Author: Peter M. Färbinger, E3 Magazin

Standardization increases contribution margin. Individualization costs resources. CEO Christian Klein and CFO Dominik Asam are turning SAP into a cash cow, as evidenced by all the money SAP stands to make with mass layoffs and public cloud.

AI development is expensive, which gives most US start-ups with their powerful venture capitalists an advantage. A lack of capital could be replaced by partnership-based innovation and communities—both of which Aleph Alpha lacks.

A new AI study shows that 98 percent of business leaders believe AI will transform their industry within the next three years. According to the survey results, 24 percent have already deployed AI tools.

SAP is trying to make S/4 Hana a sufficiently good ERP product with attractive product combinations and license prices. In the meantime, S/4 has really grown up, but has not yet arrived in the cloud.

An international study by SAP partners NTT Data Business Solutions and Natuvion shows that companies underestimate the lead time and complexity of digital transformation projects.

Everyone was perfectly surprised when SAP CEO Christian Klein announced the RISE program three years ago in a virtual living room with an artificial fireplace. No one understood what it means. RISE meanders between marketing and general business.

SAP CEO Christian Klein uses his knowledge and flair to pick the right topics for a strong stock market story. SAP's share price is at an all-time high, but there is little left for SAP customers.

The SAP community is heading for a disaster in the making because hardly any experts know the true status of their S/4 implementation. SAP's numbers only reflect sales. How many S/4 systems are actually productive?

The departure of Professor Hasso Plattner as Chairman of the Supervisory Board marks the end of an era. SAP loses the thorn in its side. Who will now shake SAP awake?

Professor Hasso Plattner will forever be the leading figure at SAP and in the SAP community, whether he is Chairman of the Executive Board, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, or retired. It is hard to imagine the SAP universe without Plattner.

One of SAP's ideas is to pay for BTP subscriptions using credit points. The project could succeed if the credit points did not lose their validity at the end of the year. This SAP procedure is reminiscent of old cell phone contracts.

Everyone is talking about AI. Even though generative AI is now facing criticism about its quality and reliability, and privacy advocates are taking legal action against Open AI, AI is here to stay.