The CEO Shortlist

Every two weeks, get the insights that C-suite leaders use to make bold moves—curated by McKinsey's editors. From breakthrough ideas about technology, leadership, and other emerging trends, it’s your guide for navigating what’s next.
Close Up Of A Quantum Computer In Operation With Flowing Codes
The assembly line, reinvented
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In the early 1900s, Henry Ford did not invent a better car—he changed the economics of building them. A similar shift is now...
Abstract circular arrangement of glowing shapes with radiating blue light beams.
Measure twice, cut once
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In this issue, we offer new methods to measure two amorphous but critical quantities: geopolitical value at stake and AI impact...
3D image of colorful wires twisting together into a blue wire.
What changes—and what doesn’t—in the age of AI?
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Software development is happening differently these days. Across industries, roles are being redistributed: AI agents work the...
The race takes off in the next big arenas of competition
Growth, compute, and competition
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In a crucial set of industries, leading companies are pulling ahead, capturing a disproportionate share of growth, investment,...
A cutout silhouette of the United States filled with a collage of photographs representing American technological innovations spanning 250 years. Inside the map are images of inventions and advancements such as vintage cars and televisions, farm equipment, computer chips, servers, DNA strands, medical scanners, and digital technology, symbolizing America’s technological progress and competitive edge.
America’s edge, Asia’s new models
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America has 4 percent of the world’s population but generates 26 percent of global GDP and is home to 59 of the top 100 firms....
Abstract illustration reflecting themes of tech innovation, economic disruption, and changing workforce structures through icons, shapes and patterns.
Organization and growth today
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Many companies have ambitious AI agendas. The harder work—far...
A silver SUV makes navigates a winding dirt road as it snakes through a wide mountain valley, cutting sharp switchbacks across dry, golden-brown slopes. Steep ridges rise on both sides, with sparse vegetation and distant peaks fading into a hazy, expansive backdrop.
Deal me in
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Global M&A had a rocky start in 2025, amid abrupt shifts in trade policies. As tensions eased, dealmaking took off, with...
A stylized profile of a human head depicted in blue hues, with an illuminated network of lines and nodes symbolizing neural activity within the brain.
The human edge—and Europe’s competitiveness
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As AI accelerates, companies are entering what we call the brain economy—one where cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities...
Digital generated image of multicoloured sphere made out of twisted turbulent spline connections
After Davos: Leadership priorities for a more fragmented world
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Conversations in the Alps converged around five themes shaping leadership agendas worldwide.
Container ship in seaport at night
New growth flows—and the new rules shaping them
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Resilience isn’t just the right response to disruption: It’s becoming essential for growth, too. Emerging markets hold much of...
Digital check marks with highlighted icon
Grow smarter. Change faster.
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B2B companies are facing slower demand, shifting customer expectations, and more competition than at any point in the past decade...