Today’s global security environment is rapidly changing and is infinitely more complex than in years past. The challenges, at times, appear to be insurmountable, but innovation and creative uses of new technologies may very well be part of the calculus to help address them.

At a time when Europe’s economy unceremoniously achieved zero growth in the final quarter of 2023, how Europe chooses to respond in this moment could be one of the biggest, most consequential decisions shaping its long-term future. To lift its stagnating economy and expand prosperity, Europe needs to harness a proven and powerful growth engine — technology-enabled economic growth.

As hackers become increasingly sophisticated, they are targeting our personal data and stealing it at unprecedented rates. As a result, too many of us have received notices telling us our data has been breached and is likely in criminal hands. That data likely wasn’t stolen from your personal device but taken from a third party like your health provider, a school, or an online store.

Executives and boards today must pay attention to global public policies and act to protect their interests, customers, and trust in their brand. Proposed laws or policies that seem to be far-afield often carry provisions that can cut to the heart of your ability to drive innovation, security, and markets. It is vital to systematize a process of staying ahead of the public-policy curve.

At a time when surging temperatures led to the hottest year on record, leaders around the globe are searching for new and innovative ways to accelerate climate progress further. One of the most promising, but often overlooked tools, involves accelerating the revolutionary potential of emerging connected devices and the digital transformation they enable — creating new smarter, cleaner, and greener ways to tackle our climate challenges.

Technology today is changing at a near-breakneck pace. There are exciting new developments constantly taking place, with the potential to improve lives and tackle some of the biggest challenges we face. But bad actors are also innovating and thinking of new ways to exploit an increasingly connected world. In this new environment, everyone has a responsibility to help protect the security, safety and privacy of users.

In September, I moderated a discussion in Brussels for the Munich Security Conference focusing on tech regulation in a time of strategic rivalry. The focus was on the very distinct and different approaches to regulating tech between the U.S. and the EU and the geopolitical implications of these policies.

At a time when access to the digital world has become increasingly indispensable for almost every aspect of modern life, one of the greatest challenges facing leaders today is how we extend digital opportunity to everyone. Fortunately, there are pragmatic steps within reach that policymakers and business leaders can take to ensure connectivity for all, trust for all, and opportunity for all.

Leaders of companies today need to pay attention to geopolitical, legislative, and regulatory issues. The advancement of technology is stressing governments out, and sometimes the reaction is counterproductive and the impact unintended. CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, and GCs must work together, understand the playing field, and weigh in to shape the policy path forward, as current policy decisions are shaping—sometimes not for the good—the technology and market ecosystem right now.