294. Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon on adapting to economic and technological change

Today’s disruption has created a critical ‘Strategy Moment’ for organizations navigating a fundamentally changing basis of competitive advantage. Carolyn Dewar, Marcus Jacob and Laura LaBerge join us to debunk four strategy myths and unpack how long-held assumptions are being rewritten to shape foundational strategic choices for a future-focused reality. They also discuss where AI amplifies the challenge—and creates opportunity—and how to determine if your AI investment is pointed in the right strategic direction. Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage Why accelerated resource allocation matters in the age of AI How to maximize competitive advantage How top economic performers lean into their competitive advantage to guide their strategy CEO Excellence A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

As we enter the fourth quarter, we look to where M&A stands and how dealmakers can finish strong. We also explore how AI is rewriting the traditional M&A playbook: success no longer comes from scale alone, but from building intelligent platforms and capabilities that compound over time to drive growth. Benjamin Houssard, Kameron Kordestani, Alex Liu, and Tobias Lundberg walk through how to leverage AI to turn a series of transactions into a self-reinforcing growth engine. Related insights 2026 M&A trends: Navigating a rapidly rebounding market Technology M&A: AI enters its industrial phase Five steps to strengthen M&A capabilities, no matter the starting point Gen AI in M&A: From theory to practice to high performance Advanced industries: Geopolitics, economics, and technology drive M&A Culture in M&A Using M&A to launch a transformation Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

As AI models become increasingly sophisticated, organizations and their leaders need to maintain awareness of the opportunities and challenges each new model can present. Specifically, the newest Frontier Lab LLMs are able to chain together and exploit vulnerabilities in even the most sophisticated organizations. Charlie Lewis and Marie-Claude Nadeau join us to discuss the threats posed by these models and how organizations can stay ahead of rapidly emerging cybersecurity challenges while also realizing their benefits.

Episode description Executives have more data, more frameworks, and more advice than ever, and yet their confidence in their strategies keeps falling. Andy West, Tim Koller, and Whitney Zimmerman, authors of our forthcoming book Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance, join us to discuss how winning companies leverage the four foundations that drive long-term performance and value creation Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage How to maximize competitive advantage (podcast) Ten Timeless Tests: Have you tested your strategy lately? How top economic performers lean into their competitive advantage to guide their strategy Valuation: Measuring and managing the value of companies

McKinsey research finds that companies executing transformations with rigor are much more likely to meet overall organizational transformation goals. Chris Hagedorn, Preeya Mody, and Michel Morenville join us to discuss what rigor really means in the context of transformation and how to embed it throughout the process, from setting the aspiration to mobilizing to delivering impact. Related insights Rigor: What it takes to turn ambition into impact The power of rigor in transformation (podcast episode) Wave by McKinsey McKinsey Insights on Transformation How to gain and sustain a competitive edge through transformation Going all in: Why employee ‘will’ can make or break transformations Seven principles for achieving transformational growth Beyond transformation: What we now know about driving bottom-line performance The powerful role financial incentives can play in a transformation McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information