The CEO’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Tariffs (Week 41-2025)

The convergence of increasing trade barriers and artificial intelligence infrastructure creates a once in a generation opportunity Fundamentally restructuring how businesses create and capture value across geographies.

In previous issues, I have approached this problem from different angles:

While most businesses view tariffs as a cost issue to be minimized, forward-thinking CEOs recognize them as a function of strength that accelerates needed transformations in supply chain architecture, talent distribution and operating models – transformations that AI is now making possible at unprecedented scale and speed.

This guide provides a strategic framework for CEOs to navigate the pricing landscape. not through defensive cost reduction, but through offensive organizational overhaul which leverages AI infrastructure to create sustainable competitive advantages.

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The weekly newsletter is in keeping with the spirit of what it means to be a business engineer:

We always want to ask three fundamental questions:

1. What is the form of the underlying technology that connects the valuable accessory to its product?

2. What is the form of the underlying activity that connects the element of value to its distribution?

3. How can the company survive in the short term while adhering to its long-term vision through a transitional business model and market dynamics?

These non-linear analyzes aim to isolate the short-term hum and noise, identify the signal, and ensure that the short-term and long-term can be reconciled.