Over the past year, a new acronym has emerged that captures the mood of many people: FOBO, or the fear of becoming obsolete.
Frik van der Westhuizen, CEO of EQPlus
As AI evolves, cyber threats grow, and automation reshapes work, many professionals are asking whether their skills will still matter tomorrow. Business leaders should therefore not dismiss FOBO but seek to understand it and respond with purposeful workforce planning.
Companies face structural change in how technology is adopted across industries. A McKinsey analysis suggests that digital technologies could raise annual productivity growth by 1.5 percentage points, but only if organisations build the capabilities to implement and scale them effectively.
Understanding FOBO begins with recognising that not all skills carry equal value over time. Some capabilities are becoming essential because they are tethered to measurable business outcomes. To prevent obsolescence at scale, organisations must make deliberate choices about where they invest in skills development and talent acquisition. Individuals must do the same about where they focus their professional growth.
Where demand is becoming structural
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report lists AI, big data, cybersecurity and cloud computing among the fastest-growing skill areas through 2030. They reflect a fundamental shift in how competitive enterprises operate.
Consider cybersecurity. Attacks are more frequent, sophisticated, and costly. For many South African businesses, breaches not only disrupt operations but also attract regulatory scrutiny and reputational harm. The ISC2 cybersecurity workforce study estimates a global shortfall of millions of trained security professionals, making specialist expertise both scarce and mission-critical. Companies that anticipate and fill these gaps will not only reduce risk but also demonstrate resilience.
Local data shows that digital projects are accounting for a growing share of technology expenditure. However, transformation fails not because the technology is weak but because organisations lack the disciplined execution capability to manage cross-functional delivery, change management, and governance.
Execution capability is the differentiator
We are no longer talking about AI as an experiment. Organisations are moving from proof-of-concept to production systems that must satisfy governance, privacy, and cost requirements. The WEF report highlights this rapid scaling of AI roles and skills as one of the top trends employers plan to invest in over the next five years.
Execution matters as much as insight. Data engineers (specialists who design and maintain data pipelines, storage, governance and interoperability) are crucial because AI outputs are only as good as the inputs they receive. Without reliable data, analytics, and AI systems fail to perform. According to local job market data, demand for these skills remains robust and is expanding.
Strategy, not fear, determines relevance
How do business leaders respond to FOBO? The answer is not fear but strategy. Organisations must identify the capabilities that directly influence resilience and ensure they are built and replenished through a mix of hiring, upskilling, and structured partnerships. Every investment in talent should tie back to a specific business outcome, such as lowering risk, reducing cycle time, increasing customer satisfaction or enabling faster scaling.
Professionals must invest in capability rather than credentials. They must develop expertise in areas that underpin the organisation’s ability to deliver and adapt. This means the focus must turn to skills that translate into measurable contribution and substrate value.
Fear of becoming obsolete is real. As we head into 2026, it will shape how organisations allocate talent budgets and how individuals plan their careers. But fear is not strategy. Clear assessment of capability needs, disciplined investment where it matters, and a focus on measurable impact become critical to the path forward for both businesses and professionals.
Those who build capability intentionally will outlast the hype and maintain relevance in an uncertain technological landscape.