Home / Writing
Essays on AI, growth, and operating in private equity environments. Long-form when the idea earns it. Short when it doesn't.
By Yannic Desch · Berlin
Essays
The difference between AI-enabled companies (AI on top of existing processes) and AI-native companies (processes redesigned around AI). How it shows up in headcount growth, decision speed, and PE exit multiples — and what an 18-month AI-native transformation actually looks like.
Read →How AI dissolved Microsoft Office's three competitive moats — format lock-in, muscle memory, and ecosystem gravity — and why Copilot doesn't solve the real threat. A framework for understanding AI's impact on software incumbents.
Read →The Agent Orchestrator: why PE-backed companies need a dedicated AI adoption role embedded in the business — not in IT. The hire that accelerates AI implementation 5x, measured in EBITDA impact rather than deployment count.
Read →Entry-level job postings are down 35% since 2023. AI is removing the grunt work where judgment develops — creating an experience gap that won't show up in the workforce until 2030. Research from Harvard, King's College London, McKinsey, and the WEF.
Read →A three-phase AI implementation framework for PE-backed companies: Plant (internal automation to free margin), Build (internal AI capability), Harvest (revenue impact). Why skipping phases is the most expensive AI strategy mistake in private equity.
Read →Notes
Why SMBs move faster on AI than enterprises: one database, no integration debt, no steering committee. The Leaner Stack Paradox explains why the simplicity that makes small companies feel 'behind' on technology is exactly what lets them win on AI adoption speed.
Read →Why building AI prototypes beats writing AI presentations — and how hands-on building is the only real AI curriculum for executives. Two concrete examples: image-based analysis and a voice assistant for tradespeople built with Twilio, ChatGPT, and Railway.
Read →Der erste Post auf yannicdesch.com — und warum ich diese Site gebaut habe.
Read →