Digital Transformation Died of Politics. AI Might Just Die of Ego
Not for the faint-hearted, but for the honest ones who’ve been there.
90% of digital transformations globally failed in the last decade. Yes, ninety!
– Not because of tech
– Not because of budgets
– Not because of consultants
Here’s what no one writes about but every transformation leader secretly nods to:
1. Corporate Politics: Everyone wants credit, but no one wants accountability
2. Conflicting Priorities: Sales wants growth. Finance wants cuts. Ops wants stability. Tech wants disruption. Choose your chaos
3. Functional Heads in Sr. Management: Alignment? More like polite warfare
4. Self-Preservation Syndrome: If digital eats your function, better stall it than solve it
5. Transformation Office vs. Tech Teams: Same building, different planets. No shared KPIs. No shared trust
Been there. Dozen times at least across both sides
– built a $2B lending book – transformation that just flew beautifully
– Witnessed an elite leadership team implode on its own turf
Now here’s the twist:
We don’t even talk about ‘Digital Transformation’ in 2025. AI has swallowed that conversation whole
But here’s the real question:
– If we failed so spectacularly at Digital Transformation, why do we think AI Transformation will succeed?
Because this time…
– No one gets to opt out – It’s not a phase. It’s a systemic rewrite
Cost of inaction? You don’t become irrelevant…..you become acquired
Job loss talk is no longer taboo – It’s corporate strategy. Look around only in the last 3 months with biggies and you shall know
Career survival = tech fluency – “I don’t get AI” is career suicide
Boards aren’t patient anymore – CEOs resisting AI are being shown the door
So yes, AI is different. Not because we’re smarter. But because the stakes are higher
🔸 Digital Transformation was like going to the gym—everyone said they were doing it
🔸 AI Transformation is a heart transplant—you either do it right, or you’re done
Only time will tell…
#DigitalTransformation #AITransformation #BusinessTransformation #AIForBusiness #InnovationLeadership #DigitalStrategy #CXOTransformation #FutureOfWork #DigitalGCC
