Enterprise business leaders are currently facing the challenge of effectively utilizing technology to drive operational excellence (OPEX). At OPEX Week 2025, David Glick, senior vice-president of enterprise business services at Walmart, delivered an insightful session on digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and the strategic decision on between building versus buying enterprise solutions.
Walmart’s approach to digital transformation
Glick emphasized Walmart’s unique position as a technology-driven retail giant, stating that its scale places it in the same conversation as companies like Meta. Walmart has aggressively invested in technology, ensuring that engineers work closely with customers to enhance operational efficiency. According to Glick, the company follows three key principles: eliminate, automate and optimize. These principles shape Walmart’s strategy in utilizing AI without succumbing to hype.
The pragmatic AI mindset: Right tools for the right use case
While AI is everywhere, Glick cautioned against adopting AI for AI’s sake. Instead, he stressed the importance of identifying the right tool for the right use case. A prime example is Walmart’s approach to automating invoice processing. Previously, hundreds of employees manually voiced invoices to Points of Sale (PoS), a process that has since been streamlined through AI-powered automation.
“What we want at the end of the day are actual implementations that make sense for the business, the customer and the associate,” Glick said. His perspective aligns with recent findings from McKinsey, which highlight that successful AI implementations focus on practical business outcomes rather than novelty.
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Bottom-up innovation and AI hubs
Walmart champions a bottom-up approach to innovation, empowering teams to develop solutions organically. Glick cited Walmart’s FinTech team as an example, demonstrating how innovation at the grassroots level fosters agility.
One of the AI-driven tools Glick highlighted was MyAssistant, an internal AI-powered assistant that enables employees to perform tasks efficiently, from summarizing press releases to retrieving business-critical data. According to a 2023 Gartner report, AI-powered workplace assistants can enhance employee productivity by up to 40 percent.
The build vs. buy dilemma: Control vs. convenience
A recurring challenge for enterprise leaders is whether to build AI-driven solutions in-house or buy third-party software. Glick outlined the trade-offs:
- Buying: Off-the-shelf solutions provide quicker deployment, but implementation can be cumbersome and integration may take longer than expected.
- Building: Developing in-house solutions offers control over workflow, seamless integration with existing systems and a more tailored user experience. Glick personally leans toward building, as it provides greater flexibility and adaptability.
His view is echoed by a recent Harvard Business Review study, which found that companies that develop AI in-house often achieve better alignment with strategic goals and internal processes. However, the decision ultimately depends on a company’s specific needs, capabilities and long-term vision.
As detailed in a recent PEX Network industry report on the role of generative AI in transforming OPEX, Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, said that the company is “leveraging data and LLMs [large language models] from others and building our own. One example is that we’ve used generative AI to improve our product catalog.”
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OPEX: The pillars of success
Glick outlined three key steps to implementing successful OPEX:
- Review tickets: Continuously track and analyze support requests to identify bottlenecks.
- Empower teams: Encourage teams to develop their own problem-solving strategies.
- Continuous deployment: Prioritize rapid iterations and frequent updates to drive improvements.
Leadership in the age of AI
Beyond technology, talent remains central to AI adoption. Glick stressed that hiring the right people and placing them in optimal roles is crucial. He highlighted the importance of investing in talent capable of both developing AI solutions and teaching others.
Glick also underscored the role of authentic leadership, emphasizing transparency, honesty and feedback as essential qualities. “Giving feedback is a gift and one of the most important things you can do as a leader,” he noted. Studies from the MIT Sloan School of Management suggest that organizations that foster open communication and trust see a 23 percent improvement in team performance.
How can you balance innovation and execution?
One of the biggest challenges in large enterprises is getting AI solutions into production at scale. Glick acknowledged that deploying new technologies in a corporation as vast as Walmart requires trust-building with business partners and iterative prototyping before full-scale implementation.
Ultimately, Walmart’s AI strategy is customer-centric and efficiency-driven, ensuring that automation translates into tangible benefits. “When you automate things, you put money back in your budget,” said Glick.
His session at OPEX Week 2025 reaffirmed that AI is not just about technological advancement but also intelligent decision-making, strategic alignment and empowering people.
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