Amer Altaf
@arkava.ai
AI, Cyber and Technology leader
Managing Editor @ The Control Layer — writing on AI governance, value realisation & leadership.
Founder Arkava (launching 2026) - Building sovereign AI that actually delivers.🇬🇧 UK
https://theControlLayer.arkava.ai/subscribe
Managing Editor @ The Control Layer — writing on AI governance, value realisation & leadership.
Founder Arkava (launching 2026) - Building sovereign AI that actually delivers.🇬🇧 UK
https://theControlLayer.arkava.ai/subscribe
Finished the first full week of 2026.
The old playbook: "work harder."
The better playbook: "work on the right things."
The best playbook: know the difference between motion and progress.
Something worth sitting with before Monday arrives.
link.arkava.ai\join
The old playbook: "work harder."
The better playbook: "work on the right things."
The best playbook: know the difference between motion and progress.
Something worth sitting with before Monday arrives.
link.arkava.ai\join
January 10, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Finished the first full week of 2026.
The old playbook: "work harder."
The better playbook: "work on the right things."
The best playbook: know the difference between motion and progress.
Something worth sitting with before Monday arrives.
link.arkava.ai\join
The old playbook: "work harder."
The better playbook: "work on the right things."
The best playbook: know the difference between motion and progress.
Something worth sitting with before Monday arrives.
link.arkava.ai\join
Saturday morning honesty: What's the one piece of "productivity advice" you've tried that made everything worse?
The tip that works for everyone except you.
Mine: waking up at 5am. Turned me into a zombie, not a CEO.
link.arkava.ai/join
The tip that works for everyone except you.
Mine: waking up at 5am. Turned me into a zombie, not a CEO.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 10, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Saturday morning honesty: What's the one piece of "productivity advice" you've tried that made everything worse?
The tip that works for everyone except you.
Mine: waking up at 5am. Turned me into a zombie, not a CEO.
link.arkava.ai/join
The tip that works for everyone except you.
Mine: waking up at 5am. Turned me into a zombie, not a CEO.
link.arkava.ai/join
@fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social Cheers for the like. I write about AI, cyber, geopolitics and leadership – substance over noise.
Hit follow if you want more of that in your feed. Thanks Amer
Hit follow if you want more of that in your feed. Thanks Amer
January 10, 2026 at 9:12 AM
@fabrizioscarpa.bsky.social Cheers for the like. I write about AI, cyber, geopolitics and leadership – substance over noise.
Hit follow if you want more of that in your feed. Thanks Amer
Hit follow if you want more of that in your feed. Thanks Amer
The best writing advice I ever received: "Write the piece that scares you."
If you're comfortable, you're probably boring.
The edge of your comfort zone is where readers find something worth remembering.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
If you're comfortable, you're probably boring.
The edge of your comfort zone is where readers find something worth remembering.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The best writing advice I ever received: "Write the piece that scares you."
If you're comfortable, you're probably boring.
The edge of your comfort zone is where readers find something worth remembering.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
If you're comfortable, you're probably boring.
The edge of your comfort zone is where readers find something worth remembering.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
"Governance slows AI deployment."
The data: organisations embedding governance upfront deploy 4–6 weeks faster. Adoption rates 40–60% higher.
Governance isn't friction. It's the bridge.
https://TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Governance
The data: organisations embedding governance upfront deploy 4–6 weeks faster. Adoption rates 40–60% higher.
Governance isn't friction. It's the bridge.
https://TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Governance
January 9, 2026 at 2:30 PM
"Governance slows AI deployment."
The data: organisations embedding governance upfront deploy 4–6 weeks faster. Adoption rates 40–60% higher.
Governance isn't friction. It's the bridge.
https://TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Governance
The data: organisations embedding governance upfront deploy 4–6 weeks faster. Adoption rates 40–60% higher.
Governance isn't friction. It's the bridge.
https://TheControlLayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Governance
50 companies breached. Zero exploits.
One attacker bought stolen passwords and logged in. Every victim lacked MFA.
Exposed: defence blueprints, aircraft maintenance data, military healthcare records.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/zestix-credential-theft
#CyberSecurity #InfoSec
One attacker bought stolen passwords and logged in. Every victim lacked MFA.
Exposed: defence blueprints, aircraft maintenance data, military healthcare records.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/zestix-credential-theft
#CyberSecurity #InfoSec
Fifty Enterprises Breached Without a Single Exploit
A lone threat actor compromised defence contractors, airlines, and healthcare providers using nothing but stolen passwords. Every victim failed to enforce multi-factor authentication.
link.arkava.ai
January 9, 2026 at 11:31 AM
50 companies breached. Zero exploits.
One attacker bought stolen passwords and logged in. Every victim lacked MFA.
Exposed: defence blueprints, aircraft maintenance data, military healthcare records.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/zestix-credential-theft
#CyberSecurity #InfoSec
One attacker bought stolen passwords and logged in. Every victim lacked MFA.
Exposed: defence blueprints, aircraft maintenance data, military healthcare records.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/zestix-credential-theft
#CyberSecurity #InfoSec
Friday question: What's the most overhyped technology prediction from 2025 that quietly died?
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
January 9, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Friday question: What's the most overhyped technology prediction from 2025 that quietly died?
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
The things we were "definitely" supposed to have by now that nobody talks about anymore.
I'll start: remember when every company was launching a metaverse strategy?
link.arkava.ai/join
The most dangerous phrase in technology isn't "move fast and break things."
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM
The most dangerous phrase in technology isn't "move fast and break things."
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
It's "we've always done it this way."
One is reckless. The other is extinction dressed as tradition.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
GOV.UK One Login: 6M+ verified users, 50+ services, 40-60 min time savings per transaction.
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
January 8, 2026 at 12:30 PM
GOV.UK One Login: 6M+ verified users, 50+ services, 40-60 min time savings per transaction.
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
UK's sovereign digital identity is becoming G7-leading.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#GovTech #DigitalIdentity #UKTech #SovereignAI #PublicSector
UK Foreign Office breached Oct 2024. Confirmed Dec 2025. 14 months silence.
Suspected Storm 1849 – same actor targeting MPs, Electoral Commission.
Government: "low risk."
Pattern says otherwise.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/foreign-office-hack
#Cybersecurity
Suspected Storm 1849 – same actor targeting MPs, Electoral Commission.
Government: "low risk."
Pattern says otherwise.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/foreign-office-hack
#Cybersecurity
The breach the UK government kept quiet for 14 months
October 2024 breach of diplomatic systems confirmed December 2025. The disclosure gap raises questions every UK organisation should ask.
link.arkava.ai
January 8, 2026 at 10:02 AM
UK Foreign Office breached Oct 2024. Confirmed Dec 2025. 14 months silence.
Suspected Storm 1849 – same actor targeting MPs, Electoral Commission.
Government: "low risk."
Pattern says otherwise.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/foreign-office-hack
#Cybersecurity
Suspected Storm 1849 – same actor targeting MPs, Electoral Commission.
Government: "low risk."
Pattern says otherwise.
Full analysis: https://link.arkava.ai/foreign-office-hack
#Cybersecurity
Most "AI strategies" are just PowerPoint decks that make executives feel modern.
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
January 8, 2026 at 8:02 AM
Most "AI strategies" are just PowerPoint decks that make executives feel modern.
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
Genuine question: has anyone actually seen one that survived contact with reality?
What separated the ones that worked from the ones that became shelf art?
link.arkava.ai/join
Every failed state thought its institutions were too strong to fail. Every collapsed empire believed its technology made it invincible.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
January 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Every failed state thought its institutions were too strong to fail. Every collapsed empire believed its technology made it invincible.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
Arrogance is the last thing a civilisation feels before gravity takes over.
Something worth sitting with.
🧵 2024: The year AI agents stopped being demos and became deployments.
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
January 7, 2026 at 4:02 PM
🧵 2024: The year AI agents stopped being demos and became deployments.
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
But the gap between headlines and reality is wider than vendors admit.
Here's what actually happened:
#AI #AgenticAI #TechAnalysis
Largest US healthcare breach: 100M people affected.
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
January 7, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Largest US healthcare breach: 100M people affected.
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
Root cause: Citrix portal without MFA.
$22M ransom. $705M disruption.
We build complex security while leaving basic doors unlocked.
#Cybersecurity #Healthcare #InfoSec #DataBreach #Security
Counterintuitive finding from enterprise AI research:
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
January 7, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Counterintuitive finding from enterprise AI research:
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
Governance-first organisations deploy 4-6 weeks faster than those retrofitting controls later.
Pattern holds across Oracle, Infor, NHS programmes.
Full analysis: thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#AIGovernance #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation
Leaders in the next decade won't be defined by their AI fluency.
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Leaders in the next decade won't be defined by their AI fluency.
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
They'll be defined by their judgment—knowing when to reach for it and when to trust themselves instead.
The tool is easy. The wisdom to use it well is the hard part.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
ESA got hacked through JIRA credentials. Not sophisticated – stolen passwords for development tools.
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
January 6, 2026 at 11:02 AM
ESA got hacked through JIRA credentials. Not sophisticated – stolen passwords for development tools.
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
200GB claimed: source code, API tokens, credentials.
Same pattern hit Orange and Cloudflare this year.
Your dev infrastructure is your biggest blind spot.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
We ask: "What jobs will AI replace?"
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
January 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM
We ask: "What jobs will AI replace?"
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
Better question: "What makes work meaningful when routine decisions are automated?"
Organisations optimise for efficiency. Few consider what gives people purpose.
#FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #WorkLife #Philosophy
The best security teams I've worked with share one trait: they assume they've already been breached.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
January 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The best security teams I've worked with share one trait: they assume they've already been breached.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
Not paranoia. Preparedness.
The question isn't "if" but "how long ago, and what did they take?"
Something worth sitting with.
FDA deployed agentic AI for all employees. Not experimenting. Deployed.
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
January 5, 2026 at 3:02 PM
FDA deployed agentic AI for all employees. Not experimenting. Deployed.
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
Use cases: drug reviews, surveillance, inspections.
While industries debate governance, regulators are building autonomous workflows.
thecontrollayer.arkava.ai
#HealthcareAI #FDA #AIGovernance #Regulation #AgenticAI
Chinese hackers breached a third-party vendor to access 3,000+ unclassified US Treasury files in December.
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
January 5, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Chinese hackers breached a third-party vendor to access 3,000+ unclassified US Treasury files in December.
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
The attack vector wasn't the Treasury's systems. It was their supplier's.
Supply chain security isn't a compliance checkbox anymore. It's national security infrastructure.
#Cybersecurity
Europe's dilemma: compete in AI or maintain climate leadership?
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
January 5, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Europe's dilemma: compete in AI or maintain climate leadership?
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
US burns fossil fuels for data centres. Europe requires efficiency disclosure first.
One builds faster. One builds cleaner. Neither clearly "right."
More on: theControllayer.arkava.ai
#AI #Climate #Europe #TechPolicy #DataCentres
The gap between "AI-first company" in the pitch deck and spreadsheets held together with prayer and VLOOKUPs has never been wider.
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
January 4, 2026 at 8:30 PM
The gap between "AI-first company" in the pitch deck and spreadsheets held together with prayer and VLOOKUPs has never been wider.
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
Most digital transformation is analogue transformation with better fonts.
Something worth sitting with.
link.arkava.ai/join
23.77 million secrets leaked through AI systems in 2024. Up 25%.
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
January 4, 2026 at 6:01 PM
23.77 million secrets leaked through AI systems in 2024. Up 25%.
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
Organisations passed audits. Still got breached.
Compliance frameworks assume human operators. AI agents don't work that way.
#Cybersecurity #AI #InfoSec #AIRisk #SecurityNews
Salesforce added 6,000 Agentforce customers in 90 days.
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
January 4, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Salesforce added 6,000 Agentforce customers in 90 days.
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech
18,500 total. 3 billion workflows monthly. $540M ARR.
While analysts debate AI bubbles, enterprises are building agentic infrastructure.
#Enterprise #AI #SaaS #AgenticAI #BusinessTech