Software firm ServiceNow has seen remarkable growth in the past year or so, posting its second $2 billion quarter ever this last quarter, and cracking the Fortune 500 list for the first time ever. And it’s done all that despite the volatile economy, and without conducting layoffs.

Its CFO, Gina Mastantuono, spoke with us about how balancing innovation with discipline has helped the company achieve those milestones.

What role should a CFO play in a company’s growth?

The ability to see across the enterprise is a unique vantage point that CFOs have…We need to understand the growth accelerators. We need to understand the drivers and the levers across the business, not just the numbers. And part of that is making the right investments.

We’ve continuously been able to grow our core technology business while also investing heavily outside our core into adjacent areas like customer service, employee [and] creator [workflows]...In order to do that well, you have to invest ahead of the curve sometimes. And you have to make some smart bets…CFOs today are in a really unique position to help companies think much more strategically about innovation, disruption, and really help drive not only financial discipline on the bottom line, but strong growth on the top line.

Click here to see more on getting your org to the Fortune 500.—CV

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As Winston Churchill put it, the state of the economy is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Or maybe we can just call it a turducken of contradictory expectations and information. Whatever it is, it can be exhausting to follow. And yet, there’s more.

Last week, yields on 10-year Treasury notes hit a 16-year high. The causes are many, but it was a sign that the Fed’s short-term rate hikes are contributing to higher long-term rates, which comes with a pile of implications for everything from home mortgage rates to the cost of the federal government’s debt.

Then came Friday’s bombshell: Jobs numbers came in way stronger than expected, adding 336,000 jobs for September, nearly twice the expected number. So, just as inflation and previous jobs numbers were slowing, now it seems the economy’s running hotter than expected—good news for workers, bad news for those hoping for a break on interest rates from the Feds.

Click here for more on what this may mean for the economy.—AK

A responsible, well-planned AI framework is make or break for any company. But for CFOs, who have to anticipate the financial risks behind any AI innovation, plus questions from investors and analysts, there’s all the more reason to lead with caution.

At the same time, anyone who’s moving slowly on AI right now is already behind. The upshot: It doesn’t hurt to listen when tech and finance experts talk about responsible AI, because we could all use some guidance.

In a recent webinar hosted by Salesforce, IBM partner Matt Francis and Cognizant SVP and business unit head for consumer business Anup Prasad got together to discuss how consulting firms can establish ethical AI standards.

For more on establishing ethical AI standards, click here.—NP

Today’s top finance reads.

Stat: 5%. That’s the chance of becoming US president that Sam Bankman-Fried claimed he had according to testimony this week by Caroline Ellison, SBF’s ex-girlfriend and former head of Almeda Research. Ellison is the government’s star witness in the fraud trial against SBF and further proof that we would never, ever, ever, want our exes testifying against us. (Business Insider)

Quote: “Despite war-disrupted energy and food markets and unprecedented monetary tightening to combat decades-high inflation, economic activity has slowed but not stalled. The global economy is limping along.”—Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, IMF chief economist, wrote in a recent blog post predicting that the global economy is likely to see a soft landing in spite of many economic challenges, although it is too early to gauge the impact of the Hamas attack on Israel. (CNN Business)

Read: A surge in big business bankruptcies could spell trouble for the larger economy. (the Wall Street Journal)

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