Current Affairs. An Event on Startups, Politics and Bubbles

We're still not sure where the world is heading to, but one thing is for sure after yesterday – any discussion about will be heated and heartfelt!

Digitalisation is the future and it will turn our work and life upside down. But it's not just about changing our schedules. By the looks of of it we will have to reform the whole notion of work.

This was how the panel opened our community event last night. What followed was an intense discussion, which went from the issue of people being left behind by digital transformation, to startup bubbles, political bubbles, and bubbles of egg-farmers in Northern England. Different views had us going overtime, debating Trump's election, Brexit, and political transitions in Europe and the US led by protectionist fear.

By dropping real-world data, EY Partner Peter Lennartz, brought the debate back to reality - EY's Berlin office currently counts 9.000 employees. Within the next decade those 9.000 will be reduced down to 1.000. Machines will take over a big part of the work. “The way we work will change”, Lennartz said, ”so much is certain”. Ramzi Rizk, Co-Founder and CTO at EyeEm agreed: “there is a shift coming. We’re talking about the disruption of the whole notion of work.“ 

Setting goes 360°! Move around the room by dragging the picture with your mouse!

Geraldine de Bastion, founder of Konnektiv and curator at re:publica emphasized the importance of communication and the necessity of leaving one's own bubble to maintain a cohesive society, in an increasingly accelerated and dispersed world. Geraldine warned of the capitalisation of private life, which Raffaela Rein, Co-Founder of Careerfoundry framed more positively as the “return of micro-entrepreneurs”, heralding new freedoms of entrepreneurship without large risk. “Changing the government is not the only solution,” Raffaela said. “Replacing old government structures with “better” commercial options” isn't the solution either”, Geraldine answered.

“If we were to look back 200 years from now, we'd probably find the exact same discussion” Nikolas Samios, CIO of the German Startup Group tossed in. Berlin is most likely going to benefit from Brexit, he said. Seen from a German point of view, it is a rather “positive bubble” that we were in. Ramzi in turn believes “absolutely nothing good will come from Brexit.“ However Brexit is going to turn out in practice, “it will not change the global trend and neither will Trump”, Peter Lennartz concluded. “It's on the startups to work the current issues”, to transit to the future notion of work.

Throwing in a different political debate, the crowd raised questions on women and minorities in Berlin's tech scene - the panel agreed (for once!) the gender gap is sadly still apparent in Berlin's startup world. But opinions are divided on whether active support for women, or simply the removal of a gender bias is the way to bring more women into the tech scene. Perhaps a topic of one of our future events. Thank you to everyone who joined the ride through politics! Great thanks also to our co-host EY, a partner and supporter for Berlin startups.

Make sure you don't miss out on our next event! Want to be the first to know about it?