In this Friday wrap-up, Nicolai Tangen reflects on John Deere's transformation into a tech company using AI in agriculture, discusses the importance of CEO longevity with rare examples, and shares his personal regret over losing language skills. He also touches on recruiting challenges, the need for tech-savvy juniors, and diversity initiatives.
Summarized by Podsumo
John Deere uses AI and computer vision for plant-by-plant fertilizer treatment, saving money, energy, and boosting productivity.
John Deere had only 10 CEOs in 190 years, while the average S&P 500 company tenure fell from 33 years to 15.
Nicolai regrets losing his Russian, French, and German language skills, which he thinks would have enriched his life.
The fund emphasizes recruiting tech-savvy juniors who can use AI, and criticizes universities for being slow to teach it.
"If you shift too often, that is also not very positive. On average, it's better to recruit internally."
— Nicolai Tangen
"I just hadn’t taken on board how far AI has come in agriculture and how important it’s going to be."
— Nicolai Tangen
"I wish I had been better at practicing those languages because language is just one of these incredible things."
— Nicolai Tangen