Divey Gulati

A storefront, they argue, can be made AI-ready in a weekend, but a supply chain cannot: it depends on inventory, labor, carrier relationships and the trust customers place in a brand when they buy.

• That is why ShipBob has built its own technology stack since 2014 rather than bolting AI onto existing systems.
• Physical operations and relationships set the pace, so the software has to be built around them.
• The payoff, Gulati argues, is that lean brands can gain the operational depth of much larger companies if fulfillment can think and act at their speed.

The ShipBob AI launch post describes the product as an end-to-end layer, from the merchant dashboard to the robots moving products on the warehouse floor, and rejects the framing of “a feature or a bolt-on.”

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Most connectors, they argue, provide visibility; the valuable step is write access, which lets operators act inside tools they already use instead of switching systems.

• When the answer and the action are in the same place, merchants can resolve problems in one move rather than several.
• Gulati also gives the in-dashboard agent a clear stage label: it was in beta at the time of the post.

Gulati says ShipBob’s MCP connector is Anthropic-verified in Claude, with full read and write access, letting merchants reorder a SKU, reroute a shipment or resolve an exception from inside Claude. They describe Bobby, an in-dashboard agent in beta, as answering plain-language questions and acting on the answers.

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Parcel and freight carriers index fuel surcharges to the DOE diesel price, but parcel surcharges are expressed as percentages while freight surcharges are quoted per mile.

• Both can move sharply even when base rates stay flat.
• Merchants watching headline rates can miss the shift, so Gulati recommends checking invoice line items closely during volatile fuel periods.

Using published FedEx surcharge tables, the post tracks rates from about 21.75% at $3.71 per gallon of diesel to about 25% at $4.86, a roughly 3.5 percentage-point increase. It also shows the freight fuel surcharge rising from about $0.51 to about $0.74 per mile, or about $230 more on a 1,000-mile load.

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Brands are using AI to counter AI-driven fraud, the post argues, and these solutions are already real, reshaping how accuracy is built into supply chains.

• Gulati also sees warehouses moving beyond automation toward systems that combine software, robotics and data for intelligent decision-making.
• They argue that logistics is no longer the unglamorous backwater it was once labeled.

Speaking at Manifest, Gulati said the most surprising takeaway was how quickly brands are using AI to counter AI-driven fraud. They also described warehouse technology as evolving from automation toward intelligent decision-making.

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Logistics problems arrive as operational chaos, they argue, and should be automated away with AI agents.

• The work calls for first-principles thinkers who write most of their code in tools like Cursor or Claude Code, move with urgency and ship fast.
• The “forward-deployed” label puts engineers close to operational problems, reflecting the broader argument that fulfillment software must fit the physical operation.

The post recruits for ShipBob's first Forward-Deployed Engineering team and describes the target profile as someone who ships "like there's a demo in two hours," pointing candidates to Sachin Kukreja or Manisha Taparia.

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The framing makes the fulfillment win a relationship between people, and something the writer personally cares about, rather than an abstract partnership announcement.

Gulati writes that they have long been a True Classic customer, says it is exciting to support the brand’s fulfillment on ShipBob and that their own orders will arrive faster, and thanks Ben Diamond (Yahalom) for the trust.

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Divey Gulati explains how crude oil and diesel price changes affect parcel and freight fuel surcharges.

• The post cites FedEx Ground fuel surcharge rising from about 21.75% at $3.71/gal diesel to about 25% at $4.86/gal, a roughly 3.5 percentage-point increase.
• Freight fuel surcharge, meanwhile, rises from about $0.51 per mile to about $0.74 per mile, or about $230 more on a 1,000-mile load.
• Gulati says ShipBob avoids passing these surcharges on, citing carrier relationships, shipping volume, and ShipBob Logistics managing middle-mile and zone skipping for more than 100 million packages that year.

For brands planning a campaign

For a thought-leadership partnership on parcel cost strategy, this offers a ready-made explainer: turn fuel-index mechanics into a brand-facing cost checklist or calculator. It supports a campaign about cost resilience, not generic AI talk.

It offers a strong first lens by tying the AI story to named products and permissions.

Divey Gulati announces ShipBob AI, an end-to-end layer spanning the merchant dashboard and warehouse robots.

• The post says ShipBob's MCP connector is Anthropic-verified in Claude with full read and write access, letting a user reorder a SKU, reroute a shipment, and resolve an exception inside Claude.
• It also describes Bobby, an in-dashboard agent in beta, and argues that a storefront can become AI-ready in a weekend, while a supply chain cannot because it involves inventory, labor, carrier relationships, and customer trust.

For brands planning a campaign

This is an anchor piece for a partnership on AI-driven fulfillment. A campaign could build on the read/write distinction and Gulati’s distinction between storefront AI and supply chain AI, then follow up candidly on what AI still cannot fix.

Divey Gulati is hiring for ShipBob's first Forward-Deployed Engineering team, which will focus on automating operational chaos in logistics with AI agents.

• The post seeks first-principles thinkers who write most of their code in tools like Cursor or Claude Code, move with urgency, and ship like there is a demo in two hours.
• It directs candidates to Sachin Kukreja or Manisha Taparia, or to an application link.

For brands planning a campaign

This is less a brand-awareness asset than evidence of how ShipBob organizes AI execution internally. It could inform a logistics-AI talent or build-in-public series, giving a partnership a concrete way to discuss delivery speed and engineering culture.

Divey Gulati speaks at Manifest and names Jessica Stoller, Darlene Yu, and Steve Harkins among those they connected with.

• The post's most surprising takeaway: brands using AI to actively counter AI-driven fraud are advancing fast, and these solutions are no longer theoretical.
• It also says warehouse technology is evolving quickly and logistics is no longer an unsexy industry, but a place where software, robotics, and data are redefining what is possible.

For brands planning a campaign

This opens a trust-and-fraud angle for AI fulfillment partnerships, distinct from cost or efficiency. A campaign could pair it with the ShipBob AI post to show AI as both an operational layer and a risk countermeasure.

Divey Gulati writes as a long-time True Classic customer and says it is exciting to now support the brand's fulfillment on ShipBob, adding that their own orders will arrive faster. The post thanks Ben Diamond (Yahalom) for the trust and calls True Classic one of their favorite brands.

For brands planning a campaign

Useful for a partnership focused on brand stories or customer proof: it shows how to make a logistics win human and specific. For a campaign on AI-driven fulfillment or parcel cost strategy, use it as supporting color rather than the main hook.

FedEx Ground's fuel surcharge indexes weekly to the DOE diesel price and moves from roughly 21.75% at $3.71/gal to about 25% at $4.86/gal, while freight fuel surcharges are quoted per mile and rise roughly $0.23 — about $230 on a 1,000-mile load. Fuel can swing total shipping cost while base rates sit still, so invoice line items deserve attention during volatile periods.

Uses published carrier surcharge tables and the DOE diesel index, then converts both the percentage and per-mile changes into dollars a merchant can check against an invoice.

The post says ShipBob is not passing these surcharges on, citing carrier relationships, customer volume, and its own middle-mile and zone-skipping logistics arm. Treat that as the company's position; ask for evidence of the impact on customer costs.

For brands planning a campaign

A cost-and-margin brief gets a concrete, arithmetic-driven walkthrough rather than general commentary on volatility. A partner could ask for the same table-driven treatment applied to a specific brand's parcel and freight mix, using published surcharge schedules as the shared reference point.

Examples: Source 1

Two specifics carry the argument: an MCP connector verified in Claude with full read and write access, so a merchant can reorder a SKU or reroute a shipment from inside Claude, and Bobby, an in-dashboard agent in beta that answers plain-language questions and then acts on the answer.

Pairs the announcement with a claim-check — "not a feature or a bolt-on" — then supports it with named capabilities and a contrast between what AI can change quickly and what it cannot.

For brands planning a campaign

Fits a partnership framed around agentic operations in logistics. Because the post is announcement-stage, ask Gulati to distinguish what the connector and agent do today from what is still in beta.

Examples: Source 1

Gulati connects that to ShipBob building its own tech stack since 2014, and to the idea that lean brands can gain the operational depth of far larger companies when fulfillment systems can think and act at their speed.

For brands planning a campaign

Gives a partnership a clear point of view to build on: the tension between fast AI adoption at the storefront and slow change in physical operations. Works well as a debate-style segment, an executive interview, or a position piece a partner is willing to be challenged on.

Examples: Source 1

Conference-takeaway format: a small number of observations, each stated as a shift already underway, plus a broader framing that logistics is no longer an unglamorous backwater.

The post focuses largely on event gratitude and named connections. Ask Gulati for detail supporting its substantive claims.

For brands planning a campaign

Opens a trust-and-verification angle distinct from cost and agentic-operations angles. Ask Gulati to develop one observation in depth rather than restate the summary-level list.

Examples: Source 1

Gulati describes a profile of first-principles thinkers who write most of their code in tools like Cursor or Claude Code, move with urgency, and ship like a demo is due in two hours.

For brands planning a campaign

Relevant when a partnership touches talent, engineering culture, or AI adoption inside logistics organizations. It supplies a concrete operating vocabulary — forward-deployed, agents, ship fast — that a partner could mirror in its own framing.

Examples: Source 1

The approach is first-person customer proof rather than a case-study format.

For brands planning a campaign

Shows a recognizable format for brand announcements: personal stake first, the counterparty named, the benefit stated plainly. Useful if the partnership involves a joint announcement or customer story, since the tone is conversational rather than corporate.

Examples: Source 1

They cover ShipBob’s carrier relationships, in-house tech stack built since 2014, and warehouse robotics.

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In a post thanking Ben Diamond (Yahalom) for choosing ShipBob as its fulfillment partner, Gulati writes as a longtime customer of the apparel brand whose own orders will now arrive faster.

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Described as the first fulfillment connector with full read and write access, it lets merchants reorder a SKU, reroute a shipment, or resolve an exception from inside Claude. The post presents the integration from ShipBob’s side, not as a personal relationship with Anthropic.

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The post explains how fuel movements change merchant shipping costs.

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In one post, Sculley describes taking on more than any person can track as the work expands into inbound logistics, freight, dock constraints, and cross-functional planning, and adopting an AI meeting assistant as a teammate that recalls commitments and drafts follow-ups. That is the same practical framing Gulati uses to describe an agent that acts on an answer instead of only reporting one.

Sculley's vantage point is merchant partnership and account work rather than product and engineering, so the posts are personal and reflective — pen and paper, a nearly full notebook, a question back to readers — rather than about product architecture or published surcharge tables. The posts lack the kind of arithmetic Gulati uses.

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His recap of a fulfillment podcast follows a brand through the end of de minimis treatment: imports that once arrived under Section 321 now clear into the US with tariffs owed on day zero, and a foreign trade zone changes when duty is owed rather than whether it is. Gulati takes a similar approach with fuel surcharges, finding the rule quietly setting a merchant's cash position and explaining it plainly.

Kline works mostly as a curator and commentator, recapping someone else's interview and reprinting a decades-old Sears & Roebuck sales text, with a leaning toward sales and brand lessons. Gulati writes first-party announcements and technical explanations, giving readers more original product and cost detail, while Kline offers more synthesis of other people's thinking.

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Both take a published carrier rule, work through the thresholds and dollar consequences step by step, and land on a decision a merchant has to make — parcel or LTL, in Finch's case — while arguing that published rates are not the real rates because handling charges, oversize fees, and freight rates are negotiable.

Finch writes as a fulfillment provider for oversized goods and closes with an offer to book time, making the posts client-facing sales education focused on niche heavy-item shipping rather than AI and platform technology. Gulati's posts are announcements and industry analysis without a booking call to action, and cover software capability as well as cost.

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The bike-shipping post works through the exact arithmetic a brand uses before committing a SKU to one lane: additional-handling kicks in around 10,368 cubic inches, oversize takes over past 17,280 cubic inches, a large bike box carries a rack-rate oversize charge near $300, and the LTL-versus-parcel break-even sits much higher once additional-handling, oversize, and freight rates are negotiated.

• This is the closest match to the parcel-cost part of a campaign about SKU-level cost engineering, written as an operator walking a brand through its own numbers.
• A second post argues that a 3PL saying yes to every lead dilutes service for existing clients, a fit-and-focus argument a logistics-tech partner could use to frame disciplined client selection.
• For a campaign that wants SKU-level cost engineering and is willing to drop the AI thread, they are the better substitute.

Switching to Owen Finch costs the campaign aimed at AI-driven fulfillment half of its focus.

• Their posts do not address AI, agents, or automation; the second is about client selection and fit.
• Their point of view is also vendor-framed, written from inside a 3PL (Red Stag Fulfillment), so a partner would be buying an operator's argument for its own category rather than an outside observer's analysis.
• Treat this as a possible alternative rather than a settled swap.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

The post on ShipBob's Unpacked podcast recaps how True Classic's model broke when Section 321 de minimis treatment ended: goods that sat in Mexico and cleared as orders came in now import into the US with tariffs due at entry, and a foreign trade zone moves the duty to the point of sale and removes US duty on goods sold internationally.

• It is a compact worked example of a tariff change turning into a cash-flow problem, which suits a campaign about cost strategy where the buyer cares about policy exposure.
• The second post adds a sales and retention angle, using the Sears and Roebuck 'Don't Sell Me Things' piece to argue that ecommerce messaging should sell outcomes rather than product features.
• A partner wanting tariff analysis plus brand messaging, and comfortable with a podcast-recap format, gets a better match here than from the original creator.

The tariff analysis summarizes a conversation with Ben Diamond and Casey Armstrong, so the numbers and framing are reported rather than produced by Jeff Kline; a campaign would need the underlying episode or those operators for primary claims. Their posts do not address AI-driven fulfillment, leaving half of a campaign focused on both tariffs and AI-driven fulfillment unsupported.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

One post reports what merchant conversations cluster around, including operational efficiency while protecting margins, expanding sales channels, and growth without a matching cost increase, and names the AI sessions worth attending.

• The other is a first-person account of moving from pen-and-paper notes to an AI meeting assistant that recalls prior calls, builds action plans, and drafts follow-ups, alongside a description of a role that now spans operations, inbound logistics, freight, dock constraints, and inventory strategy.
• That perspective complements Divey Gulati rather than duplicating them: the operator on the receiving end of fulfillment and logistics tools, including the cross-functional coordination a merchant has to hold together.
• For a testimonial, change-management, or brand-perspective piece inside an AI-fulfillment campaign, they are the stronger pick.

The posts carry no hard cost data, surcharge tables, thresholds, or per-mile math, so a campaign that promises parcel-cost specifics would be underserved. One post is a conference preview and the other is a personal reflection on work habits; a shift toward this alternative means rebuilding the campaign around the buyer's experience instead of the vendor's technical explainer.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2