American Express Chairman and CEO Stephen Squeri presented at the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28, 2026, discussing the company's strategic framework for winning and its current business direction. Squeri outlined how the company navigated through past challenges, including losing Costco as a key merchant partner and recovering from the financial crisis since he took over in 2018. The presentation focused heavily on the integration of artificial intelligence into commerce, specifically highlighting the concept of "agentic commerce" which represents a shift toward AI-driven consumer interactions and decision-making processes. Squeri described this framework as central to their strategy for future growth and operational efficiency, emphasizing that it guides their current rollout plans. The transcript captured a Q&A session where analysts from Autonomous Research engaged Squeri on specific strategic priorities, with the conference utilizing a digital tool called Pigeonhole for question submission and audience voting. The discussion indicated that American Express is actively reshaping its commercial strategy to leverage AI capabilities while maintaining focus on core merchant relationships and consumer financial services.