2025 B2B is 100% perception, digital struggle with AI, trust is everything

A favorite quote of mine by Nietzsche states:

“There are no facts, only interpretations.”

This applies to our personal lives, our careers, investments, and hiring decisions. And as a logical individual who studied computer science for years, I' had to learn that the power of branding, marketing, PR, advertising can overcome all and any facts out there.

B2B is driven by emotions

Before we cover the FOMO mechanics of B2B, I cross-posted a controversial social post about remote work the other day - one that got viral on Threads, apparently. The same one was posted in other networks, but needless to say, Threads is a Meta products where a ton of “diehard” Facebook and Instagram users hang out and spend an unhealthy amount of time, often during business hours.

Of course, remote workers - or those not granted remote rights - got straight to my feed, bashing, trolling, hating, venting. I even replied to several threads (feeding the trolls), responding to questions with facts, only to be called names back my way over and over.

In other words - the typical social behavior in anonymized networks (especially the Meta ones + X) showcased the “vocal minority” - or one of the many angles of socially accepted practices you see in public, shaping public opinions, regardless of actual P&Ls and company metrics.

📗 And everything else we’ve seen in B2B over the past years has been vastly driven by emotions and human psychology:

• The growth of 2016-2021 was surrounding the safe space narrative of the blooming digital ecosystem, the Klondike of our generation

• VCs have been raising capital left and right to keep fueling this endless engine of economic growth, prosperity, and civilizational progress

• The pandemic of 2020-2021 was an emotional rollercoaster driven by fear and uncertainty (and frankly, rightfully so). Many B2B businesses halted contracts or projects facing the fear of the unknown

• 2021 was also dubbed the “year of the great resignation” - as people found their vocations in non-digital roles, or hopping into the winners of the recession (fast-booming categories), or taking advantage of all remote opportunities and leaving offices with the speed of light

• 2022 started a layoff spree, following investor memos against Mark Zuckerberg on wasting capital on the Metaverse and hiring overpriced engineers. This made Zuck a hero by “optimizing for efficiency” doing cuts, especially after Elon took over X and already raised the tolerance ceiling by hiring 75% of the staff where the product is still alive and kicking. As a result, the other leading Nasdaq companies used that momentum to start laying off left and right - because previously, cuts were socially unacceptable, bad PR could have damaged said corporations, and any isolated case would have ruined a single company vs. all

• That whole efficiency narrative led to rapid interest rate bumps (because of overspending), leading to a next wave of fear - from additional budget cuts to companies switching from “growth” to “cost cuts”. While thousands of bloated startups running fast in the red were definitely “doing it wrong”, there are millions of companies with decent liquidity and run rate, staying the course and waiting for the bear market to turn bull again - all emotionally driven.

In hindsight, the ultra-rapid growth of the late 2010s was unnatural and bound to stop - what we usually call a "bubble.” Amazon alone grew from 750,000 people in 2019 to over 1.5 million two years later as shopping exploded during the lockdown years. How is that sustainable again?

Capital is reallocated, not lost

The stock market is a clear indicator here - a single public sentence or a fabricated lawsuit can tank every company, which usually ends up getting reversed in a matter of days if not hours. S&P went down 19.44% in 2022 then had 2 consecutive years with 24.23% and 23.31% growth. Did investors suddenly lose anything in 2022 and managed to plug it right back the next two years?

No - it’s 100% perception and tapping into the right opportunities at the time.

We have seen a massive influx of new business since January once the elections were over and a Republican took the seat. Republicans are known for reducing the burden on business, even though Trump has engaged in tariff negotiations and other potentially dangerous geopolitical conversations around territories and current wars.

Capital hasn’t flooded back into companies. Most conversations have been held over the course of the past 6 to 9 months - or longer - but budgets were frozen and kept on hold until better times. It’s all about external factors and global news instilling trust in the majority of the organizations that enable them all to unblock resources and restart the economy.

Here’s a sample of Lightspeed’s sales benchmark report of VC startups for 2024:

Want to run through the list together?

• Decided to take no action = ghosted, frozen budgets, team changes, project deprioritized

• Economic uncertainty / lost project funding = that’s actually quite direct and legit

• Prospect went silent = most projects put on hold, leadership changes, priority changes given macro dynamics

• Chose a competitor = sales are still happening, one way or another

• Missing features/roadmap issues = oftentimes a blanket excuse meaning either “picked a different product” (capital exists) or just frozen because of fear

• Decision-maker left the company = layoffs

That whole perception is about the appetite to grow and less about features or capabilities.

It’s the market perception and buying cycles - less about product quality or marketing strategy.

If buyers suddenly take twice as long to decide and don’t take on half the deals they would have done two years ago, it’s an instant 4X loss of capital efficiency in marketing, sales, and ROAS.

Again, nothing changed on the production front. Businesses are technically operating all the same. The only different factor here is economic turmoil (allegedly), fear of future prospects, and the macro dynamic affecting the entire ecosystem. Even if a handful of companies are willing to spend, when 90% are on hold, this halts the revenue streams in circulation.

This impacts AI and deliveries

We see AI treated the same way today, again in a mix of hype, despair, and uncertainty.

• Some have completely canceled all and any idea of integrating LLMs in-house (for safety/security/hallucination reasons)

• Some have embraced that fully, switching everything to prompts and agents

• Most are playing it safe, claiming they are AI-native (translation: 3 people use ChatGPT) and plugging AI into product and service names just because

But the key variable in play here is tolerance to AI - both from existing systems (SEO, social networks) and humans (most AI content is easy to decipher today).

I touched on creative thinking as this ultimate skill for the future last summer:

Are people bothered by AI chatbots on sites? Almost always the answer is yes, however some systems are more crucial than others and it’s a tolerable first step. Others see this as a betrayal and dodging responsibility (thus, hurting a brand).

Is AI content effective? If it ranks on Google (programmatic SEO + AI copy), then it’s technically making money. If it books calls with AI SDRs, then yes.

But all of these are a combination of human tolerance and algorithmic tolerance. If Google bashes all AI sites out of search, then AI content will immediately become irrelevant.

If Bezos or Gates wants to set up a meeting to grant us a $50M project, I couldn’t care less if their agentic tool arranges that or a teenager in middle Africa communicating on their behalf. But all things being equal, AI content’s quality gets diminishing returns when the trust factor is missing.

Other areas still see interesting results - coding and more strategic business plan development/research show progress here. But between hallucinations and being unable to tell which approach makes sense, this fails quite often. Building software prototypes that are insecure, not passing or storing data safely, not protecting data privacy etc can and will backfire in production 100% of the time.

Trust is the leading factor

Right now, we’re still operating into this transformation year. More jobs will get automated because of the influx of manual labor. But this will mostly concern inward-facing roles - admin, data entry, editing. Public-facing content and resources will need a heavier push for humanity, creative and critical thinking, to bubble up.

And trust will be the leading factor here.

• Branding

• Data MOAT (access to valuable data others don’t have)

• Videos and lives (vs. AI content)

• 1:1 calls

• Live events

This is the framework in play until the AI swamp gets calibrated and operationalized in practice.

Mario

✍️ B2B trust still a thing? I spoke about my brand ambassador relationships in this LinkedIn post, outlining some of the common misconceptions working with brands and businesses. It’s funny how “advertising,” “event sponsorships,” and “influencer marketing” are mostly normalized and clear, but other segments around partnerships or brand ambassador relations are still taboo.

✍️ Partnership governance protocol - this B2B ecosystem guide we authored covers the key areas around partnerships that enterprises and brands should keep into account for maximum results.

✍️ Discipline development framework - spending some time on hiring and teaching this month, I deal with more Gen Zs and young millennials who spent most of their career working in these Klondike environments - the peak of the economic civilization. So I’m introducing my Developing Discipline guide for the new generation of workers.

📱 Closing great deals with Flippa - I spoke with Dominic from Flippa in March and we covered the ideal buyers/sellers for today’s transactions. This is still relevant this year and I made an acquisition two weeks ago I’m still transferring over (part of the content ecosystem). Check this out for new opportunities.

🔖 Privacy Builds Trust — As data rules tighten, companies that go the extra mile to safeguard customer information are building lasting trust. By proactively managing privacy concerns and embracing practices like honoring the “right to be forgotten,” they’re not just meeting regulations—they’re strengthening their foundation for sustainable growth

🔖 Maximize Data-Driven Decision Making — Look to industry leaders like Zara and Amazon, who are tapping into real-time predictive analytics to fine-tune inventory, boost personalization, and curb fraud. Check the tools and tactics that transform live data into a winning competitive edge.

🔖 Push Notifications Fuel Growth — Companies are using push notifications in smarter ways than ever before—delivering messages that feel personal and timely across multiple channels. This evolution is not only boosting customer engagement but also signaling scalable business models worth noting.

🔖 Engaging Stakeholders Builds Lasting Value — Today’s leaders understand that genuine, transparent communication with everyone from customers to partners makes a real difference. CEOs who prioritize authentic stakeholder relationships are setting the stage for long-term success, a quality that can add real value over time.

🔖 Demystifying CDP, CRM, and DMP — Not every customer data tool is built the same. Learn the main distinctions between CDPs, CRMs, and DMPs to figure out which one fits your business needs. Dive into the B2B Ecosystem comparison guide to boost customer engagement, simplify sales processes, or perfect ad targeting.

📃 AI-generated news summaries under scrutiny. A BBC study found that AI chatbots often misrepresent news, with frequent factual errors and failure to distinguish opinion from fact. BBC News is now urging AI providers to collaborate on improving their models accuracy.

📃 Markets defy trade tensions. European stocks ended higher despite new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. The Stoxx 600 index hit a record close, with banking stocks leading gains. Meanwhile, the EU vowed to retaliate against the tariffs, signaling potential trade tensions ahead.

📃 Geopolitical name changes spark debate. Google Maps now lists the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for U.S. users, following an executive order by President Trump. The FAA and U.S. Coast Guard are updating records accordingly, though reactions remain mixed.

📃 Inflation outlook in focus. The January CPI report is expected to show a slight inflation decline, fueling debate over Federal Reserve rate cuts. Economists forecast a 2.9% annual rise, with core inflation staying elevated due to housing and service costs.

📃 China’s AI revolution gains momentum. DeepSeek’s rapid rise is reshaping the AI landscape, not just globally but within China’s own tech sector. Major firms like Huawei, Alibaba, and Tencent are integrating DeepSeek’s open-source model into their platforms, challenging U.S. chip restrictions and accelerating AI development.

Let’s see the latest offers from Flippa. Don’t forget to sign up for their newsletter for daily/weekly/monthly offers such as these.

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Portable Humidifer Ecommerce - This ecommerce business specializing in stylish, portable humidifers has driven a TTM revenue of $1.3M.

• Annual profit: $273,000

• Average order value: $77

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3-Product Business Building Portfolio - This business features a portfolio of three products which include an ad marketplace, analytics SaaS, and a digital course.

• Monthly profit: $11,024

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Need My Help?

Keeping myself busy - here are the main projects I focus on:

🌐 Scaling WordPress past 100M views? DevriX provides martech retainers to SMEs, publishers, eCommerce, SaaS, and more. Our plans start from $1,200/mo to $40K/mo and we manage high-traffic platforms, B2B SaaS apps, partnership management solutions, supporting $10M - $250M businesses with scalability, custom funnels, CRO, big data augmentation, AI-driven processes, HubSpot workflows, programmatic SEO - and everything a modern business requires in digital in 2025.

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📊 Into digital M&A? I work closely with Flippa’s marketplace. They offer a vast variety of online businesses for any buyer’s interest. Or if you’re ready for an exit, Flippa provides the tools to list your business and close the deal.

💼 Looking for investment opportunities? Check out SeedBlink and use Equity to manage your ESOP tables in-house.