While other countries are moving forward, Brazil is lagging behind in discussing the importance of the topic, or whether it is even possible to do so, Plosi assessed. He reiterates that the world will change, and that everything will go through a process of disruption through more technology and innovation. “AI is just one field,” he says. “We also have synthetic biology, robotics, self-driving cars, sustainability, new types of energy, and space. The best innovations are in the future, and it will be bigger and faster.”
To achieve this, all companies – especially iFood – must be prepared for these changes. The CEO says the company needs to be prepared to rebuild the entire business in the coming years, otherwise it will lose the space.
He states that it is not just a matter of thinking about companies, but growth generates value for Brazil and thus affects the distribution of this wealth. “That's why we need to be ambidextrous, not just an efficient, disciplined company, but a company that innovates a lot all the time. It's a condition of existence.”
iFood has been serving 20,000 orders a month for 10 years. Today, it serves nearly 100 million orders per month. This is an area that has seen technological disruption. There will be 20 more areas and many opportunities to create huge technology companies in Brazil. iFood is obviously an example of this, but there are many others. We have Nubank, which is currently one of the best finance companies in the world. We have Mercado Livre, one of the best e-commerce companies in the world. There will be others. Or if there are no other companies, we will lose space to global companies, when we should be generating this kind of value in Brazil.
The executive says he believes in conscious capitalism. “I believe it is my duty to give back to society. Give back, whether with money, investment, or education, which is an area in which iFood only exists because of education, to give back with technology. We have a lot of projects related to technology, because iFood is a technology hub in Brazil, Its distribution to the surrounding public areas strengthens Brazil in an essential area for us.”
Last month, Labor and Employment Minister Luiz Marinho criticized the iFood network when it announced labor regulation on transportation apps in Brazil. The proposal submitted by Lula's government Only drivers transporting passengers in four-wheel drive vehicles.
