<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><?xml-stylesheet href="https://feeds.captivate.fm/style.xsl" type="text/xsl"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0"><channel><atom:link href="https://feeds.captivate.fm/context-layer-tapes/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><title><![CDATA[The Context Layer Tapes]]></title><podcast:guid>09448430-0902-5fcb-9c5d-77052899f6ee</podcast:guid><lastBuildDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:00:17 +0000</lastBuildDate><generator>Captivate.fm</generator><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright 2026 ZoomInfo]]></copyright><managingEditor>ZoomInfo</managingEditor><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Most AI in GTM is failing, not because the models are wrong, but because the layer underneath them isn't ready.<br>&nbsp;<br>The Context Layer Tapes is the bi-weekly podcast for GTM operators responsible for the infrastructure AI actually runs on. The data, the signals, the systems that decide whether AI in GTM works or fails.<br>&nbsp;<br>Hosted by Florin Tatulea, GTM Engineer in Residence at ZoomInfo, alongside co-host John Lloyd, every episode starts with original data, lands a real take from operators in the trenches, and ends with a workflow you can actually build.<br>&nbsp;<br>No hot takes or vendor pitches. Just the data, the opinion, and the play.<br>&nbsp;<br>If you're a GTM or RevOps leader responsible for making AI work in your motion, this show is built for you.<br>&nbsp;<br>New episodes every two weeks.]]></itunes:summary><image><url>https://artwork.captivate.fm/65f3ca3a-89fb-4730-a3dc-46af8bc5bc48/The-Context-Layer-Podcast-Cover-3000x3000-1-1.png</url><title>The Context Layer Tapes</title><link><![CDATA[https://context-layer-tapes.captivate.fm]]></link></image><itunes:image href="https://artwork.captivate.fm/65f3ca3a-89fb-4730-a3dc-46af8bc5bc48/The-Context-Layer-Podcast-Cover-3000x3000-1-1.png"/><itunes:owner><itunes:name>ZoomInfo</itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author>ZoomInfo</itunes:author><description>Most AI in GTM is failing, not because the models are wrong, but because the layer underneath them isn&apos;t ready.
&amp;nbsp;
The Context Layer Tapes is the bi-weekly podcast for GTM operators responsible for the infrastructure AI actually runs on. The data, the signals, the systems that decide whether AI in GTM works or fails.
&amp;nbsp;
Hosted by Florin Tatulea, GTM Engineer in Residence at ZoomInfo, alongside co-host John Lloyd, every episode starts with original data, lands a real take from operators in the trenches, and ends with a workflow you can actually build.
&amp;nbsp;
No hot takes or vendor pitches. Just the data, the opinion, and the play.
&amp;nbsp;
If you&apos;re a GTM or RevOps leader responsible for making AI work in your motion, this show is built for you.
&amp;nbsp;
New episodes every two weeks.</description><link>https://context-layer-tapes.captivate.fm</link><atom:link href="https://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com" rel="hub"/><itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[The podcast for GTM and RevOps leaders building the foundation AI runs on.]]></itunes:subtitle><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><itunes:category text="Technology"></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Business"><itunes:category text="Marketing"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Business"></itunes:category><podcast:locked>no</podcast:locked><podcast:medium>podcast</podcast:medium><item><title>#4: Why your best investment isn&apos;t more AI (and what to do instead)</title><itunes:title>#4: Why your best investment isn&apos;t more AI (and what to do instead)</itunes:title><description><![CDATA[<p>Most teams are still wondering which AI tool they should buy next. But when 50 senior GTM leaders were given a blank cheque and asked what they’d build in their data stack, the answer wasn’t more agents, better prompts, or a flashier model. It was the foundation underneath.</p><p>In this episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd dig into why 62% of senior GTM leaders said their next investment would be a unified data layer connecting all of their GTM tools. Continuous enrichment, intent feeds, and real-time signal engines followed close behind, while AI agents plugged in via MCP sat at the bottom of the list.</p><p>Florin and John break down why this is not really a budget problem, why a unified data layer is hard to buy as a single project, and why the biggest blocker is often ownership rather than technology. They also unpack the gap between where information lives and where decisions actually happen.</p><p>The play: run a lost-deal trace. Take one real deal that slipped, walk it backwards, find the signal or context that existed somewhere in the stack but never reached the right person or workflow, and build that connection first. Don’t try to build the whole data layer in one go. Find the first brick, prove its value, and start there.</p>]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most teams are still wondering which AI tool they should buy next. But when 50 senior GTM leaders were given a blank cheque and asked what they’d build in their data stack, the answer wasn’t more agents, better prompts, or a flashier model. It was the foundation underneath.</p><p>In this episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd dig into why 62% of senior GTM leaders said their next investment would be a unified data layer connecting all of their GTM tools. Continuous enrichment, intent feeds, and real-time signal engines followed close behind, while AI agents plugged in via MCP sat at the bottom of the list.</p><p>Florin and John break down why this is not really a budget problem, why a unified data layer is hard to buy as a single project, and why the biggest blocker is often ownership rather than technology. They also unpack the gap between where information lives and where decisions actually happen.</p><p>The play: run a lost-deal trace. Take one real deal that slipped, walk it backwards, find the signal or context that existed somewhere in the stack but never reached the right person or workflow, and build that connection first. Don’t try to build the whole data layer in one go. Find the first brick, prove its value, and start there.</p>]]></content:encoded><link><![CDATA[https://context-layer-tapes.captivate.fm]]></link><guid isPermaLink="false">93ea0db9-6775-4b6f-b54a-3689e6eb4b82</guid><itunes:image href="https://artwork.captivate.fm/65f3ca3a-89fb-4730-a3dc-46af8bc5bc48/The-Context-Layer-Podcast-Cover-3000x3000-1-1.png"/><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate><enclosure url="https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/93ea0db9-6775-4b6f-b54a-3689e6eb4b82.mp3" length="54746460" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:duration>22:34</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>4</itunes:episode><podcast:episode>4</podcast:episode><podcast:season>1</podcast:season></item><item><title>#3: Why AI can&apos;t serve your GTM stack (and how to fix it)</title><itunes:title>#3: Why AI can&apos;t serve your GTM stack (and how to fix it)</itunes:title><description><![CDATA[<p>Most teams plugged an AI agent into their CRM and expected it to just work. The data was there. The model was smart enough. It still came up short.</p><p>In this episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd go a layer deeper than data. Drawing on research from 50 senior GTM leaders at US enterprises, they dig into why nearly three-quarters say the real blocker is how data moves between their tools and their CRM, not the data sitting inside any one of them.</p><p>Florin and John break down why this is an infrastructure problem and not a data problem, why the CRM was never built to be a live hub for autonomous agents, and the multi-agent handoff (watcher, researcher, actor, executor) that turns a single intent signal into tailored outreach without a human copying between tools.</p><p>You can have good data in every tool and still fail. The teams that win build the intelligence once and deploy it everywhere. Stop wiring AI into one tool at a time. Build the layer that connects them.</p>]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most teams plugged an AI agent into their CRM and expected it to just work. The data was there. The model was smart enough. It still came up short.</p><p>In this episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd go a layer deeper than data. Drawing on research from 50 senior GTM leaders at US enterprises, they dig into why nearly three-quarters say the real blocker is how data moves between their tools and their CRM, not the data sitting inside any one of them.</p><p>Florin and John break down why this is an infrastructure problem and not a data problem, why the CRM was never built to be a live hub for autonomous agents, and the multi-agent handoff (watcher, researcher, actor, executor) that turns a single intent signal into tailored outreach without a human copying between tools.</p><p>You can have good data in every tool and still fail. The teams that win build the intelligence once and deploy it everywhere. Stop wiring AI into one tool at a time. Build the layer that connects them.</p>]]></content:encoded><link><![CDATA[https://context-layer-tapes.captivate.fm]]></link><guid isPermaLink="false">4c6279e1-5801-4749-b496-3629db473c0e</guid><itunes:image href="https://artwork.captivate.fm/65f3ca3a-89fb-4730-a3dc-46af8bc5bc48/The-Context-Layer-Podcast-Cover-3000x3000-1-1.png"/><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0100</pubDate><enclosure url="https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/4c6279e1-5801-4749-b496-3629db473c0e.mp3" length="56927785" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:duration>23:30</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>3</itunes:episode><podcast:episode>3</podcast:episode><podcast:season>1</podcast:season></item><item><title>#2: What GTM leaders want from AI (and how to build it)</title><itunes:title>#2: What GTM leaders want from AI (and how to build it)</itunes:title><description><![CDATA[<p>When you ask GTM leaders about AI, you expect a wish list of capabilities back. Smarter models, better content, sharper agents. But that's not what we saw on our survey.</p><p>In this episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd pick up where episode one left off, digging into what GTM leaders actually want AI to do and why they still can't. Nearly 40% described the same ambition in their own words, and it wasn't more AI. It was AI that connects the data they already have and acts on it instantly.</p><p>Florin and John break down why leaders aren't asking for capability but writing the build spec, why the signals (and the people who own them) keep bouncing off each other instead of connecting, and the automated signal-to-action play that turns scattered intent into a tailored offer in the right rep's hands the same day.</p><p>Same ambition, same AI. The only thing standing between "we wish we could do this" and "we do this every day" is the layer underneath. Stop wishing AI could connect what you have. Build the layer that connects it.</p>]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When you ask GTM leaders about AI, you expect a wish list of capabilities back. Smarter models, better content, sharper agents. But that's not what we saw on our survey.</p><p>In this episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd pick up where episode one left off, digging into what GTM leaders actually want AI to do and why they still can't. Nearly 40% described the same ambition in their own words, and it wasn't more AI. It was AI that connects the data they already have and acts on it instantly.</p><p>Florin and John break down why leaders aren't asking for capability but writing the build spec, why the signals (and the people who own them) keep bouncing off each other instead of connecting, and the automated signal-to-action play that turns scattered intent into a tailored offer in the right rep's hands the same day.</p><p>Same ambition, same AI. The only thing standing between "we wish we could do this" and "we do this every day" is the layer underneath. Stop wishing AI could connect what you have. Build the layer that connects it.</p>]]></content:encoded><link><![CDATA[https://context-layer-tapes.captivate.fm]]></link><guid isPermaLink="false">7de08b76-cb6e-467f-b0ce-b355766e0a11</guid><itunes:image href="https://artwork.captivate.fm/65f3ca3a-89fb-4730-a3dc-46af8bc5bc48/The-Context-Layer-Podcast-Cover-3000x3000-1-1.png"/><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate><enclosure url="https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/7de08b76-cb6e-467f-b0ce-b355766e0a11.mp3" length="61766948" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:duration>25:41</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>2</itunes:episode><podcast:episode>2</podcast:episode><podcast:season>1</podcast:season></item><item><title>#1: Why AI in GTM isn&apos;t working (and what&apos;s underneath it)</title><itunes:title>#1: Why AI in GTM isn&apos;t working (and what&apos;s underneath it)</itunes:title><description><![CDATA[<p>Every GTM team that's invested in AI in the last 18 months expected leverage. What they got was a sophisticated form of double-checking.</p><p>In this first episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd unpack fresh research from 50 senior GTM leaders at US enterprise companies. The top three things blocking them from getting value out of AI aren't three problems. They're one problem, showing up three times. And no, it's not the algorithms.</p><p>Florin and John break down why the AI conversation has been pointed at the wrong layer for years, why "nearly right" AI is the silent killer of time savings, and the play GTM teams need to run if they want AI to actually deliver.</p><p>AI thrives on context. Give it foundational context and watch it do wonders.</p>]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every GTM team that's invested in AI in the last 18 months expected leverage. What they got was a sophisticated form of double-checking.</p><p>In this first episode of The Context Layer Tapes, Florin Tatulea and John Lloyd unpack fresh research from 50 senior GTM leaders at US enterprise companies. The top three things blocking them from getting value out of AI aren't three problems. They're one problem, showing up three times. And no, it's not the algorithms.</p><p>Florin and John break down why the AI conversation has been pointed at the wrong layer for years, why "nearly right" AI is the silent killer of time savings, and the play GTM teams need to run if they want AI to actually deliver.</p><p>AI thrives on context. Give it foundational context and watch it do wonders.</p>]]></content:encoded><link><![CDATA[https://context-layer-tapes.captivate.fm]]></link><guid isPermaLink="false">24da0841-5018-48bf-b29f-c2da87f6a204</guid><itunes:image href="https://artwork.captivate.fm/65f3ca3a-89fb-4730-a3dc-46af8bc5bc48/The-Context-Layer-Podcast-Cover-3000x3000-1-1.png"/><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 09:30:00 +0100</pubDate><enclosure url="https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/24da0841-5018-48bf-b29f-c2da87f6a204.mp3" length="36739652" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:duration>18:54</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>1</itunes:episode><podcast:episode>1</podcast:episode><podcast:season>1</podcast:season></item></channel></rss>