Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the young Kenyan 800m runner, was one step away from an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024. He had just breezed through his semi-final and his coach, Claudio Berardelli, was planning to meet up for some words of wisdom and encouragement before the following day’s final. He had not seen him for some days, as he was his personal coach, rather than accredited coach to the Kenyan team.

In a taxi to meet his 20 year old protege, Berardelli thought about all the smart things he could say. What should he advise as tactics, who should he look out for, and what would be the plan B if that didn’t work?

When they met, Wanyonyi was buzzing. “I felt great. I’m ready” he proclaimed. “How will you run the final?” asked the coach. “Fast. I will go through half-way in 49 seconds, nobody will catch me”. Berardelli was tempted to start talking options, but decided that mentally, his athlete was ready. “Keep it simple, don’t confuse him. He’s confident, he’s ready” he concluded.

The Olympic Men’s 800m Final. 10 August 2024, Paris.

Wanyonyi led out around the first lap as expected, the field happy to let him set the pace. But then with 300m to go, home favourite Gabriel Tual put in a huge burst, but the Kenyan wasn’t finished and fought to regain the lead. On the final bend, Marco Arop, the Canadian world champion, challenged as expected, but Wanyonyi held on down the final straight winning, by little more than the thickness of his vest.

“I have no idea how he held on to win” reflected his coach, it was his natural instinct, he is a champion. And now, aged 20, the Olympic champion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8X_TkiarKw

Claudio Berardelli was in Nürnberg, Germany this week, sharing this experience. He had joined me for the Adidas Global Running Day, a team event for the brand’s leaders, strategists, designers, marketers and more, to think about the future.

I was there to explore the future of business – strategy, innovation, marketing – and how the Adidas team could learn from the world’s best brands.

Berardelli coaches an elite group of runners – the 2 Running Club in Kapsabet, Kenya – which is sponsored by Adidas, and includes not only Wanyonyi but others like Evans Chebet, the Boston and New York marathon champion, and Sabastian Sawe, who well could be the next runner to go sub 2 hours, particularly with the latest Adidas Adizero Adios Evo supershoes.

He was there to give more inspiration about what it takes to be the world’s best, and learn from some of the world’s top athletes.

How he got started …

“I have a degree in sports science. I graduated in Milan, and then during my studies I got in touch with some people that at that time were working with one of the leading management agencies with East Africans. I started working with them first, spending a bit of time in Italy with some athletes coming for races in Europe. I was not a runner myself, I was a cyclist up to a junior level, so I didn’t know much about running, honestly speaking. Then when I arrived in Kenya in 2004 I kind of realised that if I wanted to learn the job of coaching, I had to probably stay here. And I’m still here. I’m still here learning. I mean, almost after 20 years and many things have happened. In 2016, I set up my own club, 2 Running Club, supported by Adidas and got married with a Kenyan and have two kids here. So basically, I’ve spent most of my adult life here and Kenya is home.”

About his running team …

“It’s an amazing experience and to have a group of athletes of such a level, but also a group of friends. I don’t know how to say it, but we really go together. Anyway, in 2015 I was from a different professional experience with another group, and then I was thinking of having a sabbatical year, like a year off. I have to think a little bit about myself, but then some of the athletes are with me, they’re like, No, no way you can leave us behind whatever you decide, but we are with you. And then I started thinking of creating a club and giving, I don’t know, an identity to a group and then of course, Adidas came in and I’m very happy for that. And yeah, I think what works here is that there is a strong sense of belonging to a project that goes beyond running. So we are here to work for a better future of course, running is what we do and the club is called 2 Running Club, basically, because two is the essence of togetherness, not the individual for the group and the group for individual, because I thought that the idea of being a champion is much more than just to be a number one. So based on this simple concept, we are trying to have our own philosophy on how we approached the job, how we stay together, we face the challenges and try to overcome them.”

On coaching the world’s best athletes …

“I think the most important thing with this level of talent is not to complicate things, and to make sure that you create the conditions to allow them to express what they have. So you see, I’m happy because despite having an academic background from Europe, I grew up here as a coach. So the first generation of Kenyan athletes I work with, basically, they coached me how to be a coach. I grew up with a different approach, where, of course, you need to have the scientific background and whatever, but then you have to create the conditions to allow them [the athletes] to express themselves and not to fix them maybe into some fixed pattern, you know, and my job is basically to help them with that. Okay, they’re allowed to make mistakes, because, of course, it’s part of the job, but we have to kind of remain inside the certain boundaries. And then, of course, to learn how to avoid mistakes, because, you know, the point here is not just to be good athletes, the point here now is to work on a career. For example, the market is asking now, I mean, they don’t just want someone who wins London, but they want someone who wins London, and maybe he comes back and gets another podium, then maybe he goes on to win again. So it’s not easy, but well, we’re here to try.”

His coaching approach …

“I don’t think maybe we can talk about the Kenyan method, because I think that where Kenyan athletes have reached today in terms of training, it’s a high standard. So maybe a little bit less based on instinct, like some years ago where it was just by depending on the talent. Today, you have professional groups and in fact, you can see the level of performance is very, very high. But I think more than a method maybe there is an approach on how they look at what is running. And, and this idea that, for example, being here in our place, if someone doesn’t tell you that this is a place where you have some of the best athletes in the world, you might wonder this can’t be a camp for professional athletes, but it is because they have this capacity to remain very humble, very connected to their background and those kinds of things. And this is how it works for them. For them, running is just a way of living. I mean, most of these guys have families around here, but they know they have to stay here; this is their second home.

For some European athletes, they tend to overthink, they tend to go into so much detail that maybe are not the priorities, and they chop and change. There’s quite a trend to think that you know people can follow one training principle and if it’s not immediately getting the results, then they might switch to some other approach. And they would change coaches quite regularly. And I mean, that happens anyway, of course, but you don’t get that so much here. You don’t have that kind of overthinking. They are very, how do you say? Fatalist? And if things happen, and they don’t give themselves at least mentally boundaries, like, say, Okay, who knows, maybe one day I can be the next record holder and they believe so.”

Physical v mental attitude …

“When we talk about the physiological characteristics, there’s no doubt that they’re talented. But I think that one of the main differences are their intrinsic motivations. They know that whatever they achieve with running will have a huge impact on many generations to come. Because if you think, for example, Amos Kipruto, most likely with his activity [running] he has, how can I say, fixed the life of the sister or the brother or the sister or the brother and then the children of the children of the children will kind of have a positive impact thanks to him. So I can imagine for how many generations, because they will go to better schools. So it’s quite an interesting thing and a huge responsibility for them. And they feel it.”

On motivation and success …

“I think that the training programme, the technical approach is probably a smaller percentage in the bigger scheme of what we do; what I always tell my guys is we have to make sure that each of you gets personal stability, which means financial stability, personal stability, families, whatever, because you can have all the talent you want, but this profession is very tough. Every day you have to find the reason why you’re waking up so early and if you have a lot of external factors that are interfering, you can’t make it, so in that little office of mine is where I go and listen to their family problems, financial problems and just being here with them. 

This is coaching. They are individuals and each of them has a story, everyone has their issues, everyone has their problems that they have to deal with. This is also what makes this job very interesting and perhaps the problems that the athletes have in Kenya are slightly bigger or different to the athletes on a global scale.”

In the world of music, Fender has long been synonymous with iconic instruments like the Stratocaster and Telecaster. However, in recent years, the company has evolved from being a traditional guitar manufacturer to a comprehensive music ecosystem provider. By embracing ecosystem thinking, Fender has expanded its offerings to include online learning platforms, community engagement, personalized accessories, and innovative business models, all designed to enhance the musical journey for players of all levels.

1. Fender Play: Revolutionizing Online Guitar Learning

At the heart of Fender’s digital transformation is Fender Play, an online guitar learning platform launched in 2017. Fender Play offers a subscription-based service providing step-by-step video lessons across various instruments and genres. With over 3,000 lessons tailored to different skill levels, the platform caters to beginners and seasoned musicians alike. The intuitive interface and structured curriculum make learning accessible and engaging, fostering a sense of progression and achievement among users.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fender Play experienced significant growth. In response to widespread lockdowns, Fender introduced the “Play Through” initiative, offering free lessons to users. This move not only supported individuals seeking new hobbies during challenging times but also led to a surge in new users. The initiative resulted in nearly 1 million active users, with a notable increase in female participation, shifting the gender balance from 70% male/30% female to 55% male/45% female.

2. Building Community Through Digital Platforms

Recognizing the importance of community in the musical journey, Fender has cultivated a vibrant online environment for musicians to connect, share, and learn. The Fender Play Community, a dedicated Facebook group, serves as a hub for users to interact with instructors, share experiences, and access exclusive content. This community-driven approach not only enhances the learning experience but also fosters a sense of belonging among guitar enthusiasts.

Furthermore, Fender’s commitment to community engagement extends to various events and partnerships. The company has hosted virtual concerts, workshops, and collaborations with artists, providing platforms for users to showcase their skills and connect with the broader music community. These initiatives reinforce Fender’s position as a brand that values and nurtures its user base beyond the point of sale.

3. Personalized Accessories: Enhancing the Playing Experience

Understanding that accessories play a crucial role in a musician’s performance and expression, Fender offers a wide range of products designed to complement its instruments. From guitar straps and pedals to amplifiers and tuners, Fender’s accessories are crafted to enhance the playing experience. The company’s focus on quality and innovation ensures that each accessory meets the high standards expected by musicians.

Moreover, Fender has embraced customization, allowing players to personalize their instruments and accessories to reflect their unique style. This emphasis on personalization not only empowers musicians to express themselves but also strengthens their connection to the Fender brand.

4. Innovative Business Models: Subscription Services and Direct-to-Consumer Sales

Fender’s adoption of subscription-based models has opened new revenue streams and deepened customer engagement. The success of Fender Play, with over 200,000 paying subscribers and a nearly 95% retention rate, underscores the effectiveness of this approach Zuora. By offering valuable content through subscriptions, Fender has created a steady, predictable revenue stream while strengthening its brand loyalty.

In addition to digital subscriptions, Fender has expanded its direct-to-consumer sales channels. The company’s eCommerce platforms provide customers with easy access to products, lessons, and accessories, streamlining the purchasing process and enhancing the overall customer experience. This shift towards direct sales allows Fender to gather valuable data on customer preferences and behaviors, informing future product development and marketing strategies.

5. Data-Driven Insights: Personalizing the Musical Journey

Data plays a pivotal role in Fender’s ecosystem strategy. By leveraging customer data, Fender can offer personalized recommendations, tailored lessons, and targeted marketing efforts. This data-driven approach ensures that users receive content and product suggestions aligned with their preferences and skill levels, enhancing their overall experience.

Furthermore, Fender’s commitment to data transparency and user privacy fosters trust among its customer base. By responsibly managing customer information, Fender demonstrates its dedication to providing value while respecting user rights.

Conclusion

Fender’s evolution from a traditional guitar manufacturer to a multifaceted music ecosystem provider exemplifies the power of ecosystem thinking. By integrating online learning platforms, community engagement, personalized accessories, and innovative business models, Fender has created a comprehensive environment that supports musicians throughout their musical journey. This holistic approach not only enhances the customer experience but also positions Fender as a forward-thinking brand committed to innovation and community. As the music industry continues to evolve, Fender’s ecosystem serves as a model for other companies seeking to adapt and thrive in a digital-first world.

In an age of exponential change, the companies leading the charge are those who don’t just adopt new technologies — they build, shape, and scale them to redefine entire markets.

From precision lithography to autonomous vehicles, AI-powered collaboration to genomic sequencing, and from decentralised climate action to radically remote-first work cultures, a new generation of trailblazers is remapping the terrain of business.

Here’s a deep dive into ten of the most innovative companies reimagining business and market paradigms: ASML, Deepseek, GitLab, Illumina, KlimaDAO, Rocket Lab, Shopify, Slack, 37 Signals, and Waymo.

From nanoscale lithography to planetary-scale logistics, and from autonomous vehicles to autonomous organizations, these ten companies are not just riding the wave of technological change — they are making it.

What unites them is not just tech savvy, but a deep commitment to rethinking assumptions, breaking silos, and designing for the world that’s coming. As the pace of innovation accelerates, the future of business belongs to those bold enough to invent new categories, rewrite rules, and build with purpose.

ASML: The invisible giant that makes the world’s chips

Though rarely in the public eye, ASML is arguably the most important company in the global tech ecosystem. Based in the Netherlands, ASML builds the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines that are essential for manufacturing cutting-edge semiconductors. No EUV, no modern chips. And with each machine costing over $150 million and comprising over 100,000 components, ASML’s technology is among the most complex ever built by humans.

What makes ASML so innovative is its singular focus on pushing the limits of Moore’s Law. EUV technology manipulates light at wavelengths smaller than the coronavirus to etch circuits at atomic scales. This allows for ever-smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient processors, powering AI, smartphones, cloud data centers, and autonomous vehicles.

ASML has effectively created a high-tech monopoly, not by locking competitors out, but by doing what no one else could. By collaborating with companies like TSMC, Intel, and Samsung, ASML is also a central node in a global innovation network. In the era of AI, where computational demands are exploding, ASML is not just enabling the future — it’s building it.

Deepseek: faster, cheaper, better AI

Deepseek, a Chinese AI company, is part of the new wave of firms building foundation models to rival OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s Gemini. What sets Deepseek apart is its open-source commitment, positioning itself as a champion of transparent, accessible, and adaptable AI infrastructure.

In late 2024, Deepseek released Deepseek-V2, a model trained on 2T tokens and optimized for multi-modal input — including text, code, and images. While tech giants are racing to build walled gardens around their models, Deepseek is betting on open collaboration and developer ecosystems as the engine of innovation.

Deepseek is also focusing on enterprise AI tools for knowledge search, productivity, and intelligent assistants, aiming to disrupt how organizations manage knowledge and make decisions. Its innovation lies not just in performance metrics, but in its strategy: democratizing AI and embedding intelligence into every digital workflow.

GitLab: DevOps without borders

In a world increasingly built on code, GitLab is pioneering a new kind of software company: fully remote, open-core, and continuous. Its DevOps platform helps over 30 million users and 100,000 organizations automate software delivery — from idea to production.

GitLab’s core innovation lies in its all-in-one DevSecOps platform that integrates source control, CI/CD pipelines, security testing, code review, and deployment. Unlike fragmented tools, GitLab offers a single application that streamlines collaboration across development, operations, and security teams.

Its business model is just as radical. GitLab has no headquarters. It’s one of the largest remote-only public companies, operating across 65+ countries with asynchronous communication, documentation-first workflows, and radical transparency.

GitLab’s culture, tooling, and platform reflect a broader shift: software as a collaborative craft, distributed by design, and continuously improved through automation and AI.

Illumina: Reading the code of life

If Moore’s Law transformed computing, Illumina has done the same for biology. The San Diego-based biotech firm is a global leader in genome sequencing, enabling the cost of sequencing a human genome to drop from $3 billion in 2003 to under $200 today.

At the heart of Illumina’s innovation is its sequencing-by-synthesis technology, which allows for rapid, high-throughput analysis of genetic material. This capability powers everything from personalized medicine and cancer diagnostics to pathogen detection and agricultural genomics.

Illumina is also integrating AI and cloud computing to analyze and interpret genomic data at scale. With platforms like BaseSpace and partnerships with healthcare providers, it’s turning raw data into actionable insights for clinicians and researchers.

As the biotech revolution unfolds, Illumina is building the tools to read and rewrite life itself, reshaping healthcare, food systems, and our understanding of what it means to be human.

KlimaDAO: Decentralized climate action

Finally, at the intersection of crypto and climate lies KlimaDAO — a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) aiming to build a transparent, blockchain-based carbon economy.

Built on the Polygon network, KlimaDAO uses a treasury-backed digital token ($KLIMA) to incentivize the acquisition and retirement of carbon credits. By tokenizing carbon offsets, it brings transparency, traceability, and liquidity to a historically opaque market.

Its core innovation is using DeFi principles to create “green yield” — rewarding users for locking carbon assets in smart contracts. KlimaDAO has already retired millions of tons of CO₂ and collaborates with sustainability projects to bridge real-world impact into the on-chain world.

More than a protocol, KlimaDAO is a vision: climate action as an open, programmable, and decentralized movement. In an era of greenwashing and bureaucracy, it represents a radical new approach to accountability and impact.

Rocket Lab: New launch platform for space economy

While SpaceX grabs headlines, Rocket Lab is quietly becoming the go-to launch provider for small satellites and the space-as-a-service economy. Its Electron rocket, optimized for payloads under 300 kg, offers frequent, affordable access to low Earth orbit — a game-changer for the booming smallsat industry.

Rocket Lab’s innovation is not just in rockets. It’s building a vertically integrated platform that includes satellite manufacturing, on-orbit operations, and space data infrastructure. Its Photon satellite bus and new Neutron rocket expand its reach from low-cost launches to interplanetary missions and defense applications.

Rocket Lab also embodies a new ethos of agile aerospace: fast iteration, rapid deployment, and vertically integrated design. In doing so, it’s democratizing space access and enabling the infrastructure layer for everything from Earth observation to global internet and climate monitoring.

Shopify: The new operating system of online retail

Shopify has emerged as the invisible infrastructure behind millions of online businesses. What began as a simple storefront platform has evolved into a full-stack commerce operating system that powers over 4 million merchants worldwide.

Shopify’s edge lies in its modular ecosystem — developers, apps, payment systems (Shopify Payments), fulfillment networks, and AI-powered commerce tools (like Shopify Magic). It’s enabling solopreneurs and major brands alike to launch, scale, and customize their online stores without needing deep technical knowledge.

Now embracing headless commerce, generative AI, and embedded fintech, Shopify is at the forefront of reimagining retail. Its Shop App and Shop Pay also offer consumer-facing experiences that challenge Amazon’s dominance by prioritizing brand identity and merchant-first values.

Shopify isn’t just a tool. It’s a philosophy: empowering creators and entrepreneurs to own their destiny in a digital-first economy.

Slack: From messaging app to digital HQ

What started as a gaming company pivoted into one of the most transformative business tools of the last decade. Slackredefined workplace communication by replacing emails with channels, integrations, and real-time collaboration.

Now part of Salesforce, Slack is evolving into the “Digital HQ” — a platform where workflows, knowledge, and people converge in one interface. Through its integrations with 2,600+ apps and custom bots, Slack acts as an automation layer for work, connecting everything from Jira tickets to customer data.

With the rise of AI, Slack is embedding intelligent summaries, smart search, and conversational interfaces that allow users to retrieve insights from across an enterprise. Combined with Salesforce’s Einstein AI, it’s becoming not just a messenger, but a command center for business intelligence.

Slack exemplifies how technology can reshape culture, fostering transparency, agility, and cross-functional teamwork in hybrid and remote work environments.

37 Signals: Small is the new big

While Big Tech chases scale, 37signals (creators of Basecamp and HEY) champions a contrarian philosophy: simplicity, sustainability, and sovereignty. Co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have long been vocal critics of growth-at-all-costs, VC-funded bloat.

37signals builds opinionated software — tools that prioritize clarity, calm, and control over complexity. Basecamp remains one of the most streamlined project management platforms, while HEY reimagines email as a user-first, privacy-centric experience.

Their most recent innovation is ONCE, a framework for building software that charges a one-time fee instead of recurring subscriptions. It’s part of their broader mission to rethink business models, ownership, and developer autonomy.

Their company is also 100% remote, with a focus on asynchronous work and deep focus time — a deliberate rejection of the always-on hustle culture. In many ways, 37signals is a lighthouse for ethical, independent tech entrepreneurship in an age of hyper-scaling.

Waymo: Driving toward an autonomous future

Waymo, born out of Google’s X lab, is leading the charge toward a world where human drivers may become obsolete. As an autonomous vehicle pioneer, Waymo has logged over 20 million miles on public roads and 20 billion in simulation, more than any competitor.

Its core innovation is the Waymo Driver — a sophisticated stack of AI, LIDAR, radar, and computer vision that enables vehicles to understand and navigate complex urban environments. In Phoenix, Waymo now operates a fully driverless robotaxi service, and it has recently begun expanding to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even testing freight logistics with autonomous trucks.

Waymo’s ambition is more than just self-driving cars. It’s a vision of transportation as a service (TaaS) that is safer, more accessible, and more sustainable. In a world with 1.35 million annual road deaths, Waymo’s tech could save countless lives. Its real challenge is not the AI, but public trust, regulation, and scalability — all of which it’s steadily addressing.

“AI is the defining technology of our time. It will transform how we live and work, and every organisation will need to adopt it to remain competitive” says Microsoft’s Satya Nadella. “Just as electricity transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I have a hard time thinking of an industry that I don’t think AI will transform in the next several years” adds Andrew Ng of Coursera.

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says simply “We’re at the iPhone moment of AI. Every company is becoming an AI company.”

“AI is the new electricity”

AI is not new. It’s been shaping our lives almost invisibly for some years – from Google’s search to Apple’s navigation, curated Instagram feeds and Netflix recommendations.

But now AI is more fundamentally, radically and rapidly, reshaping the business landscape. It offers transformative possibilities across strategy, innovation, branding, marketing, business models, supply chains, ecosystems, teams, organizations, and leadership.

  • Amazon uses AI to automate its entire supply chain—from demand forecasting and warehouse robotics to last-mile delivery. AI-driven systems predict what products you’ll want, where to store them geographically, and how to price them dynamically, boosting efficiency and reducing delivery times to hours. Reinvention results in higher margins, reduced inventory costs, and unrivalled customer satisfaction.

  • Stitch Fix reimagined retail by using AI algorithms to personalise fashion choices for customers, blending data science with human stylists. Every customer gets a “Fix” tailored specifically to them, based on deep learning from style preferences, body shape, weather, and return behaviour. The impact of this reinvention is reduced returns, higher customer loyalty, and scalable personalisation without physical stores.

  • Ping An, the Chinese financial giant infused AI across insurance, banking, and healthcare. AI bots now handle 90% of customer service inquiries. Facial recognition, AI medical diagnostics, robo-advisors, and smart underwriting transform how services are delivered. Reinvention has resulted in dramatic cost savings, reduced fraud, and new revenue streams through AI-powered health tech.

These examples showcase the transformative potential of AI across every type of business, energy and entertainment, food and finance, to manufacturing and mobility. And the economic impact will be incredible, as explained by top investment analyst from Ark Invest, Cathie Wood:

Every business is now an AI business

“The real opportunity with AI is not in doing the same things more efficiently, it’s doing completely new things. Reinventing business models, reinventing processes, and reinventing products” challenges Stanford’s Erik Brynjolfsson. Few-Fei Li, his colleague adds “We’re not just creating tools, we’re shaping a new business and social infrastructure. AI will redefine how we create value.”

IBM’s former CEO Ginni Rommerty reflects “AI will change 100% of jobs, 100% of industries, and 100% of workflows. Not just automate, but augment and reinvent.”

So how will AI practically transform every aspect of business?

1. AI-driven Strategy

AI enables businesses to make data-driven decisions with unprecedented accuracy. Predictive analytics, powered by machine learning, can forecast market trends, customer behavior, and operational risks. For example, AI tools like IBM Watson can analyze vast datasets to provide actionable insights, helping companies anticipate challenges and opportunities.AI also supports scenario planning by simulating various business outcomes based on different strategies. This allows leaders to test and refine their approaches before implementation, reducing risks and maximizing efficiency.

2. AI-driven Innovation … hours to develop new ideas to market

AI accelerates innovation by identifying market gaps and customer needs. For instance, AI-powered platforms like Salesforce Einstein analyze customer feedback and social media trends to uncover unmet demands. This enables businesses to develop products and services that resonate with their target audience. Generative AI, such as OpenAI’s GPT models, can assist in brainstorming and prototyping. Companies use these tools to generate ideas for new products, marketing campaigns, and even software development, fostering creativity and reducing time-to-market.

3. AI-driven Brands … building personal and relevant brands

AI enhances brand management by enabling hyper-personalization. Tools like Adobe Sensei analyze customer data to create tailored experiences, ensuring that brands connect with their audience on a deeper level. AI also helps monitor brand reputation. Sentiment analysis tools can track online mentions and reviews, allowing companies to address issues proactively and maintain a positive image.

4. AI-driven Marketing … anticipating every customer need

AI revolutionizes marketing through automation and personalization. Platforms like HubSpot use AI to optimize email campaigns, social media posts, and advertisements, ensuring maximum engagement. Predictive analytics in marketing helps identify the most effective strategies for reaching target audiences. For example, Netflix uses AI to recommend content based on user preferences, driving customer retention and satisfaction.

5. AI-driven Business Models … reinventing customer experiences

AI enables the creation of innovative business models. Subscription-based services, powered by AI, offer personalized experiences that adapt to user behavior. Spotify and Amazon Prime are examples of companies leveraging AI to enhance their offerings. AI also supports the gig economy by matching freelancers with projects that align with their skills and preferences. Platforms like Upwork use AI algorithms to streamline this process, benefiting both workers and employers.

6. AI-driven Supply Chains … transforming sourcing and production

AI optimizes supply chain management by predicting demand, reducing waste, and improving efficiency. For instance, Amazon uses AI to forecast inventory needs and automate warehouse operations. Predictive maintenance, powered by AI, ensures that equipment operates smoothly, minimizing downtime and reducing costs. This is particularly valuable in industries like manufacturing and logistics.

7. AI-driven Ecosystems …. transforming the whole system

AI fosters collaboration within business ecosystems by connecting stakeholders and streamlining processes. Platforms like Microsoft Azure enable companies to integrate AI solutions across their operations, enhancing productivity and innovation. AI also supports ecosystem mapping, helping businesses identify key players, opportunities, and risks within their industry. This enables strategic partnerships and informed decision-making.

8. AI-driven Teams … teams that can achieve more

AI enhances team dynamics by automating repetitive tasks and freeing employees to focus on creative and strategic work. Tools like Slack integrate AI to improve communication and collaboration within teams. AI-powered analytics can also assess team performance and provide recommendations for improvement. This fosters a culture of continuous learning and development.

9. AI-driven Organizations … faster and more intelligent

AI transforms organizational structures by enabling agile and data-driven decision-making. Companies like Google use AI to analyze employee feedback and optimise workplace policies. AI also supports diversity and inclusion initiatives by identifying biases in hiring and promotion processes. This ensures that organizations build equitable and inclusive environments.

10. AI-driven Leadership … smart leaders

AI empowers leaders with real-time insights and predictive analytics, enabling them to make informed decisions. Tools like Tableau provide visualisations that help leaders understand complex data and identify trends. AI also supports leadership development by offering personalised training programs. Platforms like LinkedIn Learning use AI to recommend courses based on individual goals and career paths.

AI is transforming every industry

AI is revolutionizing business across multiple dimensions, from strategy and innovation to leadership and organizational dynamics. By embracing AI, companies can unlock new possibilities, drive growth, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape. The examples highlighted above demonstrate the transformative potential of AI, making it an indispensable tool for businesses in the modern era. Let me know if you’d like me to expand on any of these areas!

AI at Amazon

Amazon is a trailblazer in leveraging AI to revolutionize its operations and customer experiences.

Amazon, a global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing, has integrated AI into nearly every aspect of its business. From personalized shopping experiences to supply chain optimization, AI plays a pivotal role in Amazon’s success.

  • Personalized Recommendations: Amazon’s recommendation engine is powered by AI algorithms that analyze user behavior, purchase history, and browsing patterns. This system suggests products tailored to individual preferences, significantly boosting sales and customer satisfaction.
  • Supply Chain Optimization: AI helps Amazon manage its vast supply chain efficiently. Predictive analytics forecast demand, ensuring optimal inventory levels. Additionally, AI-powered robots in warehouses streamline order fulfillment, reducing costs and delivery times.
  • Voice-Activated Technology: Amazon’s Alexa, an AI-driven virtual assistant, has transformed how customers interact with technology. Alexa uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to voice commands, enabling tasks like shopping, controlling smart home devices, and accessing information.
  • Fraud Detection: AI algorithms monitor transactions to detect and prevent fraudulent activities. This ensures a secure shopping experience for customers and protects Amazon’s platform from potential threats.
  • Dynamic Pricing: Amazon uses AI to adjust product prices in real-time based on factors like demand, competition, and inventory levels. This strategy maximizes revenue while offering competitive prices to customers.

Amazon’s AI-driven strategies have revolutionized the e-commerce industry. The company’s ability to personalize experiences, optimize operations, and innovate continuously has set a benchmark for businesses worldwide. This case study highlights the transformative power of AI in driving growth and efficiency.

AI at Lemonade

Lemonade Insurance is a standout example of how AI can transform the insurance industry.

Founded in 2015, Lemonade Insurance is an insurtech company that aims to simplify the insurance experience through technology. It offers home, renters, and pet insurance, among other products, and has gained recognition for its customer-centric approach.

  • Claims Processing: Lemonade’s AI chatbot, “AI Jim,” handles claims autonomously. Using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, AI Jim analyzes claims submissions, checks policy conditions, and executes anti-fraud algorithms. In some cases, claims are processed and paid within seconds.
  • Customer Interaction: Lemonade uses AI to provide instant quotes and policy recommendations. Customers can obtain insurance coverage in as little as 90 seconds, enhancing convenience and satisfaction.
  • Fraud Detection: AI algorithms monitor claims for potential fraud, ensuring accuracy and protecting the company from financial losses.
  • Behavioral Economics: Lemonade incorporates behavioral economics principles into its AI systems to improve customer engagement and trust. For example, its “Giveback” program donates unclaimed premiums to charities chosen by customers.

Lemonade’s AI-driven strategies have significantly reduced operational costs and improved efficiency. The company reported that AI Jim processed over 30% of claims without human intervention, with an average settlement time of just three seconds. This rapid processing has set a new standard in the insurance industry.

Lemonade’s innovative use of AI demonstrates the transformative potential of technology in insurance. By automating processes, enhancing customer experiences, and promoting transparency, Lemonade has disrupted traditional insurance models and set a benchmark for others in the industry.

AI at Spotify

Spotify uses AI in several innovative ways to enhance user experience and music discovery:

  • Personalized Playlists: Features like “Discover Weekly” and “Daily Mix” use AI and machine learning to analyze your listening habits and recommend songs tailored to your preferences.
  • AI DJ: Spotify has introduced an AI DJ that curates and presents music in a way that feels like a personalized radio show.
  • AI Playlist Creation: Premium users can now create playlists using AI by simply typing prompts like “relaxing music for a rainy day” or “upbeat tracks for a workout.” The AI generates a playlist based on the mood, genre, or theme described.
  • Content Recommendations: AI helps design the Home and Search interfaces to suggest content that aligns with your tastes, making it easier to discover new music and podcasts.

Spotify’s use of AI ensures that every user has a unique and engaging experience, connecting them with the music and content they love.

Scientific and technology companies are typically obsessed about their science and tech. And as a result, they obsess about their products, their capabilities and specifications. And yet, it means and matters little to most people. Can you remember the name of that drug prescribed by your GP? Do you actually understand the technology of your cool new phone?

For too long, the world’s most technical companies have spoken in a language few people understand. Whether in pharmaceuticals, automotive, or deep tech, the focus has been on precision, process, and performance—often at the cost of empathy, emotion, and relevance. But in today’s world, where trust is fragile and attention is fleeting, even the most science-driven brands must learn to speak in a more human voice.

This isn’t about dumbing down. It’s about smartening up—about making complexity accessible, solutions relatable, and brands lovable. Because when people understand you, they engage with you. When they feel something, they believe in you.

Product to Person … the shift to human-centered thinking

It starts with a mindset shift—from inside-out to outside-in. Instead of asking, “What do we make?” the best brands ask, “What do people need? What do they care about? How do we become meaningful in their lives?”

This shift transforms the way technical businesses innovate, communicate, and grow. It encourages them to move from product features to human outcomes, from compliance to compassion, from spec sheets to stories.

Pharma: Making care personal

Pharma has long wrestled with the tension between regulatory caution and emotional connection. But brands that find the right balance can shift the conversation—and the culture.

Think of Viagra. Pfizer didn’t market it as a molecule. It became a symbol of confidence, intimacy, and vitality. It tapped into human emotion, not just biology.

Or Dove’s Real Beauty campaign (Unilever), which despite being a personal care brand, offered a lesson to all science-led companies: the product is only one part of the value; the emotional meaning is what people remember.

Even OTC brands are finding their voice. P&G’s “Like a Girl” campaign—while promoting Always sanitary products—turned a technical product into a movement for self-worth and gender empowerment. This reframed the brand as a platform for conversation, not just consumption.

Automotive: Engineering emotions

Car companies used to sell torque and horsepower. Now they sell freedom, sustainability, and joy. Tesla didn’t win the EV race by talking about batteries. It spoke about a better future—and then made you want to drive it.

Volvo, historically the safety champion, reinvented safety as emotional security—“For Life”—and used storytelling to show how its technology protects what matters most. Meanwhile, BMW shifted from “The Ultimate Driving Machine” to “Sheer Driving Pleasure,” aligning performance with feeling.

Even suppliers are taking cues. Bosch’s “Invented for Life” campaign links precision engineering with everyday human benefit—from kitchen appliances to smart mobility—demonstrating that technical excellence is only valuable when it touches people’s lives.

Technology: Speaking like a friend

Tech companies are fluent in specs. But increasingly, the most successful ones speak in stories. Apple’s mastery lies not just in design, but in its ability to translate innovation into aspiration. It doesn’t sell you an iPhone—it sells you creativity, connection, self-expression.

Google builds trust not with algorithms, but with simple interfaces and reassuring brand language (“Don’t be evil” may be gone, but the intent lives on in its design philosophy).

Even B2B brands are shifting. Salesforce, a CRM platform, uses bold human language like “Customer 360” and “Trailblazer” to make abstract tech relatable. Its “Ohana” culture language brings emotional depth to enterprise software.

Startups like NotCo, using AI to recreate animal products from plants, don’t just explain the science—they make it deliciously fun. Their brand voice is cheeky, warm, and unmistakably human, helping them build trust with curious but cautious consumers.

Engineering: From R&D to relevance

Traditional manufacturing has often hidden behind complexity. But a new wave of industrial brands are finding more engaging ways to talk—and think.

Schneider Electric moved from technical infrastructure to positioning itself as an enabler of sustainable living. “Life Is On” is more than a tagline—it reframes electrical systems as lifelines to energy equity and climate action.

GE, once focused on industrial might, evolved into a brand of “Imagination at Work,” combining high science with human stories—like a mother who built jet engines telling her daughter she too can change the world.

DSM, a science-based company in health, nutrition, and materials, rebranded with an emotionally resonant promise: “Bright Science. Brighter Living.” The shift helped position its deep R&D as a force for good—not just efficiency.

Building a consumer mindset

When technical businesses adopt a consumer mindset, they don’t just communicate better—they innovate better. They uncover unmet needs, create richer experiences, and build loyalty around meaning, not just function.

  • They add services that make life easier: Pharma brands are exploring companion apps, adherence tools, and education platforms. Auto companies offer subscription models and connected car services. Industrial firms offer predictive maintenance platforms and remote diagnostics.

  • They humanize their brand architecture: Unilever and P&G use their corporate names as trust marks, while giving space for emotionally resonant consumer brands (like Dove, Pampers, or Vicks) to shine. The parent brand provides trust and ethics; the product brand delivers experience and relevance.

  • They co-create with communities: From tech forums to health influencers, companies are inviting people into their innovation process. It’s not just about launching better products—it’s about building a sense of belonging.

  • They embrace storytelling: Whether it’s case studies, patient journeys, or behind-the-scenes documentaries, stories cut through where specs cannot. They give technology a human face.

Building human brands

The age of cold, technical superiority is over. In its place rises a new era—where credibility meets empathy, and expertise meets imagination. Where deep science and advanced engineering must still be rigorous—but now must also be relatable.

To win in this world, companies must stop thinking only about what they build—and start thinking about how people feel when they use it, when they hear about it, and when they invite it into their lives.

It’s not enough to be right. You have to resonate.

So whether you make medicines, microchips, or machines—remember: speak human.
That’s how the future listens.

Strategy gets adaptive

For most of the twentieth century, strategy was built on a simple premise: the world moved slowly enough for leaders to analyse it, anticipate it, and plan their response in advance. Annual cycles of planning and budgeting were deemed not only adequate but sophisticated. Large organisations took pride in their ability to predict, control, and optimise. Business schools taught frameworks that assumed relative stability. Consultants helped refine plans and allocate capital. Boards looked for steady hands and long-term clarity.

All of this worked, until it didn’t.

From the mid-1990s onwards, a series of structural shifts—globalisation, digitisation, the internet, and the early rise of China—began to compress competitive cycles. What used to change slowly now began to change annually. Then quarterly. Then continuously. The 2010s brought artificial intelligence, mobile-first economies, new business models, platforms, ecosystems, and a wave of disruptive entrants operating with levels of speed and flexibility that traditional organisations simply could not match. Consumer expectations soared. Technologies converged. Regulatory pressures intensified. And the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic made volatility not an anomaly, but a baseline expectation.

It became painfully clear that the old model of strategy—predict, plan, execute—was no longer enough. The world had become too complex, too interconnected, and too fast-moving for static plans to survive contact with reality.

In response, a different idea began to emerge—one that has roots in ecology, organisational learning, systems thinking, and modern innovation practice. It is the idea that strategy itself must become adaptive: a living, learning process rather than a rigid plan; a way of thinking rather than a document; a continuous flow of sensing, interpreting, acting, and adjusting rather than a single moment of grand design.

Adaptive strategy is not a buzzword. It is the consequence of a world where certainty has collapsed. It is what happens when organisations learn to breathe with the environment rather than stand apart from it. It blends direction with iteration, ambition with humility, foresight with experimentation. It is the recognition that strategy must guide but never constrain; must set intent but allow freedom; must define priorities but leave space for discovery.

This article explores where the idea came from, what it means, how it works in practice, what tools make it possible, how leading organisations around the world apply it, and why it reshapes not only performance but culture, leadership, and organisational identity.

Understanding nature

Although “adaptive strategy” has become a staple of contemporary business vocabulary, it did not begin in business at all. Its earliest roots lie in environmental science and systems ecology.

The Ecological Foundations

In the 1970s, the Canadian ecologist C.S. “Buzz” Holling and his colleagues at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) developed the idea of adaptive management. Their concern was not competition or markets but ecosystems—complex, dynamic, interdependent environments that defied prediction. Holling observed that ecosystems behave in non-linear ways: small events could trigger large consequences; feedback loops caused surprising behaviours; shocks were inevitable; and rigid management approaches often failed disastrously.

Adaptive management offered an alternative: treat every action as an experiment; monitor the system continuously; learn as you go; adapt tactics as conditions change; and treat knowledge as provisional rather than final. The goal was resilience, not optimisation.

What Holling pioneered for forests, fisheries, and river basins would, decades later, become a crucial insight for businesses dealing with unpredictable markets.

Organisational Learning

In the 1980s and 1990s, scholars such as Chris Argyris, Donald Schön, and Peter Senge reframed organisational decision-making as a learning system. They argued that organisations fail not because they lack intelligence, but because they fail to learn—particularly in the face of disconfirming evidence. They introduced concepts such as:

  • single-loop and double-loop learning

  • mental models

  • systems thinking

  • feedback structures

Their work challenged the notion of strategy as a one-off exercise. Instead, they suggested that real performance comes from continuous reflection, reframing, and redesigning of organisational assumptions. In other words, adaptation.

Adaptive and agile

By the early 2000s, consultancies and business schools began integrating these ideas into strategic thinking:

  • McKinsey wrote about “adaptive advantage”, noting that competitive advantage was shifting from assets to agility.

  • BCG framed the “adaptive organisation” as one capable of thriving in complex environments.

  • Bain linked strategy with agile methods, emphasising learning cycles, decentralised decision-making, and fast feedback.

  • MIT Sloan School explored adaptive execution and the use of digital information flows to enable strategic flexibility.

By the 2010s, the concept had become widespread. Annual plans were increasingly viewed as obsolete. Leaders recognised that strategy must move at the speed of markets, not the rhythm of corporate calendars.

But even as it gained mainstream traction, the essence remained the same as Holling’s original insight: when environments become unpredictable, the only viable response is to learn and adapt continuously.

McKinsey captured some of the key mindset shifts to be more adaptive:

What “adaptive strategy” really means

Adaptive strategy is often misunderstood. It is not simply being flexible or agile. It is not improvisation. And it is not abandoning long-term thinking.

Adaptive strategy combines clear strategic intent with rapid, continual adjustment based on real-world feedback.

It rests on five principles:

  • Direction, not detailed prediction.
    Organisations set a north star, strategic guardrails, and high-level priorities—but leave space for discovery and iteration.

  • Short decision cycles.
    Rather than annual plans, strategy is revisited monthly or quarterly in structured, evidence-driven conversations.

  • Sense-and-respond behaviour.
    Organisations invest in data, signals, and sensing systems to detect change early.

  • Decentralised action.
    Teams closest to the customer have authority to act, experiment, and reallocate resources within boundaries.

  • Learning loops.
    Every initiative becomes a source of insight, feeding back into strategy.

Crucially, adaptive strategy is neither top-down nor bottom-up. It relies on continuous interplay between the two. Leaders define ambition and guardrails; teams explore solutions and learn what works.

In this sense, adaptive strategy is less a document and more a living conversation—driven by evidence, shaped by learning, and updated in real time.

The Process

Although every organisation implements it differently, a common process has emerged across industries. It consists of five interlocking cycles.

1. Setting Strategic Intent

Adaptive strategy begins with clarity of direction. This includes:

  • Purpose: the organisation’s fundamental reason for being.

  • Ambition: where it seeks to create future value.

  • Strategic guardrails: what the organisation will and will not do.

  • High-level priorities: the big bets and areas of focus.

Unlike traditional strategy, intent is deliberately broad enough to guide yet open enough to permit iteration.

2. Sensing: Staying Connected to the World

Sensing is the continuous process of gathering signals from customers, markets, technology, competitors, and regulatory environments. It uses:

  • real-time dashboards

  • customer feedback loops

  • ethnographic research

  • horizon scanning

  • competitor radar

  • early-warning systems

  • cross-functional listening posts

The aim is not to predict the future but to detect shifts early enough to act—whether those are emerging customer needs, new digital behaviours, geopolitical risks, or competitor innovations.

3. Generating Options and Experiments

Based on insights from sensing, organisations generate options. Instead of committing to one grand plan, they explore multiple possible approaches via:

  • strategy sprints

  • horizon portfolios

  • hypothesis-driven initiatives

  • rapid prototyping

  • assumption testing

Each option is treated as an experiment designed to answer a question, reduce uncertainty, or validate an opportunity.

4. Execution Through Decentralised Teams

Rather than rigid program management, adaptive strategy relies on empowered teams who can:

  • act quickly without escalation

  • iterate solutions based on live feedback

  • adjust scope, resources, and timelines

  • collaborate across functions

  • kill or pivot ideas early

OKRs, agile methods, and autonomous teams become mechanisms for rapid learning.

5. Learning, Review, and Reallocation

Every cycle ends with reflection:

  • What have we learned?

  • What assumptions proved wrong?

  • Where do we double down?

  • What must we stop doing?

  • How should resources shift?

This creates a rhythm of strategic learning that replaces annual planning with a rolling, constantly refreshed approach.

The Tools

Adaptive strategy is enabled by a set of well-established tools and techniques. These include:

Tools for Strategic Intent

  • North Star Frameworks

  • Scenario Planning (future-back)

  • Strategic Guardrails

  • Portfolio Maps

  • Value Agendas

Tools for Sensing

  • Real-Time Customer Insight Platforms

  • Jobs-to-Be-Done Interviews

  • Market Trend Radars

  • Competitor Early-Warning Systems

  • Predictive Analytics

Tools for Exploration

  • Design Thinking

  • Strategy Sprints

  • Opportunity Portfolios

  • Hypothesis Mapping

  • Minimum Viable Business Models

Tools for Execution

  • OKRs with short cycles

  • Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid agile

  • Rapid decision protocols

  • Cross-functional squads and tribes

  • Continuous deployment in digital environments

Tools for Learning

  • Retrospectives

  • Experiment logs

  • Kill/continue/pivot gates

  • Business reviews every 4–6 weeks

  • Feedback dashboards

These tools matter not because they are fashionable, but because they enable organisations to move information, decisions, and resources at the speed required by modern markets.

Examples

Across the world, the organisations that outperform their peers are those that have embraced adaptive strategy not as a technique but as a way of operating. Here are some of the strongest examples.

Ping An: Adaptive Strategy at Ecosystem Scale

Ping An’s transformation from a traditional insurer into a digital-first, ecosystem-driven conglomerate is one of the most ambitious strategic evolutions of the past decade. Its model is built on continual sensing, experimentation, and rapid reallocation of resources.

How it works:

  • Strategy operates in 90-day cycles, with roadmaps refreshed quarterly.

  • Hundreds of micro-experiments run across health, smart cities, finance, and AI.

  • Real-time data from millions of users feeds directly into decisions.

  • New ventures such as Good Doctor, One Connect, and Autohome were created through iterative testing rather than long-term planning.

Impact:

  • Creation of multiple multibillion-dollar business lines outside core insurance.

  • Industry-leading return on equity.

  • A reputation as one of the world’s most innovative financial groups.

Ping An demonstrates adaptive strategy at scale: a continuously evolving ecosystem guided by data and learning.

DBS Bank: A Living, Learning Strategy Engine

DBS is widely regarded as the most advanced example of adaptive strategy in the global banking sector.

Approach:

  • Defined a clear intent—“to make banking joyful”—but allowed teams to interpret it through local insights.
  • Encouraged more than 10,000 experiments per year across the organisation.
  • Used customer journeys as live strategic documents updated monthly.
  • Replaced bureaucratic governance with light, fast learning loops.
  • Integrated AI and data analytics into decision-making.

Impact:

  • Became “World’s Best Bank” multiple times.
  • Reduced cost-to-income ratio dramatically.
  • Accelerated product innovation in wealth, SME, and retail banking.
  • Created a culture where change is normal and experimentation is celebrated.

DBS turned strategy from a document into an engine—constantly in motion, learning, adjusting, improving.

BYD: The Masterclass in Fast-Cycle Strategic Allocation

China’s BYD is the fastest-moving large automobile and battery company in the world, and its strategy is inherently adaptive.

How BYD adapts:

  • Weekly technical reviews guide rapid product adjustments.

  • Vertical integration enables fast pivots—e.g., creating in-house chips during supply shortages.

  • Product cycles run much faster than Western competitors.

  • Frequent model updates respond immediately to real-time sales and feedback data.

Impact:

  • Became the world’s largest EV manufacturer.

  • Outpaced Tesla in China.

  • Entered new markets at record speed.

BYD thrives because it treats strategy as a continuous process, not a planning cycle.

Amazon: Strategy as Continuous Reinvention

Amazon has long rejected traditional planning. Jeff Bezos famously argued that most decisions should be “two-way doors”—reversible, temporary, and therefore not worthy of long analysis.

Adaptive mechanisms:

  • The “Working Backwards” process begins with the customer and leaves space for discovery.

  • Teams act autonomously within strategic guardrails.

  • Real-time metrics guide decisions.

  • Dozens of experiments happen simultaneously across devices, retail, cloud, logistics, and AI.

Outcomes:

  • AWS, Marketplace, Prime, Logistics, and Alexa were all outcomes of iterative exploration rather than top-down planning.

  • Amazon continually enters new categories before rivals can react.

Amazon shows that adaptive strategy is not a reaction to volatility—it is a generator of new growth.

Mercado Libre: Adaptive Scaling Across Latin America

Mercado Libre operates in one of the world’s most volatile regions. It succeeds because it adapts faster than its environment.

Key characteristics:

  • Rapid experimentation in payments, credit, shipping, and insurance.

  • Real-time adjustment to regulatory changes.

  • Decentralised teams customised to different national contexts.

  • Fast rollout of features based on user data.

Impact:

  • Largest technology company in Latin America.

  • Outperforms Amazon and local incumbents in multiple markets.

  • Created an integrated ecosystem of commerce, finance, logistics, and advertising.

Adaptive strategy allows Mercado Libre to flourish in conditions where slower organisations struggle.

Philips: Reinventing from Electronics to Health Tech

Philips’ transformation from a diversified electronics company into a focused health technology leader is an example of adaptive portfolio strategy.

How Philips adapts:

  • Uses scenario planning and strategic guardrails to steer long-term direction.

  • Runs continuous reviews to identify businesses to prune or scale.

  • Adjusts priorities based on technological, regulatory, and clinical trends.

  • Invests in digital health, imaging, connected care, and wearables based on real-time evidence.

Impact:

  • Exited more than 60% of its historical portfolio.

  • Created a coherent and competitive position in health systems.

  • Improved focus, margins, and long-term value creation.

Philips shows that adaptive strategy applies not only to innovation but to corporate restructuring and reinvention.

Schneider Electric: A Learning Loop for Climate and Energy Tech

Schneider Electric has evolved from a traditional industrial company into a digital-first energy management and automation leader.

Adaptive practices:

  • Uses strategy sprints to explore new sustainability and energy-tech opportunities.

  • Employs IoT and digital twins to sense performance in real time.

  • Allows cross-functional teams to adjust products continuously.

  • Uses agile governance to scale successful initiatives.

Results:

  • One of Europe’s most valuable industrial companies.

  • Rapid growth in software, services, and sustainability consulting.

  • Strong brand positioning in climate transition markets.

Schneider’s success demonstrates the power of adaptive strategy in large, complex industrial environments.

Spotify: The Cultural Expression of Adaptive Strategy

Spotify’s “squads and tribes” structure is famous, but it is only the visible surface of a deeper adaptive system.

How it operates:

  • Decentralised teams own problems end-to-end.

  • Data from millions of users drives weekly adjustments.

  • Features are tested continuously.

  • Organisational structure evolves as fast as the product.

Impact:

  • Constant innovation in personalisation, UI, podcasts, and audio learning.

  • Ability to outmanoeuvre larger competitors.

  • Rapid diversification into new audio categories.

Spotify shows that adaptive strategy is inseparable from culture. Empowered teams are not a technique; they are the philosophy in action.

The Difference

Adaptive strategy is not a marginal improvement. It reshapes the organisation at every level.

1. Adaptive strategy increases speed

Traditional strategy operates on annual cycles. Adaptive strategy operates on monthly or even weekly cycles. Decisions happen faster. Products evolve faster. Organisations respond to customers before competitors know what has changed.

2. Adaptive strategy enhances resource allocation

Resources move dynamically:

  • Away from declining areas.

  • Toward validated opportunities.

  • Into experiments with high potential.

  • Out of initiatives that no longer deserve support.

The organisation becomes more like a portfolio manager than a planner.

3. Adaptive strategy improves innovation

Because experimentation is continuous, the number of ideas tested grows dramatically. And because failures are cheap and early, more successful ideas reach scale.

4. Adaptive strategy reduces risks

Paradoxically, the more an organisation experiments, the safer it becomes. Early tests reveal weaknesses before money is wasted. Sensing detects threats before they become crises. Adaptive loops lower the cost of being wrong.

5. Adaptive strategy builds resilience

Adaptive organisations absorb shocks better. They are less rigid, less exposed to single points of failure, and less dependent on prediction. They treat uncertainty as normal and learn to thrive within it.

6. Adaptive strategy strengthens culture

Perhaps the most powerful difference is cultural. Adaptive strategy creates:

  • empowered teams

  • openness to learning

  • comfort with ambiguity

  • willingness to challenge assumptions

  • collaborative problem-solving

  • a bias for action

People feel ownership, autonomy, and pride. Organisations feel alive.

7. Adaptive strategy improves financial performance

Although the benefits are often cultural and organisational, they ultimately translate into commercial outcomes:

  • faster growth

  • better margins

  • stronger customer loyalty

  • improved return on capital

  • higher innovation revenue

  • sustained competitive advantage

Adaptive strategy is not a soft idea; it is a financial engine.

Strategy for a world in motion

The world has entered an era where traditional strategy cannot cope. Markets evolve too quickly. Technologies converge too unpredictably. Customer behaviour shifts too fast. Regulatory and geopolitical pressures emerge too suddenly. Competitive advantage comes less from size and assets, and more from speed of learning, willingness to adjust, and ability to act before rivals see what is happening.

In such a world, adaptive strategy is not optional. It is the new foundation for leadership and organisational excellence.

It is rooted in a deep understanding of how complex systems work. It draws from ecology, organisational learning, design thinking, agile methods, and modern digital practice. It replaces rigid planning with continuous sensing, experimentation, and learning. It balances ambition with humility, direction with discovery, judgement with evidence.

Most importantly, it restores strategy to what it truly should be: not a document, not a once-a-year ritual, but a continuous conversation about how to create value in a world that keeps moving.

Organisations that embrace adaptive strategy will not simply cope with change—they will shape it. They will grow faster, innovate more, and attract the best talent. They will be more resilient, more relevant, and more future-ready. They will develop a culture of curiosity, courage, and creativity.

And above all, they will rediscover that strategy is not about predicting the future but winning in the only world that exists: the one that changes every day.

Retail is undergoing one of the most dramatic reinventions in its history. Traditional boundaries between physical and digital retail have blurred, while customer expectations have become more personalized, immersive, and purpose-driven. Technology, data, sustainability, and experience design are converging to reshape how people shop—and how companies sell.

The seamless blend of physical and digital (phygital) will dominate. Shoppers will expect to move effortlessly between online browsing and in-store experiences, with data and personalisation syncing across all channels. AI and machine learning will power deeply personalised experiences—recommendations, dynamic pricing, styling, and even store layouts tailored to individual shoppers based on real-time data.

Physical stores will shift from transaction points to immersive brand hubs—offering AR/VR try-ons, sensory experiences, and interactive storytelling that turn shopping into entertainment. Retail will increasingly happen on social platforms, with influencers, livestream shopping, and short-form video turning content into commerce—especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Eco-conscious shopping will move from niche to mainstream. Circular models (resale, rental, repair), ethical sourcing, and carbon transparency will be expected, not optional. Retail logistics will be transformed by robotics, drones, and autonomous vehicles—enabling faster, cheaper, and more sustainable delivery of goods.

Retailers will expand into full ecosystems, offering shopping, finance, media, health, and more—similar to Alibaba or Reliance Jio in Asia—keeping customers within a single platform.

In this evolving landscape, winners aren’t just selling products. They’re building ecosystems, designing experiences, and creating emotional connections with customers. From smart stores to social commerce, autonomous delivery to generative AI, the reinvention of retail is global, fast-moving, and transformative.

1. Liquid Retail: The Hybrid Store Experience

The idea that physical and digital retail are separate is quickly becoming obsolete. Today’s consumers move seamlessly between devices and physical locations, expecting a consistent, connected experience. “Liquid” retail— more than integrating physical and digital touchpoints but getting the best of both together —is now the norm.

Nike is a standout example. Its “Nike Live” stores are smaller, digitally enabled spaces tailored to local communities. These stores use data from the Nike app to stock products that reflect local customer preferences. Customers can scan products, get personalized recommendations, and check out via mobile. This model merges data, community, and convenience.

Meanwhile, Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh are pioneering checkout-free retail. Using computer vision, sensors, and AI, these stores let customers grab items and walk out—automatically billing their accounts. This redefines in-store convenience while collecting valuable behavioral data.

2. Personalization Powered by Data and AI

One of the most powerful trends in retail is personalization—offering the right product, at the right time, to the right person. AI, machine learning, and customer data are enabling hyper-personal experiences both online and offline.

Stitch Fix, an online personal styling service, uses data science and human stylists to curate clothing selections for individual users. Its algorithm factors in personal style, fit, budget, and feedback to continually improve recommendations.

In physical stores, Sephora combines loyalty data with in-store experiences. Customers can use AI-powered tools like the Color iQ system to find personalized products, then receive app-based recommendations synced with their past purchases.

3. Immersive Shopping: AR, VR, and Mixed Reality

Retailers are embracing immersive technologies to create engaging shopping journeys. Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) enable customers to visualize, try on, or experience products in new ways.

IKEA’s AR app “IKEA Place” allows users to virtually place furniture in their homes before buying, helping reduce returns and boost confidence in large purchases. Similarly, Warby Parker’s Virtual Try-On lets customers see how glasses look on their face using AR.

Fashion brand Gucci has experimented with virtual fashion drops and AR try-ons on Snapchat, while Ralph Lauren has partnered with Roblox to create virtual stores and exclusive digital fashion collections, tapping into younger, gaming-savvy audiences.

4. Retail as Experience and Entertainment

With the rise of e-commerce, physical retail is no longer just about transactions—it’s about creating memorable experiences. Stores are being redesigned as immersive brand environments that educate, entertain, and build emotional connections.

Samsung 837 in New York is a prime example: it’s not a store in the traditional sense, but a tech playground with art installations, digital experiences, and a café—all designed to let visitors explore Samsung’s ecosystem.

Canada Goose created “cold rooms” in some of its stores, letting customers test jackets in sub-zero simulated environments. These sensory experiences drive word-of-mouth and deepen brand loyalty.

5. Social Commerce and Influencer-Led Shopping

Social media is becoming a direct shopping channel, transforming platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube into retail storefronts. Influencers, live shopping events, and short-form video content are driving sales in new and powerful ways.

Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese version) and Pinduoduo in China have pioneered social commerce, enabling brands and individuals to sell through livestreams, group buying, and gamified experiences. In the West, TikTok Shop and Instagram Checkout are gaining traction, especially among Gen Z.

Beauty brand Glossier grew largely through influencer and user-generated content, building a cult-like following and community-powered product development.

6. Sustainability and Ethical Commerce

Modern consumers—especially younger ones—expect retailers to be transparent, ethical, and environmentally conscious. Brands that integrate sustainability into their operations and storytelling are winning trust and loyalty.

Patagonia has long been a sustainability leader, encouraging consumers to repair rather than replace, and even running campaigns urging customers not to buy new gear. Its Worn Wear initiative promotes buying used products.

ThredUp and Depop are reinventing resale and circular fashion, offering digital thrift stores that appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. Luxury brands are entering the space too, with Gucci partnering with secondhand platform The RealReal.

7. Autonomous Delivery and Next-Gen Logistics

Convenience is king, and innovations in fulfillment, delivery, and last-mile logistics are critical to meeting consumer expectations. Automation and robotics are reshaping how goods move from warehouse to doorstep.

Ocado, a UK-based online grocer, operates highly automated fulfillment centers powered by AI and robotics. It licenses this tech to retailers globally, including Kroger in the U.S.

Nuro and Starship Technologies are developing autonomous delivery vehicles and robots that bring groceries and meals directly to consumers in urban neighborhoods and college campuses.

8. AI-Driven Merchandising and Demand Forecasting

AI isn’t just powering customer experiences—it’s optimizing behind-the-scenes operations too. Predictive analytics help retailers manage inventory, forecast demand, and reduce waste.

Zara, owned by Inditex, uses real-time sales data and short production cycles to adjust its collections rapidly. Its just-in-time model allows new designs to hit stores within weeks, matching changing trends and minimizing overstock.

Walmart uses AI across its supply chain to forecast product demand, automate replenishment, and improve in-store stocking—keeping shelves full while reducing excess inventory.

9. Retail Ecosystems and Super Apps

Retailers are expanding beyond single-product categories to become platforms or ecosystems that serve multiple needs. In Asia, this trend is especially strong.

Alibaba’s ecosystem integrates e-commerce (Taobao, Tmall), logistics (Cainiao), cloud computing, and even physical supermarkets (Freshippo). Customers can shop online, visit stores, pay via Alipay, and get same-day delivery—within one platform.

Reliance Retail in India is building a similar empire, merging e-commerce, grocery, fashion, and digital services under its JioMart platform.

10. Startups and Global Disruptors

Innovation isn’t limited to giants. Startups around the world are rethinking retail models:

  • Caper (acquired by Instacart) builds AI-powered smart shopping carts that let users check out without waiting in line.

  • Zapp and Gopuff offer 10–15-minute delivery of everyday essentials in urban areas, using micro-fulfillment centers.

  • Faire and Ankorstore are helping small retailers discover and order products from independent brands, creating a wholesale marketplace revolution.

Next is Now

Retail is no longer about selling things—it’s about curating experiences, building trust, leveraging data, and designing for a constantly connected consumer. The most successful retailers are those who experiment fearlessly, adapt quickly, and integrate technology with a deep understanding of human behavior.

As technology continues to evolve, so will the expectations of shoppers. Reinventing retail isn’t a one-time change—it’s an ongoing process. Those who embrace change, connect with purpose, and design for agility will shape the future of commerce.

When Reliance Jio launched in 2016, few could have predicted the scale and speed with which it would transform India’s digital landscape. What began as a low-cost mobile network offering free voice calls and dirt-cheap data quickly evolved into a national phenomenon—democratizing internet access, reshaping the telecom industry, and paving the way for a digital lifestyle revolution. Today, Jio is no longer just a telecom company; it is India’s most ambitious attempt at creating a super app and a lifestyle ecosystem that rivals global tech giants.

Jio Phone … imagining a digital life

Jio was born out of a vision by Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, to build a “digital lifeline” for India. With billions invested in laying fibre optic cables across the country, constructing cell towers, and building infrastructure from scratch, Jio launched with unprecedented scale and ambition. It entered the market with a game-changing strategy: six months of free data and voice calls for users. This was not just a promotional offer—it was a calculated play to acquire users, disrupt incumbents, and build a digital-first user base.

Within the first year, Jio had acquired over 100 million users. It forced competitors like Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea to lower prices or merge to survive. Jio’s entry marked the beginning of the end of the old telecom order in India and the birth of a digital economy.

Jio as a platform … beyond connectivity

Jio’s core strength lies in its ability to turn users into participants in a broader ecosystem. Recognizing that telecom margins alone wouldn’t sustain its hypergrowth ambitions, Jio quickly began developing a portfolio of digital services.

The MyJio app became the nerve centre of the ecosystem—bundling together mobile recharges, account services, entertainment, news, shopping, payments, and cloud storage. The app’s design echoed global super apps like WeChat or Alipay in China, aiming to become the primary interface for a digital lifestyle.

Services like JioCinema, JioTV, JioSaavn (music streaming), and JioNews turned the platform into a content hub. JioFiber extended its reach into homes, offering broadband, set-top boxes, and smart home features. JioMeet entered video conferencing to rival Zoom. And with JioMart, Reliance stepped into e-commerce, connecting millions of small retailers and kirana stores into a digital retail network.

Each new service reinforced the others—creating lock-in through convenience, affordability, and cross-platform integration.

Driving growth … strategic partners and expertise

Jio’s rise did not go unnoticed by global tech giants. In 2020, during the pandemic, Reliance attracted over $20 billion in investments into Jio Platforms Ltd., including stakes from Facebook (now Meta), Google, Qualcomm, Intel, and Silver Lake. These investments weren’t just capital injections—they were strategic bets on Jio’s ability to become India’s digital gateway.

Facebook’s investment included deep integration between WhatsApp and JioMart, enabling conversational commerce and social retail. Google’s investment focused on building affordable Android smartphones and digital infrastructure for the next billion users.

These alliances validated Jio’s ambitions and gave it a war chest to expand into fintech, edtech, healthtech, and enterprise solutions.

Jio’s Super App … the strategy for growth

Unlike global super apps that often begin with a dominant function (e.g. messaging in WeChat or payments in Alipay), Jio’s super app strategy is more horizontal—aiming to offer a unified digital lifestyle through multiple core services bundled under the MyJio umbrella. These include:

  • JioCinema and JioTV for streaming entertainment

  • JioSaavn for music

  • JioMart for grocery and e-commerce

  • JioPay for digital payments and UPI

  • JioMeet for communication and collaboration

  • JioHealthHub for telemedicine and health records

  • JioCloud for storage and backup

  • JioGames for mobile and cloud gaming

  • JioFinance for loans, insurance, and digital banking

Each of these services is deeply embedded into a single app, with a single sign-in, unified wallet, and seamless navigation, aiming to replicate the convenience of an operating system.

Jio as lifestyle brand … with a national identity

Jio’s brand resonates far beyond technology—it has become a symbol of national digital aspiration. The brand name “Jio” means “to live” in Hindi, and the company has positioned itself as an enabler of a better life for every Indian. Its low-cost plans brought millions online for the first time—farmers, small businesses, women, students—fueling not just consumption but education, financial inclusion, and social mobility.

As Jio expanded into smart devices—feature phones (JioPhone), smartphones (JioPhone Next), routers, and IoT devices—it deepened its position as a lifestyle brand. These devices are priced aggressively and designed specifically for the Indian context: dual SIMs, multilingual support, voice navigation, and UPI readiness.

Jio’s foray into fashion and entertainment partnerships (like with IPL, Bollywood releases, and celebrity endorsements) has added a layer of cultural capital—bridging rural and urban audiences under a single digital brand.

Data as currency … building the digital economy

Jio’s business model revolves around data as currency. Every click, payment, search, and video view generates insights that feed its personalization engines. This data-centric approach allows Jio to create targeted bundles, cross-sell services, and tailor content for hyperlocal audiences.

The super app model reinforces this loop—giving Jio a 360-degree view of user behavior. It’s not just selling internet or products; it’s selling convenience, trust, and identity.

Importantly, Jio is also building the infrastructure for India’s digital economy—through Jio Platforms, which offers cloud, edge computing, AI, and 5G capabilities for startups, enterprises, and government services. Jio is thus positioning itself as both the consumer interface and the backend enabler of India’s digital transformation.

Challenges … disruption is not easy

Despite its meteoric rise, Jio faces serious challenges:

  • Competition from nimble startups (PhonePe, Paytm, Cred) and global giants (Amazon, Flipkart, Google Pay) is intensifying.

  • Integration complexity—Jio’s vast ecosystem must deliver seamless UX across dozens of services.

  • Regulatory scrutiny—as a dominant player in many sectors, Jio will increasingly face antitrust and privacy concerns.

  • Data privacy and trust—as Jio collects more data, it must ensure user trust through transparency and ethical use.

  • Rural infrastructure—expanding 5G and broadband in remote areas still requires significant investment.

What’s next? … Jio as India’s Digital Operating System

What makes Jio unique is not just its business model but its systemic vision. While most companies target a segment or a sector, Jio is building an entire digital civilization—from connectivity and commerce to education, health, media, and governance.

Its ambitions are not unlike those of Tencent or Alibaba in China, but tailored to India’s diversity, language complexity, income distribution, and socio-economic dynamics. The recent launch of Jio Financial Services, its move into AI and cloud, and plans for 5G-enabled edge solutions all point to a company shaping India’s digital infrastructure for decades to come.

Jio is more than a company—it is the infrastructure, interface, and identity of a new India.

So what Makes Jio Unique

Strategy Description
Zero-price market entry Free data and phones created massive adoption
Ecosystem-first approach Every service linked through MyJio app
Rural-first design Designed for low-literacy, low-income markets
Platform + Partner strategy Invested in and integrated with global tech giants
Lifestyle branding Built digital services into everyday Indian life

Jio is not just a telecom operator — it is redefining what a company can be in emerging markets: an integrated platform combining connectivity, content, commerce, and community.

$100 billion business for 1.1 billion people

Reliance Jio is now heading towards a blockbuster IPO

Owners & Major Investors

  • Parent company: Reliance Jio Infocomm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms, which is in turn controlled by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) — chaired by Mukesh Ambani  .
  • Equity partners: Starting mid-2020, global tech and capital firms acquired minority stakes (~33% total in Jio Platforms), including:
    • Meta (Facebook) – ~9.99%
    • Google – 7.7%
    • Silver Lake – ~1.15%
    • Intel, Qualcomm, KKR, General Atlantic, ADIA, Vista, Mubadala, TPG, others  .

Subscribers

  • Wireless users: ~479 million as of late 2024, up ~4% YoY  .
    • 5G subscribers: ~148 million by September 2024  .
  • Fixed wireless broadband (JioAirFiber): ~2.8 million by Sept 2024  .
  • Wired broadband (JioFiber): ~10.4 million subscribers as of Dec 2023  .
  • Combined broadband: ~470 million users across wired + wireless by Dec 2023 .

Performance

Q2 FY 2025 (quarter ending Sept 2024)

  • Revenue: US $4.43 billion (~₹36 000 crore) — up ~17.7% YoY  .
  • EBITDA: US $1.9 billion — +17.8% YoY  .
  • Net profit: US $780 million — +23.4% YoY  .

Q4 FY 2025 (quarter ending March 2025)

  • Net profit: ₹7,022 crore — a 25.7% increase YoY (from ₹5,587 cr)  .
  • Group digital services EBITDA growth: +18%, driven by telecom tariff hikes  .
  • Jio Infocomm ARPU: ₹206.2 — +13.5% YoY  .
  • Subscriber additions: +6.1 million in Q4, supported by tariff revisions  .

Overall as a group

  • Reliance Industries recorded a total consolidated profit of ₹19,407 crore (~US $2.27 billion), significantly bolstered by its retail and digital arms  .

Valuation and IPO 

  • Valuation at 2020 fundraising: Pre-money valuation of $58 billion; proceeds totaled ~$13.7 billion .
  • Analysts’ estimates (2024): Valuation pegged between $100–112 billion  .
  • Planned 2025 IPO: Expected to be one of India’s largest, targeting ₹10 lakh crore (~$120 billion) valuation  .
Metric Latest Figures
Wireless subscribers ≈ 479 million
5G subscribers ≈ 148 million
Total broadband users ≈ 470 million
Q2 FY25 Revenue US $4.43 billion
Q2 FY25 Net Profit US $780 million
Q4 FY25 Net Profit ₹7,022 crore (+25.7% YoY)
ARPU ₹206/mo
Raised from investors ~$13.7–20 billion
Current valuation $100–112 billion
IPO target valuation ₹10 lakh crore (~$120 billion)

The $100 bn SuperApp for India’s billion people

Jio has scaled its ecosystem through aggressive subscriber growth, surging revenue and profit performance, and high-profile global investment—setting the stage for a blockbuster IPO. Its valuation now rivals global tech giants, highlighting its evolution from telecom disruptor to India’s digital infrastructure powerhouse.

Apple has long held the mantle of one of the world’s most innovative companies. It reinvented music with the iPod, reshaped phones with the iPhone, and further back redefined computing with the iPad and MacBook. But in recent years, many people have asked “Has Apple become more or less innovative?”

This isn’t just a question of whether Apple still makes exciting products. It’s also about how innovation evolves within a mature company, what role leadership plays, and how success is measured—through products, performance, or impact.

A shift in leadership and innovation philosophy

To assess Apple’s innovation today, an obvious place to start is to compare the company’s two iconic leaders: Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.

Under Steve Jobs (CEO 1977–1985, and 1997 to 2011), Apple was a company built on bold, disruptive leaps. Jobs spearheaded revolutionary products that created entirely new categories—the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTunes Store, and MacBook Air. His leadership was marked by risk-taking, an obsession with design and user experience, and a relentless pursuit of perfection. Innovation was emotional, intuitive, and often theatrical.

Tim Cook (CEO 2011-today), by contrast, has adopted a more strategic, systems-oriented approach. Since becoming CEO in 2011, Cook has transformed Apple from a product-centric innovator into a platform and ecosystem powerhouse. He has scaled operations globally, leaned into services, emphasized integration and privacy, and quietly built new engines of growth—often without the fanfare that defined Jobs’ era.

The result is a company whose innovation feels less radical but more sustainable, focused on depth, scale, and strategic refinement.

Recent innovations in products and technology

Though critics argue Apple has become more conservative, the company has introduced significant innovations across hardware, software, and services. These include:

1. Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 chips)

One of the most important technical achievements in Apple’s history is the shift to Apple-designed processors, replacing Intel chips in Macs. The M1 chip, launched in 2020, delivered massive gains in performance and battery life. This gave Apple unmatched control over its hardware–software integration and set new industry benchmarks.

2. Apple Watch and Health Tech

Launched in 2015, the Apple Watch has become the most popular smartwatch in the world and a leader in wearable health technology. With ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, fall detection, and fitness tracking, it’s positioned Apple at the intersection of technology and preventative healthcare—a growing global priority.

3. AirPods and Audio Ecosystem

AirPods have become a cultural and commercial phenomenon, blending design, utility, and deep integration into Apple’s ecosystem. With innovations like spatial audio and seamless device switching, they’ve reshaped expectations in wireless audio.

4. Apple Services

Perhaps the most strategic innovation under Cook has been Apple’s expansion into services. With offerings like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, News+, Fitness+, and Apple Pay, services revenue now exceeds $100 billion annually. This shift has transformed Apple from a hardware company into a recurring-revenue platform.

5. Apple Vision Pro and Spatial Computing

In 2024, Apple entered the mixed reality space with the Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computing headset that represents a long-term bet on immersive computing. While early adoption is niche, the Vision Pro introduces groundbreaking UI concepts—like eye tracking and hand gestures—and could evolve into a mainstream product like the Apple Watch.

6. Privacy and On-Device AI

Apple has innovated in privacy-preserving artificial intelligence, embedding machine learning into features like photo curation, voice recognition, and handwriting. Its approach contrasts with cloud-based AI models by focusing on on-device intelligence, efficiency, and security—especially relevant in today’s data-conscious world.

Why has Apple appeared less innovative?

Despite these achievements, Apple has also drawn criticism for what seems like innovation inertia in some core areas:

  • iPhone updates have become iterative, with new versions offering modest improvements in camera quality, chip speed, and battery life.

  • Apple has been slow to adopt generative AI compared to competitors like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI. While deeper integration is expected in iOS 18, the company is playing catch-up in the AI arms race.

  • Apple has resisted trends like foldable screens, ultra-fast charging, and open-source experimentation.

  • Critics argue that Apple’s tight control over the App Store and developer ecosystem stifles external innovation and reflects a more defensive posture.

This perceived conservatism leads some to say that Apple, while still refining brilliantly, is no longer leading the way in defining the next wave of consumer tech.

Apple’s culture of innovation

Apple’s evolving culture has also evolved. Under Jobs, the company prized secrecy, intuition, and design-led decision-making. Innovation was centralized, visionary, and often top-down.

Under Cook, Apple has embraced collaboration, scalability, and operational excellence. The company now manages a far more complex global supply chain, fosters an integrated ecosystem of services and devices, and builds long-term initiatives in sustainability, accessibility, and health.

The cultural shift means Apple’s innovation today is often invisible—embedded in chips, ecosystems, or cross-device experiences rather than single, show-stopping product launches.

This is a broader trend among mature tech companies: as firms scale, innovation becomes systemic, not just spectacular.

Apple’s incredible growth financially

Under Cook, Apple has grown 10 times more valuable than under Jobs. Apple’s innovation may be less sensational, but it has been incredibly effective. Consider these milestones:

  • In 2011, Apple’s market capitalization was around $350 billion.

  • In 2024, it surpassed $3 trillion, making it the most valuable publicly traded company in the world.

  • Apple now has over 2 billion active devices globally, with customer satisfaction and loyalty rates among the highest in tech.

  • It has become a global leader in privacy, supply chain transparency, and sustainability—all increasingly important to modern consumers and regulators.

By focusing on experience-driven innovation and platform resilience, Apple has built a defensible competitive moat that few companies can match.

A different kind of innovation

So, has Apple become more or less innovative?

It depends on how you think about innovation. If you’re focused on new ideas and invention, then “less”, but if you’re focused on turned ideas into impact, then “more”.

Apple is less explosive but more strategic. It has shifted from a disruptor to a platform steward – from dazzling the world with new categories to deepening value through integration, privacy, and ecosystem design. Its innovation today is less about spectacle and more about substance.

Steve Jobs’ Apple was about changing the world with each keynote. Tim Cook’s Apple is about quietly embedding innovation into every corner of your life—from your pocket to your wrist, your home, your health, and even your financial transactions.

If innovation means radical, category-defining hardware every few years, then Apple may appear less innovative. But if innovation includes chip architecture, ecosystem design, health technology, privacy, and business model transformation, then Apple is more innovative than ever—just in more nuanced, sustainable, and often invisible ways.

Tim Cook’s Apple may lack the theatrical flair of Steve Jobs’ era, but it has arguably broadened the scope of innovation, turning Apple into a platform that touches nearly every part of a user’s digital life.

As Apple prepares to move deeper into AI, health tech, and spatial computing, the next chapter could blend both worlds: bold vision and stable execution. If that happens, Apple might not only reclaim its reputation as the world’s most innovative company, it may redefine what innovation means for the 21st century.

We live in a time of great change. Complexity and uncertainty, extreme climate and fragmenting society, technological breakthroughs and new opportunities. For mostly better, and occasionally worse, 2024 was a year of great acceleration. Looking back we reflect on the emerging themes and momentous moments that will shape the year ahead, and our emerging futures.

It was a year when AI captured our imagination, but also made us question what is real and true. It was a year when most of the world expressed their political views, with increasing polarisation. It was a year of soaring stock markets, with three $3 trillion companies. It was a year when GenZ and GenX faced off in the workplace. It was a year of CRISPR-regenerated hairy mammoths from Colossal, and 3D printed runnings shoes from On. It was a year of business failures, from Boeing to Crowdstrike and 23andMe. It was a year of Olympic heroes, from Noah Lyles to Léon Marchand.

But these are just some of the more memorable headlines. Behind the highlights were the real changes, the transformational shifts in social attitudes, the rapid progress of technologies like quantum computing, the rebalancing of global economics from west to east and large to small, and a new generation of leaders with fresh vision, new priorities and different styles.

This is how I saw it – what I did, what I thought – and how it shaped my view of what lies ahead.

January: Climbing aboard Nvidia’s rocket ship

Nvidia started 2024 worth $1.5 trillion, phenomenal for a business that had tripled its value in the previous 12 months. By the end of 2024, Nvidia’s market value had doubled again to beyond $3 trillion, vying with Apple and Microsoft to shape the future of tech, and much more.

Yet it was way back in 2003 that I remember sitting in the same Denny’s diner in Sunnyvale (I was in Silicon Valley working on a strategy for Philips Semiconductor, which later evolved into ASML) where Jensen Huang and friends founded Nvidia a few months earlier. They were gamers, obsessed with creating high powered chips for a better UX, and for almost 20 years had the be patient as AMD, Intel and others soared ahead.

But then the AI revolution of 2023 meant their time had arrived. Not only gamers, but now data centres needed Nvidia’s super powerful chips, and the company’s market cap was soon soaring like no other. On 18 June 2024, it dethroned Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable company.

Now every company is curious, often desperate, to understand how AI can transform its business. Apart from a play around with ChatGPT, few have any idea where to start. This month I kicked off a new program for the leaders and managers of Schindler, one of the world’s leading elevator companies (or lifts, if you come from England!). They’re great engineers at what they know, but exploring new possibilities, and adapting to change is much harder. This is a particular challenge in Germany, with companies like Volkswagen for example (4 times larger than Tesla, but 20 times less valuable), where managers aspire to technology-based doctorate education, but then find it difficult to embrace change.

On a positive note, I came across a great report 100 Reasons to Love the Future, by AXA, the French insurance company. “Life may be full of risks but the future shouldn’t be one of them. Everyone should have the right to be hopeful about the future” it began … “what we need today are new narratives that give hope” … “connecting science with humanity, logic and emotion” … “imagining utopia rather than retreating to dystopia” … “the future is the past with new possibilities”.

February: Shaping the future in the footsteps of Christopher Columbus

Each year I spend a week in Segovia, a world heritage site in the heart of Spain, with a group of business leaders. The Roman aqueduct with its 166 arches is stunning and a marvel of engineering. The medieval Alcazar sits atop the city, from where you can see a 15-20km circular running route that is my absolute favourite, particularly at sun rise, with hot air balloons on the horizon.

Sitting in the very place where the Spanish queen asked Columbus to set sail for the Americas in 1492, we explore new voyages of discovery in the business world. This year’s group included leaders of German consulting firm, Polish strawberry farm, Mexican supermarket chain, American insurer, Spanish pharma business, Arabic airline, Canadian oil company, and Saudi shipyard. Typically they are emerging market leaders who have bolder ambitions and entrepreneurial ideas. Think of BYD from China, Zipline in Africa, or Mercado Libre from Argentina.

It’s also a fabulous time to collaborate with some great business thinkers – not least Tendayi Viki who is based in his homeland of Zimbabwe, while also being a leader of Strategyzer, alongside Alex Osterwalder. Tendayi has a passion for innovation, and how it can be practical and profitable in organisations. Check out his book Pirates in the Navy. Another good friend is Christian Rangen, a Norwegian entrepreneur. Together we deliver an incredibly engaging business simulation, breaking participants into exec teams of competing fictional EV companies – over 6 weeks, the first team to create $50 billion wins. Building the Transformational Company is the accompanying CEO Handbook.

ARK Invest’s Big Ideas report focuses on the convergence of 4 technologies – digital networks, genetics, energy storage, robotics – accelerated by AI –  causing a “supercycle” economic impact 3x greater in relative terms than the Industrial Revolution. Genetics is perhaps one of the most exciting, able to transform human life. However the pioneering companies are not always the most enduring. They challenge boundaries, and create breakthroughs, but often lack the robust business models. Quantum computing is another exiting tech development right now. This month researchers at Google announced a significant breakthrough in achieving quantum supremacy with their new quantum processor, which promises to revolutionise everything from drug discovery to financial modelling, battery storage to cybersecurity.

Having a powerful brand is still a major asset when seeking to drive breakthrough innovations. Each year Brand Finance produce their Global 500, the world’s most detailed report on brand performance, seeking to value a brand (the amount of additional economic value a trademark adds to a business), and evaluate its strength (in engaging stakeholders, standing out from the competition. Apple is predictably the world’s most valuable brand, worth $517 billion, around 20% of its business value, while WeChat is the strongest brand. In a world where complexity is rife and trust is rare, where any company can be in any sector, then building meaningful brands matters more than ever.

March: from Holcim’s regenerated cities to Tesla’s sci-fi cybertruck

Holcim is one of my favourite clients. Maybe cement might not seem that sexy, but Holcim is much more than a commodity business. Today they are leading the world in developing sustainable building materials, and also in reimagining how buildings are designed, used and maintained over time. Don’t just think product or task, think project and impact.

I’ve been working with the Swiss company for almost two decades, and in recent years have helped their executive team including new CEO Miljan Gutovic to develop new strategies, to tell their more inspiring story to investors, to drive innovation across every aspect of their business, and even help their finance and supply chain teams to think differently about their roles.

Construction is one of the largest carbon emitters, but it can also make one of the biggest differences.  Holcim takes an ecosystem view, from the supply chain, to regeneration of cities – for example, by using waste materials as the main ingredient when building, and by embedding climate-friendly heating and maintenance models within building structures, and urban design that optimises for sustainable living, mobility, and social wellness. Thinking bigger to solve a more significant problem, and create more value economically and for society.

Tesla launched its new business strategy recently – building on its mission “to accelerate the world towards sustainable energy” – which includes its new Cybertruck and Semi launched this month, and designed to reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency in the logistics industry. But the ambition is much greater. Tesla’s battery activities are already its most profitable business – from consumer batteries to Supercharger networks – but its latest strategy is to become the world’s leading clean energy company, making Musk’s Masterplan Part 3 a reality.

Fast Company’s ranking of the World’s Most Innovative Companies is something I look forwards to each year. While BCG ranks companies on R&D spend, FC tells inspiring stories about innovation in companies large and small. #1 in 2024 is Nvidia. Other interesting top ranked innovators include Novo Nordisk, the Danish diabetes company that has been transformed by it creation of obesity-busting drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Other interesting companies at the top of the rankings include Vertex Pharma for bringing CRISPR, the gene editing capability, to market, and Taylor Swift Productions, for rethinking entertainment business models.

April: Xiaomi disrupts every market, while Illumina accelerates personalised healthcare

Back in 2010, I remember watching a livestream as Lei Jun launched a new company called Xiaomi. Dressed in blue jeans and black sweater, the Chinese entrepreneur looked like Steve Jobs in his prime. Then he introduced his new product, the MiPhone, undercutting the price of Apple’s smartphone around 10 times, but with similar functionality. The MiPad, the MiWatch, followed, as he targeted growth within emerging markets (where the most people are) rather than western markets (where the competition is).

Xiaomi is a fascinating business, like many Chinese companies playing by its own rules, not being limited by heritage or legacy, it looks to the future with a clean sheet of paper. It can leap frog old paradigms and transform markets. That “moonshot” style thinking was much in evidence this month as Xiaomi reached beyond its core markets to launch its first car – an EV, of course. The SU7 looked remarkably like the Porsche Taycan. And drove like it. The only difference was the price. Instead of an around $250,000 it’s price tag was 10 times cheaper.

The transformational impact of technology is everywhere. This month Amazon completed its acquisition of MGM Studios, aiming to expand its content library and strengthen its position in the streaming market. A retailer becomes an entertainment business, a marketplace model becomes a content creation model. Meta acquired Reality Labs, a leading virtual reality company, to strengthen its position in the VR and AR market. Google completed its acquisition of Fitbit, aiming to integrate health and fitness tracking into its ecosystem and expand its wearable technology offerings.

As I worked with some of the leaders of Roche, the large Swiss pharma business this month, we explored how tech is transforming the discovery, development and delivery of drugs. We examined how Biontech succeeded developing its mRNA covid vaccine in just 6 months rather than 15 years. Some of the challenge is about overcoming conventions, including traditional approaches to regulation and process. But its also about harness tech.

Researchers at IBM this month announced a breakthrough in AI-powered medical diagnostics, which can accurately detect diseases from medical images with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Even more exciting is Illumina, the genetics company, which debuted its most powerful gene sequencer.  The San Diego company has now replaced early pioneers like 23andMe in leading the world in DNA sequencing, towards a future of precision drugs and personalised healthcare.

And Larry Fink wrote his annual letter to the world’s business leaders. Fink is CEO of the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, with over $10 trillion in assets under management, and his annual letters set the tone for investors and companies. In recent years he has focused on the climate crisis, memorably saying that he will only invest in companies who put purpose before profit (and at the same time saying the focus on ESG was not enough). This year he warns of a coming global retirement crisis unless we prepare for the economic reality of an aging population

May: The wisdom of Pablo Isla, the world’s best CEO, and lessons for OECD governments

“I am a humble guy, I like to get things done, but I’m also very proud to have been ranked the world’s best CEO for two consecutive years”.  Pablo Isla is best known for his 17 year role as the Chairman and CEO of Inditex, the Spanish multinational clothing company that owns Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, and many other brands. During that time he increased the market value of the business from around $15 to $85 billion.

This month at IE Business School in Madrid (currently ranked in the top 10 globally for executive education), where I lead their Global AMP flagship program for business leaders stepping up to shape the future, I talked to him about his career, and in particular his approach to leadership, change and innovation.Isla has just turned 60, and is a native of Madrid.

In 2017, Harvard Business Review recognized Pablo Isla as the world’s best-performing CEO. And again in 2018. HBR said that what stands out is the single word description employees use to convey Isla’s management style. Humble. He is known for rejecting a meeting culture and the use of hierarchy to command, control, and ego-feed, instead favouring making decisions informally in partnership with his people as he “manages by walking around”.

And his view on leading in a world of relentless change? “Keep your eyes and ears open. Learn from everyone, not just in formal ways, but mostly informally. Read interesting articles, books. Meet new people, learn from other sectors”.

A few days later I was in Paris, working with many of the international government organisations brought together by the OECD. We explored a world a world of rapid change, driven by the megatrends from ageing populations to social inquality, urbanisation and climate crisis, cognitive technologies and more. We looked at how the best companies are responding to this change – reinventing themselves, transforming how they work, where they focus, what they do, who they are for. And we compared this to governments, and organisations like the UN, IMF, and OECD itself. It’s not easy to let go of the old ways of working, it’s normal to feel powerless to change, but leaders are in the change business. They reinvent everything, seeking to create a better future.

Also this month, CNBC published its 2024 Disruptor 50 list, which is a great curation of the world’s most disruptive companies, this year dominated by companies unlocking the potential of AI in many sectors. While OpenAI comes out top, Anduril Industries follows, creating “a future fighting force” of drones, followed by Stripe, the payment system founded by Ireland’s Collison brothers, with over a trillion dollars of transactions. Lots more ideas in there stories for governments to learn from too!

June: Japanese theme parks, and the need for a more strategic approach to innovation

Japan was my focus in June, working with Sompo, one of the country’s top insurance companies, which has a vision to be a “Theme Park for Security, Health & Wellbeing”. Kengo Sakurada, the Group CEO explains that it is mainly engaged in the four businesses of domestic P&C insurance, overseas insurance, domestic life insurance, and nursing care & healthcare.“To prevail in an age of VUCA we have embraced a philosophy that calls on us “to contribute to the security, health, and wellbeing of our customers and society as a whole by providing insurance and related services of the highest quality possible,” and thereby contribute to society.

It’s a great example of purpose and vision – but also about thinking bigger, about what you’re really trying to do for customers – to prevent failures, rather than just insuring against them. So if you  can help customers to live a healthier life, guided by Sompo’s range (theme park) of health and fitness services, then there’s less to pay out on their insurance policies too. Same for home, car, and business insurance too.

NTT Data is another Japanese company who I continue to work with over the years, particularly helping to bring together their previously separate European and American businesses. They’re relatively unknown – despite being one of the world’s top 10 IT services firms, and ranked as one of the world’s top 50 most innovative companies – with a focus on solving the bigger business problem not just implementing tech, and parenting to help companies transform and reinvent.

BCG’s Most Innovative Companies 2024 ranked Apple, Google and Samsung top, but also said “companies have never placed a higher priority on innovation (83% make it a top 3 priority), yet they have never been as unready to deliver on their innovation aspirations”. While innovation leaders’ biggest stated challenge is an unclear or overly broad strategy, the vast majority are focusing on process optimisation, not strategy. Companies who get it right typically show a 5 percentage point growth advantage. Microsoft is definitely a strategic innovator. Gaming is a key part of Satya Nadella’s strategy to make tech relevant and applied, while AI is the fuel. He finally agreed to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 bn, marking the largest acquisition in the gaming industry’s history. Microsoft also, of course, acquired a majority stake in OpenAI this year.

July: Crowdstrike brings down the internet, while Confused seeks to be more.

$85 billion cybersecurity experts Crowdstrike caused chaos for the world’s tech systems on 19 July, a faulty software update causing the largest IT outage in history, and locking an estimated 8.5 million Windows devices into a so-called “blue screen of death”. The outage grounded flights, froze online banking systems and disrupted emergency service providers. According to one insurer, the incident cost Fortune 500 companies roughly $5.4bn. It served as a timely reminder of the internet’s fragile infrastructure for the many businesses and services that rely on it.

Meanwhile this month I was working with RVU, which owns brands like Confused.com, and is one of the UK’s largest online brokers for everything from car insurance to loans and mortgages. Seeking to be more than a comparison site, it adds value through helping guide people through the maze of choices, but also to adopt better behaviours over time. So what does it really mean to be “customer-centric” in my keynote?

This has been a question I’ve played with for 35 years now, since managing service brands like Concorde in my earlier career. I even wrote a book about it, Customer Genius. Yes, it requires a great proposition, easy to do business with, and genuine service. But it’s still not easy. And it means more – how can you enable people to achieve their goals, not just buy products. Think of Nike – it’s not just selling running shoes, it’s helping them run faster. Think IBM – it’s not just selling consulting services, it’s helping companies to grow in economic value.

Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas list takes a deep dive into the best organisations, public and private, seeking to make the world a better place.  Sustainability challenges, most simply codified by the 17 SDGs are great catalysts for better (even more profitable) innovation. Holcim’s Recygénie is the world’s first building to use 100% recycled concrete, and one of the WCI winners. The sleek Paris housing complex was made from the rubble of a 1960s building.

August: Adidas was the real winner at this year’s spectacular Paris Olympics

The Olympics are the pinnacle of sport, and walking into the Stade de France on 17 August I felt lucky, excited and tense. The mens 1500m final is still the blue riband moment for me, and this year Britain’s world champion Josh Kerr clashed with world record holder Jacob Ingebrigtsen of Norway.

Arriving 3 hours before the start, I sat in the baking Paris sunshine chatting to a 70 year old America fan who had flown in from LA, just for one day, just for this race. When it came, it was run at a furious pace. The Norwegian went out in front, the Brit hung on to him. But then phenomenally, USA’s Cole Hocker, running out of his skin, sprinted past in the last 30 metres. Wow. Hocker is a Nike athlete, who lives in Eugene, and is a former Duck, from the University of Oregon. My old friend from LA must have been ecstatic.

But this Olympic Games arguably belonged to Adidas. Wearing the 3 stripes, Noah Lyles became the Olympic champion at 100m, Quincy Hall at 400m, Emmanuel Wanyonyi at 800m, Grant Holloway at 110m hurdles, and Tamirat Tola at the marathon.

You might think that running is the purest of sports, and has not changed much since the Olympic Games were revived by Baron de Coubertin in 1896. However, even the relative simplicity of racing from gun to tape has radically altered in recent years due to the rise of advanced running footwear, often called “supershoes”. Athletics is in the midst of a high-tech innovation battle between all the leading brands, for who can create the most technically advanced shoes.

Adidas was born from the dream, the motivation and the obsession of making the athletes the most successful they can be. This year it celebrates the brand’s 75th anniversary with its most successful Olympics of recent decades with a huge medal haul. 27 track and field medals (excluding relays), 11 more than last Olympic Games. Alberto Uncini Manganelli, Adidas Global GM for Running, who I have worked with over the years since his days at P&G, and his team back at their Herzogenaurach head office must have enjoyed Paris 2024.

September: from Danish Castles to Dallas Skycrapers, inspired by the space race

Hindsgavl Castle is an amazing place. The historic Danish estate overlooks the picturesque Fænø Sound and Little Belt Strait, in the heart of Denmark. I was here to meet the technology leaders of Denmark’s top companies. But first I needed to explore. Running around the shoreline, I ran a 20km circuit without meeting a single person. A few deer. A snake. But that was it. In the evening, the Hindsgavl restaurant served an incredible meal, all made from local foraged ingredients.

“Next is Now” was my theme for my keynote the next day. Exploring a world of rapid and relentless change, where that great William Gibson phrase “the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed” has never been more true. Now is the time to leap forwards, to let go of the past and reinvent everything. Now, more than ever, innovation and transformation are priorities for every business.

Superfast-gaming chips and fat-busting superdrugs, asteroid-chasing rockets and carbon-capturing technologies, 4 day working weeks and chess reinvented as a reality TV game, health-enhancing fashions and the rebirth of the hairy mammoth. Nvidia is transforming tech, while Novo Nordisk innovates healthcare, KinetX changes the space race, while Climeworks eliminates carbon.

Technology of course is at the heart of this transformation. The total global e-commerce transaction value reached approximately $6.3 trillion in 2024, a 17% increase compared to 2023. This growth highlighted the increasing importance of online shopping in the global economy.

Later in September in Dallas Texas, we explored how this tech transformation enables business to transform. Indeed, as we discussed at NTT Data Americas, it not enough to just sell the tech, its about collaboratively developing a vision of the future, to create new business models, and reinvent markets.

October: Climeworks, the world’s largest carbon capture and storage facility in Iceland

Iceland is a dramatic land of fire and ice. Driving the one hour from Keflavik airport to the capital Reykjavik is like driving through a moonscape of black rocks, and smoking volcanos on the horizon. As darkness fell, the Northern Lights started to magically dance across the landscape. I was here to work with TUV Nord, a German technological inspection business, with over 10,000 people across the world. Supported by St Gallen business school, we explored how they could grow their business in exciting new ways, with new services and business models.

However the best inspiration came when we went to visit Climeworks, the Swiss carbon capture business, that has just opened its new Mammoth facility across the island. Looking more like the world’s largest air conditioning unit, it sucks in air and extracts carbon (the chemical reaction uses huge amounts of energy, hence Iceland, and its unlimited geothermal power) which it then buries deep underground. Climeworks’ income is largely the carbon offset fees paid by companies like Microsoft, and many others. It’s a remarkable facility, set to be replicated around the world.

Also this month, I was in Belgrade, Serbia, working with DFG, a Central European venture capital business, specialising in sustainable investments. My “Future Radar” process is not science fiction, or even futurology. It is about exploring and learning from the new businesses, and behaviours, emerging on the edges of markets right now. How will your marketspaces evolve over the next 5-10 years? Where are your best opportunities? Which companies will shape this future? What can you learn from them and their strategies? What are the next agendas for customers and investors? How can you shape and lead them now?

McKinsey’s Future Arenas research creates a usefulpicture about how future markets will evolve. 18 future arenas could reshape the global economy and generate $29 trillion to $48 trillion in revenues by 2040. These new arenas include batteries and robotics, cloud and space, shared mobility and modular construction. Additionally, 12 arenas of today showed outsize growth and dynamism from 2005 to 2020.

November: Sailing to Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, as AI accelerates and pioneers stutter 

24 months ago – in November of 2022 – a webpage was posted online with a simple text box. It was an AI chatbot called ChatGPT, and was unlike any app people had used before. It was more human than a customer service agent, more convenient than a Google search.

Behind the scenes, battles for control and prestige between the world’s two leading AI firms, OpenAI and DeepMind, who now steers Google’s AI efforts, has remained elusive. Until now, thanks to a fascinating new book called Supremacy by Parmy Olsen which was the FT/Schroders Business Book of the Year. “The real threat of artificial intelligence that its top creators are ignoring: the profit-driven spread of flawed and biased technology into industries, education, media and more”.

Time Magazine recently published its second Time 100 AI list, recognising the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence. It includes 40 CEOs and founders, alongside scientists and influencers: Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Daphne Koller of Insitro, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Chris Olah and Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity, and Masayoshi Son of Softbank.

Three years ago, Ann Wojcicki’s DNA-testing firm 23andMe was a massive success, with a share price higher than Apple’s. But, from those heady days of millions of people rushing to send it saliva samples in return for detailed reports about their ancestry, family connections and genetic make-up, it now finds itself fighting for its survival.Its share price has plummeted and this month it narrowly avoided being delisted from the stock market.

Sailing across the Bosphorus from Istanbul to the Princes’ Island of Buyukada, the tech revolutions from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen seem like a different world. The small boat chugs past fishermen and a few late-season tourists. Arriving on the island, which still doesn’t allow cars, is like stepping back even further in time. And the old wooden Splendid Hotel is an antidote to modern travel. Creaking floors, and faltering water supply, food if you’re nice, and no wifi.

But I was here to think. Or more specifically, to help the exec team of Enerjisa to think about their future. While they are already a leading clean energy company, they could be so much more. from powering homes, to enabling life. By the end of our workshop, the team was full of ideas  – to be a mobility business, real estate business, lifestyle concierge and much more. There are no limits, once you let go of your old limiting mindsets! Now we need to structure the ideas – what to exploit, what to explore – and how it works as a roadmap for sustained, profitable growth.

December: How can you be invincible, riding the waves of change, the relentless reinventor?

Stepping on stage at the Global Marketing Summit 2024 organised by KREA in Istanbul to deliver the opening keynote, you might be forgiven for thinking I’d talk about tech. But my theme was actually how to be invincible, or more precisely, how to relentlessly reinvent yourself. Not just over centuries, but sometimes every few years. We explored the “S curves” which map the journeys of Lamborghini from tractors to supercars, DSM from coal mines to life sciences, or Fujifilm from camera film to cosmetics. The challenge is to reinvent yourself before you have to, which requires vision and courage, to ride the waves of change with foresight and ingenuity, and never stop. In a world of uncertainty and change, relentless reinvention is the secret to being invincible.

I’ve done a number of projects in Saudi Arabia this year. Cities like Riyadh and Jeddah are transforming at incredible speed – far faster, even, than Dubai. While some might question the ethics, I feel it’s far better to educate and support new values and new aspirations. The nation’s Vision 2030 has certainly had a transformative impact on sparking big ideas and action. Lucid, the EV maker is now based here, catalysing new industries. Q commerce is everywhere, championed by innovators like Hungerstation. And the Ministry of Culture is more focused on the future than past.

Some of the business leaders at Emdad, a Riyadh-based talent accelerator, asked me what has sparked my imagination this year. Well everything above. I’m also incredibly curious. I love new ideas, reports, books. Some more great books this year have included Growth by David Susskind exploring sustainable growth, The Whole Story by John Mackey who is founder of Whole Foods, The Algebra of Wealth by maverick podcaster Scott Galloway, The Upside of Disruption from my friend Terence Mauri, Proximity on transformative tech by Robert Walcott, Red Helicopter on leading change with kindness by James Rhee, Make your Own Rules by YouTuber and music misfit Andrew Huang. And I have a new book on its way too. About dreams, reinvention, transformation, and being you.

The year ended with Jaguar, that iconic heritage brand of old British luxury, but now owned by India’s Tata Group.  At the Miami Art Week, the company took inspiration from Jaguar’s founder Sir William Lyons to “Copy Nothing“. This started with the launch of a new brand identity and ad campaign, which shocked the world’s brand guru’s for ditching its jaguar cat logo for modern typography, and flowed rapidly into conceptual pinkness. And then came the future, in the shape of the Jaguar Type 00, a new all-electric range of dramatic supercars. Powerful, daring, exciting.