IBM's early AI, Watson, failed by trying to build a single, complex application for the hardest vertical (healthcare). They would have been years ahead if they had instead created a platform for simpler, high-value enterprise tasks like customer service or document analysis.
IBM's CEO predicts that within five years, quantum computing's primary commercial impact will be in designing new materials (drugs, magnets), real-time financial risk pricing for complex instruments, and optimizing complex logistics networks, rather than cryptography.
A powerful leadership model is to operate without fear of termination. This mindset doesn't encourage recklessness but fosters the confidence to advocate for the right long-term decisions, even if they are unpopular, by detaching from personal career risk.
Arvind Krishna argues AI is a technology shift on par with the internet, which enabled global business, social media, and the cloud. Unlike mobile or cloud, which were significant but built on the internet, AI is a new fundamental layer that will spawn entirely new industries.