CIOs as strategy architects, private equity in 2026, the future of metabolic health, and more

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CURATED PICKS FOR YOUR DOWNTIME, FROM OUR EDITORS

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Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Becca Coggins, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms

Welcome to the latest edition of The Weekend Read. We hope you find our perspectives useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Becca_Coggins@McKinsey.com.

—Alex and Becca

As you head into the weekend, read up on the week’s big insights about the CIO’s role as strategy architect, private equity in 2026, the future of metabolic health, and more.

A digitally generated animation of small futuristic, translucent glass cubes coming together to from a larger cube which sits on a clean, light background, giving it a sleek, high-tech and abstract feel.

Technology has shifted from a traditional cost center to a core value driver at top-performing companies. And today’s leading CIOs are no longer just managing technology—they are shaping their companies’ futures by embedding AI and data deeply into business operations, write André Reil-Jerenz, Giulio Romanelli, Rahil Jogani, Tanguy Catlin, and coauthors.

Technology is strategy

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.

Private equity in 2026 has entered a new phase of maturity, in a notable shift from where it stood a decade ago. Like other mature industries, it will increasingly reward those that operate with discipline, deepen operational capabilities, and take a long-term approach to value creation, according to Alexander Edlich, Chris Llewellyn, Christopher Croke, Rahel Schneider, and Warren Teichner.

Look to the road ahead

An image linking to the web page “A new way of thinking about metabolic health”

GLP-1 drugs are gaining momentum, but what could they mean for the future of metabolic health and obesity care? In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Lars Hartenstein talks about the potential interventions that could spark a metabolic health revolution, the economic impact of improving outcomes, and the emerging technologies serving as the connective tissue between prevention and treatment.

Tune in

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McKinsey’s Anita Balchandani, Colleen Baum, and Gemma D’Auria discuss the forces shaping the future of fashion—from the rise of agentic AI and growing consumer focus on health and well-being to the expansion of the resale market—plus fashion executives’ top priorities for the year ahead.

Watch the videos

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The Olympics mindset and the discipline behind great innovation

Why innovation, like the Olympics, is won in training—not just on competition day.

Jump-start your team’s innovation

McKinsey webcast: Private equity 2026 outlook

During this session, Chris Croke, Alex Edlich, and Rahel Schneider, coauthors of our 2026 Global Private Markets Report, will share a preview of their perspectives on the private markets landscape, including key trends and insights for 2026.

Register now

A person reaches into a cascade of colorful message bubbles, symbolizing agentic AI orchestrating empathetic, human-centered customer conversations at scale.

Beyond the bot: Building empathetic customer experiences with agentic AI

As agentic AI escapes pilot purgatory, more businesses are bringing best-in-class AI capabilities into their call centers—transforming operations and fundamentally improving customer experiences.

Get the most out of AI

—Edited by Joyce Yoo, editor, New York

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﻿The Olympics mindset and the discipline behind great innovation﻿

﻿McKinsey webcast: Private equity 2026 outlook

﻿Beyond the bot: Building empathetic customer experiences with agentic AI﻿

The Olympics mindset and the discipline behind great innovation

McKinsey webcast: Private equity 2026 outlook

Beyond the bot: Building empathetic customer experiences with agentic AI