Dreams and Wishes for 2026 Backed by Data (Distillation Aftershots)
Welcome to a new edition of The Board: Distillation Aftershots (*).
This post is an online version of the newsletter that shares curious and interesting insights and data points distilled from enterprise technology to identify what’s notable. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here.
In this issue, we are going to discuss our hopes and wishes for 2026…backed by data. I collect great perspectives on the world of Enterprise Tech, and I want to share some of the best I found this past end-of-the-year season.
First, my take.
The last two years have been – interesting? Challenging? For sure, not ruled by visibility. We had plenty of geopolitical and economic challenges to deal with. There is no sense in listing them, you know what they are – and listing won’t change what happens going forward.
Last year, for the first time ever, a tracking survey of board members found that boards had hit the “wait and see” button following the prolonged timeline to resolve the tariff war. To bring that into perspective: these are the same people who egg CEOs forward to take measured risks; the people most comfortable with managed risk. And in March of 2025, they said, “Let’s see what happens”. In the last quarter, thankfully, that same tracking survey saw a return to managed risk as a strategic imperative.
The last two years started with a lot of promise: a senior-level executive at a large Fortune 500 company told me (paraphrasing) in November of 2024, “If we don’t invest in 2025, I am not sure we can catch up to where we need to be.” This came after a delayed, later canceled, budget for enterprise technology for their company, which went from “let’s see about this AI thing” to “let’s invest the minimum and see what happens.”
The conversations at the end of 2025 were similar, but – and this is the kicker – more focused. AI wreaked havoc in enterprise technology budgets last year: from companies caught unprepared to deal with the slowdown in Gen AI to those not ready to tackle Agentic AI. Only those that were ahead in AI adoption and scalability going into 2025 were able to leverage their investments and know-how; the rest were left to catch up.
What makes 2026 so interesting, it is a pivot year for enterprise technology. This happens once every generation (10-15 years these days in technology): we saw it with the advent of the PC, the public internet, social channels, cloud, and now AI. Those who plan and execute properly will benefit; those chasing the hype (yes, still some there…) won’t.
Here are some reading resources:
- Dan Wang is a renowned scholar and book author. He lived in China to better understand it, and he wrote a book about how China is poised to conquer the world through technology. Every year, he writes a letter summarizing his take for the coming year. This is the 2025 letter.
- Quoted: “We need to treat humans as an end and not just a means to an end.” But what is particularly striking is that this seemingly facile and human-validating imperative is anything but that: it is based on hard economic facts and rigorous analyses that are gradually revealed over the course of our conversation.” This is Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford professor who studies how AI impacts humans.
- The economy continues to play a role in enterprise technology: organizations are bound to slow down spending during down cycles. I chose three links on the economy for this newsletter. The first one, Deloitte’s global economic outlook for 2026, is a great summary.
- The K-shaped economy is the leading theory among economists struggling to explain where we are and where we are going. This primer by 1440 is a great way to understand the basics.
- KPMG did a great job looking at all indicators and theories to explain the shape of the two economies and even used Janus (how can you go wrong using a Roman god as the name of your product?) to detail how we can break out of jobless growth (hire less, fire less).
- What could derail the world in 2026? This is more interesting than real; most or all of these events won’t happen… but it’s fun. Politico wrote about them in detail.
- Finally, what do CEO’s think about going into 2026? PwC has the answer… their 29th annual CEO survey has all the answers.
What’s your take? We are fostering a community of executives who want to discuss these issues in depth. This newsletter is but a part of it. We welcome your feedback and look forward to engaging in these conversations.
If you are interested in exploring the full report, discussing the Board’s offering further, or have any additional questions, please contact me at [email protected], and I will be happy to connect with you.
(*) A normal distillation process produces byproducts: primary, simple ones called foreshots, and secondary, more complex and nuanced ones called aftershots. This newsletter highlights remnants from the distillation process, the “cutting room floor” elements, and shares insights to complement the monthly report.
