British-born entrepreneur Emma Greed, best known as a founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s $5 billion shapewear empire Skims and CEO of denim brand Good American, has built a reputation for spotting cultural shifts before they become mainstream.
When Greed and Khloé Kardashian’s Good American denim line launched, it grossed $1 million on its first day, making it the largest denim launch in apparel history. Greedo helped redefine inclusion in retail and became the first Black female investor in the United States. shark tank–All this happened before I turned 43.
But despite his business instincts, Grede admits there was one area he needed a push.shark tank It was star Mark Cuban who gave it to her.
In an exclusive interview in 2025 luck, Greed said on an episode of his hit podcast. Aspirewhich hadn’t aired yet, where the two sat down to compare their use of AI.
“I was already getting there, but to be honest, that deep dive into AI gave me a new sense of urgency about how to use it,” she recalls, adding that Cuban had a whopping 60 AI apps on her phone. “Yeah, he gave me a kick.”
As soon as she finished taping, she said she started considering AI courses at the Wharton School and Harvard University for the fall. “I have to understand this because I use AI like any 42-year-old woman,” Grede candidly admits with a laugh.
Long before Greed realized he was falling behind, he gave his employees cash bonuses for using AI.
Grede is not exactly new to AI. In fact, she was ahead of the curve when it came to promoting AI adoption. within her company.
“About two years ago, we put out a memo in our office saying we would give cash bonuses to people who used AI in their work,” she explains, adding that this incentive was particularly popular with marketing and finance teams.
“The office has changed. The way people present their work has changed. The way people work has changed.”
But Grede acknowledged that he may have relied too much on Gen Z and 30-something staffers who were actively experimenting with ChatGPT and other new AI at the time. This means that until recently, she relied on AI as a search engine and left the rest to her staff to handle.
“I was like, ‘Emma, we need to figure that out.’
This comes as many other CEOs are rushing to appoint AI leaders to future-proof their businesses and prepare for change.
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said advances in AI are moving at a pace that is “astounding” to him, and that even if employees learn how to use the latest technology tools, they could still lose their jobs. Meanwhile, a former Google executive says CEOs are currently too busy “celebrating” efficiency gains to think about being next on the AI chopping block.
But she’s not using AI to be more productive
One of America’s richest women, with a reported net worth of nearly $400 million and at least four major businesses, Greedo is clearly ruthlessly capable. But in her eyes, AI is not about squeezing more of everyday productivity.
“I’m probably the most productive person in the world. I don’t know if I can be more productive,” she said, noting that most of her time is spent making high-stakes decisions rather than completing tasks.
“No amount of AI can help that.”
But where is it can Making smarter strategic choices and reinventing your leadership style can help, she said.
“I think this is about reshaping how we do things,” Grede added. “A lot of my job is about making really big bets and decisions, so if I can put data in place to optimize those decisions, I think that’s probably where I’ll use it the most.
“These are the things that I think fundamentally change when I start thinking about my role as a merchant and as a planner.”
In a subsequent episode of her podcast with Cuban, the television personality and Dallas Mavericks owner issued a stern warning to founders who don’t embrace AI. “You’re crazy…It’s like saying, ‘I don’t need a PC, I don’t need the Internet, I don’t need a cell phone.'”
He further added, “If you’re an entrepreneur or want to be an entrepreneur, start trying it out to get a sense of how it works and how to prompt you. It’s like having a whole staff of 1,000 business professors.”
The first version of this story was Fortune.com August 12, 2025.
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