Amplitude, a publicly traded analytics company with around 800 employees, is undergoing a dramatic transformation to become an "AI native" organization, investing tens of millions—potentially exceeding $100 million—in the process. The shift comes after years of stagnation in its stock, which peaked at $84.80 in 2021 and has since hovered near $10.25. CEO Spenser Skates, once deeply skeptical of AI, once described the industry as full of "grifters" and overpromising salesmen. But by mid-2024, he recognized that a breakthrough in analytics powered by AI was imminent—and Amplitude needed to lead it. His response: go all in. The transformation began with two key moves. First, he hired Wade Chambers, a veteran of Twitter and Included Health, as chief engineering officer. When Chambers joined in October 2024, only 1% of Amplitude’s engineering, product, and design teams were using AI tools. Second, Amplitude acquired Command AI, a chatbot startup, marking the start of a rapid acquisition spree. Over the following months, the company bought five AI startups: June, Kraftful, Inari, and most recently InfiniGrow, announced on January 14. Yana Welinder, former CEO of Kraftful, joined Amplitude as head of AI after her company was acquired. She quickly pushed for faster product development, noting Kraftful shipped new features weekly—far quicker than Amplitude’s monthly cadence. Her goal: align the company’s pace with the speed of AI innovation. In October, Skates sent a company-wide email titled "Introducing: AI Native Amplitude," declaring that analytics would look fundamentally different within six months. He encouraged employees to share updates on X instead of LinkedIn, noting it was where "the AI natives are." To drive adoption, Chambers led a company-wide "AI week" in June, during which the entire engineering, product, and design team went offline for a full week. The kickoff involved leaders live-coding in front of the company—initially awkward but ultimately effective. The event was inspired by Facebook’s past mobile push and aimed to demystify AI and build hands-on experience. The results were notable. Internal data showed AI tool usage surged from 14 users in March to 174 in early December—before dipping slightly during holiday travel. The spike coincided with the AI week and the rollout of tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot, which were provided to all employees. Despite skepticism from some engineers—fueled by past AI hype and fears of job displacement—adoption grew. Chambers attributes the shift to a bottoms-up approach, led by passionate "zealots" who demonstrated real value. Even the most cynical team members have come around, he says. The impact on productivity has been significant. Developer output increased by 40% overall, with some teams seeing gains of 300% to 400%. Chambers believes these gains are sustainable and not just a short-term effect. While a 2025 MIT study found 95% of companies reporting AI pilots saw no measurable ROI, Amplitude’s internal data suggests otherwise. The company now sees tangible benefits, proving that with the right strategy, culture, and investment, AI can deliver real business value—even in a skeptical environment.