The fastest military plane ever built had no weapons and no armour, yet it was never shot down.

The SR-71 Blackbird flew for 30 years. Over 3,000 missiles were fired at it, but none ever hit.

Its only defence was acceleration. When a missile locked on, the pilot sped up and outran it.

Our industry is bracing for AI like it's incoming fire. Ringfence the process. Defend the margin. Protect the way we've always worked.

But armor is weight. And the Blackbird proved the uncomfortable thing: against a fast enough threat, defense doesn't save you. Velocity does.

There's a second trap.

The Roman Empire fell in 476. But Roman society didn't acknowledge it for generations. People went on living as if the thing that had already happened hadn't.

That's the real risk. Not just moving too slow, but waiting for someone official to confirm the shift before you act on it. If you wait for the trade press to tell you the model has changed, you're not early. You're a generation late.

An engineering degree earned in the 1920s stayed useful for about 35 years. By 1960 that was 10. By 2002, five. Deloitte now puts it at eighteen months.

The missile has been fired and the empire has already fallen. Most people are still waiting for the announcement.

You won't win by knowing the most. You'll win by adapting the fastest.