Adapt or Disappear! A Futurist’s Warning for Business Leaders | Mark van Rijmenam

By 2030 there will be two types of organizations: the ones that
use AI — and the ones that won’t exist.


In this episode of the Future Tax Podcast, Sebastian Thalhammer
sits down with futurist and author Mark van Rijmenam to explore
what real adaptability looks like in the AI era — beyond hype,
beyond fear, and beyond “let’s just buy a tool.”


You’ll hear why Mark calls himself an “optimistic dystopian,” how
leaders can drive change without waiting for external pressure
(like COVID), and why the real challenge is rarely the tech
itself — but the human side: fear, trust, incentives, and the
ability to evolve fast without losing what makes an organization
humane.


We also connect these ideas to the realities of regulated
industries (like tax, accounting, and finance): where rules
create safety, safety creates stagnation, and AI forces a new
question on every professional and leader: What do you bring to
the table when knowledge becomes a button?


If you’re a business owner, partner, manager, or advisor
navigating AI, automation, and disruption — this episode is your
blueprint for the mindset shift: educate, experiment, execute …
and repeat.


Key topics:


The “two types of organizations by 2030” thesis

How to create momentum for change without waiting for crisis

The 3E framework

Why “tech-first transformation” fails (and what works
instead)



If this conversation hits, share it with one leader who still
believes “we have time.”