NFL trade deadline approaches early next month. The team’s position remains uncertain—they could end up being both or neither.

On Wednesday, October 22, Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen of ESPN ranked left tackle Braxton Jones as the No. 17 player on their list of the top 25 potential trade candidates for 2025. Jones has appeared in 46 games for Chicago over the past three and a half seasons, starting 44 of them.

“Rival teams agree that Jones is a sensible trade candidate after his benching in favor of Theo Benedet and his résumé as a multi-year starter in Chicago,” Fowler wrote. “Jones is also in a contract year and is now healthy following an ankle issue that plagued him for much of 2025.”

### Braxton Jones Holds More Value for Playoff-Contending Teams Than for the Bears

Jones has been a solid, though not standout, player since the Bears selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Southern Utah (No. 168 overall). Now in the final year of his $4 million rookie contract, Chicago could likely trade him for a pick of similar value.

Teams like the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers have legitimate playoff aspirations but also face injury-related holes along their offensive lines. Both franchises could benefit from a player like Jones.

The Bears invested heavily in revamping their offensive line this offseason. They traded a fourth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Joe Thuney and a sixth-round pick to the Rams for Jonah Jackson—Chicago’s two starting guards. They also signed starting center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million contract this spring.

With Darnell Wright, the No. 10 overall pick in 2023, continuing to perform well as the starting right tackle, Chicago is expected to target a high-quality left tackle through the draft or free agency next offseason. This is true even if Theo Benedet, an undrafted rookie out of Canada in 2024, continues to play well.

Given this context, the Bears have little incentive to retain Jones, who they are unlikely to re-sign in 2026. Other playoff-contending teams could find more immediate value in him, enhancing his trade market appeal.

### Bears Could Explore Trades for Running Back or Edge Rusher

While moving Jones for a draft pick is one plausible strategy, Chicago could also look to bolster its roster by acquiring an edge rusher or running back before the deadline.

That said, Dan Wiederer of The Athletic advised the Bears to “stand pat” as of Wednesday. “A four-game winning streak has become intoxicating, awakening Chicago’s imagination for what might be possible,” Wiederer noted. “That should give general manager Ryan Poles the opportunity to at least window shop, to browse trade street window fronts for sales that offer possible help for the backfield or defensive line. But 2025, the first season on Ben Johnson’s watch, was never the year to strike, more so a time to create direction toward a sustained run of success. The Bears should value their current draft capital above all else, retain long-term focus, and continue to build a contender that can last.”

While Wiederer makes a valid point, there remain players on the trade market who could help the Bears build the contender he envisions.

One such player is running back Breece Hall of the New York Jets. Although Chicago has enjoyed impressive recent performances from D’Andre Swift and a solid outing from seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai against the New Orleans Saints in Week 7—reducing the immediate need at running back—Hall represents a potential long-term solution at the position for the next half-decade.

If Hall becomes available, it would certainly be worth Chicago opening discussions.

—

As the trade deadline nears, the Bears must weigh short-term gains against long-term development carefully. Whether by moving players like Braxton Jones or exploring trade opportunities for impact contributors, the organization aims to build towards sustained success in the coming years.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/chicago-bears/braxton-jones-trade-deadline-rumors-rams-chargers/

Skin-crawling pics inside CT house of horrors where wicked stepmom is accused of locking up son for decades

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**Haunting Photos Reveal Interior of Connecticut “House of Horrors” Where Stepson Was Allegedly Imprisoned for Over Two Decades**

Skin-crawling photos have emerged showing the chilling interior of a Connecticut “house of horrors,” where a wicked stepmother allegedly imprisoned her stepson in appalling conditions for more than 20 years.

The images, obtained by The Post just weeks after a judge ruled Kimberly Sullivan, 57, could return to the Waterbury home, reveal a scene of devastation. The house was scorched by a fire set by her 32-year-old stepson in February, as he attempted to escape from her clutches, according to police.

Now standing empty after the blaze, most of the rooms have been reduced to bare beams and boards. Drywall and plaster have been torn from nearly all the walls, while loose wires, dirt, debris, and broken glass litter the dark, nearly uninhabitable halls.

One room, however, appears untouched by the fire, offering clues to the tastes of the lady of the house. In a hot pink den on the first floor, a large pair of women’s eyes with full red lips seductively peer across the room toward a poster of a kitten lounging in a lawn chair, with “Lazy Days” scrawled over it. Hanging in a ceiling corner, a doll with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes watches over the room.

In the remains of the kitchen, a half-melted poster of Marilyn Monroe hangs over the counter. But the rest of the house is barren. Upstairs, nearly all traces of the alcove where Sullivan’s stepson was allegedly held since age 11 have been burned away or knocked down after the fire tore through the room.

One relic remains: a stained lace angel’s wing pinned to the raw wood where the stepson spent years imprisoned, forced to use bottles as a bathroom and passing the endless hours by counting cars out the windows.

The stepson, known only as “S,” weighed just 68 pounds when responding firefighters discovered him covered in filth amidst the burning home on February 17. He quickly recounted a horrifying tale, claiming Sullivan had held him prisoner for more than two decades. According to authorities, she withdrew him from school as a child and locked him in an 8-by-9-foot storage space, providing only scraps of food and water for 22 hours a day or more.

Sullivan was seen at the home after the fire but was arrested within weeks. She now faces charges including unlawful restraint, kidnapping, and other abuse allegations. She has pleaded not guilty.

After posting $300,000 bail and being released, a judge issued a protection order for her stepson, who listed the Waterbury home as his address. This barred Sullivan from returning to the house. She subsequently petitioned a Connecticut court to amend the order, arguing that her stepson no longer lived there.

On October 3, a judge ruled in her favor, allowing Sullivan to return, according to NBC Connecticut. However, it remains unclear if she has gone back since. The home appears completely forgotten, with neighbors reporting no sign of her presence.

“It’s all open and it looks abandoned to me,” said next-door neighbor Zeffrey Guarnera, who has not seen Sullivan since she posted bail. “There was something I never really liked about her. There was something weird about her. I can never tell you what it was, but all our other neighbors are very friendly, wave and say hello.”

Guarnera also revealed he was unaware of the stepson’s existence until he was rescued from the home. “There was no him,” he said. “There were two daughters, that’s who I ever saw. When I found out there was a him, I was shocked.”

Sullivan has denied holding her stepson captive, instead blaming his father—who lived in the home until his death last year—for what happened. Her lawyer has also claimed the stepson could have walked away whenever he wanted.

“This is a woman who has never committed a crime in her life,” said Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, after a recent court hearing.

Sullivan is expected back in court on Halloween.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/us-news/inside-connecticut-house-of-horrors-where-stepmom-locked-up-son/

Gov. JB Pritzker and GOP House leader bickered in texts after conservative influencer filmed Pritzker’s home

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When a right-wing provocateur last month posted a video outside Gov. JB Pritzker’s Chicago home encouraging viewers to “take action” after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the governor reached out to both Republican leaders of the Illinois legislature.

“I’m dealing with vastly increased threats on my family and myself in the wake of this week and this Republican Trumper went to my house, suggested that I’m taking God out of public life and encouraged people to ‘take action,’” the governor texted separately to Illinois Senate Leader John Curran and House Leader Tony McCombie. “I’d like to see condemnation of this from GOP leaders today.”

What followed was not exactly what Pritzker sought. Instead, he and McCombie, who are typically cordial in texts to each other, exchanged heated messages as McCombie rebuffed the governor’s request and called out Pritzker for some of his previous comments about Republicans. The governor shot back, sometimes in all capital letters, that her response was “absurd” and that she was playing politics.

“So you won’t condemn this guy coming to MY HOME (where my wife and children live) and calling me evil while encouraging people to ‘take action?’ GOT IT,” Pritzker wrote to McCombie.

While Senate GOP Leader Curran later issued a joint statement with Democratic Senate President Don Harmon condemning political violence more broadly, the testy back-and-forth between Pritzker and McCombie occurred just two days after Kirk’s death. Republicans and Democrats across the nation debated, discussed, and denounced political violence, while at the same time accusing the other side of perpetuating it.

President Donald Trump himself escalated the situation in the hours and days after Kirk’s death, saying publicly that rhetoric from “the radical left” was “directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.”

It also came at an especially tense time in Chicago between Pritzker and the Trump administration, as the president was just days into his sometimes-violent crackdown on illegal immigration in and around the city.

In Illinois, the debate about political violence among top leaders was more behind the scenes, according to text messages the Tribune received through the Freedom of Information Act. While the governor and state Republican leaders, such as McCombie, often engage in public sparring, their one-on-one texts—which the Tribune regularly obtains—are typically breezy and brief. But the tone was different on Sept. 12 when Pritzker texted both Curran, of Downers Grove, and McCombie, of Savanna.

The governor sent each a link to a social media video from right-wing influencer Ben Bergquam, in which Bergquam criticized Pritzker for blaming Trump for fomenting political violence. As Bergquam spoke, the influencer pointed behind him at the governor’s home in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, including the house address number.

“If you love America and the assassination of Charlie Kirk doesn’t inspire you to take action, I don’t know what will!” the video caption said.

After decrying legal protections for transgender people, abortion rights, and immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission, Bergquam, who hosts the show “Law & Border” and had been accompanying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents around Chicago, said, “Godless leftist policies are the problem, evil is the problem and it’s politicians like Gov. Pritzker.”

When Pritzker sent the link of Bergquam’s post and requested that Illinois GOP leaders condemn it, McCombie sent a three-paragraph response. She said she prayed for the safety of Pritzker and his family daily and has condemned political violence against Democrats before, including the shootings of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota.

But she then turned the issue back on the governor, asking him to apologize for his own past statements. These included likening the actions of Trump’s administration in the early days of his second term to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s and saying Republicans should never “know a moment of peace.” Pritzker has repeatedly said he was talking about the public expressing their opposition to the GOP through protests, not violence.

“I would like for you to publicly apologize for your rhetoric,” she said after citing the examples.

That’s when Pritzker responded with “GOT IT” before adding: “I think you know how absurd your response is. But I suppose you have a primary to run.”

Pritzker brought up the texts publicly weeks later, at an Oct. 7 appearance in Minneapolis.

“Neither one of them—I asked them to simply post something publicly or put a statement out, anything. It seems like just common decency to just say, ‘This is wrong,’ and they wouldn’t do it,” Pritzker said onstage at a summit hosted by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

In a statement after those remarks, McCombie said she condemned violence and added of Pritzker: “If he is serious about lowering the temperature, he should stop pointing fingers and take responsibility for his own words.”

Curran did issue a statement on Sept. 12 condemning political violence, a joint release with Harmon, of Oak Park. The statement did not mention the video at Pritzker’s house or any other specific incident. When Curran responded to Pritzker’s request with a text mentioning the joint statement, the governor didn’t respond, records show.

Neither Curran’s office nor Pritzker’s office provided a comment Wednesday on the text message exchanges.

After the June shooting of the Minnesota lawmakers, Robert Pape, a University of Chicago expert on political violence, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that joint statements—such as the one from Harmon and Curran—are an effective tool for tamping down political violence.

“My research suggests that to de-escalate the political environment and reduce the risk of violence, America’s political leaders need to cross their political divides and make joint statements (and ideally joint appearances) that denounce all political violence, welcome all peaceful protest and call for respecting the rules, process and results of free and fair elections in the country,” Pape wrote.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/23/jb-pritzker-texts-gop-house-leader-influencer/

Of course Draymond Green’s first technical was 6.5 minutes into Warriors opener

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The 2025-26 NBA campaign may have just tipped off on Tuesday night, but Draymond Green is already in midseason form during the Golden State Warriors’ opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. The four-time champion and polarizing forward incurred a technical foul about halfway through the first quarter, wasting no time in displaying his trademark intensity. And he was not even on the court.

“Draymond picks up his first tech of the year from the bench,” Nick Friedell posted on X. “He was mad the Warriors didn’t get a call and was one of several players yelling from the bench. Draymond seems extra amped for the opener tonight.”

Even if Green was not the only one to offer his opinion, the officials probably had no trouble recognizing his voice. The former All-NBA Second-Team selection has built a reputation for himself during his 13-year career, and while it consists of many impressive accolades, it also includes a short fuse.

Green resents that perception of him, but the technicals continue to pile up. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has stressed the importance of the franchise great maintaining his composure, for the team cannot afford to lose him to an ejection or suspension.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-greens-first-technical-minutes-season-opener

Person arrested after police pursuit in Boston

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One person has been arrested following a crash and police chase in Boston on Tuesday night, according to the Massachusetts State Police.

The incident occurred just after 8 p.m., when authorities responded to reports of a vehicle collision.

Details about the crash and the subsequent chase are still emerging, and no further information has been released at this time.

Officials continue to investigate the case, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
https://whdh.com/news/person-arrested-after-police-pursuit-in-boston/

Brad Keselowski’s spotter pushes back on Joey Logano’s ‘false’ claim, gives reality check on Penske’s “biggest mistake” at Talladega

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Defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano recently called out former Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski following the race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The exchange between the two drivers added another layer of intensity to the post-race discussions.

Later, on the latest episode of the Dale Jr. podcast, the topic was further explored, providing fans with deeper insights into the rivalry and perspectives from inside the sport.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nascar/news-brad-keselowski-s-spotter-pushes-back-joey-logano-s-false-claim-gives-reality-check-penske-s-biggest-mistake-talladega