Hardware Podcasts

StockX COO Stephen Winn on how the marketplace verifies products, catches counterfeit sneakers and AirPods, and why CT scanning is the hardest check to fake.

Go/No-Go · 21 Jul 2026 · 24m

AI in practice: 4 real uses of AI described

What this episode covers

Stephen Winn, COO of StockX, explains the company's multi-layered verification process for authenticating sneakers, electronics, and collectibles at their Detroit facility. He details how machine learning risk scoring, RFID checks, and human inspection are augmented by Lumafield CT scanners to detect internal structural anomalies in high-value items like AirPods and limited-edition Nike Dunks. Winn also discusses StockX's evolution from a garage startup to a global enterprise serving 170 countries, highlighting the strategic 'go' decision to maintain a single global marketplace via their patented 'all-in ask' pricing algorithm.

AI in practice

Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.

Logistics & fulfilment

StockX runs a machine learning model on order characteristics and seller behavior before packages arrive to separate them into verification lanes by risk and experience level.

“before that truck even pulls up, one of the things we're going to do is run every single order through a machine learning model that we have. And that's going to look at order characteristics, seller behavior, different product risk factors, whether we've seen verification issues with products to begin with.”

Stephen Winn · Hear it at 0:24

Quality & testLumafield CT scanner

StockX uses a Lumafield CT scanner on products over $3,000 to image internal structure, identifying air pockets, component bonding, and speaker placement to distinguish genuine items from sophisticated counterfeits that look correct externally.

“We have a Luma field CT scanner, we'll image the product, and that can give us better insights into just internally, how it's structured, and whether we think that those characteristics map to the characteristics of a real product.”

Stephen Winn · Hear it at 0:24

Quality & testLumafield CT scanner

The CT scanner reveals internal component placement in counterfeit AirPods, such as misplaced speakers and wires, which external inspection cannot detect, allowing StockX to identify fakes that can still pair with iPhones.

“as soon as you sort of scan that item, you're going to be able to see, hey, the speakers aren't quite where they ought to be some of these wires here that I see on the, you know, the bona fide product, they're out of place.”

Stephen Winn · Hear it at 10:24

Engineering & simulationCT scanner

StockX CT scans new releases to understand the internal structure of genuine products, creating knowledge guides and quizzes for verification experts to study before manual inspection begins.

“when new products are released, we're going to be, um, getting our hands on those products, CT scanning those products, RFID scanning those products and doing everything that we can to understand what is what should a real product look like?”

Stephen Winn · Hear it at 12:08

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
StockX, Lumafield, Nike, Adidas
Products
AirPods, Wizard of Oz Dunks
Tools
RFID

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