Databricks CEO uses AI agent to get the unfiltered truth from 12,000 employees

Databricks has unveiled an updated version of its AI agent, Genie, which can now handle complex, multi-step business tasks autonomously using a custom-built ontology that taps into customer data stored on its platform. CEO Ali Ghodsi demonstrated how he personally uses the agent to analyze internal data—like employee satisfaction surveys and sales call summaries—to surface problems and unfiltered feedback that might not reach him directly as the company has grown to 12,000 people.

Ghodsi highlighted the challenge of Dunbar's number—the theory that humans can only maintain stable relationships with about 150 people. In a large organization, negative information often gets filtered out before reaching leadership. Genie acts as a continuous, unsupervised assistant that prepares executives for meetings, evaluates proposed solutions, and provides candid insights. This represents a shift from AI as a simple chatbot to a persistent, context-aware agent that helps leaders cut through organizational noise and address issues proactively.