What’s Really Coming to Automotive Retail: Robert Burnett Breaks Down the Next Era

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What if the secret to surviving the next era of automotive disruption isn't about technology at all, but about people, perspective, and the power of a well-earned scar or two?

In this episode, I sit down with someone I’ve admired for decades, and someone who’s quietly shaped more of the modern auto tech landscape than most people will ever realize: Robert Burnett, legendary M&A leader for Reynolds & Reynolds and now the driving force behind 1876.

We recorded this conversation the morning after the Presidio Group Tech Summit, buzzing from conversations with founders, VCs, OEMs, and innovators, and let me tell you, Robert brought the kind of clarity, candor, and humility that only comes from thirty years of doing the real work in the real world.

What we discuss Inside This Episode

  • The origin story: how a small-town kid from Texas A&M ended up shaping one of the industry’s most successful acquisition strategies.

  • The truth about buying companies: what really matters (hint: it’s not AI, and it’s definitely not bankers—until it is).

  • Why founders almost always misunderstand valuations and how that disconnect derails deals before they even start.

  • The explosion of automotive tech complexity and why dealers today face decision fatigue like never before.

  • What makes a product worth acquiring in 2025 and beyond — and what Robert still thinks most innovators don’t understand about building something real.

  • The wild rise of retail fraud and how MAPS Sign (Maverick/MavSign) is becoming the quiet giant solving a problem nobody thought would scale this fast.

  • Why AI won’t save you — but it better be in your product anyway, and how the next wave of evolution will force founders to rethink their moat.

This isn’t just another conversation about M&A, private equity, or tech trends.

This is a rare look through the eyes of someone who’s acquired nearly 100 companies, built category-defining portfolios, and now invests with a long-view mindset most founders never get access to.

Robert doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff.

He doesn’t hype what doesn’t deserve hype.

And he doesn’t pretend AI is magic when it’s really just a tool.

If you're a founder, a dealer, a tech leader, an operator, or someone who wants to understand what’s ACTUALLY happening behind the scenes as this industry accelerates into its next chapter — this episode will absolutely change the way you think.

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How Dealers Can Turn This Overlooked Service Into a Multi Million Dollar Revenue Stream with Todd Cooperider