OpenAI released ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. After reviewing ChatGPT, I knew I was witnessing something special – like witnessing the unveiling of the Apple iPhone in 2007. Apple’s foldable phone that should be released by October, has the potential of becoming Apple’s most popular phone ever.
I was so confident in the ability of ChatGPT to disrupt entire industries that I wrote these words in a LinkedIn posts:
“Did ChatGPT just make the metaverse irrelevant? I believe it does. I anticipate that Mark Zuckerberg will have no choice but shut down the metaverse program, and focus all efforts on AI.”
I was correct. Meta exists in name only and the company has abandoned the metaverse for AI. It’s a smart choice. (I anticipate that Zuckerberg will kill the name of Meta and switch to using Facebook AI or something similar.) Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, and other corporations have shut down their metaverse programs as well.
The CEOs of Google, Tesla, Amazon, Walmart, Palantir Technologies, and many other companies, were completely blindsided by the release of ChatGPT and the speed of new AI entrants. The speed of technology innovation is increasing and will continue to do so for several more years. However, sooner than people expect, the amount of innovation related to AI will decrease substantially.
CEOs are faced with a massive dilemma:
➡️ How do they meet customer demand in established markets, and take advantage of opportunities presented new technologies?
➡️ Even more challenging, how can CEOs increase their visibility much earlier to disruptive technologies, and incorporate the technologies into their business planning?
➡️ How can CEOs increase their visibility into what’s taking place across industries that may be of interest?
➡️ How can CEOs gain visibility into the moves of their competitors?
➡️ How can information be weaponized?
The answer lies in applying the tactics of guerrilla warfare and intelligence gathering to business. For example, establish a highly skilled but small team of experts capable of identifying, researching, and assessing new technologies and strategic moves by competitors and companies in other industries, and have them write recommendations for how to leverage the technology or counter the moves made by competitors.
Unlike companies that have internal strategy teams, what I suggest is different. I strongly advise that the individuals who are hired DON’T KNOW WHAT COMPANY THEY WORK FOR. Why? It maximizes their ability to move freely (blend into the population) and gain access to many more companies, universities, investment firms, etc. In addition, when someone doesn’t know who they work for, they remove all assumptions from their thinking. I’ve reviewed many strategy reports from internal resources and consultants only to find they were filled with assumptions.
Business needs a new playbook.
My advice is think like a guerrilla.
