BenchSci’s CEO advertised for a VP of Marketing. Then he decided not to hire one.What happened next opens a much bigger conversation about AI agents, scientific research, and how companies are built.In this episode of Tech & Drugs, I speak with Liran Belenzon, co-founder and CEO of BenchSci, about two transformations happening together: building an agentic research environment for scientists and redesigning the company behind it around AI.We trace BenchSci’s journey from helping scientists choose antibodies to supporting disease biology research and experimental planning. Liran explains how pharma partnerships and advances in AI changed what the company could build—and why he believes adding AI to existing workflows only takes you so far.Then we get into the difficult questions.What happens to management when everyone can direct a digital workforce? How do you maintain trust through layoffs and constant organisational change? And what should remain human when more work can be automated?We also discuss:• Bringing scientific evidence, models and tools into one research environment.• Why BenchSci reconsidered its VP of Marketing hire.• The leadership habits that need to change when building around AI.• AI costs, scientific publishing, data access and intellectual property.• Why investment in AI drug discovery has yet to deliver the clinical pipeline impact many expected.• Why scientific judgment matters when researchers become orchestrators of AI agents.A candid conversation about scientific ambition, business survival, and the people living through the transition.EXPLORE BENCHSCIhttps://www.benchsci.com/SUBSCRIBE TO TECH & DRUGSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TechandDrugsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Y4bCwsd8skxXXMkz8JUJLApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-and-drugs-podcast/id1784797151Which part of your organisation would you redesign first around AI—and where would you insist on human leadership? Share your thoughts in the comments.#DrugDiscovery #AgenticAI #TechAndDrugs