What happens when a founder who built a multi-billion dollar company during a global crisis enters the center of industrial AI and begins to reshape the way entire organizations think and work? That question was at the heart of my conversation with Somya Kapoor, CEO of IFS loopsrecorded live on the trading floor of IFS Industrial X unleashed.
Somya’s journey has a level of grit and perspective that shines through every answer. She talked about how surviving the Gulf War as a child shaped her instinct for tackling the toughest problems in technology. That mindset not only guided her early career at SAP, ServiceNow, and other major companies, but also laid the foundation for Loops, the agent platform she co-founded in 2020 with a simple scribble on a notepad that ultimately became one of the most significant acquisitions in the IFS ecosystem.
Her stories about early rejections, the wave of skepticism around AI in the early days and the first customer conversations on Zoom during the lockdown reveal the human side behind a platform that many are now taking seriously in the industrial world.
Throughout the episode, Somya explained in clear terms what makes IFS Loops so different. The platform connects data between systems using natural language, helps redesign processes previously locked in individual applications, and introduces digital workers to take the heavy lifting out of daily operations. She brought the technology to life with examples that were really clear. From supplier order fulfillment to complex field service tasks and the now famous Kodiak Gas case that saved thousands of hours annually, she showed how agentic workflows are changing what’s possible for industrial companies that have struggled for decades with fragmented data and rigid processes.
We also talked about the importance of keeping people at the center of AI-driven change. Somya was clear that reinforcement, not replacement, is the story that matters. The shift requires new skills, new oversight models and a thoughtful approach to adoption. Her reflections on change management, the energy she felt from customers at the event, and the speed at which leaders now want to move, painted a picture of an industry that feels very different from the early days of AI excitement. The hesitation is gone. Curiosity has taken over. Action begins to follow.
Somya concluded with a message addressed to every leader who may still be watching from the sidelines. The technology is real, adoption is accelerating and the space to learn, experiment and adapt is shrinking. She believes this is the time for teams to decide whether they want to lead or be led by others who move faster.
As you listen to this conversation, I’d like to hear what stood out to you. Are you feeling the same shift in confidence and urgency around industrial AI that Somya described? Let me know your thoughts.
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