Jonathan Simnett

Chair; CEO; tech M&A dealmaker, category creator, non-exec adviser, mentor & trustee. Rewilder. Likes bikes. More here:

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

Is @UKLabour building a globally competitive AI economy, or managing a form of digital dependency? The answer may shape not only @Keir_Starmer's legacy, but Britain's role in the next technological era. A blog from @becategorical

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

The Vibe Chasm is the point where the convenience of AI-driven growth collides with the operational complexity of #Category leading tech companies. How should you get over it? Tune into the latest episode of @DiffereEngine #tech #strategy podcast and find out

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

Sovereign Wealth Funds (#SWFs) are increasingly shaping #tech markets but the @DiffereEngine blog asks is the most effective model strategic co-investment: governments enabling ecosystem development without trying to centrally control #innovation? https://t.co/dBNBXf6OJa

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

In the latest edition of The Difference Engine tech strategy podcast @Pmaher and I show how @UKLabour's relationship with Britain’s #tech economy is a story of a courtship operation as ambition collided with dependence.

[Rosie P 🦇 🦎 🕷️ 🦭 🐌 🍃🌳🚲💧 @RosieP4]

Watch as @nationalgriduk chomps through a hedge. In nesting season. Despite its DCO stating “”In accordance with good practice measure B02, vegetation with the potential to support breeding birds will be programmed to be removed outside of breeding bird season (March to August inclusive) where practicable”. So why was it not practicable not to do it in this instance?The ecologist found nothing (what a surprise) but there is no way a hedge like this does not have nesting birds.
(This is Bramford to Twinstead, not Norwich to Tilbury)

@PylonsEAnglia

[Ben Goldsmith @BenGoldsmith]

Councils up and down the country are waging warfare on nature for no good reasons.

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

#Category design in #tech is no longer just about naming and owning a market category - it’s about shaping how humans, AI systems, and communities understand a problem. This latest blog from @categorical describes the biggest shifts happening right now https://t.co/6MDnYDRFcT

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

In the latest edition of @DiffereEngine tech strategy podcast, @pmaher and I look at how the UK is now making national bets on tech via its own `sovereign` investment vehicle and role of Sovereign Wealth Funds in the category creation process

[The BMJ @bmj_latest]

Wood burning stoves should be phased out in UK cities, warns leading air pollution expert Stephen Holgate
https://t.co/kYPKy1ED7B

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

The UK is rewriting its #tech category playbook. This @becategorical blog explains why a record-breaking $1.1B seed round for @IneffableIntelligence signals more than hype; it marks a shift toward the state as an active market maker https://t.co/YxfenyyBOQ

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

Tech #category design is about reframing problems and defining new solutions spaces. But executing that #strategy in 2026 has shifted in several important ways. In the latest issue of @DiffereEngine tech strategy podcast @pmaher and I reveal what’s changing and why.

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

Most markets aren’t actually markets. A market is a self-referencing group of customers. As this @becategorical blog explains, if your customers don’t communicate, no market. Building #category leadership means ensuring they do https://t.co/tVF5tzIsuO

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

UK government's $20 million investment in @IneffableLabs record-breaking $1.1B seed round might seem puny in comparison to the total raised however, at the @DiffereEngine @pmaher and @westfour think it represents something a whole lot bigger.

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

The #SaaS playbook defined categories and quickly built durable market leaders. As this @categorical blog shows #AI-native systems are now shifting software from a tool to a collaborator, with new questions around trust, governance, and control. https://t.co/7I77DW5FPk

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

@Anthropic's new language model - Claude Mythos Preview - will "reshape cybersecurity." It's so advanced it's too dangerous to release to the public. Really? @paulmaher and I explore if this is a turning point in cyber security or simply a PR masterclass https://t.co/oJcJbt4dDZ

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

On March 31st, tens of thousands of @Oracle employees were told by email their roles had been eliminated. On today’s edition of @DiffereEngine tech strategy #podcast, @pmaher and I discuss is this the new cost of competing in the AI arms race?https://t.co/oJcJbt4dDZ

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

#AI is reshaping the #SaaS industry - by forcing a fundamental reset. This @becategorical blog explains the future lies in shifting from selling access to software toward delivering measurable outcomes, with AI as the core driver of value. https://t.co/he4DqMSEE4

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

From tuning synths for David Bowie to redefining #CloudComputing at @wasabi_cloud 6-time founder @Wasabi_Dave joins @pmaher and I on @DiffereEngine to share the $1M pivot that launched his career. Listen on your favourite podcast platform now: https://t.co/TqOjM0hIP2

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

Did Europe `miss` tech - or just define it differently? Many argue Europe needs much greater tech self-reliance and independence from #hyperscalers. But, as this @categorical blog explains, Europe’s overall #tech story isn’t failure; it’s specialisation https://t.co/cAz8cMxEhm

[Jonathan Simnett @WestFour]

On today’s special edition of @DiffereEngine podcast @pmaher and I are joined by #synthesiser pioneer and 6-time founder @Wasabi_Dave for a deep dive into building #category-defining tech companies and lessons from decades as a groundbreaking innovator https://t.co/oJcJbt4dDZ