McKinsey: the algorithm isn't the advantage, the team is (Will Lansing, CEO of FICO)

By McKinsey & Company · Fri, 30 Oct 2026.

The McKinsey email, headlined "The algorithm isn't the advantage–the team is," introduces a new episode of The McKinsey Podcast titled "Leadership comes from followership."

According to the email, credit and financial services organizations are using AI to reshape their offerings and their interactions with consumers. However, as FICO CEO Will Lansing explains, mastering the technology is only one part of a broader transformation story, both for the company and for the industry. Lansing says: "Leadership comes from followership. It comes from people believing in the mission."

That level of conviction across the company, the text notes, is critical if executives want to solve some of AI's toughest problems: explainability, fairness and trust.

In the episode, Lansing speaks with Eric Kutcher, McKinsey Senior Partner and chair of McKinsey's North America region. According to the email, the topics they cover are: what it will take to sustain FICO's 70-year mission of enabling unbiased credit; how the company can navigate emerging AI regulation; and how it can get the most out of its data.

The conversation is part of a recurring series on The McKinsey Podcast in which Kutcher talks with top CEOs about the practice of leadership. The full version of the interview is available in The McKinsey Podcast playlist on McKinsey's YouTube channel, and the podcast can be followed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, with new episodes weekly.

The email also mentions other recent episodes (trends in the food and beverage industry, economic mobility, geopolitics and "Democratized superintelligence is coming: The world needs to get ready") and a McKinsey Live event on November 12 with Andy West, Whitney Zimmerman and Tim Koller on their upcoming book "Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance." The body of the email provides no further details on the content of the interview.