Chad Fullerton on AI, Claude Code, and Staying Valuable in Cybersecurity Tom chats with Chad Fullerton, a former US Navy member and current VP of Information Security at ECI, about his career path, family life, and how AI is reshaping work.

Chad emphasizes fundamentals like caring, continuous learning, and maintaining a positive mindset, noting he consumes about 120 audiobooks a year.

He describes practical AI use cases such as using Claude to merge multiple pen test reports quickly, warns that deliverables and contracts will be reviewed by AI, and discusses token costs. He argues AI shifts value toward industry expertise, client-facing advisory skills, and automating small time savings at scale, not just coding, and advises professionals to adapt rather than fear disruption.

Book recommendations include Uniquely Human (Barry Prizant), Good to Great, and CISSP 11th Hour, plus Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy books.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:45 Meet Chad Fullerton

02:01 Day in the Life

03:18 AI Revolution Pace

04:37 Fundamentals and Growth

05:41 Learning Habits That Compound

09:39 AI in Security Workflows

11:55 Claude Code and Automation

18:43 Adapting to Disruption

20:42 Positivity and Hiring Signals

26:10 Layoffs and Reputation

27:41 LinkedIn Is Not Therapy

31:43 Clicks at Scale

34:01 Stop Being Cost Center

36:37 Advisors Beat Hoodies

40:14 Work Backwards Roadmap

42:21 Daily Learning Mindset

43:29 Books That Shaped Chad

47:29 Sales Outreach Done Right

49:08 Social Media Reality Check

49:56 Wrap Up and Next Time

Nexo - Executive, GTM & Cybersecurity Recruitment https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaspropen/