By Frazer Williamson, Global Mobility at AlphaSense
Introduction
By 2030, a remote-first work model will be the norm for numerous industries, significantly impacting how companies operate. Where traditional industries may struggle to adapt to the new strategies and practicalities required for effective workforce planning, AlphaSense has, from inception as a SaaS start up 13 years ago, leveraged fluid working arrangements to develop into the enterprise, AI driven business insights leader it is today, valued at $4bn on the path to IPO.
Understanding and adapting to the demands of a remote-first world will be essential for long-term success and to ensure a competitive edge in 2030. This paper explores the anticipated effects on AlphaSense’s digital infrastructure, cultural cohesion, and talent management strategies, as well as the impact of cross-border compliance on the future of the business.
1. Digital Infrastructure
AlphaSense employs hundreds of software engineers, product development specialists, and sales professionals in the US, Canada, UK, Finland, India, Singapore, Canada, and Ireland. Engineering talent in particular has been sourced from locations with significant investment in software development and AI education or experience. Leveraging talent in non-entity locations has been enabled through an agile Employer on Record (EoR) partnership. Together, these specialists around the world work collaboratively across time zones to develop new offerings and enhance existing products and services on the market. We have physical office locations, but there is no assumption that working from the office is more valuable than working from home, or even working remotely from anywhere in the world.
A robust digital infrastructure has been crucial for sustaining productivity, ensuring data security, and enabling seamless cross-border collaboration in an extremely agile company with a start-up mentality at its core. Given the global footprint of AlphaSense’s engineering and design talent, investing in next gen collaborative tools, and effective communication channels to engage in immersive brainstorming and complex project discussions will always be critical for success. AlphaSense leverages intelligent workflow management software to allocate tasks, monitor project statuses and communicate effectively. Digital software such as Asana, Confluence, Jira, and more products will continue to be used to bridge physical distances, enabling engineers and product designers to troubleshoot and innovate with a higher degree of interactivity. This will only continue in the future, with investment likely to increase.
These tools will effectively become the backbone of the company as we continue to expand, scale products and demonstrate the value of a globally dispersed collaborative, and productive workforce. In 2030 reliance on such tools, with more embedded AI, will accelerate, and I would imagine spill over into other departments including HR and finance, where traditional communication channels such as email, Zoom, and Slack have been embedded for years. Leveraging AI for Human Resources and finance will offer greater task automation, forecasting, sustainability, and much more. The widespread adoption of AI will not merely be a trend, but a strategic shift that will foster innovation and drive value in a remote-first set up.
2. Cross-Border Compliance
Operating a remote model will present new challenges related to cross-border compliance. The EoR engagement is already a useful foundation for tracking and maintaining compliance with ever changing regulations. With the advent of our International Temporary Remote Work programme in 2025, ensuring compliance to tax regulations, data privacy laws, PE risks, and employment policies will vary across the regions in which we operate, creating a complex landscape to navigate. Compliance management software powered by remote work feasibility assessments will be indispensable in tracking and adapting to regulatory changes, as well as ensuring that the company's operations and employees comply with local laws.
Data sovereignty or Intellectual Property is anticipated to be a critical issue. Many countries may require that data generated within their borders remains accessible locally, even for companies like AlphaSense, which operates globally. This could necessitate localized data centres or cloud partnerships to align with regional policies while maintaining compliance with global data privacy standards, such as GDPR in the EU. Moreover, the management of employee contracts across borders will demand precision to remain compliant with regional labour laws, ensuring that AlphaSense minimizes legal risks associated with global employment practices.
3. Cultural Cohesion
Fostering cultural cohesion in a geographically dispersed workforce will be one of the biggest challenges of a remote-first world. Establishing a coherent set of core values and mission-driven objectives should typically bind teams together. International expat, rotational or developmental assignments aside, for AlphaSense, creating a unified organizational culture through Engineering, QA, Product, Sales, Marketing, and the People support functions will continue to evolve through virtual team-building events, regular cultural exchange sessions, and initiatives to celebrate local festivals. The culture building strategy has always been a process of evolution, rather than a static set of norms or regulations. A cohesive identity is not necessarily integral for growth, when success has been driven through flexible interactions, joint missions, and adaptable networking.
By 2030, I envisage the adoption of sophisticated digital culture-building tools to simulate many aspects of in-office interactions, helping teams stay connected. To strengthen cultural cohesion, I promote the introduction of a “regional ambassador” model, appointing employees from different regions to represent cultural perspectives and feedback within the organization and functions. These ambassadors would serve as liaisons between local teams and upper management, fostering a sense of belonging and inclusivity, which is critical for joint missions, projects, and global collaboration.
4. Talent Management
The scope of AlphaSense’s talent acquisition has already been broad, allowing it to recruit the best talent from any region under our EoR engagement, where relocation to a core hub was not possible. This will continue, alongside promoting initiatives to attract highly specialized individuals through the development of attractive compensation packages, equitable pay and benefits, career progression, and skills development. M&A activity over the years have allowed AlphaSense to take the “best practices” and evolve uniformly. One troubling strategy I foresee in the future, perhaps across other industry verticals, is a location-agnostic compensation model, where employees are paid based on their roles and skill levels, rather than their geographic location. This approach could enhance equity and attract top global talent, but comes with some significant workforce planning considerations. Arguably it is a game changer for many.
Closer to home, investing in AI-driven HR tools to automate tasks such as onboarding, performance evaluations, and personalized career development plans should provide tailored growth opportunities and insights for employees, thereby improving retention rates. Prioritizing continuous upskilling is also critical, and even now the fast-paced evolution of new AI models requires our specialists to up their game! By 2030, technology in the AI industry will have evolved beyond recognition, and so investing in advanced training programs to keep employees on the cutting edge of AI innovation will be invaluable for many companies. Partnering with online education platforms to provide certifications and skills workshops will not only enhance team capabilities but also demonstrate AlphaSense’s commitment to career growth.
Conclusion
A fluid workforce strategy and the “remote-first” world of 2030 already co-exist in 2024 at AlphaSense. The business is already in a position of strength, but to maintain the competitive edge and position as a leader in AI-driven market intelligence, AlphaSense will continue to proactively invest in digital infrastructure and products that promote cross border collaboration, both with our own employees, as well as clients. The workforce of the future is expected to embrace the remote first world, and optimize the tech stack to collaborate, develop, and grow. A cohesive culture should therefore be accepted as an evolving process versus a goal, a statement, or a set of values.
RES Forum research
This piece was written for the RES Forum research paper Vision 2030 – the future of talent mobility. Set for release in January 2025, the paper looks ahead to the world of international and cross-border work in 2030. As well as a comprehensive industry-led piece of research, the paper also explores three potential visions of life and work in half a decade’s time. These scenarios were created following numerous conversations and represent our best estimate of what it might be like to live and work in 2030. In response to these visions, we gathered a selection of perspectives from across the RES Forum community. This is one of a selection of pieces to be released alongside the research paper.