On "Southeast Asia’s digital economy to hit $368 billion"

Google projecting Southeast Asia's digital economy to hit $368 billion by 2026 is less a forecast and more a sales pitch for AI infrastructure spending—which makes sense, given who's making it. The number probably isn't wrong, but it's doing heavy lifting to justify why every company in the region needs to adopt AI now rather than wait and see what actually moves the needle. For practitioners, the real question isn't whether the region grows, but whether that growth requires your current AI roadmap or whether you're front-loading a bet that hasn't proven ROI yet. The projection is useful as a market signal; the urgency attached to it should make you skeptical.