Schema markup that moved the needle — and the kind that didn't

Spent two weekends auditing schema.org markup across 6 client domains (I do GEO consulting on the side now).

Pattern I keep seeing:

Moves AI citations:

• Organization with description + sameAs (X, LinkedIn, GitHub) + foundingDate — the most useful single block.
• Product / SoftwareApplication with explicit applicationCategory + description.
• Article with author + datePublished on long-form posts.

Doesn't move AI citations (in my testing):

• BreadcrumbList (good for Google organic, AI engines ignore).
• Excessive FAQPage (>5 questions). AI engines seem to pick from FAQs only if the question matches exactly.
• WebPage boilerplate. Just noise.

One thing I haven't tested but suspect helps:

• Person schema on the founder's profile page, linked back to Organization.founder. The 'human story' angle seems to help AI cite us as more than 'just another SaaS.'

Counter-examples welcome.