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An AI-native strategy firmGlobal Advisors: a consulting leader in defining quantified strategy, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions, achieving measureable results.
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Quantified Strategy
Decreased uncertainty, improved decisions
Global Advisors is a leader in defining quantified strategies, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions and achieving measureable results.
We specialise in providing highly-analytical data-driven recommendations in the face of significant uncertainty.
We utilise advanced predictive analytics to build robust strategies and enable our clients to make calculated decisions.
We support implementation of adaptive capability and capacity.
Our latest
Thoughts
Global Advisors’ Thoughts: Is insecurity behind that dysfunction?
By Marc Wilson
Marc is a partner at Global Advisors and based in Johannesburg, South Africa
Download this article at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20170907/thoughts-is-insecurity-behind-that-dysfunction
We tend to characterise insecurity as what we see in overtly fragile, shy and awkward people. We think that their insecurity presents as lack of confidence. And often we associate it with under-achievement.
Sometimes we might be aware that insecurities can lie behind the -ias, -isms and the phobias. Body dysmorphia? Insecurity about attractiveness. Racism? Often the need to find security by claiming superiority, belonging to group with power, a group you understand and whose acceptance you want. Homophobia? Often insecurity about one’s own sexuality or masculinity / feminity.
So it is often counter-intuitive when we discover that often behind incredible success lies – insecurity! In fact, an article I once read described the successful elite of strategy consulting firms as typically “insecure over-achievers.”
Insecurity must be one of the most misunderstood drivers of dysfunction. Instead we see its related symptoms and react to those. “That woman is so overbearing. That guy is so aggressive! That girl is so self-absorbed. That guy is so competitive.” Even, “That guy is so arrogant.”
How is it that someone we might perceive as competitive, arrogant or overconfident might be insecure? Sometimes people overcompensate to hide a weakness or insecurity. Sometimes in an effort to avoid feeling defensive of a perceived shortcoming, they might go on the offensive – telling people they are the opposite or even faking security.
Do we even know what insecurity is? The very need to…
Read the rest of “Power, Control and Space” at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20170907/thoughts-is-insecurity-behind-that-dysfunction
Strategy Tools
Strategy tools: Effective transfer pricing
So much has been written about transfer pricing. Yet it remains a bone of contention in almost every organisation. Transfer pricing is not merely a rational challenge – it often raises the emotions of internal service users and providers who argue regarding scope, quality, price and value.
We have found that effective transfer pricing relies on some fairly simple best practices and critical success factors.
Many organisations recover costs as a regular ‘below-the-line’ deduction from operating division income statements. In our experience, charge out is almost always preferable. This results in internal value judgements and negotiation regarding delivery happening closer to time of use.
We have typically seen that the realisation that internal pricing plays this role and the consequences of poor implementation are not well understood.
Results of poor transfer pricing implementation
Sub-optimal economic use decisions
Where costs / prices are higher than they should be, buyers pass this on as an inflated cost to their customers, experience margin squeeze, or utilise less of the service than they might have.
Strategically this can lead to incorrect decisions regarding the provision of services to the market and loss of market share.
Where costs / prices are lower than they should be, this can lead to overuse of a product or service and poor cost recovery from external customers.
Strategically this can result in the over promotion and sales of products and services that are achieving lower margins than thought, or that might even be making losses.
Sub-optimal investment and resourcing decisions
Incorrect pricing can lead to over- or under-investment in capacity and product or service quality. Further, the resourcing decisions will be incorrect should the price signal to the supplier be incorrect.
Political and emotional argument
Where buyers are unable to obtain assurance that an internal price is correct, there is typically resentment regarding the cost of the internal product and service and the sheltered position employees of the internal service provider occupy – in the buyer’s eyes free from commercial pressures.
Buyers and suppliers typically also argue regarding the quality of the service or product relative to the price paid.
Suppliers may react to criticism claiming their product or service is strategic in nature and refute its availability in the external markets.
Poor product / service quality
Poor price signals will result in lack of comparable product and service quality benchmarks. This can result in ‘gold-plating’ or poor-quality product and service provision.
Read more at https://globaladvisors.biz/2021/01/06/strategy-tools-effective-transfer-pricing/
Fast Facts
Fast Fact: The rate of technology adoption exploded in the 1990s
The 1990s were an inflection point in the adoption of new technologies. While radio showed fast adoption in the 1920s, new technologies introduced post 2010 had reached penetrations of more than 30% of the United States population within 3 years from launch. PCs...
Selected News
Quote: Demis Hassabis – DeepMind co-founder, CEO
“I think [AI is] going to be like the industrial revolution, but maybe 10 times bigger, 10 times faster. So it’s an incredible amount of transformation, but also disruption that’s going to happen.” – Demis Hassabis – DeepMind co-founder, CEO
Demis Hassabis and the Quote
This striking prediction comes from Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind. Spoken on The Tech Download (CNBC Original podcast) on 16 January 2026, the quote encapsulates Hassabis’s view of artificial intelligence (AI) as a force dwarfing historical upheavals. He describes AI not merely as an evolution but as a catalyst for radical abundance, potentially leading to prosperity if managed equitably, while acknowledging inevitable job disruptions akin to – yet far exceeding – those of past revolutions.1,2
Backstory of Demis Hassabis
Born in 1976 in London to a Greek Cypriot father and Chinese Singaporean mother, Hassabis displayed prodigious talent early. At age 13, he won a British Tetris championship and published his first computer program in a magazine. By 17, he was the world’s second-highest-ranked chess player for his age group, balancing academics with competitive gaming.1
Hassabis entered the games industry as a teenager, co-designing the 1994 hit Theme Park at Bullfrog Productions and working with Peter Molyneux at Lionhead Studios on titles like Black & White. This foundation in complex simulations honed his skills in modelling human-like behaviours, which later informed his AI pursuits.1
In 2010, aged 34, he co-founded DeepMind with Mustafa Suleyman and Shane Legg, driven by a mission to ‘solve intelligence’ and advance science. Google acquired DeepMind for $400 million in 2014, propelling breakthroughs like AlphaGo (2016), which defeated world Go champion Lee Sedol, and AlphaFold (2020), revolutionising protein structure prediction.1,2
Today, as CEO of Google DeepMind, Hassabis leads efforts towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) – AI matching or surpassing human cognition across domains. He predicts AGI by 2030, describing himself as a ‘cautious optimist’ who believes humanity’s adaptability will navigate the changes.1,3,5
Context of the Quote
Hassabis’s statement reflects ongoing discussions on AI’s societal impact. He envisions AGI ushering in changes ’10 times bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and maybe 10 times faster,’ with productivity gains enabling ‘radical abundance’ – an era where scarcity ends, fostering interstellar exploration if wealth is distributed fairly.1,2
Yet, he concedes risks: job losses mirror the Industrial Revolution’s upheavals, which brought prosperity unevenly. Hassabis urges preparation, recommending STEM studies and experimentation with AI tools to create ‘very valuable jobs’ for the technically savvy. He stresses political solutions for equitable distribution, warning against zero-sum outcomes.1,3,5
Leading Theorists on AI and Transformative Technologies
Hassabis builds on foundational thinkers in AI and technological disruption:
- Alan Turing (1912-1954): ‘Father of computer science,’ proposed the Turing Test (1950) for machine intelligence, laying theoretical groundwork for AGI.2
- John McCarthy (1927-2011): Coined ‘artificial intelligence’ in 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference, pioneering AI as a field.2
- Ray Kurzweil: Futurist predicting the ‘singularity’ – AI surpassing human intelligence by 2045 – influencing DeepMind’s ambitious timelines.1
- Nick Bostrom: Philosopher warning of superintelligence risks in Superintelligence (2014), echoed in Hassabis’s cautious optimism.1
- Shane Legg: DeepMind co-founder and chief AGI scientist, formalised AGI mathematically, emphasising safe development.2
These theorists frame AI as humanity’s greatest challenge and opportunity, aligning with Hassabis’s vision of exponential transformation.1,2
References
2. https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-demis-hassabis/
3. https://www.businessinsider.com/demis-hassabis-google-deemind-study-future-jobs-ai-2025-6
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_vXXgXwoh0
!["I think [AI is] going to be like the industrial revolution, but maybe 10 times bigger, 10 times faster. So it’s an incredible amount of transformation, but also disruption that’s going to happen." - Quote: Demis Hassabis](https://i0.wp.com/globaladvisors.biz/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260116_13h00_GlobalAdvisors_Marketing_Quote_DemisHassabis_GAQ.png?w=1080&ssl=1)
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