OUR BEST IDEAS FOR THE C-SUITE

Welcome to the latest edition of The CEO Shortlist, a biweekly newsletter of our best ideas for the C-suite. This week’s issue focuses on two forces reshaping competition and national advantage: where the next wave of economic growth is concentrating, and how sovereign AI is transforming the global tech landscape. We appreciate the opportunity to connect and hope you find our perspectives useful and thought provoking. You can reach us at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Becca_Coggins@McKinsey.com. Thank you, as ever.

—Alex and Becca

The industries that will shape the next decade. In a crucial set of industries, leading companies are pulling ahead, capturing a disproportionate share of growth, investment, and value. McKinsey Global Institute research identifies 18 arenas, including AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and biotech, that could generate up to $48 trillion in revenue by 2040. For CEOs, the question isn’t just where to play—it’s whether you can win in the arenas that matter.

The rise of sovereign AI. Countries are racing to build domestic AI ecosystems to keep more capability and control at home. That effort spans talent, data, compute, and partnerships—and is already reshaping markets. For companies, the opportunity is clear: Governments are investing heavily in domestic AI, creating demand for infrastructure, partnerships, and local capabilities. The constraints are just as real, with stricter requirements on data, localization, and alignment. CEOs will need to be more deliberate about which markets to enter and how to operate in each.

We hope you find these insights helpful. See you in a couple of weeks with more McKinsey ideas for the CEO and others in the C-suite.

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