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Friday, July 11, 2025The Future Is Being Built Where You Land: Why AI Is Redefining Value CreationDear CEOs and Investors, If you want to know where the future is being forged, forget the news cycles and trendy buzzwords. Head to the airport. The ads you see there aren’t just pitching products—they’re broadcasting the tectonic shifts reshaping the global economy. Let me share a moment that brought this into sharp focus.A few days ago, I drove to San Jose International Airport to see someone off. As I walked through the terminal, something stopped me in my tracks. The walls weren’t covered with ads for food delivery apps, vacation packages, or designer brands. There wasn’t a single billboard hawking the latest consumer fad or luxury accessory.Instead, every screen, every sign, every corner of that terminal was dominated by one resounding theme: Artificial Intelligence.From Keysight Technologies to Cisco, Dell to Dialpad, AMD to ServiceNow—every advertisement was a bold proclamation: “We’re building the future with AI. Right here, right now.”This wasn’t just clever marketing. It was a window into where value is being created, where innovation is taking root, and who’s writing the next chapter of the tech economy. As leaders and investors, you know that markets are shaped by signals—clues about where capital, talent, and opportunity are converging. Those airport ads weren’t just promotions; they were a blueprint for the future. San Jose: The Heart of the Intelligence Economy : San Jose isn’t just a dot on a map—it’s a crucible. It’s the epicenter of Silicon Valley, where the world’s boldest ideas are transformed into reality. Context matters. It shapes the stories we tell, the bets we make, and the talent we attract. In Silicon Valley, the narrative isn’t about incremental tweaks or fleeting trends. It’s about rebuilding the world around intelligence—artificial intelligence, to be precise.What hit me hardest as I navigated that terminal wasn’t just the ubiquity of AI in those ads. It was the kind of companies staking their claim. These weren’t trendy AI startups chasing viral consumer apps. They were infrastructure titans, platform builders, and B2B powerhouses—companies like AMD, designing the chips that fuel AI models; Cisco, powering the networks that connect them; and ServiceNow, redefining enterprise efficiency with intelligent automation. These are the quiet giants building the foundation for tomorrow’s economy.The realization was electrifying: AI isn’t a feature—it’s the bedrock. The companies dominating those airport screens weren’t pitching AI as a shiny add-on. They were weaving it into the core of their offerings, transforming industries from logistics to healthcare, manufacturing to finance. They’re not just participating in the AI revolution—they’re enabling it.The Intelligence Economy Is Grounded in Reality. We often think of AI as some intangible force living in the cloud, a black box that churns out insights or automates tasks. But the reality is far more concrete. AI is built on silicon, servers, and systems. It’s powered by the chips from AMD, the networks from Cisco, the testing solutions from Keysight, and the enterprise platforms from ServiceNow. These companies aren’t just surfing the AI wave—they’re creating the currents that drive it.This is the intelligence economy, and it’s being constructed one chip, one model, one breakthrough at a time. The companies I saw advertised in that airport aren’t chasing fads—they’re building the infrastructure that will define the next decade of global business. They’re enabling generative AI to process massive datasets, empowering autonomous systems to make real-time decisions, and unlocking unprecedented efficiency and innovation for enterprises.For CEOs, this is a clarion call. If you’re still treating AI as an “experiment”—a chatbot here, a predictive model there—you’re missing the forest for the trees. While you’re testing the waters, others are diving in, building empires on the foundation of AI. The companies in that airport aren’t dabbling—they’re all in. They’re investing billions in R&D, forging strategic partnerships, and reorienting their business models around intelligence.The Stakes Are High: Build or Be Outbuilt. The intelligence economy isn’t a far-off vision—it’s here. McKinsey projects that AI could contribute $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with 70% of companies adopting at least one AI technology. But adoption alone won’t secure your place at the table. The winners in this economy won’t be the ones who merely use AI—they’ll be the ones who build with it, who embed it into their core operations, and who redefine their industries around it.Think about the impact on your business. In manufacturing, AI-driven predictive maintenance can cut downtime by 30-50%, according to Deloitte. In retail, intelligent supply chain optimization can boost margins by 5-10%. In healthcare, AI is already improving diagnostic accuracy by up to 40% in certain applications. These aren’t pipe dreams—they’re realities being driven by the infrastructure and platforms built by the companies I saw in that airport.Investors, the opportunity is immense, but the clock is ticking. The AI market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research. The real value, however, lies not in the consumer-facing AI apps that dominate headlines, but in the B2B infrastructure—the “picks and shovels” of the intelligence economy. Companies like Nvidia, which surpassed a $3 trillion market cap in 2024, didn’t achieve that by building chatbots. They did it by powering the AI revolution with cutting-edge GPUs. The next wave of winners will be the companies enabling the intelligence economy at scale—think chips, networks, data centers, and enterprise platforms.Context Shapes Vision, and Vision Shapes ValueWhy does an airport in San Jose reveal so much about the future? Because where you land shapes what you see, and what you see determines what you build next. Silicon Valley isn’t just a place—it’s a mindset. It’s a crucible where the default assumption is that the future can be built, not just predicted. The companies advertising in that airport weren’t just selling products—they were declaring their intent to shape the world.As a CEO, your context matters just as much. The people you surround yourself with, the conversations you prioritize, the partnerships you pursue—they all shape your vision. If you’re immersed in a culture of incrementalism, your strategy will reflect that. But if you place yourself in the context of innovation—whether it’s Silicon Valley, a tech hub like Boston or Shenzhen, or a virtual community of visionaries—you’ll start to see AI not as a tool, but as the foundation for your next big move.For investors, context is equally critical. The companies you back, the sectors you prioritize, the trends you chase—they all reflect the lens through which you view the world. If you’re still funneling capital into legacy industries without an AI strategy, you’re betting on yesterday. The airport ads in San Jose were a clear signal: the future belongs to those building the intelligence economy today.Actionable Steps for CEOs and InvestorsSo, how do you position yourself and your organization to thrive in the intelligence economy? Here are five actionable steps to get started: Make AI Your Strategic Core: Move AI from the periphery to the heart of your business model. Whether you’re in logistics, finance, or healthcare, audit your operations to identify where AI can drive efficiency, innovation, or differentiation. For example, retailers can use AI for demand forecasting, while manufacturers can leverage it for quality control. Invest in Infrastructure, Not Just Applications: Consumer AI apps may grab attention, but the real value lies in the infrastructure enabling them. CEOs should seek partnerships with or investments in companies building the chips, networks, and platforms that power AI. Investors should focus on the B2B players quietly dominating the market. Win the Talent War: The demand for AI talent is fierce, with companies like Amazon and Google scooping up engineers and researchers at breakneck speed. Build a culture that attracts top talent with meaningful projects, competitive pay, and a compelling vision. Smaller firms can partner with universities or AI research hubs to access talent pipelines. Forge Strategic Alliances: No company can build the intelligence economy alone. Collaborate with AI infrastructure providers, cloud platforms, or data analytics firms. For instance, a logistics company could partner with Cisco to enhance IoT capabilities or with ServiceNow to automate workflows. Stay Ahead of the Curve: The AI landscape evolves daily. Engage with thought leaders, attend industry summits, or join AI-focused communities to stay informed. Investors should track emerging players in the AI ecosystem, from startups to pivoting incumbents. CEOs should foster a culture of continuous learning to keep pace with technological leaps. The Future Is Being Built—Will You Shape It? As I left San Jose’s airport, I couldn’t shake the sense that I’d glimpsed the future—not in a sci-fi fantasy, but in the bold, unapologetic vision of the companies advertising there. They weren’t just selling products; they were claiming their stake in the intelligence economy. They were building the foundation for a world where AI isn’t just a tool—it’s the architecture of progress.CEOs, this is your moment to lead. Don’t wait for the perfect AI strategy—start building it now. Embed AI into your operations, invest in the right talent, and align your vision with the intelligence economy. Investors, this is your chance to back the future. Look beyond the hype to the companies building the infrastructure that will power the next decade.The world is being re-architected around AI, one chip, one model, one insight at a time. The question isn’t whether AI will shape the future—it’s whether you’ll be one of its architects.Where you land shapes what you see. And what you see determines what you build next.So, tell me: What future are you building? Labels: #AI #IntelligenceEconomy #SiliconValley #Innovation #Leadership #Investing | |
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