Episode 20: Digital University, Global Opportunities - From Entrepreneurial Spirit to Digital Education

00:00:14: Welcome to a new episode of our podcast, Digital University Global Opportunities.

00:00:19: I'm Mike Friedrichsen, the president and CEO of the German University of Digital Science, short German UDS.

00:00:25: Today, I have a very special guest, Patrick Ruhn, a successful serial entrepreneur in the technology space, as well as a recent shareholder of our university.

00:00:35: German UDS is the first state to recognize fully digital university in Germany.

00:00:40: Our goal is to make education globally accessible regardless of location, campus or compulsory attendance.

00:00:47: Patrick Ruhn supports us in this mission with an entrepreneurial experience, international network and a startup program that will invest up to one million dollars in our student areas.

00:00:57: Patrick, it's great to have you here today.

00:00:59: Please introduce yourself briefly.

00:01:04: Yeah, thank you for having me.

00:01:05: Yeah, Patrick Ruhn, originally from Hanover, Germany.

00:01:09: So

00:01:10: that's where I grew up and started my first IT business in nineteen ninety nine right about the dot com bubble.

00:01:18: That was the first, let's say, a disruptive technology, the internet.

00:01:22: So since then I stayed in this technology area since I'm a software developer and then went to law school.

00:01:30: And I moved to Switzerland, spent five years in Switzerland and now since ten years I live in the United States, just north of Silicon Valley.

00:01:39: So yeah, I had a few companies and I love the tech space.

00:01:43: I'm a big fan of online education and yeah, thank you for having me.

00:01:47: Yeah, when people hear your name, they think of entrepreneurship, digitalization and international networks.

00:01:55: So what do you associate with a digital university?

00:02:01: First and foremost, online.

00:02:03: Study whenever it fits into your own schedule.

00:02:07: So not being that was a lot or had a lot of relevance for my personal journey.

00:02:13: So as I started law school, I had my first company in parallel initially just to make enough money to go to law school actually, but then quickly it became my main occupation.

00:02:24: So I wasn't able to go to the university anymore.

00:02:27: So I then switched to a German remote university.

00:02:33: Ferne Universität Hagen, it was called at the time, and the experience was very unpleasant.

00:02:39: paperwork like like a kilograms of paperwork shipped home and it wasn't a very pleasant experience.

00:02:47: So and then later I did my MBA program at the Danube University in Austria, which was online.

00:02:55: I mean, this was fifteen years ago, but this was the first online program I actually did and it was awesome.

00:03:02: So because for the first time I could continue working full time and then whenever I had time like Some person didn't show up to a Zoom call or whatever.

00:03:12: I was just able to do some online course and so on and so forth.

00:03:17: So, and then after I moved to the United States.

00:03:20: It became crucial for me to get additional education here on the one hand in the law of the United States since I was a lawyer from Europe.

00:03:28: I didn't really have any experience in common law.

00:03:31: so I did online programs to get basically up to speed on common law but also in the blockchain in the area I did like remote corsets MIT and other universities and I'm since then I'm just a big fan because it gives you so much knowledge in a way how you.

00:03:49: needed as an entrepreneur or manager to make basically day-to-day decisions.

00:03:56: That's an interesting point, Patrick.

00:03:58: Unusual paths that you are being both a lawyer and a tech entrepreneur.

00:04:02: But if you just look back, which of your startup experiences has shaped you most?

00:04:10: Oh, actually, I think... All of them.

00:04:13: I mean, the first one was the most challenging one, I guess.

00:04:16: I mean, there's a saying, the hardest part of overnight success as a first twenty years or something like that.

00:04:22: So I guess the first the first twenty years were the hardest and also my first startup in Germany that I started in nineteen ninety nine.

00:04:29: I mean, I was eighteen years old.

00:04:30: So I had a lack of experience in everything really.

00:04:34: So it was a it was a pretty intense learning curve.

00:04:39: And I mean, many technological.

00:04:41: Developments from nineteen ninety nine.

00:04:43: This was really the start of the internet and then I mean it developed so quickly.

00:04:48: So this was certainly a very intense time that taught me a lot.

00:04:54: then I had another I found it legal tech startup in two thousand twelve in Switzerland where I analyzed insurance files and had to discover Those files that that are relevant to us.

00:05:10: certain court decision that came up at that time from the German High Court.

00:05:16: That was the first time I really worked with neuronal networks because that was the only way to basically analyze those files.

00:05:23: This was something very interesting.

00:05:25: That's where I started to realize really the power of this artificial intelligence, which is now a hype, I guess, but really the power to find patterns and to analyze data, how powerful this technology is.

00:05:39: And then what was also extremely intense time was the company I sold to FTX.

00:05:47: And then I became head of FTX Europe and experienced this bankruptcy and bought my company back from the bankruptcy.

00:05:54: So, being part of such a big company like FTX at the time and then going through such a tough time with the bankruptcy proceedings that also shaped me a lot.

00:06:06: So, I guess those three things, like my first startup, learning everything from scratch, then getting experienced with the power of AI technology and then FTX on the good and on the bad side.

00:06:21: That was the look in the past.

00:06:23: Now let's change the... future of education, which might be the most interesting topic for us in our collaboration with the German UDS.

00:06:31: So AI and digital transformation are rapidly changing labor markets and presenting educational institutions with new challenges.

00:06:40: So traditional universities like you mentioned before are reaching the limits due to the restricted access, high cost and rigid structure.

00:06:49: So the German UDS offers digital degree programs that are accessible worldwide and combine practical formats with maximum flexibility.

00:06:56: So my question is, why do we need a poorly digital university?

00:07:00: Is a traditional university system no longer sufficient?

00:07:05: It's absolutely not sufficient.

00:07:06: as I said my own my own experience has shown me I wouldn't be able to actually go to university at all if it wouldn't have been online.

00:07:16: So simply because you cannot run a startup and then go every single morning to the university and attend.

00:07:25: I have even maybe mandatory attendance there and so on.

00:07:29: So this is one aspect, but also another aspect is that people live now all over the place.

00:07:36: As I said, I came from Germany, lived five years in Switzerland, now I live in the United States.

00:07:41: That's the same with many people.

00:07:43: You have to be more flexible in terms of your location, from where you work, in what environment you work, and also this twenty-four-seven environment that we have today does not really allow you to structure your day in a traditional sense.

00:08:02: So I think classical universities, I mean, they might still have their purpose for some people, but especially in the technology space, I think online university programs are the only future, especially when it comes to the master level and above, because that's really where you have professionals that have a lot already on their plate and they need the flexibility.

00:08:26: So let's try to discuss a little bit deeper.

00:08:30: So what is the rule?

00:08:32: Do AI and digital services play in designing modern degree programs?

00:08:38: So I think AI will... Reshape the world in many areas.

00:08:43: It's a base technology.

00:08:45: It will change the way how people work.

00:08:47: It will increase the productivity and this will also change how education works.

00:08:53: So I mean like traditional homework assignments might have less value or just generally speaking usually in the academic world.

00:09:03: Writing very well written text was something usually that was well regarded in the academic area.

00:09:12: Now with AI, it's more or less a commodity actually.

00:09:15: AI can help you to write basically very nice sounding text and so on.

00:09:23: So it changes many things.

00:09:24: So that also means you need to understand AI.

00:09:28: I'm in education how to play education.

00:09:31: you need to understand how it works as a manager because if you are a manager with a task to implement and I strategy in whatever environment.

00:09:39: You need to understand it and you have to work with it yourself.

00:09:42: that's the only way how basically leadership can work that you can convince other people.

00:09:48: So and this goes above all or across all industries from like media Over manufacturing IT obviously like I cannot think of any IT companies that is not using any AI tools in their software development process today.

00:10:06: So and again, it will also reshape.

00:10:09: I think how education works.

00:10:11: So maybe at some point Online tests will will happen with your own AI agent.

00:10:17: you talk with your AI agent, have like a verbal exam with your AI agent, because that's the only way how you can basically, to some extent, avoid that somebody is using AI, but you cannot have verbal exams with a human one-to-one.

00:10:32: You would just need way too many professors.

00:10:35: So maybe something like this will happen sooner or later.

00:10:37: So I think the future will be very interesting, but AI will reshape everything from education to everything in the industry, how people work.

00:10:47: And that's why it's very important to understand AI and how it works for every management level, actually.

00:10:56: Let's talk a little bit more about the practical relevance in entrepreneurship.

00:11:00: A central element of your commitment to the German UDS is this exclusive startup seminar where you share your experience as a serial entrepreneur with students.

00:11:15: complimented by an investment program that provides up to one million u.s.

00:11:19: dollars for promising promising student projects creating real incentives for innovation.

00:11:26: so.

00:11:26: Entrepreneurship thus becomes a central education component at the german u.s so your idea for a start-up seminar sounds practical.

00:11:34: how exactly do you envision this format.

00:11:40: For myself, I still have the habit to read multiple books a month, so I read every single day.

00:11:49: This is just part of my daily schedule.

00:11:53: And I developed over the time my own, let's say, toolbox.

00:11:58: of different academic approaches, especially for strategic management.

00:12:02: So because it was a challenge, as I said, I started at eighteen years old, I had really no idea what I was doing.

00:12:10: And then I was reading like from classical management literature like Peter Drucker and so on and Hayek regarding innovation and so on.

00:12:21: So just basically trying to figure out what should I do.

00:12:23: over the years.

00:12:25: I have developed my own toolbox of very helpful tools that you still learn in academia or in the academic world if you go through an academic education but you might not have the connection how to apply them in reality.

00:12:41: if you run a startup company specifically in the technology area.

00:12:44: So my toolbox is very tailored for technology companies, I have to say.

00:12:48: So I guess it's with very little value for manufacturing, for example, but for technology companies.

00:12:56: So that's what I would like to explain to our students, showing them what is a toolbox.

00:13:04: Where are those tools coming from?

00:13:06: Where do you apply them and what is the benefit of them?

00:13:11: That is the first step.

00:13:13: If people understand the methodology, how to set up a startup, how to identify a business opportunity, because the biggest challenge is how to find really the business ideas that make sense.

00:13:24: I'm not talking about the business ideas that might make you survive for the next ten years, but really the business ideas that creates a new unicorn.

00:13:32: So that's what you want to identify right what is otherwise the idea and going into starting your own company?

00:13:39: so but then you still need money and this is particularly hard in Europe unfortunately.

00:13:44: And that's why I would like to help our students getting this necessary seed capital.

00:13:50: So because here in the United States, it's a little bit easier, but in Europe, you have, unfortunately, not the same startup culture that you have in the United States.

00:13:58: So that's why I think you need both.

00:14:00: You need the conceptual framework to understand, OK, how do I identify a business opportunity in the technology area?

00:14:07: But then you still need the money to make it work.

00:14:10: And I would like to provide both to really increase the sector.

00:14:14: Because I think if you look at the numbers, by the way, the entire increase of productivity in the United States is only... caused by the Silicon Valley in the last ten or fifteen years or something.

00:14:25: I just read something like this the other day.

00:14:30: So it's really like ten, fifteen years of productivity gap between the United States and the European Union is only caused by the productivity increase in the Silicon Valley.

00:14:39: So we are missing out a huge opportunity here in Europe.

00:14:42: And I would like to try to help that we minimize the gap to the United States and we become competitive again.

00:14:49: I think Patek you will receive lots of pitching DAX even each day.

00:14:55: and so what do students need to bring with them to successfully pitch their idea to you?

00:15:02: Yeah, so I evaluated against this my own framework that I have developed that I will actually I would like to teach to the students that they understand where it's coming from and why it makes sense.

00:15:14: So that's how I Evaluate all the pitch tax.

00:15:17: I actually receive every day.

00:15:19: Yeah, you're right.

00:15:20: So but what they really need is they need a business opportunity that can really change the world.

00:15:27: So I'm not interested in something.

00:15:31: so let's say you just identify an area where there's no local service provider to help people how to set up their computer.

00:15:40: I mean, this can be fine for somebody running their business, but that's not the business opportunity I'm looking for.

00:15:47: I'm looking for the business opportunities that can really create new companies on a unicorn scale that can have success worldwide.

00:15:57: I mean, the advantage of technology companies is you can easily scale.

00:16:01: You barely need more employees, no matter if you service hundred clients or a million clients.

00:16:07: I mean, that's really the advantage of technology companies, right?

00:16:10: And platform approaches.

00:16:12: And that's why I'm looking for people who understand this and people that understand to identify the right technologies they should focus on.

00:16:23: You're named Silicon Valley and one point.

00:16:26: What I miss here in Germany is the rule of mistakes and failed projects.

00:16:31: So what do you think?

00:16:32: What is the rule of this in learning about entrepreneurship?

00:16:37: So I mean, most ideas fail.

00:16:39: So my perspective on businesses, you start with a theory of business, then you try it in reality and it might fail.

00:16:50: So then falsification, that same approach that you apply in traditional science, right?

00:16:56: You set up, you come up with a series and then you check if this series holds in reality.

00:17:05: So business is nothing different really.

00:17:08: So the first step is, but really to come up with a good series of business.

00:17:12: That doesn't necessarily mean, no matter how much time and effort you put into developing this series of business, that it might not still fail.

00:17:23: I mean, we have seen this with many series in physics and other science.

00:17:28: that great series at the end were disproven and replaced with a new series.

00:17:33: So that doesn't mean that failure by itself is something that means you made a mistake or you are unqualified.

00:17:42: It's just part.

00:17:43: how the world works.

00:17:45: And again, business is similar like traditional science.

00:17:49: So yeah, you are right.

00:17:50: I think we have not really the right culture.

00:17:55: In Europe, we have predominantly, especially in Germany, I guess the culture, somebody failed.

00:17:59: Oh, I rather do not give seed capital to this person.

00:18:04: In the US, it's the different way around.

00:18:06: So many investors in Silicon Valley say, okay, the founder at least had to fail three times and went bankrupt.

00:18:14: Only then he really knows what he is doing.

00:18:17: And only then I will invest, right?

00:18:19: It's basically the exact opposite.

00:18:22: Again, if you look at it from just a series standpoint, and then you test your theory in the real world, and it either fails or does not fail, in both cases, you learn something, right?

00:18:35: Basically, proving a theory, let's say in physics wrong, is a valuable thing.

00:18:40: It's not like that.

00:18:41: you did something that is bad for society, you actually did a good thing.

00:18:45: And the same thing is if you can prove wrong a theory of business.

00:18:49: You now know what does not work.

00:18:52: You can compare the universities in Europe and states, for example.

00:18:57: So for us, it's a new experience to work together with you in the entrepreneurship.

00:19:02: So what is important for universities to consider?

00:19:06: venture capital and startup culture, especially if you just compare the cultures in Germany and the United States?

00:19:15: So what I see here, especially in Silicon Valley, you have a way more entrepreneurial culture already at the university level than on most universities you have in Europe, unfortunately.

00:19:29: There it's more classical.

00:19:31: Standard ideas, okay, I will continue very often a career in academics, for example.

00:19:39: the ideal ideal idea of many people there.

00:19:44: So here in the United States, especially in Silicon Valley, most people want to start the business.

00:19:49: Many want to start their business already while they are still going to university.

00:19:54: So I think it's a different culture.

00:19:56: But again, I think especially the the idea of an online university can change this in Europe as well, because part of the problem is that you are forced to go in person.

00:20:06: You have to you have a strict schedule where you have to be at the university.

00:20:12: And this change, and now especially post COVID, it has everything has changed.

00:20:17: I mean, most businesses are now fine with doing remote education, doing remote meetings, working remotely from the home office.

00:20:28: So I mean, that's why it's also logical that education should also be online and remote and not bound to such a strict schedule.

00:20:39: That leads us to the education market and scaling.

00:20:42: So for years a global market for digital education has grown double digital rates, I think and establishing it as one of the most dynamic segments in international education.

00:20:53: So platforms like Coursera and Addix have reached millions of learners, impressively demonstrating the high demand of flexible digital learning opportunities.

00:21:03: So my question is the education market is highly competitive and so what distinguishes the German UDS from platform like or such as Cousera and Addicts.

00:21:14: What do you mean?

00:21:16: So I mean, I mean, The first thing is those are platforms.

00:21:21: They are offering services from many different service providers, right?

00:21:25: They are not by themselves a university.

00:21:28: So I think here really the difference is the German UDS is a university itself and can also provide a comprehensive set of.

00:21:41: Of let's say courses that belong to each other that built up on each other.

00:21:45: right you start with a micro degree.

00:21:47: later You you go to a real MBA program for example or another master program.

00:21:53: So you can.

00:21:54: you can basically grow as you go at one university a system that you are familiar with And so on.

00:22:01: so I do not actually it's not even competition in my perspective to those online platform.

00:22:07: It's more complimentary.

00:22:09: To a very large extent, for example, in theory, the same courses could be offered even from the German UDS through those platforms.

00:22:16: So I think it's not really a competition, but what distinguishes it, the German University of Digital Science, it's really a German university of the highest level of recognition.

00:22:28: And I think the advantage here is really to build also a culture of proud alumni.

00:22:36: that still come back to the university in the future, have alumni meetings, talking to new students and so on and so forth.

00:22:44: So basically building a community around the German UDS.

00:22:48: So this is something that is, I think, an opportunity here and that distinguishes it as well from just a standard platform like Coursera, where you make one course at this university, another course from something totally different than from one company.

00:23:03: So really having having basically a community in which you are basically integrated.

00:23:11: So what we do is the university as a service, for example, so that we just think about the international collaboration.

00:23:20: So you have lots of experience in your companies and networks all over the world and the global situation.

00:23:28: So how important are international collaborations to being successful, such as a digital university?

00:23:36: I mean, very important.

00:23:37: I think especially this university of a service model can be extremely valuable in different areas.

00:23:44: So, I mean, you have smaller universities all over the world that, for example, cannot afford a professor for AI, artificial intelligence, right?

00:23:52: So, I mean, simply because they have like a funding or whatever.

00:23:56: So, but with this university as a service model, they can get access to those courses, offer them like in a wide label fashion, to their own students, because ultimately, the importance is to make people ready to enter the workforce.

00:24:11: And again, if you are lack certain skills in the very close future, you might have a hard time.

00:24:18: And AI is one of the core skills.

00:24:21: Also IT security is a skill.

00:24:23: And then, of course, you have another challenge.

00:24:27: In different regions of the world.

00:24:29: so if people want to work in Europe at some point they might have a hard time to get their degrees recognized in Europe.

00:24:37: so and i think the the opportunity.

00:24:39: with the German UDSs for people, let's say from Africa, people that are right now working on their degree in Africa with very little effort can add additional degree from the German UDS and therefore already having something that is easier recognized in Europe.

00:24:57: Especially for international managers, this can be very valuable because very often you start in one jurisdiction or on one continent and then you are transferred to another.

00:25:08: just how it is today in today's world.

00:25:13: Therefore, I think this idea of offering it as a white label version or generally as a concept that others can plug into their curriculum is very valuable and will be very helpful for many universities and people in the

00:25:33: world.

00:25:34: That's a little bit deeper.

00:25:35: dive into the AI and education and not only at the University also in schools.

00:25:39: So I think AI opens new possibilities in the educational system at all.

00:25:45: So, of course, personalize education, streamline learning processes, improve access to high quality teaching worldwide, and so on.

00:25:54: And the other point is, however, these developments also present challenges ranging from ethical issues, data protection, to either the rhythmic distortions and the risk of learners losing independence.

00:26:07: So you said that AI is radically changing industries.

00:26:11: So what does it mean in concrete terms for the education sector?

00:26:16: Yeah, again, one, I think, different areas actually.

00:26:20: So as I said earlier, writing eloquent sounding articles becomes a commodity because AI can help you a lot with this, even if you are not the most talented writer.

00:26:32: So therefore, it shifts more to the bright idea.

00:26:38: So basically the creativity.

00:26:40: Of the person using the AI to becomes more important because you cannot you cannot tell the AI just write me a very well-written article that changes the world, for example.

00:26:55: So you have to be a little bit more precise.

00:26:56: So you have to give the ideas and you have to come up with the creativity.

00:27:00: Because AI, I mean, still AI is impressive.

00:27:03: Yes, large language models are very impressive for many people, but they are still just machines.

00:27:08: And there's also the old saying in computer science, garbage in, garbage out.

00:27:12: So that's nothing else with AI.

00:27:14: You might get eloquent garbage now, but it still might be garbage.

00:27:18: So at the end, it's changes to have people more recognize how important really the creativity is and Critical thinking and I think that's what universities should always teach their students But now becomes more important because we have also now like an overflow of information.

00:27:38: That's the other downside of AI right.

00:27:40: and I think and what I foresee is like in the future you will have way more articles written by eyes news generated by eyes movies generated by eyes.

00:27:52: so you this is.

00:27:54: this overly complex world becomes way more complex even because just for the for the for the mass of information the mass of available information and people must applies a critical thinking to decide what is good what is bad and also.

00:28:14: Master their creativity and understand where are the limitations of AI and where might I try to even influence the people right.

00:28:24: so the current large language models for example they are kind of making people addicted to them in the way how they want to please them.

00:28:34: Right.

00:28:35: So I mean, this is intentionally done by the companies running those large language models.

00:28:40: It's not part of the technically necessary.

00:28:44: They have just created them in such a way that people are more or less getting addicted because they are always so kind, so nice, no matter what question you ask.

00:28:52: It says something like, oh, great question.

00:28:54: And so on.

00:28:55: So people must learn, OK, this is not a human.

00:28:58: This is still a computer I'm talking to.

00:29:00: And it's just trying to manipulate me here to spend more time with.

00:29:03: it.

00:29:04: So like social media are trying to manipulate you to spend more time scrolling through those social media.

00:29:10: So this critical thinking process and really thinking about the creativity.

00:29:16: Where can I bring in the new idea that AI cannot generate?

00:29:21: Because that's what AI, even generative AI, cannot really do.

00:29:24: It cannot really invent things.

00:29:27: This is something that only human can do.

00:29:30: I think this is the new main task for education.

00:29:35: Making people ready for this world distinguishing between information understanding where it's coming from and really leveraging where humans are still way better than AI and will remain better than AI in my opinion.

00:29:51: So what we need is the digital competences using all this tools and.

00:29:57: I see one problem, this is the education of teachers.

00:30:00: and so our children and especially our children in schools need competences in the structure of their plans.

00:30:11: and so how can we just get some new forms of educational systems for teachers, and how can we bring it into the schools as soon as possible, because in Germany it takes a lot of time to change the educational system, especially for teachers.

00:30:31: So what do you think?

00:30:31: How can we just solve this problem?

00:30:33: Because I think if the young children do not have the competence to use all these AI tools and all what you mentioned as the problems and challenges.

00:30:42: What do you think?

00:30:43: How can we solve this problem?

00:30:45: How can we do

00:30:47: it?

00:30:47: Actually, just the other day I read that even the Pope or the Vatican, in that case even... ask for this to apply AI to all curricula in schools.

00:30:58: So basically teach children what AI is and what it is not and all those things.

00:31:04: So I totally agree that AI is a necessary skill that especially even kids at the school age must learn in the future.

00:31:13: So and I think the best way is yeah to provide online programs for the teachers.

00:31:21: Flexible programs that teachers of, I mean, it doesn't necessarily have to be like the computer science teacher.

00:31:27: It can be a teacher that teaches philosophy or theology or just German language, whatever, because this depends or this applies to everything, right?

00:31:38: So that those teachers can also have a self-paced program that they can do online to get the necessary education themselves, where they get a toolbox, what they can use in the classroom to make it easier for them.

00:31:52: So I think that is the easiest way to help immediately to solve this issue, to basically bring this knowledge to the kids.

00:32:02: Of course, other things like even changing it, that you have a full program on AI in schools, this will take longer.

00:32:09: But if most of the teachers would start to at least understand AI and can discuss it.

00:32:15: Many teachers are using it already, right?

00:32:18: I talked to a few teachers the other day, and they all said they are using chat GBT almost every day for different areas themselves, right?

00:32:25: And they know their students are using it as well.

00:32:29: But they are still not really discussing it in the classroom, especially not in terms of what is it really?

00:32:34: I mean, those things still work with probabilities.

00:32:37: And by the way, what I see also as... As an issue, many people might not really understand where the real power of AI is.

00:32:45: So because the real power of AI is sometimes more in its predictive capabilities, that it can make predictions of huge amounts of data, and we are living in a world we are producing more and more and more data.

00:32:57: And this is also something where AI can be very helpful.

00:33:01: And that's important to understand.

00:33:03: And also teachers, for example, that teach politics.

00:33:09: It's very important that they teach the children to explain.

00:33:14: how can AI manipulate people, right?

00:33:17: And AI should not become your best buddy.

00:33:20: Because if it's your best buddy and at the end you are basically following whatever AI recommends to you, you are in trouble because then basically whoever controls this AI can more or less influence your thinking, can influence for whom you vote and so on and so forth.

00:33:37: So critical thinking.

00:33:39: And the impact of AI in politics should also be taught in schools, in my opinion.

00:33:47: Let's try to talk about the vision and the outlook at the last point.

00:33:52: So the vision of the German UDS is clear.

00:33:54: They develop new forms of teaching and research for the AI age, and thus prepare students worldwide for the demands of a radically changing world of work and knowledge.

00:34:04: So I think this is based on the conviction that education is the key.

00:34:09: to the global digital transformation.

00:34:12: So, of course, I know it's difficult, but what is your vision for the German UDS in ten years, for example?

00:34:23: Having more and more students.

00:34:25: building a strong network of students.

00:34:27: that the students become connected to university and to their fellow students, even so it's online, even post-graduation.

00:34:36: Building a network so that you know whom to call if you have a question.

00:34:39: This also can help them in their career in the future.

00:34:43: You are looking for a new job.

00:34:44: call somebody that you know from your online study program.

00:34:51: You can build... I have a few people that I'm... very close friends with it and never met in person.

00:34:57: That's how the world is today.

00:34:58: It's not necessary to really meet people in person anymore.

00:35:00: You can become very good friends with people without actually meeting them.

00:35:04: And network, having a network is very important in business, especially for business leaders.

00:35:10: And that's what we are focusing on in the German University of Digital Science, educating business leaders and providing them above the education itself.

00:35:22: also a network.

00:35:23: but additionally i hope that the german university of digital science will become a continuous education help for all the people because you cannot stop.

00:35:33: i'm still i'm still doing like.

00:35:36: all the time some online program.

00:35:38: I read every day a book and I am always signed up for some online study program, whatever it is.

00:35:44: Even by the way, Peter Drucker, I think since the nineteen seventies, recommended that you should also always focus on learning something new.

00:35:52: Like I think he once learned the Japanese history or something like for four years.

00:35:57: So always doing something new, it helps.

00:36:01: uh you to look above your your basically own area is that where you are feeling comfortable with it it it keeps your brain basically let's say trained.

00:36:11: i mean to some extent your brain is like a muscle right.

00:36:13: you have to keep it trained you have to keep it.

00:36:17: use to really to really perform its full for performance.

00:36:22: so i hope that this is in ten years.

00:36:25: what's the german university of digital science is known for in the entire world that there is a place where you get the best knowledge for the new digital age.

00:36:34: and you have a network and you have somewhere where you get always a continuous education as you need it.

00:36:41: And new technology develops, the German University of Digital Science offers a course.

00:36:45: You can sign up for this course and you'll learn the basics and how it impacts your business so that you do not basically have to go through the internet and trying to find some matching course so that you have basically something that you can rely on.

00:37:00: Because in my opinion, in the AI age, with this overflow, of information.

00:37:05: I mean, AI can create courses in the future as well, right?

00:37:08: So the most important part is the brand.

00:37:12: So that because people in order to decide is this good or bad in terms of the content I'm getting there, this can be only distinguished in the future by the brand.

00:37:24: So and hopefully the German University of Digital Science will be recognized as a brand that I get really the right knowledge.

00:37:33: I get true knowledge and not just something that was generated with AI, just to collect some fees and not really provide any insights, but something that you can get for free on YouTube already.

00:37:47: This brand really helps people to understand, okay, I always go back to this source if I need new knowledge.

00:37:56: Because again, the overflow of information will make the brands Way more important in selecting where you go.

00:38:03: because the issue is with education is very similar like watching a movie you only know after you went through the program if you liked it if it was right for you.

00:38:13: But it's similar like with movies, that's why we have those big brands in Hollywood and so on.

00:38:19: You basically apply this brand reputation to your decision making by saying, okay, if it's from this brand, I like all the other movies, I like this movie as well.

00:38:32: And I think that's the opportunity for the German University of Digital Science establishing a brand in this new age of AI.

00:38:39: cyber technology or cyber security and technology, quantum computing and all the new technologies as becoming the brand that tells the people, okay, here you get really the knowledge you need as a business leader.

00:38:53: Patrick I'm deeply impressed about all what you did in your business life.

00:38:57: So it is a last question What would you personally like students to take away from your work from your experiences?

00:39:03: So I think if you just give some lectures at our university, so if you just Have a look back to all what you did.

00:39:12: and so what do you think is your wish to the students?

00:39:17: What would you like to give them with on their way into this digital world and digital future?

00:39:27: I think two things.

00:39:29: The first thing is this method I talked about earlier so that they understand those those basics of the method to apply like this toolbox that you have from different management tools evaluation tools and so on just to figure out what should you do because it's a business leader every single day or as an entrepreneur.

00:39:50: every single day has a new challenge.

00:39:53: so and the only way to master it is you have to have your toolbox ready and you have to know to what tool you.

00:39:59: need right now, right?

00:40:00: It's like a mechanic.

00:40:01: So the mechanic needs this toolbox with him or he's lost, right?

00:40:05: You cannot fix the engine if you have no toolbox with you.

00:40:08: And it's nothing else for any manager.

00:40:10: So you have to know, okay, in this situation, I have to apply this.

00:40:14: For example, one of your employees comes with a new technology and presents it to you, just makes a decision.

00:40:20: Is this technology worse?

00:40:22: to look closer into it or not?

00:40:24: So Prior to rights, things and so on.

00:40:26: So this method would be the first thing I hope students will understand and take away.

00:40:32: And secondly, in my experience, fifty percent of success, if not more, is just avoiding pitfalls and mistakes.

00:40:42: And that's the other thing I want to talk about.

00:40:43: So I mean, so many people get great opportunities, have a great business idea, have a perfect market fit, but still because of sometimes almost or not almost, of sometimes stupid mistakes, they ruin their entire business, their own life.

00:41:00: So basically, the other thing is more, you could almost call it business ethics, if you will.

00:41:05: But basically, how do you deal with the challenges in a non-technical manner?

00:41:12: What what should you apply?

00:41:13: how do you deal with employees?

00:41:15: and so on so forth.

00:41:17: i would like to also talk about this that people understand.

00:41:19: how do you deal with challenges?

00:41:21: how do how to avoid.

00:41:23: Mistakes that can ruin your entire business?

00:41:25: right?

00:41:26: so and it's also not.

00:41:27: i mean this goes back to rick philosophy if you will.

00:41:29: i mean those concepts are also known for for thousands of years.

00:41:33: it's nothing nothing really new but maybe we think about them.

00:41:37: is important for business leaders because unfortunately we are not getting those things taught in school anymore.

00:41:43: So like in the classical school curriculum, you learn Greek philosophy and other thinkers.

00:41:50: So what I think there are also a few valuable lessons for business leaders today.

00:41:53: So in do's and don'ts, right?

00:41:56: To just to avoid the pitfalls that can, no matter how good your technology is, no matter how good your market product fit is, can still ruin your life.

00:42:05: We just had this thing with this CEO and this HR lady that went to the media, where they ruined their career for some.

00:42:12: thing, totally, I guess, unnecessary thing, right?

00:42:16: Those kind of things.

00:42:17: So how do you deal with with potential traps?

00:42:23: Patrick, I could listen to you hours and hours.

00:42:26: And I'm sure that this is not the last podcast we will have in the German UDS.

00:42:31: But you are always busy.

00:42:33: So thank you for these exciting insights into your work and your vision about the future of education.

00:42:40: So that's all for today episode.

00:42:42: Thank you for tuning in and special thanks to Patrick for sharing his thoughtful insights about the opportunities of our German UDS.

00:42:51: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share the podcast with your colleagues, students and fellow digital educators.

00:42:58: You'll find additional resources, links and readings on the website German UDS.

00:43:02: Until next time, stay curious and stay digitally connected.

00:43:07: Bye Patrick, thanks a lot.