FT: “Lego is no longer a pure toymaker. Its products appear in TV shows, films, apps and theme park rides with storylines pitched at boys, girls and, increasingly, adults. “Lego is less about brick-based construction and more about being a talent agency for mini-figures,” says David Robertson, author of the leading book on the company, Brick by Brick. Its revenues — including the Legoland theme parks, controlled separately by Kirkbi — are almost as high as Mattel’s and Hasbro’s combined. For many inside and outside the company, the most obvious rival is now the far bigger Disney. “We have to look at ourselves as an entertainment brand. Our brand characteristics are much more like Disney, the brand strengths are much more like Disney than any more traditional toy competitor,” says Niels Christiansen, Lego’s chief executive who is no relation of the founding family.”
Dr. Rajiv Shah on his book “Big Bets”: “I wrote this book because it is possible to be optimistic about solving some of the biggest problems we face in the world. When you look out there, sometimes it’s easy to be cynical. Can we address the existential threat of climate change? Can we harness new technologies, like artificial intelligence, in a way that lifts people up, as opposed to creating threats? Can we fight hunger and poverty with a sense of purpose and actually succeed? Many of the lessons I’ve learned over the last several decades have taught me that, yes, we can. We can be successful at winning these battles if, in fact, we have a big-bets mindset.”
strategy+business: “The typical strategy cascade often fails to generate the level of clarity, commitment, and action required to move a new strategy forward. To take ownership, teams need more than information or inspiration — they need a specific, personalized license to act. Without clarity on what they are responsible for, which decision rights they own, what inputs they can count on, and who is depending on them to deliver, they cannot move confidently into action. That sort of clarity and commitment requires mutual information-sharing, negotiation, and problem-solving, none of which is the focus in a cascade. It is, however, the hallmark of what I call the chartering approach.”
WSJ: “People seeking information online will increasingly go first to TikTok, ChatGPT and other applications powered by generative artificial intelligence, instead of using traditional search engines, said Michael Wolf, co-founder and chief executive of consulting firm Activate. Today, about 13 million U.S. adults begin their web searches by using generative AI, Activate data show. Wolf predicts that will grow to more than 90 million by 2027 because generative AI is capable of providing results with far greater precision and customization. “Generative AI fundamentally changes the model for search because the results are no longer links,” said Wolf…“It serves up your information totally packaged and ready to use.” Applications rife with customer data will benefit the most from this shift, Wolf said, as they will be better equipped to serve their users with personalized information.”
