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Jul 31, 2026 · 34m · no-priors

Building an Autonomous Enterprise for Real-World Services with Netic Founder Melisa Tokmak

Melisa Tokmak · 26m spoken Elad Gil · 4m spoken Sarah Guo · 14s spoken
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In this episode of No Priors, Netic founder and CEO Melisa Tokmak joins Elad Gil to discuss how her company builds vertical AI infrastructure to automate complex operational workflows for mission-critical home and physical service enterprises. Tokmak shares insights on vertical AI defensibility, modernizing skilled trades, and fostering an organizational culture grounded in long-term craftsmanship and human agency.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. The hosts hold 16% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

The hosts as informed peer 4.3 Guest teaching 2.9 Guest disagreement 1.8 The hosts pushing back 1.6
05100:0010:0020:0030:000:45–3:52 · The hosts as informed peer 4/10 How Netic Automates Essential Real-World Services Elad clarifies how Netic operates voice agents and dispatch reasoning. Melisa expands on how operational rules, customer lifetime value, and technician skill matching make the problem far more complex than simple call routing.3:53–6:26 · The hosts as informed peer 3/10 Overcoming Call Center Bottlenecks in Seasonal Industries Melisa details the high-turnover, seasonal bottlenecks of call centers in home services. Elad summarizes the overflow model, while Melisa clarifies that over 70% of clients now use Netic as their primary first-line AI interaction.6:26–10:38 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Choosing Scalable Software Over Private Equity Roll-Ups Elad draws on his personal angel investments in AI private equity rollups to ask why Melisa chose to build horizontal enterprise software rather than buying and rolling up assets. Melisa contrasts her engineering skillset and scalable software vision with private equity M&A.10:39–12:56 · The hosts as informed peer 4/10 Comparing Operational Enterprise AI to Physical Robotics Elad probes whether operational software and physical robotics will eventually converge. Melisa explains that due to non-standardized buildings and high human dexterity requirements, field robotics remains decades away.12:56–16:06 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Defensibility of Vertical Enterprise AI Against Frontier Labs Melisa rejects the idea that frontier labs are viable threats to vertical AI, labeling the wait for generalized AGI solutions as intellectually lazy. Elad corroborates by noting that recent founders have become excessively timid regarding frontier lab roadmaps.16:07–22:25 · The hosts as informed peer 4/10 Founder Long-Termism, Craftsmanship, and Hiring for Agency Melisa critiques short-horizon founders and Gen Z anxiety about immediate wealth creation, emphasizing long-term craftsmanship. When Elad notes he stopped asking candidates about their hardest challenge because of bad responses, Melisa gently disagrees and explains how to evaluate genuine agency.22:26–31:13 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Building the Autonomous Enterprise and High-Talent Density Elad questions how Netic overcomes the perceived technological sluggishness of traditional trades. Melisa reframes the premise, pointing out that these businesses close multi-hundred-thousand-dollar deals rapidly and are eager to deploy AI for top-line revenue rather than just cost cutting.31:14–34:09 · The hosts as informed peer 3/10 Democratizing Education, Human Agency, and Positive AI Impact Melisa reflects on how democratizing education through AI fosters human agency. When Elad suggests that people can just go out and do things without permission, Melisa adds that access alone does not guarantee people will make the active choice to execute.0:45–3:52 · Guest teaching 3/10 How Netic Automates Essential Real-World Services Elad clarifies how Netic operates voice agents and dispatch reasoning. Melisa expands on how operational rules, customer lifetime value, and technician skill matching make the problem far more complex than simple call routing.3:53–6:26 · Guest teaching 2/10 Overcoming Call Center Bottlenecks in Seasonal Industries Melisa details the high-turnover, seasonal bottlenecks of call centers in home services. Elad summarizes the overflow model, while Melisa clarifies that over 70% of clients now use Netic as their primary first-line AI interaction.6:26–10:38 · Guest teaching 2/10 Choosing Scalable Software Over Private Equity Roll-Ups Elad draws on his personal angel investments in AI private equity rollups to ask why Melisa chose to build horizontal enterprise software rather than buying and rolling up assets. Melisa contrasts her engineering skillset and scalable software vision with private equity M&A.10:39–12:56 · Guest teaching 3/10 Comparing Operational Enterprise AI to Physical Robotics Elad probes whether operational software and physical robotics will eventually converge. Melisa explains that due to non-standardized buildings and high human dexterity requirements, field robotics remains decades away.12:56–16:06 · Guest teaching 4/10 Defensibility of Vertical Enterprise AI Against Frontier Labs Melisa rejects the idea that frontier labs are viable threats to vertical AI, labeling the wait for generalized AGI solutions as intellectually lazy. Elad corroborates by noting that recent founders have become excessively timid regarding frontier lab roadmaps.16:07–22:25 · Guest teaching 3/10 Founder Long-Termism, Craftsmanship, and Hiring for Agency Melisa critiques short-horizon founders and Gen Z anxiety about immediate wealth creation, emphasizing long-term craftsmanship. When Elad notes he stopped asking candidates about their hardest challenge because of bad responses, Melisa gently disagrees and explains how to evaluate genuine agency.22:26–31:13 · Guest teaching 4/10 Building the Autonomous Enterprise and High-Talent Density Elad questions how Netic overcomes the perceived technological sluggishness of traditional trades. Melisa reframes the premise, pointing out that these businesses close multi-hundred-thousand-dollar deals rapidly and are eager to deploy AI for top-line revenue rather than just cost cutting.31:14–34:09 · Guest teaching 2/10 Democratizing Education, Human Agency, and Positive AI Impact Melisa reflects on how democratizing education through AI fosters human agency. When Elad suggests that people can just go out and do things without permission, Melisa adds that access alone does not guarantee people will make the active choice to execute.0:45–3:52 · Guest disagreement 1/10 How Netic Automates Essential Real-World Services Elad clarifies how Netic operates voice agents and dispatch reasoning. Melisa expands on how operational rules, customer lifetime value, and technician skill matching make the problem far more complex than simple call routing.3:53–6:26 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Overcoming Call Center Bottlenecks in Seasonal Industries Melisa details the high-turnover, seasonal bottlenecks of call centers in home services. Elad summarizes the overflow model, while Melisa clarifies that over 70% of clients now use Netic as their primary first-line AI interaction.6:26–10:38 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Choosing Scalable Software Over Private Equity Roll-Ups Elad draws on his personal angel investments in AI private equity rollups to ask why Melisa chose to build horizontal enterprise software rather than buying and rolling up assets. Melisa contrasts her engineering skillset and scalable software vision with private equity M&A.10:39–12:56 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Comparing Operational Enterprise AI to Physical Robotics Elad probes whether operational software and physical robotics will eventually converge. Melisa explains that due to non-standardized buildings and high human dexterity requirements, field robotics remains decades away.12:56–16:06 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Defensibility of Vertical Enterprise AI Against Frontier Labs Melisa rejects the idea that frontier labs are viable threats to vertical AI, labeling the wait for generalized AGI solutions as intellectually lazy. Elad corroborates by noting that recent founders have become excessively timid regarding frontier lab roadmaps.16:07–22:25 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Founder Long-Termism, Craftsmanship, and Hiring for Agency Melisa critiques short-horizon founders and Gen Z anxiety about immediate wealth creation, emphasizing long-term craftsmanship. When Elad notes he stopped asking candidates about their hardest challenge because of bad responses, Melisa gently disagrees and explains how to evaluate genuine agency.22:26–31:13 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Building the Autonomous Enterprise and High-Talent Density Elad questions how Netic overcomes the perceived technological sluggishness of traditional trades. Melisa reframes the premise, pointing out that these businesses close multi-hundred-thousand-dollar deals rapidly and are eager to deploy AI for top-line revenue rather than just cost cutting.31:14–34:09 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Democratizing Education, Human Agency, and Positive AI Impact Melisa reflects on how democratizing education through AI fosters human agency. When Elad suggests that people can just go out and do things without permission, Melisa adds that access alone does not guarantee people will make the active choice to execute.0:45–3:52 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 How Netic Automates Essential Real-World Services Elad clarifies how Netic operates voice agents and dispatch reasoning. Melisa expands on how operational rules, customer lifetime value, and technician skill matching make the problem far more complex than simple call routing.3:53–6:26 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Overcoming Call Center Bottlenecks in Seasonal Industries Melisa details the high-turnover, seasonal bottlenecks of call centers in home services. Elad summarizes the overflow model, while Melisa clarifies that over 70% of clients now use Netic as their primary first-line AI interaction.6:26–10:38 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Choosing Scalable Software Over Private Equity Roll-Ups Elad draws on his personal angel investments in AI private equity rollups to ask why Melisa chose to build horizontal enterprise software rather than buying and rolling up assets. Melisa contrasts her engineering skillset and scalable software vision with private equity M&A.10:39–12:56 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Comparing Operational Enterprise AI to Physical Robotics Elad probes whether operational software and physical robotics will eventually converge. Melisa explains that due to non-standardized buildings and high human dexterity requirements, field robotics remains decades away.12:56–16:06 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Defensibility of Vertical Enterprise AI Against Frontier Labs Melisa rejects the idea that frontier labs are viable threats to vertical AI, labeling the wait for generalized AGI solutions as intellectually lazy. Elad corroborates by noting that recent founders have become excessively timid regarding frontier lab roadmaps.16:07–22:25 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Founder Long-Termism, Craftsmanship, and Hiring for Agency Melisa critiques short-horizon founders and Gen Z anxiety about immediate wealth creation, emphasizing long-term craftsmanship. When Elad notes he stopped asking candidates about their hardest challenge because of bad responses, Melisa gently disagrees and explains how to evaluate genuine agency.22:26–31:13 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Building the Autonomous Enterprise and High-Talent Density Elad questions how Netic overcomes the perceived technological sluggishness of traditional trades. Melisa reframes the premise, pointing out that these businesses close multi-hundred-thousand-dollar deals rapidly and are eager to deploy AI for top-line revenue rather than just cost cutting.31:14–34:09 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Democratizing Education, Human Agency, and Positive AI Impact Melisa reflects on how democratizing education through AI fosters human agency. When Elad suggests that people can just go out and do things without permission, Melisa adds that access alone does not guarantee people will make the active choice to execute.

speaking balance: gold is the hosts, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · the hosts 32% · guest 68%0:00 · the hosts 32% · guest 68%3:00 · the hosts 5.9% · guest 94.1%3:00 · the hosts 5.9% · guest 94.1%6:00 · the hosts 32.1% · guest 67.9%6:00 · the hosts 32.1% · guest 67.9%9:00 · the hosts 14.4% · guest 85.6%9:00 · the hosts 14.4% · guest 85.6%12:00 · the hosts 8% · guest 92%12:00 · the hosts 8% · guest 92%15:00 · the hosts 22.6% · guest 77.4%15:00 · the hosts 22.6% · guest 77.4%18:00 · the hosts 12.1% · guest 87.9%18:00 · the hosts 12.1% · guest 87.9%21:00 · the hosts 8.8% · guest 91.2%21:00 · the hosts 8.8% · guest 91.2%24:00 · the hosts 11.1% · guest 88.9%24:00 · the hosts 11.1% · guest 88.9%27:00 · the hosts 13.2% · guest 86.8%27:00 · the hosts 13.2% · guest 86.8%30:00 · the hosts 14.2% · guest 85.8%30:00 · the hosts 14.2% · guest 85.8%33:00 · the hosts 22.6% · guest 77.4%33:00 · the hosts 22.6% · guest 77.4%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 14:35 Dismissing generalized AGI lab roadmaps

Melisa forcefully rejects the notion that frontier labs will effortlessly swallow vertical operations, calling the wait-for-AGI mindset both operationally and intellectually lazy.

 Hardest push from the hosts ▶ 6:26 Questioning software SaaS versus buying physical assets

Elad challenges Melisa on the business model choice, citing his own investments in PE rollups and asking why she chose building software over directly buying and operating the businesses.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 24:15 Reframing trade businesses as aggressive tech adopters

Melisa corrects the common venture capital belief that home service industries are slow and archaic, illustrating how enterprises sign half-million-dollar AI contracts in two weeks.

 The host holds their own ▶ 15:34 Analyzing founder fear of frontier model roadmaps

Elad leverages his venture track record with companies like Harvey and Decagon to argue that contemporary founders have become unnecessarily paralyzed by frontier lab developments.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicThe hosts as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementThe hosts pushing backWhy
How Netic Automates Essential Real-World Services 4311 Elad clarifies how Netic operates voice agents and dispatch reasoning. Melisa expands on how operational rules, customer lifetime value, and technician skill matching make the problem far more complex than simple call routing.
Overcoming Call Center Bottlenecks in Seasonal Industries 3211 Melisa details the high-turnover, seasonal bottlenecks of call centers in home services. Elad summarizes the overflow model, while Melisa clarifies that over 70% of clients now use Netic as their primary first-line AI interaction.
Choosing Scalable Software Over Private Equity Roll-Ups 6212 Elad draws on his personal angel investments in AI private equity rollups to ask why Melisa chose to build horizontal enterprise software rather than buying and rolling up assets. Melisa contrasts her engineering skillset and scalable software vision with private equity M&A.
Comparing Operational Enterprise AI to Physical Robotics 4322 Elad probes whether operational software and physical robotics will eventually converge. Melisa explains that due to non-standardized buildings and high human dexterity requirements, field robotics remains decades away.
Defensibility of Vertical Enterprise AI Against Frontier Labs 5432 Melisa rejects the idea that frontier labs are viable threats to vertical AI, labeling the wait for generalized AGI solutions as intellectually lazy. Elad corroborates by noting that recent founders have become excessively timid regarding frontier lab roadmaps.
Founder Long-Termism, Craftsmanship, and Hiring for Agency 4332 Melisa critiques short-horizon founders and Gen Z anxiety about immediate wealth creation, emphasizing long-term craftsmanship. When Elad notes he stopped asking candidates about their hardest challenge because of bad responses, Melisa gently disagrees and explains how to evaluate genuine agency.
Building the Autonomous Enterprise and High-Talent Density 5422 Elad questions how Netic overcomes the perceived technological sluggishness of traditional trades. Melisa reframes the premise, pointing out that these businesses close multi-hundred-thousand-dollar deals rapidly and are eager to deploy AI for top-line revenue rather than just cost cutting.
Democratizing Education, Human Agency, and Positive AI Impact 3211 Melisa reflects on how democratizing education through AI fosters human agency. When Elad suggests that people can just go out and do things without permission, Melisa adds that access alone does not guarantee people will make the active choice to execute.

Statements from this episode (12)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Tokmak: Over 70% of Netic's enterprise customers use AI-first interactions
“Today actually over 70% of our customers are AI first. We call it Netic first. They go N-one and over 70% actually all of their customers' first interaction with the company is with Netic agents.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 6:11
Opinion
Tokmak: Majority of Tech Companies Only Serve Startups and Tech
“All of us come here and we talk about tech, we talk about creating impact, but majority of the companies that only really serve other startups or tech companies.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 8:30
Insight
Tokmak: Software built inside AI roll-ups cannot scale beyond acquired companies
“There's a lot of successful rollups and tech enabled rollups, but at the end, all the products you're building are for the company you just bought. It can't really be actually applied to any other company.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 10:02
Opinion
Tokmak: Real-world service robotics requires impossible building standardization to succeed
“If robotics is going to do what we're doing with these companies today, every single of those buildings need to be either three D printed or completely like standardized. I don't see that happening.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 11:46
Opinion
Tokmak: Netic does not view frontier AI foundation models as competitive risks
“For NETIC's case, I don't see them as a competitive risk.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 13:42
Opinion
Tokmak: Essential service enterprises avoid vendors that rapidly kill products like OpenAI
“OpenAI builds amazing products really fast, but also it kills them really fast. So I don't think enterprises are at least enterprise in these industries looking for that really fast”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 14:11
Opinion
Gil: Founders avoid launching vertical AI startups out of fear of labs
“I feel like a lot of founders now are almost a little bit too worried about what the labs are doing. And so they're not entering new verticals or sort of staying away from things that they think is in the roadmap of the lab.”
Elad Gil Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 15:52
Opinion
Tokmak: Gen Z job candidates obsess over a permanent underclass mentality
“I see, especially Gen Z in these days when I'm, you know, looking at hiring, obsessed with this permanent underclass mentality. If I don't make my money in the next 18 months, or if I don't learn everything in the world in the next six months, then I am foreve…”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 17:19
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Tokmak: Palantir, SpaceX, and Notion struggled to maintain talent density while scaling
“Every single company that I know, that I respect that even thought about these things for the long term, like imagine Palantir or SpaceX or Notion who really care about craftsmanship and really delivering for their audience for many, many years have struggled …”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 23:29
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Tokmak: Netic closed a $500k enterprise contract in 14 days
“For example, to give you a sense, you know, like just one of the businesses we close, it can be like a half a million contract. And it took from end to end, 14 days.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 24:39
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Tokmak: Netic has generated over $600M in customer revenue from AI interactions
“We have made so far, I think over six hundred million dollars for our customers that have been really generated from AI handled interactions.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 29:30
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Tokmak: Most people will still avoid taking initiative despite AI tools
“It ends up, it stays with the choice you have to make. We keep making it easy and easier, easier and easier to make that choice. But still, I guarantee you majority of the world will not be making that choice.”
Melisa Tokmak Jul 31, 2026 ▶ 32:45
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