TNW conference in Amsterdam

Why we went

To stay sharp. TNW pulls together founders, builders and policy folks to talk AI, product velocity, privacy, and the not-so-glam bits of shipping good work at scale. It’s the right blend of inspiration and implementation. (It’s also walkable, caffeinated, and wildly efficient - very us.)

What stood out (and what we’re taking forward)

AI is in everything—but the human layer still wins. Plenty of sessions leaned into “AI everywhere,” but the memorable ones focused on human control: where to automate, where to hand off to people, and how to keep outputs aligned with brand and UX. Expect us to keep using AI to speed the boring bits so our team can spend more time on clarity, craft, and performance.

Ethics and compliance aren’t optional. With the EU pushing hard on AI responsibility and safety, the bar is rising. That matters for copy, data, and personalisation across e-commerce. Practical takeaway: privacy-by-design and explainability baked into flows not bolted on later.

Velocity without chaos. Talks on team cadence reinforced what we already practise: small senior teams ship better work, faster. Keep feedback loops tight, automate regression checks, and obsess over interfaces and microcopy where the brand truly lands (hello, checkout).

Design systems as growth engines. The best case studies showed how component discipline speeds launches and keeps brand consistency intact across campaigns, markets, and seasons. That’s gold for Shopify and platform work.

Europe’s product scene = quietly brilliant. Less hype, more craft. Product leaders here are shipping thoughtful experiences and iterating responsibly. That aligns with our “never shouty, always sharp” approach.

What this means for our clients

• Sharper CRO with less noise. Tuning navigation, product page hierarchy and checkout microcopy to reduce friction and increase trust.
• Personalisation that respects people. Smarter rules, clear consent, no creep.
• Faster iteration after launch. Smaller changes, shipped more often, measured properly.
  

A few moments we loved

Canals at golden hour, swapping notes between stages and a lot of head-nodding as speakers hammered home what we already live by: build clearly, test relentlessly, keep the human at the centre. 

Highlights

Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Meta Oversight Board chair; former Danish PM) on tackling hate speech, misinformation and protecting democracy; Glenn Fogel (Booking.com CEO) on how tech is reshaping travel; and Sophia Amoruso on hard-won lessons in brand-building and today’s founder reality.

Looking ahead

We’ll be back next year. In twelve months, AI tooling, privacy rules and the Shopify ecosystem will all move again—fast. That’s the game. We’ll keep pace (quietly, precisely) and bring the useful bits back to your roadmap.