ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
An AI-native strategy firmGlobal Advisors: a consulting leader in defining quantified strategy, decreasing uncertainty, improving decisions, achieving measureable results.
A Different Kind of Partner in an AI World
AI-native strategy
consulting
Experienced hires
We are hiring experienced top-tier strategy consultants
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
Your due diligence is most likely wrong
As many as 70 – 90% of deals fail to create value for acquirers. The majority of these deals were the subject of commercial or strategic due diligences (DDs). Many DDs are rubber stamps – designed to motivate an investment to shareholders. Yet the requirements for a value-adding DD go beyond this.
Strategic due diligence must test investees against uncertainty via a variety of methods that include scenarios, probabilised forecasts and stress tests to ensure that investees are value accretive.
Firms that invest during downturns outperform those who don’t. DDs undertaken during downturns have a particularly difficult task – how to assess the future prospects of an investee when the future is so uncertain.
There is clearly an integrated approach to successful due diligence – despite the challenges posed by uncertainty.
Read more…
Fast Facts
The use of full absorption or average costing in asset-intensive industries with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
The use of full absorption or average costing in asset-intensive industries with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
- The use of full absorption or average costing in a manufacturing environment with under-utilisation can lead to self-defeating pricing strategies
- The increase in price to cover costs results in volume decreases – lowering factory utilisation and increasing unit production costs. This is the start of the utilisation-pricing “death spiral”
- Costing according to factory utilisation – partial absorption costing – offers the opportunity to be more strategic about costing and utilisation
- “Unabsorbed” costs can be targeted through OEE and volume improvements. At the same time, the “disadvantage” of having a large factory is normalised and pricing can compete with more fully-utilised factories
- A recent manufacturing client saw 60% of unit costs arise from factory under-utilisation – sub-optimal OEE levels (non-conformance), low volumes and work-centre bottlenecks contributed to the utilisation gap
- These principles can apply to any asset-intensive business – for example banking
Selected News
Quote: Alap Shah – Lotus CIO, Citrini report co-author
“Sectors that we think have real risk [from AI] are generally intermediation sectors.” – Alap Shah – Lotus CIO, Citrini report co-author
Alap Shah, Chief Investment Officer at Lotus Technology Management and co-author of the influential Citrini Research report The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis, issued this stark warning amid growing market unease over artificial intelligence’s transformative power. In a Bloomberg Podcast interview on 24 February 2026, Shah highlighted how AI agents could dismantle business models reliant on intermediation – sectors that profit from facilitating transactions between parties.1,2,4
Alap Shah’s Background and Expertise
Alap Shah serves as CIO at Lotus Technology Management, a firm focused on navigating technological disruptions in global markets. His insights stem from deep experience in investment strategy and emerging technologies. Shah co-authored the Citrini report, a hypothetical scenario that vividly depicts AI’s potential to trigger economic upheaval by 2028. The report, which spread rapidly online, sparked what Shah termed the ‘AI scare trade selloff’, contributing to global share declines and sharp drops in sectors like Indian IT services.1,3,5
Shah’s analysis emphasises AI’s capacity to erode ‘friction-based’ moats. He points to companies like DoorDash (food delivery), American Express (payment processing), Uber Eats, and real estate agencies, where customer loyalty hinges on switching costs and habitual use. AI agents, running on devices with near-zero marginal costs, can instantly compare options, verify reliability, and execute transactions, bypassing intermediaries.1,2,4
The Citrini Report: A Hypothetical Crisis Scenario
Published by Citrini Research, The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis outlines a timeline beginning in mid-2027 with AI-driven defaults in private equity-backed software firms, escalating to widespread intermediation collapse. Key triggers include agentic AI for coding (a ‘SaaSpocalypse’ shifting value from SaaS providers to in-house tools) and shopping agents like Qwen’s open-source model, which pit providers against each other and eliminate fees such as 2-3% card interchange rates.2,4
The report predicts a ‘ghost GDP’ from mass white-collar layoffs – potentially 5% within 18 months in the US – creating a negative feedback loop: job cuts reduce spending, pressuring firms to invest more in AI, accelerating disruption. Sectors at risk include finance, insurance, software-as-a-service (SaaS), consumer platforms, and India’s $200 billion IT exports, where AI coding agents undercut low-cost labour.1,4,5,6
India faces particular vulnerability, with the report forecasting an 18% rupee depreciation and IMF discussions by Q1 2028 as services surplus evaporates.5 Real estate commissions compressed dramatically, dubbed ‘agent on agent violence’, as AI replicates agent knowledge.4
Shah’s Policy Prescriptions
To avert downturn, Shah urges taxing AI ‘windfall gains’ or inference compute, funding transfers for displaced workers via proposals like the ‘Transition Economy Act’ or ‘Shared AI Prosperity Act’. Beneficiaries include chipmakers, data centres, and AI labs like OpenAI, though Shah and critics debate surplus capture.1,3,4,6
Leading Theorists on AI Disruption and Intermediation
Shah’s views build on economists and thinkers analysing platform economics and automation:
- Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee (MIT): In The Second Machine Age (2014), they argue digital technologies disproportionately boost skilled workers while automating routine tasks, widening inequality – a precursor to Citrini’s white-collar focus.[No specific search result; general knowledge]
- Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum co-founder, referenced in critiques for decentralised trust solutions (e.g., crypto verification) to replace marketplaces, aligning with AI agents breaking oligopolies.2
- Zvi Mowshowitz: In his Substack analysis of Citrini, he critiques surplus distribution, arguing ubiquitous agents commoditise intermediation without labs like OpenAI retaining cuts long-term.2
- David Autor (MIT economist): His research on automation’s polarisation effect (hollowing middle-skill jobs) informs fears of white-collar daisy chains in correlated productivity bets.[No specific search result; general knowledge]
These theorists underscore AI’s dual nature: efficiency gains versus systemic risks, echoing Shah’s call for intervention.2
Market Reaction and Ongoing Debate
The report’s release fuelled unease, with Nifty IT dropping 3.6% and broader selloffs. Shah expressed surprise at the scale but views white-collar US jobs as the litmus test over five years, given their 75% share of discretionary spending.3,5,6
References
1. https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/technology/2026/ai-s-scare-trade-fuels-market-unease
2. https://thezvi.substack.com/p/citrinis-scenario-is-a-great-but
4. https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic
!["Sectors that we think have real risk [from AI] are generally intermediation sectors." - Quote: Alap Shah - Lotus CIO, Citrini report co-author](https://i0.wp.com/globaladvisors.biz/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20260224_20h00_GlobalAdvisors_Marketing_Quote_AlapShah_GAQ.png?w=1080&ssl=1)
Polls
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Services
Global Advisors is different
We help clients to measurably improve strategic decision-making and the results they achieve through defining clearly prioritised choices, reducing uncertainty, winning hearts and minds and partnering to deliver.
Our difference is embodied in our team. Our values define us.
Corporate portfolio strategy
Define optimal business portfolios aligned with investor expectations
BUSINESS UNIT STRATEGY
Define how to win against competitors
Reach full potential
Understand your business’ core, reach full potential and grow into optimal adjacencies
Deal advisory
M&A, due diligence, deal structuring, balance sheet optimisation
Global Advisors Digital Data Analytics
14 years of quantitative and data science experience
An enabler to delivering quantified strategy and accelerated implementation
Digital enablement, acceleration and data science
Leading-edge data science and digital skills
Experts in large data processing, analytics and data visualisation
Developers of digital proof-of-concepts
An accelerator for Global Advisors and our clients
Join Global Advisors
We hire and grow amazing people
Consultants join our firm based on a fit with our values, culture and vision. They believe in and are excited by our differentiated approach. They realise that working on our clients’ most important projects is a privilege. While the problems we solve are strategic to clients, consultants recognise that solutions primarily require hard work – rigorous and thorough analysis, partnering with client team members to overcome political and emotional obstacles, and a large investment in knowledge development and self-growth.
Get In Touch
16th Floor, The Forum, 2 Maude Street, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
+27114616371