Digital sovereignty
What does it actually cost an organisation to leave a vendor, a cloud, or a model provider?
The Lecture Hall
Some ideas are written.
Others need to be spoken aloud.
This room keeps the record of when that happened — nothing rehearsed for the page.
Subjects worth discussing
Durable themes, not a services menu — each already carries a Library volume.
Invisible engineering
What did Japan's infrastructure teach about technology nobody has to think about?
Operational ownership
Why do AI strategies fail even when the model works?
Preparedness
Why is readiness a better measure of sovereignty than resources ever were?
Systems people trust
What makes consistency beat novelty when the stakes are operational?
Technology that disappears
What does reliability look like when it stops being noticed at all?
Upcoming
Confirmed dates, with a door to the event.
Kickoff Kapitalbrücke beider Basel
Panel guest — FHNW Campus Dreispitz, Dornacherstrasse 394, 4053 Basel
Panel discussion on startup funding paths at the launch of Kapitalbrücke beider Basel, connecting startups with investors in the Basel region. Event starts at 18:00, followed by a networking apéro.
Selected appearances
Talks, interviews and event records, most recent first. Each link identifies the material available.
Fähripitch 2026
Keynote speaker — A66 • St. Alban-Anlage 66, 4052 Basel
“Switzerland’s most extraordinary pitch event – focused on ‘Tech & Sustainability’ on 11 September 2026 in Basel.”
5th Polish Economic & Technology Forum Switzerland
Panel moderator — Zurich
Cross-border technology strategy and sovereignty in European markets.
It's About Tech #12: Digital Sovereignty
Panel guest and book presentation — Basel
Panopticon 2.0 launch context and digital sovereignty frameworks.
Telebasel Geld & Co
Guest interview — Basel
Crypto market risk, governance, and strategic portfolio perspective.
It's About Tech #6: Starting a Tech Company
Speaker — Basel
Founder lessons on company building, execution pressure, and resilience.
Swiss AI Platform Disrupting $50 Billion Financial Data Industry
Guest interview — Digital
Product vision, market dynamics, and practical AI strategy.
Telebasel DvW Show
Guest interview — Basel
Digital ownership, blockchain trends, and practical adoption paths.
Cryptographic Asset Show #40
Guest interview — Digital
Crypto entrepreneurship and long-term strategy under uncertainty.
For organisers
I build and advise on technology that should remain controllable: AI under operational ownership, infrastructure with exit options, and decisions boards can defend years later. I write Field Notes from that practice. I am based in Basel and work internationally.
Speaking languages: English and German. Use this portrait with the name Thierry Gilgen for agreed event publicity. Confirm the topic, audience, format, timing, recording and reuse permissions in your invitation.
An invitation
If a subject here needs to be spoken somewhere specific, that is a conversation, not a booking form.