We have officially entered an era of “post-processable velocity,” where the sheer speed of global change has outpaced the capacity of individuals, corporations, and governments to absorb or react to it in real-time.
The Shift: Why Traditional Strategy Is Failing
This realization hit home last week while preparing for an Axios board meeting. It is becoming increasingly clear that we have crossed a threshold, marking the end of one historical era and the chaotic beginning of another.
For nearly two decades, the acceleration of technological and market shifts has been consistent. However, the recent fusion of this momentum with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence has pushed us into a new dimension. As someone who rigorously implements AI across company operations, I can attest that keeping pace with this rate of innovation is now bordering on the incomprehensible.
Rethinking Strategy in a High-Speed World
To be clear: strategy is not dead. However, the legacy frameworks we have relied on to build those strategies are fundamentally obsolete. The old ways of planning are no longer compatible with the current environment.
In navigating this volatility, I return to Donald Rumsfeld’s concept of “known knowns,” combined with Silicon Valley’s obsession with “first principles.” By filtering these through the Axios philosophy of “simplification,” we can begin to find a path forward.
Four Pillars for the New Reality
Recognizing that we are living in an age of post-processable velocity is only the first step; the real challenge lies in how we adapt to it. To effectively meet this moment, there are four key ideas that every leader and organization should adopt to maintain relevance.