Fintech Takes

Fintech Takes x Chime presents Banking on Primacy Episode 4: The AI Episode

Fintech Takes

Show Notes

Welcome to Banking on Primacy, a four-part podcast miniseries from Fintech Takes, sponsored by Chime.

The series orbits one question that has become the most contested in consumer finance: what does it take to earn (and hold) the most important relationship in someone's financial life?

In Episode 4, I sit down with Ryan King, technical Co-Founder at Chime, to explore what AI means for the primary account relationship.

Ryan has been in and around Silicon Valley as a builder through every major technology wave. He argues that AI isn't another step change; it’s a slope change. The closest historical analogy is the Industrial Revolution: factories didn't give workers better tools, they reorganized physical production. Now AI is doing the same thing to knowledge work. At Chime, that belief is already operational: 84% of code is now developed with AI.

But the more interesting conversation is about consumers, not code.

Most of the financial services industry is racing toward building AI that makes it easier to spend, but is that the problem everyday Americans face?

When AI starts making financial decisions on behalf of consumers, whose side is it on? And how does the business model answer that question?

Financial institutions have spent decades building trust with millions of account holders. How does that trust translate in a world when OpenAI and Perplexity want the same job?

This episode is brought to you by Chime.

For most Americans, their primary bank account is their most important financial relationship. Traditional banks held that position and took it for granted. Chime was built differently: fee-free, built to succeed when members do, and now America’s #1 banking choice with roughly 10M active members.

Chime Prime takes that further: 5% cash back, savings rates up to 9x the national average, premium travel perks, no fees. See how at https://www.chimeprime.com/

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.

Follow Alex:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson

Follow Ryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanaking/

Learn more about Chime here: https://www.chimeprime.com/

More from Fintech Takes

Oct 21, 2026

Welcome back to Not Fintech Investment Advice, where Simon Taylor and I offer up fintech startups that caught our eye and offer absolutely no investment advice.

Oct 19, 2026

Welcome to Season 2 of Collections Conversations, a new miniseries from Fintech Takes, sponsored by our friends at C&R Software.

Oct 14, 2026

Welcome back to Fintech Takes! I’m Alex Johnson, joined once again by Dan Murphy (partner at Allon Advisors and former CFPB official who worked on the Section 1033 open banking rule) to ask some annoying questions about agentic finance.

Oct 7, 2026

Welcome back to Fintech Recap. I'm Alex Johnson, joined as always by my partner in recapping, Jason Mikula.

Oct 5, 2026

Welcome to Season 2 of Collections Conversations, a new miniseries from Fintech Takes, sponsored by our friends at C&R Software.

See all episodes →