Post by Paul Kaffsack

When You Agree, Disagree, or Agree to Disagree with Bruce Schneier: Reflections from 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 2026 ✍ Past week was a milestone of our engagement at Cybernation by Wirtschaftsrat der CDU e.V. as we acted as Editor-in-Chief in terms of our vision and our way towards a Cybernation. In our joint booklet – which you’ll find in the comments – we put forward 58 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, which are organized on several key areas, including the national security architecture and cybersecurity as an instrument of economics. At the heart is an ambitious objective: by 2035, Germany should generate more economic value from cybersecurity than it suffers from losses by cyber incidents. Our mission is clear: to reduce the annual economic damage from approximately €200 billion to below €50 billion, while increasing the annual revenue of 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆’𝘀 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 from €11 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 €50 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻. 💶 A particularly thought-provoking moment was meeting Bruce Schneier in person and discussing the relationship between regulation and innovation. While regulation can play an important role in creating trust and security, the broader entrepreneurial perspective is clear: competitiveness depends on reducing complexity, simplifying procedures, improving scaling conditions for innovative companies, and giving entrepreneurs the 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱. 💯 As founders and business leaders, we experience these challenges every day. Too often, breakthrough technologies struggle not because of a lack of innovation, but because of fragmented markets, lengthy procurement processes, and barriers to growth. One recommendation I strongly support is 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Award decisions should move beyond price alone and recognize strategic value: technological excellence, automation capabilities, cyber resilience, risk management, and long-term value creation. Governments can become catalysts for innovation rather than simply buyers of technology. 🤖 🤝 🚀 Cybernation 2026 provided an uniquely holistic approach for this and further discussions. The roadmap is on the table, so are the KPIs and the timeline till 2035: excited about it and thanks to everybody who made this happen: Timo Kob, Henri Schmidt, Johannes Schätzl, Marc Henrichmann, Claudia Plattner, Peter Wirnsperger, Ralph Brinkhaus, Dr. Philipp S. Mueller, Dirk Häger, Carsten Simons, Maik Hofmann and many many more. Finally, I would particularly like to single out my colleague Katharina M. Schwarz, who was responsible for the chapter on economic policy and who worked as Editor-in-Chief over weekends and late into the night. You did an impressive job, and I am very proud of the way you fight for this cause with such deep conviction and expertise. 📸 : Jens Schicke (2,3)