The space economy has a branding problem. It sounds distant, while quietly helping us navigate, communicate, monitor the planet and run increasingly ordinary businesses. ESA’s latest report values the downstream market, including satellite communications, Earth observation and navigation services, at approximately €490 billion: esa.int/About_Us/Business_wi… Private investment in space ventures also increased by 60% globally in 2025, although investment in European ventures declined slightly. Much like cloud computing, the value of space infrastructure is often realised through services built several layers above the underlying hardware. For Europe, the challenge is converting scientific capability and public investment into competitive companies, accessible data and useful everyday services. Space may be the frontier, but the business opportunity is increasingly down here. #SpaceEconomy #EuropeanInnovation #DigitalInfrastructure #TechnologyStrategy

Annual reports are not known for their sense of adventure. That is precisely why this study is useful. The researchers examined S&P 500 companies’ regulatory filings to distinguish genuine AI integration from enthusiastic corporate vocabulary. For those curious about the methodology, the paper is here: arxiv.org/abs/2607.08920 In 2025, 11% of these firms appeared to have AI deeply integrated into their business processes, with another 10% using it in production or service delivery. Adoption has grown quickly, but the researchers find no clear difference in productivity or capital expenditure yet. Companies may need to invest, redesign workflows and absorb implementation costs long before the results appear in conventional metrics. The slightly uncomfortable lesson is that operational change remains slower than narrative change. A boring annual report can sometimes help us tell the two apart. #EnterpriseAI #AIAdoption #BusinessTransformation #Productivity

Everyone is bracing for the “AI Jobs Apocalypse,” but is it actually coming? 🤔 I’ve just listened to a brilliant episode of Plain English with Derek Thompson and economist Alex Imas, and their conclusion perfectly validates a trend I’ve been observing across the business and FinTech landscapes. Spoiler alert: AI isn’t going to steal all our jobs, but it is going to drastically reallocate them. Imas uses the “Jevons Paradox” to explain why making tech cheaper (like AI writing code) actually increases the demand for tech professionals—which perfectly aligns with the recent data I shared showing Product Management and Engineering roles hitting three-year highs. But the most fascinating takeaway is what Imas calls “relational jobs.” As AI drives the cost of objective tasks to zero, human desire doesn’t disappear; it shifts. People will pay a significant premium for trust, empathy, and human connection. This echoes exactly what Mark Esposito, Danny Goh, Paul Lee, and I argue in Becoming AI Native: we are entering the “Intimacy Economy.” Just as we’ve seen the CFO’s role evolve from a scorekeeper to a “Transformation Orchestrator,” the future belongs to those who act as the ultimate “O-Ring”—the human-in-the-loop who ensures decision integrity when the machines do the heavy lifting. 💡 AI isn’t a job destroyer; it’s a catalyst for human-centric work. Getting AI right isn’t just about better models; it’s fundamentally human. What “relational skills” are you doubling down on in your career right now? Let me know below! #FutureOfWork #BecomingAINative #AIStrategy #FinTech #Leadership #Economics

While capital is chasing AI on Earth, another investment story is quietly taking shape above us. HFR’s podcast on the lunar economy left me thinking less about the romance of returning to the Moon, and more about how space is becoming a new frontier for capital allocation. For years, space was seen mainly as a government mission or a billionaire’s ambition. But the lunar economy points to something broader: infrastructure, logistics, robotics, defense, resource mapping, and long-term industrial capability. That does not mean every space investment will make sense. The timelines are long, the capital needs are heavy, and many business models still need to prove themselves. But that is exactly why the topic is worth watching. At a time when capital and attention are heavily concentrated around AI, space offers a different kind of frontier: one with real-world applications, strategic value, and potential portfolio diversification. The question is not whether space is exciting. It is whether investors are early enough to understand what kind of economy is being built above us. HFR’s podcast: hfr.com/hfr-media/hfr_podcas… #SpaceEconomy #LunarEconomy #AlternativeInvestments #PortfolioStrategy #DeepTech

It was a wonderful evening at the beautiful Palazzo Mezzanotte in Milan for the 2026 Academy-Next Alumni Event. I was honoured to deliver the keynote, “Data Science, Private Markets and Governance for the AI-Powered Future: Navigating the New Imperatives.” I spoke about how AI is changing governance, investment, and decision-making in financial markets. This is a topic I am always excited to discuss, and the audience made it even more enjoyable with their thoughtful questions and real interest. The evening began with inspiring remarks from Luca Filippa, Managing Director at CONSOB, and continued with two excellent panel discussions. These sessions highlighted something I strongly believe: the future of financial markets relies not only on innovation and technology, but also on strong governance, skilled professionals, and real collaboration across the financial ecosystem. Even the most advanced AI is just an expensive calculator without the right people, governance, and partnerships to support it. Thank you to everyone in the audience for taking the time to listen to me. I am especially grateful to Daniela Biagi, Sara Bernasconi, and Carla Proserpio for putting together such a wonderful event. The setting was beautiful, the organisation was perfect, and the energy in the room was something I will remember for a long time. Here’s to continuing to reshape how we equip finance professionals for an AI-powered world. 🙏 #AcademyNext #CapitalMarkets #AIGovernance #PrivateMarkets #DataScience #Finance #Milan #Keynote

This week, my AI Trends in Finance class featured a father-and-son duo, and it turned out to be a fantastic session! 😄 Farshad Nowshadi brought a lot of energy to the class, almost matching mine (just almost), and shared his deep experience and ideas about how AI and other technologies will shape the future of finance. He explained how AI is changing risk assessment and decision-making, and talked about the bigger changes that will transform financial services in the next decade. Farshad gave us a broad look at what’s coming, based on real-world experience and deep industry knowledge, not just hype. He shared the kind of wisdom that comes from years of working in the field. The students took lots of notes, and for good reason. His son Zak Nowshadi offered a different perspective, giving practical advice on how graduates can improve their chances in today’s job market. For students planning their next steps, his talk came at the perfect time. Thank you both for sharing your time and ideas so generously. My students truly benefited from your visit. 🙏

The biggest mistake companies make with AI agents may be treating them too much like people. I just read HBR’s piece on why AI agents should not be treated like employees, and it reinforces something I have been thinking about for some time: the real challenge is not whether AI can act, but whether organizations can redesign work around it. Too often, companies over-personify AI agents. They expect them to behave like junior staff, handle ambiguity like humans, and somehow fit neatly into existing reporting lines. But agents do not bring judgment, context, accountability, or institutional memory in the same way people do. That does not make them less useful. It means they need to be designed differently. AI agents should not be managed as replicas of employees. They should be embedded as accountable parts of workflows, with clear boundaries, feedback loops, and human oversight where judgment matters. This is why becoming AI-native is not just about adopting more advanced tools. It is about rethinking how decisions are made, how responsibility is assigned, and how humans and machines coordinate. The future of AI agents will not be decided by autonomy alone. It will be decided by whether organizations know how to work with them. Read the full HBR article here: hbr.org/2026/05/research-why… #AIAgents #AIStrategy #AIAdoption #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalDesign #AINative

Japan’s soft power is often discussed through culture: food, design, anime, tourism and lifestyle. But Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index 2026 highlights Japan’s position among the world’s leading nations, with particular strengths in Business & Trade, Sustainable Future, Education & Science, and Governance. That matters because Japan’s influence is not only cultural. It is increasingly institutional, technological and societal. This is where Society 5.0 becomes especially interesting. It is not just a technology strategy. It is a national story about how advanced technologies can be used to address ageing societies, sustainability, resilience and human wellbeing. In the first week of June, I was able to witness all these with my own eyes. If I were to write a case study, it will end up having thousands and thousands of pages. The future of soft power may not be about who tells the best story. It may be about who designs the most trusted version of the future. Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index 2026: brandfinance.com/insights/gl… #Japan #SoftPower #Society50 #TechnologyStrategy #FutureOfWork #AIStrategy

Allow me to blow my own trumpet for a moment. 🎺 The Tokyo City Seminar just finished its most successful edition yet, and I’m still taking in everything we experienced in just one week. We visited three extraordinary companies, each offering a completely different lens on innovation: Panasonic Connect offered a masterclass in how Japanese companies innovate in ways that Western management theory rarely captures. We explored why the global business world often overlooks Japanese innovation models and saw how these companies focus on B2B and create connections between software and hardware. Takara Tomy showed Japan’s soft power at its best. How do you take intellectual property and turn it into a global phenomenon? This visit was a fascinating look into the art and science of marketing IP and building lasting brand success. A huge thank you to the Takara Tomy team for letting our students work with them and develop new ideas together. It’s an experience they won’t forget. At FINOLAB, we met a sustainability startup—yes, a startup in Japan and sustainability these days —and learned how innovation hubs like FINOLAB help early-stage companies grow in an ecosystem not usually known for its startup culture. On top of that, we heard from speakers from special effects companies, Uniqlo, and Mori. At Mori, Society 5.0 stopped being just a concept and became something you could actually see, touch, and walk through. Speaking of the walk-through, even though it was my second time doing the walking tour at Azabudai Hills, it never ceases to amaze me. It was an incredible week of learning, broadening our horizons, and gaining insights you just can’t get from a textbook or a case study. There’s a Chinese idiom: “Reading 10,000 books is not as beneficial as travelling 10,000 miles.” In this case, you can do both by spending a week in Tokyo. 😄 Thank you to all the students, speakers, and hosts who made this happen. This will be hard to top, but we’ll try. 🇯🇵 #TokyoCitySeminar #Japan #Innovation #SoftPower #Society5 #HultIBS #ExecutiveEducation #Tokyo

It was a real highlight to return from the Singapore electives and the Tokyo City Seminar just in time to attend a “meet the authors” event at the AI Summit London this week. I want to thank Lucy McClune at Taylor and Francis for inviting Danny Goh @dcwgoh and me. It was a pleasure to meet and talk with so many people, especially fellow authors like Davar Ardalan, David Burden, and Maggi Savin-Baden. I was especially glad to attend the event with my long-time collaborator, Danny Goh!

I’ve long observed that we often treat “money” and “software” as separate worlds, but the real revolution happens when they finally merge into one. I found this conversation between Circle’s Jeremy Allaire and the No Priors team (open.spotify.com/episode/7qw…) particularly timely. It moves the needle from crypto speculation to the actual “utility” layer of the agentic economy. What many miss is that AI agents won’t just use our financial system; they will demand a completely new one. While legacy banks sleep on weekends, Allaire highlights how “programmable money” allows agents to execute transactions for a millionth of a penny instantly. We are finally at the “broadband moment” for blockchain—where infrastructure meets ambition. We are moving toward an “economic operating system” where machines store value and execute contracts with mathematical proof. It’s no longer about a shadow economy; it’s about the real economy becoming tamper-resistant. If your business relies on human-centred banking speeds, how will you compete when AI agents start transacting in milliseconds? #AI #Stablecoins #AgenticEconomy #Fintech #Blockchain #FutureOfFinance

A large team isn't a competitive advantage. Often, it's a coordination tax in disguise. Keith Rabois made a point on Lenny’s Podcast that stuck with me: most organizations keep hiring “ammunition”—skilled executors who still need to be aimed—without developing enough “barrels.” A barrel is the rare person who can take a project from zero to shipped, end-to-end, without constant hand-holding. That ratio—barrels to headcount—is a much more honest signal of organizational health than team size alone. Generative AI is starting to shift this dynamic. Keith noted that in some high-performing firms, CMOs—not engineers—are becoming the heaviest consumers of AI tokens, producing work directly instead of delegating it through layers. AI is giving more non-technical leaders the leverage to act like barrels. The implication for PMs and operators is significant: as building gets faster and cheaper, knowing exactly what to build, and why, becomes the real advantage. This points to a different way of thinking about team quality. The real metric isn’t size. It’s tempo. How fast can your team spot a problem, make a decision, and ship a solution? High-performing organizations aren’t defined by how many people they have. They’re defined by how quickly the right people can move. The question worth asking: Are you building leadership density, or just adding coordination overhead? Listen to the full episode here: open.spotify.com/episode/2Ld… #AI #Leadership #Startups #ProductManagement #FutureOfWork

Everyone’s piling into AI. But what if the smarter investment opportunity is 400 kilometres above your head? 🚀 In my latest article for The European Business Review @TEBReview, I argue that the AI trade is becoming dangerously crowded. I also suggest that investors interested in diversification, timing, and long-term value should take a closer look at the space economy. Consider this: the Magnificent Seven now make up 34% of the S&P 500. That level of concentration should make any investor nervous. At the same time, the space economy is quietly maturing, with real businesses earning revenue from satellite data, pharmaceutical research in microgravity, and national space infrastructure. Investing in a risky area is not a problem - concentration is. Here’s what really caught my attention while researching this piece: studies show the space sector is uncorrelated, and in some cases even slightly negatively correlated, with major equity indices. This could make it a better diversifier than Bitcoin or gold. This isn’t about picking space instead of AI. It’s about seeing that when everyone is focused on the same thing, sometimes the smartest move is to look up. 😄 📖 Read the full article here: europeanbusinessreview.com/t… #SpaceEconomy #Investing #AI #Diversification #PortfolioStrategy #EuropeanBusinessReview

A few days ago, I took my Hult International Business School fintech elective students to Level39 at One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, and it was worth every minute. 🏙️ When we study fintech, we tend to focus on the companies themselves — the apps, the algorithms, the business models. We pay much less attention to the ecosystems these companies operate in and the roles they play in enabling financial services startups to grow. Level39 is a great example of this. It is home to over 180 startup and scaleup technology companies and has launched many of the UK’s most recognisable fintech names. What stood out to my students and me was not just who was there, but how the space was set up to encourage innovation. The mentoring programs, the closeness to major financial institutions, the community events, and the coworking setup that places a two-person startup next to a company of fifty all play a part. Anyone interested in how the right infrastructure and real estate can transform an industry will find valuable insights here. Building great companies matters, but creating the environment where great companies can grow is just as important. Thank you to Vishal Joneja and Daisy Harris or their warm hospitality and for giving our students such a valuable and eye-opening experience. I also want to thank the many students for joining and asked great questions throughout the visit. 🙏😁 #Fintech #Level39 #CanaryWharf #Innovation #Ecosystem #FinancialServices

Quick question for every CFO out there: When was the last time your job description truly reflected what your daily work looks like? 🤔 In my latest article for Finance Derivative, I dive into how AI is fundamentally changing what it means to be a CFO. The job title might be the same, but what you actually do has shifted dramatically. The numbers say it all: 53% of CFOs are now leading digital transformation in their organisations. 87% feel they’re much more involved than they were just three years ago. And most are being asked to show results from AI projects in just 12 months—even though these projects usually need 18 to 24 months to really deliver. No pressure, right? So why are CFOs—not CTOs or CIOs—the ones stepping up to lead the AI charge? It’s because finance is where AI can prove its value fastest and most clearly. CFOs are used to asking the tough ROI questions that sometimes get overlooked elsewhere. Plus, finance really is the heart of every organisation—the central nervous system where capital, data, and strategy all come together. But with these new responsibilities comes a heavier load. Today’s finance leader has to wear a lot of hats: entrepreneur, data strategist, storyteller, and someone who isn’t afraid to challenge the way things have always been done. The old focus on just stewardship and control is evolving—the CFO is becoming more of a performance orchestrator. The future belongs to CFOs who can blend financial know-how with a genuine curiosity about technology, and who aren’t afraid to question the status quo. That might sound like a lot—and it is—but the top CFOs are already rising to the challenge. 😁 📖 Read the full article here: financederivative.com/from-s… #CFO #AI #DigitalTransformation #Finance #Leadership #AIStrategy #FinanceDerivative

Here's something worth paying attention to, especially if you work in tech or advise people who do. Despite all the noise about AI killing jobs, the data tells a different story. Lenny Rachitsky's March 2026 State of the Product Job Market shows PM openings at their highest in over three years (7,379 globally — up 79% from the 2023 low), engineering roles still growing (67,000+ open roles), and AI-specific roles quite simply exploding. What I find most interesting isn't the headline numbers. It's the design story. Design roles have flatlined since 2023 while PM and eng keep climbing — and the PM-to-designer demand ratio has actually flipped, now 1.27x in PM's favor. Lenny's read: AI is letting engineers move so fast that the traditional design process is increasingly being bypassed. Here's what I'd add — this isn't AI eliminating creativity. It's reshaping where humans add value in the product cycle. The deeper implication for anyone building teams or careers: it's not about whether AI takes jobs. It's about which capabilities become more valuable, and which become easier to automate. The winners won't be those who fear the shift. They'll be those who reposition ahead of it. What are you seeing in your own hiring or job search right now? 📎 Full report: lennysnewsletter.com/p/state… #TechJobs #ProductManagement #AI #FutureOfWork #CareerStrategy #Leadership

A lot of people are focused on rolling out AI at scale, but not many are discussing how to manage it effectively. That’s a real issue. How can you trust an AI system if you can’t explain its decisions? How do you manage something that changes faster than your compliance rules? And what does responsible AI really mean when it’s part of your daily work, not just a slide in a deck? Danny Goh @dcwgoh, Mark Esposito @Exp_Mark, and I will dive into these questions in our upcoming webinar: AI You Can Trust: Governing and Interpreting AI at Enterprise Scale. This won’t be just a theory. Together, we’ve built AI systems, advised governments and global organisations, and even written the book on becoming AI native. We’ll share what has worked, what hasn’t, and what enterprise leaders should focus on right now. If you’re a CTO working to build trust in your AI stack, a board member asking tough questions, or a leader who thinks your organisation’s AI governance is more about slides than real action, this session is for you. Join us on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 1:00 to 1:45 PM EDT for a Zoom webinar. You can scan the QR code in the image or go here tinyurl.com/2pjjms92 Hope to see you there! #AIGovernance #TrustworthyAI #BecomingAINative #NexusFrontierTech #AI #EnterpriseAI #Leadership

What if Japan’s biggest constraints are quietly becoming its biggest catalysts? Jesper Koll’s recent essay makes a striking case. Demographics, debt, and US–China rivalry are usually filed as “Japan’s problems.” Borrowing from Jean-Baptiste Say, Koll argues they are doing the opposite — awakening inclinations. Labour scarcity is pushing firms from seniority to merit, releasing “animal spirits” Japan has not seen in a generation. Rising rates are forcing the government to spend better, not more. US–China rivalry is forcing Japan to take sovereignty seriously. What strikes me most is one of the essay’s most revealing lines: he trusts Japan’s culture is resilient enough that this new dynamism will not collapse into a “winner-takes-all” plutocracy. That line is the bridge. If Japan isn’t heading toward Silicon Valley disruption, and not toward a winner-takes-all model either — then where? This is where Society 5.0 stops being a policy concept and becomes a strategy: can an advanced society use technology to solve economic and demographic problems while staying human-centred? And it’s where Japan’s soft power needs re-reading. Not only anime, cuisine or design — but a model of progress. Proof that modernization need not mean atomization. In early June, I’ll be in Tokyo with Mark Esposito @Exp_Mark for a week-long Hult International Business School seminar on Japan’s Soft Power and Society 5.0. Japan’s greatest 21st-century advantage may not be its technology or capital — but its rare ability to modernize without losing itself. Jesper Koll’s essay: substack.com/@japanoptimist/… #Japan #Society50 #SoftPower #Hult

When did the CFO stop being the scorekeeper? 🤔 I recently attended Economist Impact’s AI for CFOs conference, and it opened my eyes to how much there is still to learn. I thought I understood how the CFO role was changing, but I left seeing that the transformation is much bigger than I expected. One observation in particular stuck with me, and I turned it into an article for The World Financial Review @TWFReview. Here’s what’s happening: 53% of CFOs have now taken direct responsibility for digital and process transformation. 87% report far greater involvement in digital transformation than just three years ago. And 83% say they need to show evidence of AI returns within 12 months to justify continued investment. The CFO is no longer just responsible for the balance sheet or running efficient processes. The role has become what I call the Performance and Transformation Orchestrator: someone who brings together technology, talent, and data to help the organisation succeed. Why finance? Finance is often the first area to use AI, since forecasting, accounts payable, and reporting are the easiest places to start. Early adoption also brings something valuable: the judgment to know what works, what doesn’t, and when to stop. But with new power comes new responsibility. Today’s CFO has to manage legacy IT, help teams build AI and data skills, and oversee AI governance, all while showing measurable ROI quickly. The finance leader of the future isn’t just a numbers person. They need to be part entrepreneur, storyteller, strategist, and someone who challenges the status quo. If you’re a CFO or work with one, this is worth reading. 📖 Full article here: worldfinancialreview.com/the… #CFO #AI #DigitalTransformation #Finance #Leadership #AIStrategy #EconomistImpact #WorldFinancialReview

Most AI readiness tools, such as those from Cisco, Microsoft, Avanade, and Google, are designed for organisations. They look at things like your company’s infrastructure, data pipelines, cloud setup, and governance. And then there are many educational outfits preparing leaders to use AI in their companies. These tools are helpful, but they really just answer one question: “Is our organisation ready for AI?” But they don’t answer a more personal question: “Am I ready for AI?” This is the gap that AI Compass aims to fill. AI Compass is an AI readiness intelligence platform created by the AI Native Foundation. Instead of just giving you a quiz and a score, it first gathers and checks information from 12 different sources about you, your company, and your industry. Then, it tailors 25 questions to fit your profile, including your seniority, sector, and regulatory environment, and creates a personalised report with 11 sections. The report covers peer benchmarks, a regulatory scorecard, a register of risks and opportunities, competitive intelligence, a skills and career matrix, and a 90-day action plan designed for your role. This isn’t just a generic checklist—it’s a personalised strategic briefing. What makes it different from what’s out there? Most tools in the market are organisation-level diagnostics designed for CIOs and IT teams, often pointing you towards a specific vendor’s ecosystem. AI Compass is designed for individuals — from individual contributors to board members, across technology, finance, healthcare, government, education, and beyond. Whether you use AI tools every day or have never touched one, the assessment adapts to you. As AI readiness becomes a key career skill, it’s more important than ever to know where you stand personally. Try it here: aicompass.ainativefoundation… If your company or institution wants team, group, or enterprise access, feel free to message me. #AICompass #AIReadiness #AINativeFoundation #ArtificialIntelligence #AIStrategy #CareerDevelopment #Leadership