CMO Confidential: "Marketing at Meta - The View from the Eye of the Storm"

Guest: Alex Schultz, CMO & VP of Analytics at Meta
Host: Mike Linton
Date: January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mike Linton interviews Alex Schultz, CMO and VP of Analytics at Meta, about what it’s like to be the marketing leader at the center of one of the world’s most scrutinized companies. The conversation covers managing vast marketing budgets, orchestrating global teams, navigating decentralization, responding to constant public scrutiny, the integration of AI in marketing and analytics, the nuts and bolts of leading a major rebrand, and lessons from both Meta and eBay. Alex also shares practical hiring tips for the AI era and delivers memorable insights into affiliate marketing’s “law of unintended consequences.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scope and Structure of the CMO Role at Meta

[01:44 - 03:19]

• Alex’s Role:
  • Oversees all global marketing teams, including product, experiential, business, consumer, and all Meta brands.
  • Manages about a third of the analytics team, focusing on central analytics that report to the COO.
  • The rest of analytics is decentralized across major business lines: Reality Labs, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Meta Superintelligence Labs.
  • Additional oversight: user research, competitive intelligence, and translations.
  • "I'm kind of the COO to the COO in some ways." – Alex Schultz [02:54]

2. Centralization vs. Decentralization of Analytics

[03:39 - 06:31]

• Centralized Marketing, Decentralized Analytics:

  • Marketing needs a single, consistent position to succeed—hence, centralization.
  • Analytics thrives on decentralization: "Data is generally truth... there's usually only one correct answer with the data for any question." – Alex Schultz [04:23]
  • Deeper decentralization risks analytics teams being overpowered by local leaders.
  • The right balance: Decentralization up to major product/business unit heads, not smaller subdivisions.

• Managing Multiple Data Truths After Acquisitions:

  • "There is usually one set of truth... You get problems when leaders want to create their own custom vanity metric Y." – Alex Schultz [07:17]
  • Company-wide, Alex enforces standards (e.g., 30-day active users, not 28).
  • Empowering the head of analytics is essential to ensure consistency: "A CEO board... doesn't actually empower their head of analytics. And it really is a problem for the company..." [08:38]

3. Marketing from the “Eye of the Storm” – Managing at the Center of Controversy

[09:41 - 12:46]

• Living Under Constant Scrutiny:

  • "It's very stressful... people have strong opinions about Meta." – Alex Schultz [09:41]
  • The stress is manageable because he deeply believes in the company and its mission, and works to emotionally support his team.
  • Focus is on shifting narrative toward products and innovation; minimizing time in negative news cycles.

• Advice for Less Experienced Marketers:

  • Collaborates closely with the comms team; emphasizes "tell the truth" and "hold your position" as foundational for trust and resilience.

4. The Impact of AI on Marketing: Tips for CMOs

[13:23 - 17:46]

• Two Spheres:

  • Meta as an AI creator and as an AI user.

• AI as a Threshold Technology:

  • Precision (accuracy) and recall (breadth) approach human levels, then suddenly accelerate adoption: "It feels crazy that you would ever have done it without AI... the move feels very sudden to people when it crosses that threshold." – Alex Schultz [15:39]

• Human + AI is the Present:

  • AI doesn’t create or review unaided; human judgment remains crucial (creativity, taste, error-checking).
  • "AI isn't going to take your job. Someone using AI is going to take your job." (attributed to Ginny Rommety) [16:45]
  • Successful examples at Meta: analytics workflow, video and creative scaling, automating routine communications.

5. Hiring for AI Fluency

[18:12 - 20:35]

• Barbell Distribution:

  • New graduates who are “AI-native” and very senior, field-leading practitioners excel with AI; mid-career professionals often lag behind.
  • "Ask them what they did with AI... probe whether they’re just saying they used AI or can throw out real examples." – Alex Schultz [20:15]

• Advice for Professors and Managers:

  • Structure assignments or roles to require unstructured thinking because AI can answer “structured” questions too easily.
  • “You have to push on the thinking front without the grunt front.” – Mike Linton [21:39]

6. Preparing for the Next Wave: Marketing in 2027 and Beyond

[22:22 - 25:57]

• Get in the Information Flow:

  • Follow AI thought leaders and track technological/philosophical discussions to anticipate shifts.
  • “If you don't skate to where the puck is going, you are going to be really left behind.” – Alex Schultz [22:28]

• Literature & Philosophy Matter:

  • Understanding where AI is headed involves not only tracking tools but also the stories and philosophies shaping it.
  • "If you’re not in the flow of the literature... you'll get the feel for the philosophy and the direction this industry is going." – Alex Schultz [25:16]
  • Recommends reading not just essays and technical content but also literary works influencing thinking (ex: "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein).

7. The Evolution of B2B Marketing

[26:23 - 28:49]

• Tools Change, Principles Remain:

  • "The tools are changing a lot, but the principles aren't changing." – Alex Schultz [26:45]
  • New tools: AI-enabled messaging, agentic AI, digital sales reps. But the goal stays: drive product adoption.

• The Marketing Funnel Debate:

  • Disputes the notion the funnel is “dead.”
  • "If awareness isn't there, nothing else matters... If you're giving people experience and you're building the relationship, doesn't that sound like pretty standard lead nurturing?" – Alex Schultz [28:16, 28:38]

8. The Inside Story: Facebook to Meta Rebranding

[29:09 - 32:21]

• Why the Rebrand?

  • The "Facebook" brand overwhelmed recognition for innovations like WhatsApp, Instagram, Reality Labs.
  • Confusion between Facebook the company and the app created real-world issues (e.g., privacy updates for WhatsApp misattributed to Facebook the app).

• How it Happened:

  • Mark Zuckerberg called for the change—"Can you do it in seven months?" [31:54]
  • Goal: clarify brand structure and give credit to the broader innovation across the company.

9. Lessons from eBay

[32:44 - 37:27]

• Key Takeaway: Incrementality Measurement

  • eBay pioneered incrementality and causality measurement (TV, online, paid search).
  • Famous experiment: turning off paid search across eBay revealed Google’s greater impact than post-click tracking suggested.
  • “The learnings I had on incrementality... are one of the two core pillars of my book.” – Alex Schultz [35:37]

• Talent and Resilience:

  • Retaining and promoting those who weather "the dip" (stock drop, business challenges) is a strong signal of future leadership and competence.

10. “Click Here”—Alex’s Book

[37:49 - 40:34]

• Purpose:

  • To provide a reference guide for digital marketing basics—paid search, social, organic, martech, product-led growth, and more.
  • Intended for new marketers, finance/business leaders, and cross-disciplinary professionals.

• Why Meta Approved It:

  • Thought leadership in advertising aligns with corporate interests ("appearing on stage with J.Lo is not my vibe... writing a semi-academic text on online marketing, that’s very me." – Alex Schultz [39:14])
  • Promotes incrementality measurement, which favors Meta’s business model.

• Proceeds go to charity; it’s a “gift to the industry.”

11. Practical Advice & The Funniest Story

[41:16 - 43:56]

• Affiliate Marketing: The Law of Unintended Consequences:

  • eBay incentivized affiliates for "activated, confirmed registered users," but one affiliate gamified it, leading to a spike in bid reversals and chargebacks.
  • "Number one rule of affiliates is affiliates will do exactly what you pay them for. Better look very closely at what you're paying them for." – Alex Schultz [43:33]

• Another Rule:

  • If there’s a logic gap in promotional mechanics, "the marketplace will find it and exploit it to pieces before you even know it's there." – Mike Linton [43:41]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I'm kind of the COO to the COO in some ways." – Alex Schultz [02:54]
• "Data is generally truth and... there's usually only one correct answer." – Alex Schultz [04:23]
• "People want to blame platforms versus people for what they say." – Alex Schultz [09:45]
• "AI isn't going to take your job. Someone using AI is going to take your job." – Attributed by Alex Schultz [16:45]
• "If you don't skate to where the puck is going, you are going to be really left behind." – Alex Schultz [22:28]
• “The tools are changing a lot, but the principles aren't changing.” – Alex Schultz [26:45]
• "Number one rule of affiliates is affiliates will do exactly what you pay them for." – Alex Schultz [43:33]
• "If there’s a hole in the logic, the marketplace will find it and exploit it to pieces..." – Mike Linton [43:41]

Highlighted Timestamps for Key Segments

• Role & Structure at Meta: [01:44 - 03:19]
• Decentralization Fundamentals: [03:39 - 06:31]
• Culture and Public Scrutiny: [09:41 - 12:00]
• AI’s Role and “Threshold Technology” Explanation: [13:23 - 15:39]
• How to Hire for AI Skills: [18:12 - 20:35]
• Preparing for the Future—2027 and Beyond: [22:22 - 25:57]
• Rebranding to Meta—Inside Story: [29:09 - 32:21]
• Lessons from eBay: [32:44 - 37:27]
• Book: Why, What, and For Whom: [37:49 - 40:34]
• Affiliate Marketing Anecdote: [41:16 - 43:38]

Takeaways for Listeners

• Centralize when consistency is critical (marketing); decentralize when data scrutiny is beneficial (analytics).
• Empower analytics leads to create a “single source of truth.”
• Manage internal and external stress by focusing on truth and product innovation.
• AI is most effective when combined with human review; expect sudden-seeming inflection points.
• For hiring, dig for “real” AI knowledge and experience, especially among AI natives and deep experts.
• Stay constantly informed through literature, philosophy, and thought leaders in AI.
• The marketing funnel isn’t dead—awareness, nurturing, and relationships all still matter.
• Watch how incentives create (often unintended) behaviors in affiliate and partner programs.
• Incrementality measurement is more important than ever in marketing analytics.

This summary reflects the candid, insightful, and often entertaining tone of Mike Linton’s conversation with Alex Schultz—infused with actionable advice, real-world stories, and the kind of executive wisdom only gained “in the eye of the storm.”