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The Strategy Stack - Tech Breakdown (With Guest: Bora Ger)

Episode 7: AI Strategy, Europe’s Challenge, Culture Wars & the Path Forward

Strategy Stack: Tech Breakdown

👥 Featuring:

  • Guest: Bora – Global AI Lead at Capgemini, strategist, author of the AI Strategy Manifesto, and digital transformation veteran.

  • Host: Alex (The Strategy Stack)

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Key Discussion Topics

  • Bora’s Background & Mission

    • 15+ years in digital transformation and enterprise consulting.

    • Leading AI strategy across a 7,000+ person organization at Capgemini.

    • Advocating for AI as a business-first, not tech-first, transformation driver.

  • The AI Strategy Manifesto

    • Born from frustrations with AI playbooks focused only on tech implementation.

    • Inspired by Europe's historic mistakes with digital transformation.

    • A call for holistic, human-first, business-led AI strategy.

    • Offers principles—not frameworks—to evaluate the depth and direction of enterprise AI efforts.

  • Europe’s AI Lag & Cultural Factors

    • Europe’s digital stagnation stems from viewing “digital” as an IT problem.

    • Cultural reluctance around risk-taking and innovation is a major blocker.

    • Regulation-first approach risks sidelining Europe in the global AI race.

    • Suggests bottom-up, national-level momentum to push Brussels toward reform.

  • Innovation, Governance & Power

    • US = Invents | China = Scales | Europe = Regulates — but Bora challenges this narrative.

    • Discusses the global “AI power play” as a mix of geopolitics, chip production, and data access.

    • Advocates for resurgence of liberalism, human agency, and local experimentation.

  • Generational Shifts & AI Literacy

    • Concern over rising “unliteracy” — people capable of reading, choosing not to.

    • AI compresses the gap between signal and decision, but may weaken critical thinking.

    • Reflections on Gen Z’s media habits, data awareness, and a hopeful counterculture.

  • The Future: Ownership, Data & Identity

    • Hope for a future with user-owned data, wallets, and AI agents acting on our behalf.

    • Web3 and AI convergence could unlock a new era of personal sovereignty.

    • The return of national identity and values in tech development isn’t regression—it’s rebalancing.


💡 Takeaways

From Alex:

  • AI shortens the distance between signal and decision, but depth of thought is still essential.

  • Culture eats strategy for breakfast... and demography eats culture—the youth will shape AI’s meaning.

  • Innovation is structural as much as technical—Europe needs more ambition, not more rules.

From Bora:

  • Europe risks repeating its digital failures with AI by treating it as “IT with steroids.”

  • AI isn’t just a cost-cutter—it’s a strategic enabler of new business models.

  • We need a grassroots reawakening of liberal values, cultural courage, and regulatory sanity.

  • Learning without reflection is hollow—books, discussion, and writing are more vital than ever.

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