---
id: "quote-partnership-shift"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ 2. A network of partners"]
tags: ["ecosystem-maturity"]
related: ["claim-partnership-ecosystem-maturation"]
speaker: "Bruce Lawler, Vijay D'Silva and Vivek Arora"
speakers: ["Bruce Lawler", "Vijay D'Silva", "Vivek Arora"]
quote: "In our 2021 survey, academia and startups were the most common partners; two years later, respondents named a maturing ecosystem of consultants, vendors, and industry partners. The implication is that AI has matured enough that practical approaches are valued the most."
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2025/01/what-companies-succeeding-with-ai-do-differently"
source_title: "What Companies Succeeding with AI Do Differently"
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-cl-89-companies-succeeding-with-ai"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/01/what-companies-succeeding-with-ai-do-differently"
sourceTitle: "What Companies Succeeding with AI Do Differently"
---
# Shift in AI partnership types

> "In our 2021 survey, academia and startups were the most common partners; two years later, respondents named a maturing ecosystem of consultants, vendors, and industry partners. The implication is that AI has matured enough that practical approaches are valued the most."
> — [[entity-bruce-lawler|Bruce Lawler]], [[entity-vijay-d-silva|Vijay D'Silva]] and [[entity-vivek-arora|Vivek Arora]]

Evidence for [[claim-partnership-ecosystem-maturation]] and the contrarian read in [[contrarian-academic-partnerships-declining]].