OMR 2026, Day 1: The Class Reunion of the Digital Economy
Hamburg, May 5, 2026. See and be seen, deliberately not saying hello to people you actually know — and once a year landing in a different world.
Tom Adebahr
Thought Leadership KI
- Wildberger liefert Substanz: 30% mehr KI-Startups, 120 Unternehmen in Sandbox-Projekten, agentische KI in Hamburger Genehmigungsverfahren — Deutschland setzt auf Infrastruktur statt Eigenentwicklung.
- Das Energie- und Datenzentrums-Problem ist global: Deutschland plant 6 GW bis 2030. Allein OpenAI braucht 250 GW. Die Dimensionen passen nicht.
- Scott Galloway mit schlechtestem Slidedeck und stärkstem Inhalt: in Amazon investiert bleiben (P/E 33 statt 58, eine Million Industrieroboter), Einsamkeitskrise junger Männer, US-Datenzentren-Lücke.
- Wildberger delivered substance: 30% more AI startups, 120 companies in sandbox projects, agentic AI in Hamburg's permit processes — Germany bets on infrastructure, not in-house development.
- The energy and data center problem is global: Germany plans 6 GW by 2030. OpenAI alone needs 250 GW. The dimensions don't match.
- Scott Galloway: worst slide deck, strongest content. Stay invested in Amazon (P/E 33 vs. 58, one million industrial robots), the loneliness crisis among young men, the US data center gap.
- Anthropic with 11x global growth, DACH among the top regions. Claude Code was built by 10 people in 10 days. Safety-first meets German cultural fit.
Who Doesn't Know This?
The annual class reunion of the digital economy has begun again. OMR is a phenomenon that's hard to explain unless you've been there. It's trade fair, festival, industry meet-up, self-assurance and reality check — all in two days. Whoever works in the German-speaking digital business comes together here, compares notes, learns, doubts and celebrates.
Day 1 had a lot to offer. From the abundance of programming I picked three sessions that stuck with me the most — and that exemplify where the digital economy really stands in 2026.
OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars) in Hamburg is Europe's largest festival for marketing, media, and digital economy. Over 70,000 visitors, hundreds of speakers, thousands of exhibitors. Founded by Philipp Westermeyer as a conference for online marketing, OMR today is one of the most important industry events for AI, B2B SaaS, tech, and the media business in the German-speaking world.
Dr. Karsten Wildberger — Germany Acts. But Is That Enough?
The opening keynote by the Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation sent a clear signal: Germany is acting. And indeed there are numbers on the table that sound different from the usual "we need to catch up" narrative.
The Hard Numbers
30% more AI startups than the previous year. 120 companies in state-run sandbox projects. Agentic AI that today is already automating permit procedures in Hamburg. This isn't PowerPoint, this is reality. Anyone who has experienced often enough in recent years that German digital policy consisted primarily of strategy papers got to hear a different tone here: something is happening. Concrete. Measurable.
The State as Platform
Wildberger's message was also: the state should set infrastructure and frameworks, not write the code itself. That's a remarkable pivot. As a reference he cited the Indian Aadhaar model — a state-run digital identity platform on which private providers build solutions. A digital wallet with ID and driver's license is planned. Likewise a state-secured messenger for 80 million potential users. All the right direction.
The Question I Can't Shake
And yet a question stays with me. Germany wants to double its data center capacity by 2030 to 6 gigawatts and claim European leadership with that. I'm someone who fundamentally looks forward with optimism. But when OpenAI alone needs 250 gigawatts — equivalent to the entire current US electricity capacity — and China and the USA invest in a completely different order of magnitude, I'm seriously asking myself: how are we supposed to lead with 6 GW when others work with hundreds?
Energy and compute are the raw material of the AI era. Just as oil powered industrialization, electricity powers intelligence. I hope we really understand this dimension. Because strategy papers and sandbox projects are helpful. But if the physical foundation is missing, even the most beautiful concepts won't close the hyperscalers' lead.
Scott Galloway — Bad Deck, Strong Content
I didn't know you could do such great business with such a bad slide deck. The content, as in previous years, was remarkably strong. Galloway is one of those phenomena: provocative, data-driven, cynical, and yet a remarkable blend of economic analysis and social criticism. Three points I'm taking with me.
What always fascinates me about Galloway sessions: he doesn't confirm what the industry wants to hear. He says what the data shows — even when it's uncomfortable. That's exactly what makes him relevant. And my own stance on health, focus, and conscious smartphone detox feels less like a private quirk after this session — and more like an economically and societally correct decision.
Roman Howe (Anthropic) and Christian Byza (Purple AI) — The Tech Highlight
The tech highlight of the day. Anthropic shows 11x annual growth globally, DACH being one of the fastest-growing regions. The reason is comprehensible — and strategically relevant for German companies: a safety-first approach meets German cultural fit. Trust isn't a soft skill here. It's a competitive advantage.
Claude Code — the tool I use every day and on which parts of this website were built — was created by 10 people in 10 days. Insane what's possible today. A product that's changing the way thousands of developers, CROs, and operators work, built by a tiny team in the time some corporations still spend discussing the briefing for a tool.
"Trust is not a soft skill. It's a competitive advantage."
— Roman Howe, Anthropic Head of Germany (sinngemäß / paraphrased)For me as a CRO, this is a doubly important message. First: speed is a function of small, focused teams with good tools — not armies with templates. Second: anyone who wants to deploy AI in a B2B SaaS context must choose safety, traceability, and auditability as architectural principles, not as bolt-ons. That's exactly where the DACH advantage emerges.
Thanks and Looking Forward to Day 2
A special thank you to Philipp Westermeyer and the entire OMR team. Every year a top performance. What's pulled off here in Hamburg has a quality rarely found in international comparison — format, programming, atmosphere.
Tomorrow the slide battle with Pip awaits, which I'm really looking forward to. And then the Doppelgänger Tech Talk Podcast live, with Philipp and Philipp. As one of the top 1% listeners according to Spotify, I have to say: I owe a lot to this podcast. It has lastingly changed my thinking about business, technology, and society. Being there live tomorrow is something special.