Adapt or Disappear! A Futurist’s Warning for Business Leaders | Mark van Rijmenam

aus Future Tax Podcast: Trends. Technologie. Transformation. · 23.03.2026 · 54 Min.

Beschreibung

By 2030 there will be two types of organizations: the ones that use AI — and the ones that won’t exist. In this episode of the Future Tax Podcast, Sebastian Thalhammer sits down with futurist and author Mark van Rijmenam to explore what real adaptability looks like in the AI era — beyond hype, beyond fear, and beyond “let’s just buy a tool” — and why the real challenge is rarely the tech itself, but the human side: fear, trust, incentives, and the ability to evolve fast without losing what makes an organization humane. We also connect these ideas to regulated industries like tax, accounting, and finance, where AI forces a new question on every professional and leader: What do you bring to the table when knowledge becomes a button? In this episode: • The “two types of organizations by 2030” thesis • How to create momentum for change without waiting for crisis — and the 3E framework • Why “tech-first transformation” fails (and what works instead) • Transparency vs. black boxes: blockchain vs. generative AI • Human-machine collaboration: where humans still win (and why it matters) • Countries competing for business (Estonia, e-residency, frictionless setup) — and Europe’s challenge: regulation strength vs. innovation speed • A 10-year “future check”: what signals a humane AI transition? Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open — Use AI or Die 01:05 Intro — Mark van Rijmenam & why 2030 is a real line in the sand 03:10 Recurring patterns of successful people & organizations 05:10 Why change usually happens too late (external pressure vs. leadership) 07:20 The 3E framework: Educate, Experiment, Execute (and Empower) 11:10 The common failure mode: “buy a tool” transformation 13:20 Fear, jobs, and the human side of disruption 15:30 Transparency & incentives: who benefits from complexity? 18:00 Blockchain vs. GenAI: where transparency increases — and where it collapses 20:20 “Optimistic dystopian”: seeing the good, bad, and ugly of tech 23:10 Leadership reality: you can’t take everyone with you 25:05 Skills that rise in the AI era: adaptation, judgment, ethics, creativity 28:10 Human-machine collaboration: where professionals create new value 30:20 Australia vs. Europe vs. USA/China: who moves — and why 34:10 Borders, business mobility, and how countries will compete 36:10 Estonia example: e-residency & reducing friction 38:10 Can Europe become a “United States of Europe”? 41:00 10-year time travel question: what would Mark check first? 43:00 Closing thoughts & where to find Mark’s work Links & resources Guest: Mark van Rijmenam, futurist and author Website: https://www.markvanrijmenam.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markvanrijmenam/ Books on Amazon (author page): https://www.amazon.de/stores/Mark-van-Rijmenam/author/B00H3B451E Mentioned in this episode: • Futurewise: https://www.futurewise.tech/ • Life 3.0 (Max Tegmark): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550614/life-30-by-max-tegmark/ • Estonia e-Residency: https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/ • SAS Survival Handbook: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/sas-survival-handbook-john-lofty-wiseman • Jamie Dimon profile (JPMorgan): https://www.jpmorganchase.com/about/our-leadership/jamie-dimon Host / Future Tax Collective: Future Tax Index Assessment: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/r/future-tax-index — Future Tax Collective: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/ Alle Folgen mit Transkript: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-podcast Tax Tech Radar: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-tech-radar Future Tax Briefing: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-briefing Sebastian Thalhammer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianthalhammer/