Welcome to today’s briefing.

While the general headlines are still obsessed with what AI can say, the 1% are looking at what AI is doing to the foundational structures of our economy.

Last week, the tech world was rocked by shifts in how we work and how we are governed, from Anthropic’s new labor data to the literal drones hovering over Shenzhen.

In today's brief, we break down the stories around how the Balkans is shapping it’s talent ecosystem to support the western businesses, and how Shenzen is piloting a fleet of AI powered drones to control traffic.

For the last decade, the standard lean business playbook was simple: outsource to Southeast Asia or India. It looked great on a spreadsheet, until you factored in the "hidden taxes”. Revision loops, cultural disconnects, and the constant management overhead often turned a $5/hour hire into a $50/hour headache.

While the Western business world is distracted, a high-density talent pool is sitting across Bulgaria, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia,

In these regions, the local economy hasn't caught up to the global skill level.

Unlike traditional outsourcing hubs, Eastern Europe removes the friction points that kill scaling:

The best talent isn't sitting on Upwork or Fiverr waiting for a bid. They are in local Telegram channels, niche Facebook groups, and Eastern European Twitter.

Operators running lean, 8-figure businesses are now building entire ghost teams of 5 people in Prishtina or Sofia for a total payroll of $10k/month. That’s an entire company for the price of one mid-level manager in San Francisco.

Are you tired of hunting down data, fixing errors, and manually updating disconnected spreadsheets?

Tax reporting isn’t a simple as it used to be. You need real-time, flexible reporting so you can confidently make decisions backed by accurate, centralized data.

Learn how bringing all your tax information into one central system automates repetitive tasks, improves scenario planning, and frees your team to focus on strategy instead of data entry.

Whether you operate in one country or dozens, Longview Tax scales with you—reducing risk, speeding up your close process, and helping you optimize tax policies across all jurisdictions.

Download the paper

Southeast Europe is currently the center of Europe's supercomputing conversation, as the EuroHPC Summit 2026 officially kicks off today.

Government and tech leaders have gathered for the EuroHPC Summit (Mar 10-12) in Montenegro, to discuss the next phase of European "Digital Sovereignty”

The Prime Minister Milojko Spajić is leading the "AI DIRECTLY" initiative, a national vision to modernize society and boost competitiveness through AI. The goal is to move the country from a tourism-heavy economy to a high-tech Sovereign AI hub.

If you thought AI-generated code was futuristic, wait until you look up at the skyline of Shenzhen.

If you’re driving through Shenzhen in 2026, the flashing red and blue lights behind you might not be a car, they might be hovering 50 feet above your sunroof.

China has moved beyond the "trial" phase of drone policing. Shenzhen’s traffic police are now deploying a massive fleet of autonomous drones to enforce order in what feels like a scene straight out of Blade Runner.

These aren't your hobbyist DJI drones. These are purpose-built law enforcement units equipped with:

The "Vibe" of the Future

Locals are calling it Aerial Traffic Police, while drones operate with a high degree of autonomy, using AI to spot violations like failing to yield at crosswalks or illegal parking.

What starts as a Shenzhen experimen usually becomes a commercial product exported globally within 24 months. As Western cities look for ways to manage "micro-mobility" (e-bikes and scooters) and reduce traffic congestion, the "Shenzhen Model" of drone-led enforcement is the blueprint they’ll be studying.

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See you on the next edition,
Çelik