Coworking with Summer Weisberg

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Summer Weisberg is CEO at crowdsourced testing platform Testlio.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I make sure retail actually works. Think about the last time you tried to buy something online and the checkout button didn’t function, your payment wouldn’t go through, or you simply found website navigation confusing. It’s frustrating, right? My company, Testlio, helps brands prevent that. We test their apps and websites for bugs and usability issues so that when you’re ready to buy, the experience is delightful and effortless.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? That my path to CEO ran through operations, not a traditional executive track. I joined Testlio in 2020 as COO, became interim CEO, and was recently appointed CEO. What LinkedIn can’t capture is how much of leadership is just showing up consistently—building trust, staying close to customers, and being clear about priorities—long before anyone puts a title on it.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Helping Testlio grow from a scrappy testing provider into a true digital quality partner has been the project I’m most proud of. We started with a simple question: How do you leverage a global community to catch bugs at scale? The answer kept evolving. As apps and websites became more complex, “Does it load?” wasn’t enough. They had to perform flawlessly across every device, location, and language. This shifted us from a testing provider to a partner in digital quality. Now we’re doing the same for AI. Companies are shipping chatbots and AI-powered features quickly, and the stakes for getting it wrong are high. We’re building a platform that helps teams validate all of that, and doing it with real human expertise behind it. It’s been the most challenging and rewarding work so far.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? Agentic commerce or the shift from humans browsing websites to AI agents executing complex shopping tasks on our behalf. I’m naturally frugal, so what takes most people 10 minutes takes me an hour: comparing prices, hunting coupon codes, checking return policies. The idea of telling an agent to “Find a waterproof hiking tent under $200 that arrives by Friday” and having it actually do the legwork? The time-saving potential is enormous. Technically, it could also complete the purchase using my pre-authorized payment credentials, but that will take a bit more trust for me. Until then, I’ll keep myself in the loop before it spends my money, but I’m watching this space closely.

What’s your go-to coffee order? Caramel latte, every time. Regular caramel, not salted.

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Talk more.” I’m an introvert and a highly analytical person, so being told this always felt inauthentic. I don’t believe the volume of words is what’s important; I think thoughtful, impactful words are what truly matter. When I tried to “talk more” in meetings, I realized I have to feel authentic to be effective. For a long time, I worried there was something “wrong” with me because I couldn’t follow it. There wasn’t. It was simply bad advice that confused quantity with value.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? Well, remembering being 15 isn’t an easy feat, but I do recall being very excited about LA Gear tennis shoes. Something about those bright colors and the distinctive styling. They sell them as “retro” now, but I don’t think you’ll find me in a pair anytime soon. Some things are best left in the ’90s. These days? Does wine count as a retail product?