Money Moves: How Credit Karma uses AI to power smarter financial decisions

Does using social media ever make you feel like you're just yelling into an algorithmic void? That feeds have started to feel a lot less, you know, social? Well, we're doing something about it. I'm Chelsea Bakken, Head of Audience Development and Social at Adweek, and I'm so excited to invite you to Social Media Week this April 14th through 16th. We're bringing together creators, marketers, and social leaders in a vibrant IRL space in New York City for 3 days of connection, collaboration, and learning. You'll get the chance to dish on the latest tools and tricks, hear fresh perspectives on the year's most viral moments, and get the slot-free inspiration you need to connect with your audience and optimize performance. Head to adweek.com/events to learn more.

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We are 140 million members, and now we have the ability to understand and ask them what they want and actually get it done for them.

To thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape, brands must move in an ever- increasing pace. I'm Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Suzy. Join me and key industry leaders as we dive deep into the shifting consumer trends within their industry, why it matters now, and how you can keep up. Welcome to The Speed of Culture. We are live here at CES in Las Vegas, and today we are thrilled to welcome Natasha Maidan, the head of marketing at Intuit Credit Karma. Natasha is a growth-focused marketing leader with deep experience spanning Amazon, Meta, Nestlé, and other high-growth startups. Today, She leads end-to-end marketing for Credit Karma, driving financial progress for more than 150 million members through data, AI, and deeply consumer-led strategy. Natasha, thanks so much for joining today here at CES.

Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

Absolutely. So when you come to CES every year, obviously it's such a busy time. It's not exactly the most convenient time to be away from the office for a week. Why is it valuable to you and why do you take the time to come here to Las Vegas?

I think it's a great time to look at what's happening around us. We get so focused into what we are doing and what we are building, but to like really widen your perspective. Perspective in terms of what's happening in the world, even learning from our agency partners, vendors has been just so great.

Absolutely. And from your seat in terms of overseeing the Credit Karma brand, what are some of the evolutions and innovations you're seeing here at CES that are most interesting to you?

I mean, I think everybody's talking about AI. Yeah. And the way everyone's embracing AI, I think is a big thing. What we have to really look forward to is how do we differentiate ourselves as we move forward.

As every software company has to, right?

As, as every software company, you know, we saw when social media came in, media media was democratized, right? Like it was so easy to buy media. There was no divide between a larger company or a smaller company.

Sure.

And now with AI, we are seeing creative getting democratized. You know, we can build creative, we can, we let people product. So what are companies like ours, a brand like ours going to do in the future and differentiate ourselves, I think is the question for us to do.

Yeah. And of course the biggest moat, I believe at least in the world of AI is data.

Yes.

And with that, Credit Karma sits on top of one of the richest consumer financial datasets in Yes. Right? So that, I imagine, is something you're probably thinking about leaning into. Would just love to hear what your thoughts are around that.

Yeah, 100%. We have 140 million members, so the scale is huge, right? And we have 40 million monthly active users that come to our platform. We have a lot of daily users, 7 to 8 million daily users. So I think what's in front of us is how do we leverage the insights that we get from data and how we can actually make their lives much easier. Yeah. You know, we are in the thick of tax season, for example, now. We help our members tell us what's going on in their lives. Like if you bought a house, for example, there's a deduction, or they got like a new tax document they can upload, and we can actually fill their taxes. And if it's a do-it-yourself tax, you could do it in 30 minutes or less. That's where we are leveraging AI to say it's creating those done-for-you experiences. When they file their taxes, they get their refund, we can tell them how best to use that money, putting in a high-yield savings account or paying off their debt, or if they want they wanted to get a car, how would they be able to do that? So there's a lot of that work that's happening, and now we have the ability to understand and ask them what they want and actually get it done for them.

Yeah, I mean, I think there's such a big opportunity as I think about financial data as a consumer, right? The world's more complex than ever before. So for example, you might be paying for the same Netflix subscription in two different places. Or you may have just incurred a medical cost that your health insurance provider provides, or you might have a Chase Sapphire credit card and you just paid for a hotel, but they reimburse you $300. Like, there are so many nooks and crannies of every consumer and the complexity. And I think what Credit Karma can do with all this data is make it simple and unpack insights that ultimately make consumers better purveyors of their financial situation.

2000%. Yeah, we are able to like— but there are over 80,000 data points that we have.

80,000.

Yes. And our models are built to personalize information for them, understand what their intent is. If they're coming to check a credit score, we better give them the credit score and also tell them how they can build their credit.

Right.

If they're coming to get a credit card, we tell them what are their best credit card options and give them advice and actually get them to help get the credit card. So we understand what they're aware of and provide them with those personalized solutions. I think as we look forward, we would love to understand how do we connect the dots? I mean, between what their financial journey is. We are very good about giving them the next best action, moving them along their journey, but really understanding what their long-term goals are and being able to help them drive towards that would be the next frontier.

Yeah, it's interesting. We're seeing the same sort of thing happen in the personal health space where you have this notion of quantified self, right? Where it's like you have your Apple Watch and you have your Eight Sleep mattress and your Oura Ring, right? And you're tracking all these things and that data can unlock insights about your health. I was recently speaking at a retirement industry free conference, and I was saying the two actually might collide because if Quantified Self helps you understand how long you're gonna live.

Yes.

And then financial planning is obviously something that's gonna support that lifespan. The two, it all might come together as like a personal data-driven dashboard of you as an individual and the decisions you need to make.

You know, I always say this, finances and health are the two most personal things. Yeah. So many emotions attached to it and they those outcomes on the financial side and the health side determine how you live.

And when people talk about privacy, those are the privacy areas, right? That's what people care about. They care about their health data and their birth— and you being able to have access to that data to be able to make the right decisions in your life.

Yes.

I think is such a big unlock.

Yes.

So when you think about, I guess, driving the brand forward, because Credit Karma used to just be you checked your credit score.

Yeah.

And then it became more of a platform. And of course it got acquired by Intuit.

That's right.

I believe. And that's right. Now it's obviously has its tentacles many different places. Where are the areas that you're really leaning into for the brand here in 2026?

Yeah, great question. We started out as a credit score provider, right? And we were very trusted for that. Like we were really, we were saying unblocking the financial system, which was a big black box. So making sure our members understand what is a credit score, what does it do for you and how it can unlock your financial trajectory. But that has become commoditized now, right? So the challenge for us right now is to actually look at a member's entire financial financial journey and be able to provide them the messaging with the products and the right targeting in terms of what they can do. So right from financial advice, which is not just about building credit, it is really about building a financial health profile for you. And then being able to give you the tools to be able to do those things. We ask members how much they want to engage with it. So for example, there are a few who would be like, I wanna set it and forget it. You automate everything for me. There are others who are like, no, I'm gonna get into it. It's just like health, right? I'm gonna manage for my own self, and we just need guidance from you. So understanding what they want and what we can give them along the journey is what we are trying to do. My goal here is, from a marketing standpoint, push the original mission, which is very much championing financial progress. And that means different things to different people. So we are really expanding the brand from a narrow credit score focus to more of a helping them drive financial progress for them.

Of course, Intuit used to— own and oversee a product called Mint. That's right. Which I used all the time. And then Mint got kind of discontinued and then now Credit Karma's kind of slowly taking its place. So is the future to be that individual's kind of personal financial dashboard that does all these things?

That's exactly what it is.

Right.

We really wanna make sure folks can maximize their money outcomes. And there are many ways to being able to do that. Consolidating debt, saving on taxes, saving money for the bigger goals.

Making the right investments.

Making the right investments. So it's really from credit building to wealth building. That's what we are building our platform for.

It's interesting because there's a lot of discussion right now in terms of like, what's the future of work? What jobs really matter? When I think about the financial services space, you think about an accountant that just does somebody's taxes. I personally believe that AI is going to be able to do all of our taxes for us moving forward. As long as you have the data platform like Credit Karma and you might not need an accountant. So that's great for a consumer, maybe not so great for an accountant, but an accountant needs to figure out how can they uplevel and be an advisor But the question I have in my mind is, are we going to need wealth managers moving forward if all my information is in Credit Karma and you have 140 million other members' information and you actually have historical data, you could know, here's how you should look at investing, here's how you should look at spending as a percentage of your income or your mortgage payment. And really that data-driven framework, if somebody follows it, they will lead a path towards financial wellness. So just interesting like that. If you become the platform and you have the data, It really opens up a huge opportunity for the brand.

100%. And I also think that you'll always need both.

Yeah.

We will need the data to get educated. Yeah. Do a lot of things for you, but the need for an expert will always be there. We are seeing in taxes too. Yeah. We always say it's HI, human intelligence. Yeah. And AI, artificial intelligence. You need an expert to say, hey, these should be your strategies moving forward for next year. Keep going for these. You think so? Yeah.

Yeah.

I think you'll need both. I do not think we'll be at a place where we can completely eliminate expenses. Right.

I mean, I said all depends upon the differentiated value, because that's right. Already, if you look at the returns generated by the wealth management community minus their fees, it doesn't even outperform the S&P 500. So even before an age of AI, you have to question it. So I guess my point is it's a perfect opportunity, and a lot of people can't afford wealth managers. That's right. Let's be real. So I think putting that aside for a second, this does create the opportunity for somebody to have sort of a financial consultant in a box.

Yes. This is, uh, you know, and I, we talk about that. We wanna be the financial assistant in your pocket.

Yeah.

You wanna be able to do it over your phone. I think it does open up a lot of opportunity for small businesses who would not have had access to— they had to pay a lot of money. It's the same thing with a lot of other folks globally too. Gen Z, millennials.

Yeah.

Like they're coming and learning and they're going to social media to learn. They're coming to our platforms to learn. So for sure it has democratized that information access.

Yeah. I have two kids in college right now and like I help them get their first credit card set up and help them and A lot of kids who are going into college and exiting, they don't teach financial literacy in school like they should. And it's so important.

It should be mandatory.

Yeah. And they don't even know what their credit score means. So I know that you have a product called CreditSpark that helps turn everyday payments into credit building opportunities. Talk to me about financial literacy, the new consumer, and some of the opportunities you think exist there.

It's huge right now. There is so much information that is available on the internet.

Yes.

And we call it fintok. People go to TikTok to get a lot of financial advice. It's not personalized. And so when they come to our platform, we have an opportunity to understand what their goals are, understand their financial picture, even when they don't have it, help them build it step by step. Yep. And do it in a way where it's durable. We don't go back and say, hey, you increase your credit score in 3 days. Like, that's not durable. How do you actually save money? What are your best financial habits that you wanna be able to build, then can you pay your rent and get credit for that and build credit through your rent? So there's many aspects of building credit that we actually educate and help make it happen for our members. And that's what CreditSpark does.

And of course, over time, you're gonna be able to continue to do that in a personalized way as well.

Yeah. 100% personalized.

We'll be right back with the Speed of Culture after a few words from our sponsors.

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Does using social media ever make you feel like you're just yelling into an algorithmic void? That feeds have started to feel a lot less, you know, social? Well, we're doing something about it. I'm Chelsea Bakken, Head of Audience Development and Social at Adweek, and I'm so excited to invite you to Social Media Week this April 14th through 16th. We're bringing together creators, marketers, and social leaders in a vibrant IRL space in New York City for 3 days of connection, collaboration, and learning. You'll get the chance to dish on the latest tools and tricks, hear fresh perspectives on the year's most viral moments, and get the slot-free inspiration you need to connect with your audience and optimize performance. Head to adweek.com/events to learn more.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.

So obviously, as somebody who heads marketing for Credit Karma, growth is obviously just, you know, a big mandate heading into any marketing head's list of priorities entering the year. What does growth look like for Credit Karma, whether it's driving more business from existing users or preventing churn or acquiring new users? How do you stack rank that and what are some of the strategies you're going to deploy in the year ahead?

Yeah, great question. We have 140 million members. We want to make sure that we are serving them well. Yeah, it's very easy to go out and get more members, which we are going to do. I think from a growth standpoint, our acquisition is going to be focused on Gen Z. So younger consumers— Credit Karma was built on the premise that we were educating younger consumers how to use credit. We built it on millennials, how to use a credit score and get their first credit card, their car, or whatever. But we kind of lost our way a little bit with the younger consumers. Now the 18 18 to 24. So we are going specifically to acquire those in social channels being where they are, but the rest, 140 million members that already come to our platform, we have huge opportunity for them to try our other products.

Yeah.

We have grown beyond credit scores. We have now CreditSpark. We talk about that. They can pay taxes with us. We have a Credit Karma Money account where we give—

Subscription monitoring tool. Yeah.

All of that. Yeah. So there's an ability to be able to do that, which I think it behooves us as marketers to create those engagement funnels to actually make that they're attaching to 2 or 3 different products. When they come to even check a score, can we actually have them look at a credit card? When they come to buy a credit card or take a credit card from our platform, can we have them look at our Credit Karma Money account and see if that would be a place that they would bank for us? So we are working through a lot of creating a lot of those growth loops for existing members and those funnels.

Right, and when you talk about Gen Z, of course, they're known as the iPhone generation, the first generation to grow up with the iPhone in the household. And that's their de facto way of consuming content. And when they're looking at their phone to consume content, they're consuming content not from traditional media sources, but from other people.

That's right.

Which is where the creator economy comes in. Yeah. So 100%. Curious to hear how you're looking at storytelling, content creation, and creators in driving growth and, and going after this Gen Z audience.

Exactly. The more AI gets adopted and prevalent, and you'll see that at CES we were talking about this morning, is that targeting is going to be learned, is gonna become more and more of a science, right?

Yeah.

Content creation will become more and more of a science. AI is going to be able to generate a lot of that.

Couldn't agree more.

Right? So who are people gonna believe? They're gonna believe people they trust.

And brands.

And brands they trust, right? So for us, our strategy now is really to invest in micro-influencers and creators because when it comes from them and their communities that they're leading and there's trust within those communities, who they're going to listen to is going to be less important in terms of what is being said is gonna be more important of who is gonna say it.

Medium over message. Yes. Right.

So that I think is a big focus for us, especially as we connect with Gen Z.

And how do you drive that type of execution at scale? Because it's, yes, it's one thing to, I mean, when you think about the scale of your business, to be able to create a network of micro-influencers at scale, I would assume, yeah, executionally isn't the easiest thing to do.

It's not the easiest thing. It's for us to be able to give them the tools actually to be able to do that so they can scale.

Right.

And they They can scale their messages and amplify, and we are able to do that. And it's gonna be a part of our media mix.

Of course.

Can't be the only thing.

Of course. And when you think about just storytelling in general, and we talk about financial literacy, do you find that just adding value to consumers and creating content that helps them financially is the best way that you can just capture their attention and drive any type of business impact?

I do think as long as we are adding value and solving a problem that is important to them, they will listen.

Yeah.

And it's important to understand that, for them to understand that we get them. You know, the big part of the brand work we did is what we understood was finance is so personal, just like health is, and it is so deeply rooted in how they grew up. What was the financial situation at home? What are their aspirations? There are folks who may have had an easier life. There are folks who may have not had an easier life. How we talk to them, and how we engage with them, how we make them feel seen and heard is really important. And it's a very thin rope that we have to walk on. If we say, oh, we got this done for you, don't worry about it, they're like, you don't even understand my situation. Or we say, this is really, really hard. They're like, oh, I'm very stressed about this. You're making me even more stressed by telling me what so much work that I need to do. So we just have to understand where they are in their journey and how do we communicate with them. And that's a big part of storytelling is understanding their fears, their aspirations, Where they feel guilt, where do they feel shame, and what is our role over there? It's super complex to be able to do that. And we don't claim that we've figured it out or we understand it.

Right. Shifting gears, we wrap up here. I'd love to hear a little bit more about you and your career journey. As I mentioned at the jump, you've spent time at Amazon and Meta and Nestlé. When you look back at your career journey, what are some of the things that you think you focused on now that in the rearview mirror ended up being fortuitous or the right things to focus on just in terms of personal and professional development?

Yeah, great question. I think the through line for me has been I was always focused on building the right skillset and maniacally focused on what I don't have. I don't think it's the right thing to do all the time. It's like I need to build. So when this was pre-social media, when that came in, we were like, we need to be at the forefront of experimenting into it. We were at Nestlé. Ours was the first brand with Butterfingers and nerds, the Wonka candy, that we participated in a Facebook campaign. That was the first time we did it. We didn't know whether this would work or not work. So being able to, like, be adaptable to change, see what's coming new, and being able to participate has, I think, been the through line for me. I've also really focused on, you may not get the best job or the job that you want all the time, but the job that's given to you, you need to ace it. You can get to the next job. And I think what helped me was really getting closer to the consumer at Nestlé because that's the holy grail for really understanding CPG marketing, right, as you know, is understand the feelings, the aspirations, the fears of our members, and really deeply empathizing with them. That, when you come into the tech world, is such an addition where you are actually using models and science.

EQ versus IQ, right?

EQ versus IQ. And when you bring the two together, Or you create breakthrough creative, and that works, and that saves money, time, and everything.

In terms of some of the takeaways you might have from companies like Amazon and Meta where you worked, like what is it about those cultures or the way that they're new employees or train their existing employees that makes them so successful?

I think at Amazon, I will say customer obsession is actually at the heart of everything. You may be at any other fun— you may work in any function. It doesn't, you know, in many companies it sits with marketing and you're a little voice of the consumer. Everyone's focused on customer obsession at Amazon, which I really loved, and everyone's trying to solve a customer problem through just different lenses. And we don't settle. We actually bring in folks we think are going to be able to do that, and folks who are actually challenging the status quo has been a big thing. And I think the tech companies that have been successful have brought in people who are more amenable to change and have been able to adopt. They sit there and say, well, well, there is a problem here. I'm gonna go tackle it. I'm gonna run an experiment. And it's easy to be able to do that, whereas in CPG, it's just hard. You try to change something, you have to get distribution, get on shelves.

There's a physicality to it.

There's a physicality to it. And it gives you a month before you get any kind of data back, you know?

So— That's why understanding the consumer is so important because once you bring something to the shelf, it better be right.

It better be right. And you're spending all of your capital in like predicting what that future can be. And you do it by understanding the customer deeply. Here, if you, come into tech, you can just experiment and see if something's working or not. But imagine when you bring the two together. You just become that much smarter.

Yeah, I love that. That's a great framework. So to wrap up here, we always ask our guests if there's a saying or mantra that helps kind of encapsulate their professional journey to date. And just want to know what comes to mind for you.

I think for me, I always say, if I don't drive, I will be driven. So I need to drive.

So what does that look like for you?

Being proactive.

Yeah, that's huge. Taking initiative, right?

Taking initiative, looking around the corners, making sure you have an amazing team that can tackle the here and now so you have the ability to look across and look around the corners and you're more prepared for what is to come next. Either you're trying to change—

And after that, you want them to take initiative too, right?

Exactly. And I think if we do all that job well, we are already ahead of the curve, so we are not reacting. You have to play offense. You cannot react.

You do. I think a lot of younger people in the professional world just wait for permission because they don't wanna disrupt the status quo. But I think especially in a world like now, and you see this evidently at a place like CES, the world's changing so fast and by the time you get your permission, it's gonna be too late and you just have to dive in. I think for younger people, the biggest risk is not taking one.

Correct. 2000%. I think there will be no room for reactive.

Right.

There has to—

Waiting to be told what to do.

Waiting to be told. You have to jump in. And companies like ours, I am looking for folks on my team to tell me what we are missing. What's missing and how can we build products that are different? How can we build messages that are different? And if I don't hear that, like then we are not pushing ourselves.

That's right.

And if we are afraid of failing, we are not pushing ourselves enough. So that is a given, I feel now.

I love that. Well, you heard it here, everybody. Drive or be driven. And it's clear that Natasha here is doing the driving of the Credit Karma brand. I just wanna thank you for taking the time today during your busy CES week to chat with us today.

Thank you. It was amazing chatting.

Absolutely. It's been a great discussion and there'll be more here here. We are live here in Las Vegas at CES. On behalf of the Suzy team, thanks again to Natasha Maidan, the head of marketing at Intuit Credit Karma, for joining us today. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review the Speed of Culture podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Till next time, see you soon, everyone. Take care. Bye-bye. The Speed of Culture is brought to you by Suzy as part of the Adweek Podcast Network and Acast Creator Network. You can listen, subscribe to all Adweek's podcast by visiting adweek.com/podcast. To find out more about Suzy, head to suzy.com, and make sure to search for The Speed of Culture in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else podcasts are found. Click follow so you don't miss out on any future episodes. On behalf of the team here at Suzy, thanks for listening.

Does it ever feel like you're a marketing professional just speaking into the void? But with LinkedIn Ads, you can know you're reaching the right decision makers. A network of 130 million of them, in fact. You can even target buyers by job title, industry, company, seniority, skills, and— did I say job title? See how you can avoid the void and reach the right buyers with LinkedIn Ads. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Get started at linkedin.com/campaign. Terms and conditions apply.

Does using social media ever make you feel like you're just yelling into an algorithmic void? That feeds have started to feel a lot less, you know, social? Well, we're doing something about it. I'm Chelsea Bakken, head of audience development and social at Adweek, and I'm so excited to invite you to Social Media Week this April 14th through 16th. We're bringing together creators, marketers, and social leaders in a vibrant IRL space in New York City for 3 days of connection, collaboration, and learning. You'll get the chance to dish on the latest tools and tricks, hear fresh perspectives on the year's most viral moments, and get the slot-free inspiration you need to connect with your audience and optimize performance. Head to adweek.com/events to learn more.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching your insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes, and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.