Imagine This...
Boston Consulting Group BCG
Recent Episodes
For decades, Africa has exported critical raw materials to the rest of the world. But the African Continental Free Trade Agreement promises to help the continent capture more value from its natural resources. The AfCFTA will create a single market where goods and services flow freely between commodity-rich African nations and more industrialized ones. At the same time, Africa is poised to finally achieve universal access to reliable power. BCG’s Tolu Oyekan looks at what these developments mean for Africa—and for the rest of the world.
Learn More:
Tolu Oyekan: https://on.bcg.com/3KLu56U
Africa Unleashed: Powering Prosperity Through Energy Access: https://on.bcg.com/4pjj0ZK
Africa Unleashed: Bridging Africa’s Infrastructure Execution Gap: https://on.bcg.com/4rKhQbe
Chapters
00:00-02:10 The scenario: The value of Pan-African trade has exploded
02:11-03:01 Where does intra-African trade stand today?
03:02-03:50 How will Africa plug into future global supply chains?
03:51-05:10 What is the current impact of AfCFTA?
05:11-05:42 How to address skepticism
05:43-07:40 What could an African renaissance look like?
07:41-10:21 How will AI’s power be harnessed across Africa?
10:22-11:03 Bill and GENE Teaser
11:04-14:20 The future of Africa’s energy infrastructure
14:21-15:40 Where will investments come from?
15:41-17:11 Will red tape hold back advancing electricity in Africa?
17:12-19:20 What role will sustainable energy play?
19:21-20:34 How to innovate around existing infrastructure challenges?
20:35-22:07 Curveball: What could prevent this future?
22:08-23:19 What is one no-regret move CEOs can make now?
23:20-27:29 Bill and GENE: Creating a Pan-African battery company.
27:30-28:14 Outro
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
For more than a century, Western technology, media, and cultural exports have wielded outsized influence around the globe. But over the past decade, Asian entrepreneurs and artists have started to give their Western counterparts a run for their money. BCG’s Neeraj Aggarwal explores how Asia’s influence could evolve over the next decade to rival the West’s—and how companies can strategically position themselves now to seize new opportunities.
Learn More:
Neeraj Aggarwal: https://on.bcg.com/3LVoawo
The Five Forces Shaping Asia-Pacific’s New Powerhouses: https://on.bcg.com/4p5bGB4
Chapters
00:00- 02:16 The scenario: Asia’s influence is on near-equal footing with the West
02:17-03:24 What forces are converging to extend the global reach?
03:25-04:02 What about capital for creatives and entrepreneurs?
04:03-06:21 Where will rebalancing be most evident now and in the future?
06:22-07:33 Will entrenched legacy thinking slow the West?
07:34-09:00 What role does AI play in the impact of the East and West?
09:01-10:26 To what degree is the Asian diaspora driving the rebalancing trend?
10:27-11:37 What is the role of global native entrepreneurs in this rebalancing?
11:38-12:58 Does a multipolar world work for or against global natives?
12:59-13:32 Bill and GENE Teaser
13:33-15:54 Will companies see rebalancing in the flow of talent?
15:55-18:31 Implications for Western companies in this global rebalancing
18:32-21:28 Will we see more fracturing and censorship?
21:29-23:00 If AI ecosystems become siloed, what is the impact on cultural exports?
23:01-24:06 What could upend this future?
24:07-25:25 What is one no-regret move CEOs can make now?
25:26-27:52 Bill and GENE: Creating the next K-pop blockbuster
27:52-28:36 Outro
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
As regional trading blocs emerge, today’s multinational playbooks will become increasingly obsolete. Marc Gilbert, BCG’s Global Lead for its Center for Geopolitics, unpacks what every CEO needs to know to master the multi-polar world, from what winning looks like to navigating local rules, preferences and politics without losing the global edge.
Learn More:
Marc Gilbert: https://on.bcg.com/4p2KjqP
What’s in Your Tariff Response Toolkit?: https://on.bcg.com/47z0M03
Services Are the New Fault Lines in Global Trade: https://on.bcg.com/43hUsaM
BCG on International Trade: https://on.bcg.com/3JBZoAB
Bonus Content on Trade and Tariffs: https://youtu.be/08RH9rSjH5Y
Chapters
00:00-01:38 The scenario: The multinational has become regional
01:39-02:57 The current state of trade and tariffs
02:58-04:25 How are CEOs navigating geopolitical risk?
04:26-06:59 What are command centers and how are leaders using them?
7:00-08:11 How do CEOs focus on long-term value during turbulence?
08:12-10:18 What major trade blocs could emerge in the future?
10:19-11:54 Will companies need to restructure to thrive?
11:55-12:57 How will companies adapt?
12:58-13:53 Which industries are likely to be most disrupted?
13:54-14:33 Bill and GENE Teaser
14:34-16:39 How can companies acquire the best talent?
16:40-17:34 How can companies insure they have the best AI talent?
17:35-19:21 How would regulation develop in this new world?
19:22-20:10 How should companies think about their headquarters?
20:11-21:11 Will local wins cannibalize global value?
21:12-22:39 How will trade disputes be handled?
22:40-23:51 What scenarios could disrupt this future?
23:52-25:47 What is one no-regret move CEOs can make now?
25:48-28:34 Bill and GENE: Building apps with no experience using AI
28:35-29:18 Outro
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
Many fear a future where huge swaths of the workforce are replaced by AI. But those concerns are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how companies can best unlock AI's profit-boosting potential, says Julie Bedard, a Fellow at BCG Henderson Institute. Instead of replacing people with AI, she says, companies should upskill workers with higher-order capabilities and put them in charge of AI tools—which will serve not as coworkers but as human-controlled conduits for better outcomes.
Learn More:
Julie Bedard: https://on.bcg.com/4ofmtYQ
AI Is Moving Faster Than Your Workforce Strategy. Are You Ready?: https://on.bcg.com/3LeAEi6
BCG’s Latest Thinking on People Strategy: https://on.bcg.com/4oaJmMU
BCG on GenAI: https://on.bcg.com/4oJKqYd
BCG Henderson Institute’s Latest Insights: https://on.bcg.com/3WZhwHu
Chapters
00:00-02:04 The scenario: Does placing AI on equal footing with humans limit its potential?
02:05-02:51 Will companies become more profitable by replacing humans with AI?
02:52-03:59 Where will AI replace humans?
04:00-04:56 AI as a tool
04:57-06:10 What skills will be needed to succeed?
06:11-07:32 Who will need to be upskilled?
07:33-08:31 What happens to corporate hierarchy?
08:32-09:58 How can companies use AI holistically?
09:59-12:01 What does AI mean for mature workers?
12:02-14:16 How can the education system prepare?
14:17-14:56 Bill and GENE teaser
14:57-18:50 How to build a talent strategy
18:51-21:33 The role of the CPO
21:34-22:53 Is AI a coworker?
22:54-24:06 What happens to mentorship?
24:07-27:34 How companies can approach fear surrounding AI
27:35-29:07 How companies might approach AI in the future
29:08-30:20 What could disrupt this future?
30:21-31:43 No regret moves for CEOs
31:44-33:49 Bill and GENE: How to introduce AI agents to your team
33:50-34:33 Outro
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
Sponsored and boosted content is a reality of web searches these days, making it harder for consumers to find agnostic product recommendations. Consumers who want to cut to the chase will increasingly use LLMs. Chatbots can quickly comb the web to help consumers research products and serve up recommendations that fit personal needs and tastes. BCG’s Andrej Levin explores how consumers will use LLMs to transform the car buying experience and how CEOs across industries can position their companies to thrive in this burgeoning AI-enabled consumer journey.
Learn More:
Andrej Levin: https://on.bcg.com/4nSUluo
BGC’s Latest Thinking on Automotive: https://on.bcg.com/4mYjenj
Will AI Become the Best Car Sales Advisor?: https://on.bcg.com/46Na1cy
Chapters
00:00-02:38 The scenario: AI reinvents how consumers shop
02:39-04:00 How are people already shopping for cars with AI?
04:01-05:20 How will information reach consumers using LLMs to buy cars?
05:21-08:04 Who controls the information LLMs access?
08:05-09:41 What happens to brands that lag behind?
09:42-11:07 What happens to customer loyalty?
11:08-13:12 How can auto manufacturers approach regional differences?
13:13-14:23 How will LLMs merge with the web and traditional search?
14:24-17:18 Will your car sensors help serve up recommendations?
17:19-19:43 How can AI improve financing in car buying?
19:44-20:15 Bill and GENE teaser
20:16-22:38 How can AI assist with everyday purchases?
22:39-24:53 Can retail shopping experiences compete with LLMs?
24:54-26:00 Will mass market brands break down?
26:01-27:32 Who will be in control of consumers’ data?
27:33-29:20 Will sponsored content find its way to chatbots?
29:21-31:46 How can business leaders ensure their product shows up in LLMs?
31:47-32:33 What could disrupt this future?
32:34-33:34 What no-regret move could CEOs make now to prepare?
33:35-36:36 Bill and GENE: How to become visible in LLM search
36:37-37:20 Outro
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp