I’m a marketer who fell into the ’empire-building’ trap. Now I know a bigger head count doesn’t mean better marketing.0

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• August 26, 2026

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Colin Piper, CMO of BuildOps, an AI platform for commercial contractors. Prior to that, he spent more than 10 years at Autodesk, eventually leading a large marketing team for its construction business vertical. The essay has been edited for length and clarity. Autodesk said in a