The Burning Platform of AI: Will You Leap Into the Future or Stay Put?

At 11:00 PM on July 6, 1988, the Piper Alpha oil rig, located in the North Sea 120 miles north of Scotland, erupted into chaos. A series of explosions turned the platform into a blazing inferno. The disaster claimed 167 lives, making it the deadliest offshore oil accident in history. Only 67 crew members survived. Their survival came down to a choice that no one should ever have to make: stand on the platform and face certain death in the flames or leap 175 feet into the icy, oil-slicked waters of the Atlantic, knowing the risks were enormous but still less certain than the fire.

They decided to jump.

They jumped because the platform was on fire, and the only chance of survival lay in the cold, unforgiving sea.

The Piper Alpha disaster is remembered as a turning point for offshore safety regulations, but it's also become a metaphor for moments of existential decision-making in business. The term "burning platform" now describes a critical juncture where action—bold, immediate, and often uncomfortable—is the only path forward.

In February 2011, Stephen Elop, then CEO of Nokia, famously invoked the metaphor of a burning platform to rally his employees as the company faced an existential crisis. In his message, he borrowed the story of a man trapped on a burning oil rig to illustrate the urgency of Nokia's situation. The excerpt from his message has become a defining example of corporate storytelling:

"There is a pertinent story about a man who was working on an oil platform in the North Sea. He woke up one night from a loud explosion, which suddenly set his entire oil platform on fire. In mere moments, he was surrounded by flames. Through the smoke and heat, he barely made his way out of the chaos to the platform's edge. When he looked down over the edge, all he could see were the dark, cold, foreboding Atlantic waters.

As the fire approached him, the man had mere seconds to react. He could stand on the platform and inevitably be consumed by the burning flames. Or, he could plunge 30 meters into the freezing waters. The man was standing upon a 'burning platform,' and he needed to make a choice.

He decided to jump. It was unexpected. In ordinary circumstances, the man would never consider plunging into icy waters. But these were not ordinary times—his platform was on fire. The man survived the fall and the waters. After he was rescued, he noted that a 'burning platform' caused a radical change in his behaviour.

We too, are standing on a 'burning platform,' and we must decide how we are going to change our behaviour.

Over the past few months, I've shared with you what I've heard from our shareholders, operators, developers, suppliers, and from you. Today, I'm going to share what I've learned and what I have come to believe.

I have learned that we are standing on a burning platform.

And, we have more than one explosion—we have multiple points of scorching heat that are fueling a blazing fire around us."

Elop's message was a stark warning: Nokia had to radically transform or risk total obsolescence. The company had once dominated the mobile phone industry, but its grip had slipped, and new competitors—chiefly Apple and Android—were rewriting the rules of the game. While his call to action was clear, it was not enough to save Nokia. Despite some efforts to leap into the uncertain waters of transformation, the company couldn't reclaim its dominance. Today, Nokia shares the fate of brands like Blackberry, Ericsson, and LG—once-industry leaders reduced to shadows of their former selves.

And now, the burning platform has re-emerged—but it's no longer a crisis for a single company or industry. It's a crisis for all of us.

The Burning Platform of AI.

We are standing on a burning platform fueled by the rapid rise of generative AI, Agentic AI, and humanoid robotics. The flames aren't contained to one sector—they're spreading across every corner of the economy. Every industry is feeling the heat from professional services to manufacturing, retail to healthcare.

The question isn't whether the fire will reach you. It already has. The question is whether you'll stand frozen on the platform, hoping the flames will somehow stop, or take the leap into the unknown, knowing that the leap itself is your only chance to survive and thrive.

The early days of the AI revolution are already here, and the stakes are high. Yet, too often, I see leaders stuck in one of two extreme mindsets:

• The Tech Fanatics: They dive headfirst into AI, betting everything on the tools while neglecting the human and cultural dynamics that make transformation stick.

• The Human-Centric Purists: They dismiss AI entirely, focusing only on people and culture, ignoring the transformative potential of the technology.

Both approaches are short-sighted. The answer isn't "either or." It's "both, and." To succeed in this new reality, we must find a way to combine the human and the technological—to harness the power of AI while staying rooted in what makes businesses truly thrive: people, culture, and vision.

What Should You Do?

Standing still isn't an option. But the leap into the unknown doesn't have to be blind. Here's how to start navigating the fire and charting your course:

Educate Yourself and Your Team

Make learning about AI a priority across your organization. This isn't just about leadership understanding the tools; it's about empowering your entire workforce to engage with the technology.

Assess Your Risks

Identify where your business is most vulnerable to disruption. Where could AI displace your current offerings? Where could it amplify your strengths?

Experiment with Automation

Start small. Automate repetitive tasks that free up time for more strategic work. Gradually move toward implementing AI-enabled workflows in the tools you already use.

Reimagine Your Business Model

AI isn't just a tool—it's a catalyst for reinvention. Step back and ask yourself: What could your business look like in an AI-powered world? What new value could you deliver to your customers?

The New Arms Race

This isn't just another technological shift—it's a full-blown arms race. AI will determine the winners and losers in the economy for decades to come. And like every arms race, hesitation is not an option. Businesses that leap now—experimenting, adapting, and learning—will find themselves ahead. Those who stand still will find themselves irrelevant.

This is the burning platform we're standing on today. So, the question remains:

Will you leap into the uncertain waters of transformation or stay behind, consumed by the fire?

The choice is yours.