| Author/Contributor(s): | Cobb, Daniel Brian; Wilberding , Michael |
| Publisher: | Maxwell Leadership |
| Date: | 12/8/2026 |
| Binding: | Hardcover |
| Condition: | NEW |
AI is not a trend. It’s a force. And it’s already deciding who rises, who adapts, and who disappears.
Surfing the Black Wave is a provocative marketing and leadership strategy book for CMOs, marketing directors, founders, and executives who sense the ground shifting beneath their brands but haven’t yet been given the map. The real question is no longer whether AI will change your business, but whether you understand the patterns that determine who wins during massive disruption.
History is clear that every technological revolution replaces some jobs while elevating others. The roles that endure are the most human: emotional engagement, values-driven leadership, trust, creativity, and even love. As AI flattens greed-driven systems and automates shallow thinking, generous and purpose-led leaders rise above the noise.
We’ve moved from the Industrial Age to the Information Age and now into the Participation Age, where consumers co-create brands, and connection outweighs control. AI is the accelerating force beneath this wave, amplifying everything—both good and bad.
Blending vivid storytelling with real-world marketing science, Surfing the Black Wave draws on a powerful true story of children who survived Japan’s greatest tsunami by recognizing the warning signs others ignored. Their lessons of awareness, humility, early action, and moving to higher ground offer a surprising blueprint for brand strategy, marketing innovation, and leadership in the AI era.
This is not a technical AI manual. It’s a human-centered playbook for marketing leaders navigating the future.
The wave is already here. The only question is whether you’re ready to ride it.