McKinsey & Company

The narrative surrounding generative AI (gen AI), a moon shot, once-in-a-generation innovation, is that it could utterly reinvent how businesses—consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies among them—are run. CPG leaders are heeding the call. In a 2024 survey of CPG leaders, 71 percent said they adopted AI in at least one business function of their organizations (up from 42 percent in 2023), while 56 percent said they were regularly using gen AI. However,…

At a glance Micro-, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) are the bedrock of the US economy. They employ nearly six in ten workers, produce almost 40 percent of value added nationally, and grow into a meaningful share of very large corporations. MSMEs in the United States are only half as productive as large companies, compared with 60 percent in other advanced economies. Narrowing the productivity gap, which is equivalent to…

Consumer-facing companies across all types of sectors have already begun to harness the power of modern retailing techniques. Tactics such as bundled offers and dynamic pricing can provide a boost to an organization’s revenue and profit. At the same time, they are creating better, more relevant experiences for consumers. Airlines, however, have yet to capture many of these benefits. For instance, some might fail to bundle the sale of a…

No matter where one turns these days, engaging with some form of AI is likely. From the algorithms that power social media to virtual assistants that answer questions and control smart devices, AI is actively shaping how the world works. Opinions about AI’s impact on the workforce range from positive expectations that it will reduce employees’ workloads to negative sentiments that AI will replace human interactions. In healthcare—with patient lives at…

At a glance A three-lens approach–on adoption, creation, and energy–is required to assess Europe’s competitiveness in the emerging generative AI (gen AI) economy. While much of the current discourse centers around large language models (LLMs), European policy makers and business leaders must look beyond LLMs. Adopting a holistic approach to capitalize fully on gen AI’s potential could boost European labor productivity by up to 3 percent annually through 2030. On…

Looking back over the past few months since our last China Brief update in April, not much has changed.China’s GDP grew at a steady 5 percent during the first half of the year, while retail sales ticked modestly upward by 3.7 percent during this period. We see few signs that this picture of single-digit growth in consumption will change for the foreseeable future. Indeed, some observers are warning that it…

Autonomous vehicles (AVs), with their potential to reduce shipping costs and address a scarcity of drivers, will likely be delayed by another year, according to McKinsey analysis. Major OEMs are continuing their commitment to autonomous trucking and are investing to bring the first vehicles of their kind on the road in the second half of this decade (see sidebar, “The technology underpinning autonomous trucks”). Industry and economic factors increasingly supporting…

The real estate industry faces growing pressure to reduce the emissions caused by building operations. The good news is that the technology already exists to solve the problem, and a new way to formulate decarbonization plans can make it easier and cost effective to take action, as McKinsey partner Brodie Boland discusses with McKinsey Global Publishing’s Katy McLaughlin. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Brodie BolandHeadshot of Brodie Boland Katy…

On this page: Opportunity | Solution | Impact $0.5Tannual global cybersecurity damage by 20250+enterprise customers across sectors0%savings in cybersecurity spending The Opportunity A new way to source cybersecurity Cyberattacks are on track to cause $10.5 trillion a year in damage by 2025. In their efforts to fight back, business leaders face complex choices. Their own security environments likely use technology sourced from multiple vendors and when they look to the…

The defense industry has long endeavored to equip forces with enhanced communication by connecting technologies across land, sea, air, and space. This goal might seem easily attainable in today’s smartphone-enabled world, but aging hardware, fragmented install bases, and inconsistent standards across devices and networks may weaken secure communications. As adversaries continue to deploy electronic warfare capabilities, defense forces could benefit by eliminating system frailties and creating a strong multidomain operating…

Momentum around connected and data-enabled services in commercial vehicles is accelerating. Data-enabled services are critical for new opportunities in charging energy solutions, connected insurance, the automotive aftermarket, advanced financing solutions, and transport as a service [TaaS]. Their potential to solve complex problems for OEMs, automakers, and fleet managers is too enticing to ignore. And those possibilities could yield serious value creation. According to McKinsey research, data-enabled services could represent a…

In an era marked by rapid technological advancements, the commercial vehicle industry stands on the cusp of a transformative evolution. The decentralized electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures that have long been the backbone of vehicle operations are now being redefined, and so is the software running on them. To master this evolution in E/E architecture and unlock customer value, commercial vehicle OEMs and their suppliers can take a software-centric approach to transforming…

Electric two-wheelers, with their affordability, ease of access, and environmental benefits, are leading the charge to vehicle electrification around the world. Electric two-wheeler markets in Asia are loaded with potential. Annual sales in the Indian electric two-wheeler market, the second-largest globally, are expected to increase from one million micromobility units in 2023 to seven to nine million units in 2030. Southeast Asian (SEA) countries are expected to have combined sales…

Road freight vehicles account for a significant share of global CO2 emissions. Hence, minimizing their carbon footprint is a vital step toward achieving global climate targets. Over the past decade, governments, fleet operators, and truck OEMs have realized this need for action and have gone to significant lengths to make this positive change happen. Today, the only effective way to reduce these emissions is by switching from combustion engines powered…

As the end of ESSER funding approaches in September 2024, K–12 district leaders are reflecting on which investments were effective to help shape their priorities in the post-ESSER years ahead. In this third and final article in our series on K–12 district funding, we follow the flow of funds to attempt to answer three key questions: Did K–12 districts spend the stimulus effectively and meet their priorities? How can district…

Telcos worldwide want to evolve from traditional connectivity providers into customer-centric, platform-oriented innovators akin to today’s top tech players. Industry leaders and experts view this shift toward broader services and partner ecosystems as the most promising path to reignited and sustainable growth after many years of declining performance (especially in the European market). As the CEO of one global telco recently noted, “We finally have a shared industry mantra: from…

The expected global mass rollout of electric trucks is going to require a dense charging network to keep these zero-emission vehicles moving. For Europe, McKinsey estimates that, by 2030, more than 300,000 public and private charge points will be required across the continent for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, up from roughly 10,000 today. The creation of this new infrastructure represents a significant challenge. Building out robust networks of chargers will…

The Chinese heavy-duty-truck (HDT) market has faced a variety of challenges. Nearly a decade of rapid growth gave way in 2022, with sales plummeting 45 percent year over year. As the market finds its footing, several new trends are at play: the emergence and rise of new powertrains, partnerships exploring autonomous driving, an increase in exports, and customer pressure on pricing. What does it all mean for HDT OEMs in…

Since its founding in 1968, Special Olympics has grown into a global program that provides year-round athletic training and competition for millions of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The program fosters and celebrates its athletes’ abilities and promotes equal access to healthcare for all, according to Dimitri Christakis, MD, a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the University of Washington and the chief health officer at Special Olympics International.…

While resilient, global economic growth is uneven, forward-looking indicators now show a divergence between manufacturing and services on a global basis. The manufacturing sector has contracted for the first time in 2024, registering 49.7 in July on the global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), while services continue to grow steadily, clocking in at 53.3 (Exhibit 1). In the advanced markets, the US saw real GDP increase at an annual rate of…

The conventional view of art may be that it is incompatible with technology. But in recent years, digital forms of art have complemented and perhaps enhanced traditional arts such as opera, film, and dance. In her ten years at the helm of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter has led a variety of initiatives to foster interdisciplinary programming. Rutter spoke with McKinsey senior partner Ian Jefferson about the critical role of technology…

For many travel and logistics providers, workforce challenges have become an increasing source of anxiety. Labor shortages are frequent and labor costs are rising. Workforce planning missteps can result in reduced margins and degraded customer service. These workforce challenges affect more than three million people employed at the 40 top-grossing travel and logistics companies. Companies have limited control over the future cost and availability of labor. But proper strategies can…

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, operations leaders face a complex set of challenges, including high administrative costs and employee attrition rates. Administrative accounts for about 25 percent of the more than $4 trillion spent on healthcare annually in the United States. Simultaneously, in response to rising expectations, organizations face continued pressure to improve consumer experiences along the end-to-end healthcare journey. Against this backdrop, advancements in AI, including generative…

Most founder CEOs will tell you that it’s the people who matter most for a start-up’s success—that entrepreneurial band of software engineers, product developers, marketing managers, finance associates, and others who can help bring an idea to life and then to market. Founder CEOs know that talent is a key building block of organizational success, along with strong leadership, a common purpose, and a performance-oriented culture. But many are less…

Aerospace OEMs are under pressure to ramp up production, improve operations, and increase sustainability, but multiple challenges persist. Supply chain issues are particularly acute, and a delay in shipping a single component often creates a domino effect that ripples through the production process. While tackling these problems can be challenging, some aerospace companies have been able to mitigate or overcome long-standing obstacles by implementing digital solutions. McKinsey partner François Soubien recently…

Marketing is at a pivotal moment, with data and new technology propelling rapid changes and expanding opportunities for growth. The promise is enormous, with the economic value of generative AI (gen AI) potentially reaching $4.4 trillion, with a large percentage of that value set to come from marketing and sales. Amid the excitement about the speed of innovation, there’s also a sense of uncertainty, with many companies unsure about how to…

Five smoke stakes line up against a backdrop of a blue sky. A thick cloud of white smoke pours out from one of the stakes.For centuries, philosophers have opined on the nature of control and the challenge of recognizing what’s in one’s power to change. Solving the problem of climate change—that is, achieving net zero in time to spare our planet the worst effects of a warming climate—will likely require all…

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Women in the Workplace report. Conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org, this effort is the largest study of women in corporate America. Over the past decade, more than 1,000 companies have participated in the study, and we have surveyed more than 480,000 people about their workplace experiences. For this year’s report, we collected information from 281 participating organizations that collectively employ more than…

The global metals and mining industry is entering a new era. Historically, the industry has been driven by economic growth and the development of the middle class, resulting in major demand growth for materials such as steel, aluminum, and coal. While 80 percent of the industry today primarily consists of five materials—steel, coal, gold, copper, and aluminum—the landscape is rapidly changing as a result of the energy transition. Indeed, the…

There are only a handful of people who have taken a start-up from zero to $88 billion in revenue and continue to lead it today. Michael Dell is one of them. The founder, CEO, and chairman of Dell Technologies has steered his company through four decades of change and wave after wave of technology trends. The company that he founded in his college dorm room in 1984 has become a…

Today, more than 95 percent of trucks on the road around the world run on diesel or gasoline. The traditional truck ownership model of combining purchasing or leasing with selected add-on services is a proven model for both OEMs and customers. Large-fleet customers have a strong understanding of vehicle life cycles, including the expected residual value when vehicles leave their fleets. They know how to arrange for emergency engine repairs…

Throughout his 19-year career at Boeing, Darren Hulst has seen the aerospace sector change in many ways. As the vice president of Boeing’s Commercial Marketing division, Hulst keeps his finger on the pulse of the industry to see how consumer demand, technology, and the global dynamics have evolved. Today, sustainability, affordability, and connectivity are top of mind for both consumers and stakeholders. At the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow, McKinsey Senior…

Research conducted over two decades has continually affirmed that organizational health (how you run the place) is a valuable, competitive differentiator across industries. Organizational health has been linked to value creation, profitability, resilience, and safety metrics (see sidebar “How to assess organizational health”). Organizations in the care delivery sector are no exception: those that prioritize and invest in building a healthy culture, even as they confront persistent internal and external…

As major trucking companies decarbonize their fleets, they are currently prioritizing lower-carbon fuels such as natural gas and biofuels over zero-emission trucks. Adopting these fuels marks a positive step toward sustainable commercial mobility but represents only an intermediate step toward zero-emission mobility in the commercial sector. Meanwhile, true zero-emission mobility in the form of electric or hydrogen-based trucking appears to be stuck in traffic as massive challenges delay adoption. The…

As generative AI (gen AI) grips the attention of business, corporate leadership can support their companies’ growth most by prioritizing the needs of their workers while simultaneously standardizing the use of cutting-edge tech. In this episode of the At the Edge podcast, economist and Stanford professor Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with McKinsey’s Lareina Yee about how gen AI differs from previous technological innovations, why it will likely augment more jobs than it…

Ventas, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) and S&P 500 company that occupies an essential role in the longevity economy. With roughly 1,400 properties in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, the company’s portfolio serves a large and growing aging population. Among its assets are senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, research centers, and healthcare facilities. In 2022, Ventas took a bold step toward its sustainability…

After almost two years of infatuation with generative AI (gen AI), companies are moving past the honeymoon phase to embrace the work that matters most: creating value from this tantalizing technology. Expectations are high. A recent McKinsey Global Survey found that 65 percent of companies across sizes, geographies, and industries now use gen AI regularly, twice as many as last year. Investment in gen AI continues to rise amid the belief…

Amid today’s economic uncertainty, the B2B landscape is undergoing significant transformation. Fueled by rapid integration of digital technologies, sellers continue to invest, innovate, and experiment with how they present their offerings. Their B2B customers are shifting toward consumer-like purchasing behavior. They’re also demanding a much more sophisticated buying experience and are willing to walk away if they don’t get it. In this ever-evolving environment, B2B decision makers are asking how…

A new era of technological change is ushering the technology officer to the center stage, and expectations are high. Companies want their chief information officers (CIOs), chief technology officers (CTOs), and chief digital and information officers (CDIOs) to deliver on the often-elusive goal of turning the promise of tech into real value. To meet this goal, tech officers are adjusting to ensure that their organizations benefit from the trends that…

In 2023, global beauty market retail sales grew to $446 billion, up 10 percent from 2022. In the year since the release of our inaugural state of beauty report, published in collaboration with The Business of Fashion in May 2023, the industry—comprising fragrance, makeup, skin care, and hair care—beat expectations and outperformed other consumer sectors, such as apparel. But these headline growth figures only tell part of the story. While…