The board meeting ended early, revenue was ahead of plan, margins were improving. Customer churn was low. The CEO walked the board through a confident strategy deck, the CFO showed disciplined cost control, and the head of sales explained why the pipeline looked stronger than expected. The meeting ended on a positive note. The board members went out for drinks. The mood was relaxed.
Six months later, a new tech came along that shook the market. While only a few customers left and the financials remained strong, the stock went down, fast.
This is the danger boards must confront. Disruption rarely announces itself during a crisis. It often appears when the business still looks strong.
For boards, AI, and eventually quantum computing, and other technologies, should not be treated as another technology trend. These technologies can reshape pricing, customer expectations, cybersecurity, product development, talent needs and the company’s business model itself.
Under this fast pace, evolving tech world, company boards should consider the following three points.
Measure the cost of inaction, not just the cost of adoption
Most boards ask: “How much will this AI initiative cost?” That’s the easy question.
The harder question is: “What will it cost if we are late?”
If a competitor uses AI to reduce costs, accelerate delivery, improve personalization or launch faster products, the cost of delay may be far greater than the investment required. The company may lose pricing power, customer loyalty and market relevance before the damage fully appears in the financials. Every major technology discussion should include a “cost of inaction” analysis.
What happens if the company is 12, 18 or 24 months behind? Which margins come under pressure? Which customers become vulnerable? What market image will I have that will impact future clients? Which parts of the product become commoditized?
Challenge the business while it still looks successful
Boards often become more aggressive only when performance weakens. By then, options are limited. The real test is whether the board can challenge management when revenue is growing, customers are renewing and the strategy still appears to work. Success may blur your vision as to what can go wrong.
Boards should regularly ask: Which part of our business would be most vulnerable if AI (or the next big tech change) made it cheaper, faster or easier to deliver? Which revenue stream depends on friction? Which product feature could become free? Which customer process could be automated by someone else?
These questions may feel uncomfortable when things are going well. That is precisely when they matter most.
Build the company that would disrupt your current company
Instead of asking only how to defend the current model, boards should ask management to design the competitor they would fear most.
What would that competitor do differently? How would it price? What teams would it build? What technologies would it use? Which costs would it eliminate? Would it bypass traditional distribution channels?
This exercise forces the company to think offensively. It pushes management to consider bold changes before they become urgent.
For AI, the impact is already visible across software, services, analytics, support, marketing and operations. For quantum, the timeline may be longer, but the strategic implications could be significant in cybersecurity, finance, pharma, logistics and materials science.
Boards do not need to chase every trend. But when technology changes how work is done at the core, when it changes cost structures, speed of development, brand reputation and distribution channels, it becomes a board-level issue.
Itay Sagie is a strategic adviser to tech companies, investors, CEOs and boards, specializing in strategy, growth and M&A. He is a guest contributor to Crunchbase News and a university lecturer on strategy, finance and entrepreneurship. Learn more at SagieCapital.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.
Illustration: Dom Guzman
