Tom Rudczynski: Reinventing E-Commerce Search with Human-Centric AI

On this episode of the Sparking Entrepreneur Show, we speak with Tom Rudczynski, founder and CEO of XTAL Search. With 15 years of experience leading digital strategy at brands like Macy’s, Casper, and Wayfair, Tom has seen firsthand how traditional e-commerce search often misses the mark. Now, with XTAL, he's building a smarter, more intuitive search platform that puts shoppers’ intent and discovery back at the center. Tom shares his journey from frustrated product leader to founder, the flaws in today’s conversion-obsessed search tools, and why retail needs a more human approach to AI. We also touch on his podcast, The Thought Virus, where sci-fi meets reality in deep dives on tech’s evolving role in our lives. If you're curious about the future of retail, AI, and how to build products that actually understand people, this conversation is for you. LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/rudczynski Product https://demo.xtalsearch.com Corporate site promptengineering.inc  Podcast Spotify link for The Thought Virus Email tom@promptengineering.inc Twitter / X IG @https://x.com/prompt_eng_. @promptengineeringinc