Post by Thilo Trost

Everything is in flow. That's what struck me most during three intensive days with the Swiss leadership team of DSV – Global Transport and Logistics one of the world's largest logistics companies. The timing couldn't have been more symbolic: Their merger with DB Schenker went live on Monday, and we kicked-off the workshop sessions on Tuesday. Here's what I rarely see: 14 senior executives staying completely engaged for three full days. Phones on silent. Barely any side conversations and firefighting. Just genuine curiosity about a technology that will reshape their industry. But here's the real insight that emerged: Before we digitalize and merge two existing processes (DSV + DB Schenker), we need to think the new processes "AI-first" from the ground up. The breakthrough moment came when we tackled the core question every leader faces: "When is 'good enough' good enough?" - the 80/20 distinction that separates AI-age leaders from the rest. We discussed a framework that systematically categorizes work: → Pure AI execution for routine internal tasks → Only slight human involvement on 80%-good enough tasks → AI drafts with human review for high-stakes strategy → Human drafts with AI review for critical customer communication. The goal? Let AI handle the 80% so humans can focus on the 20% that creates real competitive advantage and added value. Standing by the Rhine in beautiful Basel, watching everything flow seamlessly from old city to new, I realized that's exactly what's happening in business right now. The companies that will thrive aren't just adding AI to existing processes - they're reimagining the entire flow. As their MD Dominik Wiesler told me at the end, the sentence that really stuck with him was: "This is the worst AI we will ever use." Big thank you to Pascal Kaltenrieder Martin Duttweiler Rada Dobric Matthias Born Martin Brunner Lea Poernbacher Andreas Ott Christian Bianchi Najat Daoudi Philipp Eberl Umut Püsküllü Mirco Schären Martin Fiechter