The Hidden Cost of Bad AI Implementation: Growth Lessons from Surfer Co-Founder Kazik Pietka

Why CEOs still don’t fully trust AI and what they need to see before they do

In this episode of Leaders of Growth podcast, Milan Savov sits down with Kazik Pietka to uncover the truth behind AI adoption inside fast-growing SaaS companies. From early chaos to rapid scale, and from multi-team leadership to fully integrating AI across organizations, Kazik has lived it all.

And what he reveals in this episode is brutally honest.

🔍 What You Will Learn
Why CEOs still don’t fully trust AI and what they need to see before they do
✅ The biggest mistakes companies make when adopting AI
✅ How rushed AI implementation ends up costing way more than it saves
✅ The mindset shifts founders must make at every growth stage
✅ How to prioritize when you’re responsible for multiple teams
✅ Where AI actually creates value
✅ And where it breaks everything

If you are a SaaS founder, CEO, or operator navigating the AI era, this conversation is full of insights that will help you scale smarter and avoid expensive mistakes.

🎙 About Kazik Pietka:
Kazik Pietka is the Managing Partner and co-founder at Heveli, and previously the co-founder who helped scale Surfer from zero to 15M ARR bootstrapped. He is an operations leader working directly with founders and C-level teams inside B2B SaaS companies, managing AI, legal, sales, and operational systems at scale. He also speaks at Infoshare, SaaSOpen, and major tech events across Europe.

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:34 - Who is Kazik Pietka
02:02 - The reality of leading your first company at 25
03:16 - The mistakes founders make when promoting managers
05:32 - Why delegating is painful but necessary
07:14 - The mindset shift required to scale past 1M ARR
12:56 - Why founders feel lost when the company hits 70–100 people
18:21 - How real AI integrations are done inside SaaS
21:26 - Why AI breaks when companies lack proper data
22:50 - The real cost of bad AI implementation
28:00 - What leaders must understand about AI readiness
38:32 - Kazik’s final advice for SaaS leaders

🔗 Connect with Milan and SmartClick:
👉 Milan's LinkedIn:   / savovmilan  
👉 Milan's Instagram:   / msavov  
👉 Milan's TikTok:   / milan_savov  
👉 Get 1:1 with Milan: https://www.milansavov.com

👉 SmartClick's LinkedIn:   / smartclickagency  
👉 SmartClick's Instagram:   / smartclick.mk  
👉 SmartClick's Facebook:   / smartclickwebagency  
👉 SmartClick's Website: https://www.smartclick.agency

🔗 Connect with Kazik Pietka
👉 LinkedIn:   / kazik-pietka  

🎙 Leaders of Growth is a podcast hosted by Milan Savov and powered by SmartClick, featuring raw and actionable conversations with top SaaS founders, CMOs, operators, and growth leaders. Subscribe for more weekly conversations with leaders who walk the talk.

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