Inside ElevenLabs: Voice AI, Cloning Ethics, and the End of the Call Centre?

Damian Naughton is the General Manager of ANZ at ElevenLabs, the voice AI company now past US$500 million in ARR, just four years after its 2022 founding. Formerly a regional VP at Slack and an early team member at Sydney's Hyper Anna (acquired by Alteryx), Damian is leading ElevenLabs' new Sydney office and tripling the local team as enterprise demand for voice AI accelerates. In this episode, Damian and Georgie Healy cover why ElevenLabs is planting a flag in ANZ now and the local customers already on board, including Xero, Employment Hero, Heidi Health, Australia Post, and Andromeda Robotics' aged care companion robot Abby. Damian unpacks the company's high performance culture and the "11x yourself" philosophy, why intrinsic motivation beats top down pressure, and how he co-designs stretch goals with new hires. They get into voice cloning and the ethics behind it, how little audio you actually need to clone a voice, and how ElevenLabs handles consent, safety, and scammers, including a clever "reverse" use case that keeps fraudsters on the line to gather intel for banks. Damian also shares his view that enterprise AI needs to be led by the business rather than tech, why the BPO and consulting worlds are facing real disruption, and his take that tall poppy syndrome is a scourge holding Australian tech back. Tune in for a candid conversation on voice AI, building a high performing team, and how enterprises should prepare for a near future where your own AI assistant takes action on your behalf. Time Stamps 00:00 – Intro: Your AI Assistant Will Soon Take Action For You 02:17 – AI Hack of the Week: A Michael Caine Voice Butler On The Fridge 04:57 – ElevenLabs Launches in Australia and New Zealand 07:14 – Why Voice AI Is Ready Now (Xero, Employment Hero, Heidi, Andromeda) 10:52 – From Journalist to Voice AI: How AI Is Changing the News 13:40 – Inside Hyper Anna, the Aussie Startup Acquired by Alteryx 15:31 – ElevenLabs' High Performance Culture and the "11x Yourself" Rule 25:38 – The ElevenLabs Founding Story: Two Polish Founders and Bad Dubbing 28:42 – How Will Australia React to Voice AI? 31:24 – Voice Cloning Ethics, Consent, and Celebrity Voices 34:12 – How Little Audio You Need to Clone a Voice 37:17 – Voice AI and Scammers: How ElevenLabs Fights Fraud 42:05 – Can AI Bring Back Music From Artists Who Have Passed? 45:11 – Can Enterprise Companies Actually Adapt to AI? 53:05 – Advice for Heads of AI: Let Business Lead, Not Tech 56:39 – Rapid Fire: Tall Poppy Syndrome, Hiring, and Spicy Takes 1:02:05 – Where to Follow Damian and ElevenLabs In the Blink of AI is made possible by our wonderful partners: Deel Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ✨ Connect with Georgie Healy Weekly Substack: https://georgiehealy.substack.com/ Linkedin:   / georginahealy   Instagram:   / georginahealytech   The Day One Network In The Blink of AI is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors. Sign up to get your weekly insights into the up-and-coming AI startups: https://dayone.fm/newsletter Follow our socials Linkedin:   / dayonefm   Instagram:   / dayone.fm   TikTok:   / dayone.fm