Ringier Goes All-In on AI
At the blue Cinema Corso, Ringier CEO Marc Walder presented the media company’s future as a cinematic AI showdown. The numbers prove him right. But in the media business, «all-in» isn’t a poker move—it’s a strategic bet on trust, technology, and speed.
Marc Walder didn't just walk onto the stage. He stepped out of a movie. Clips from this astonishingly realistic AI film, produced by Georg Sturm and his team, are featured in the following Speak video, which captures the voices and atmosphere of that morning.
Early in the morning, on his way to work, the Ringier CEO moves through an AI-generated visual world that brings together Hollywood, 19th-century Zurich, and the Beatles. A pop classic provided the perfect beats: pop history, studio technology, concept albums, and cultural upheaval. A piece of music history serves as the backdrop for a media company that sees itself as steeped in tradition, agile, and technologically forward-thinking.
And Walder? In this opening film, he looked a bit like Bruce Willis. Not quite John McClane fighting his way through *Die Hard*. More like a CEO who knows that in the media business, you don’t gamble for chips—you gamble for trust. Those who recognize the signs of the times too late are at a disadvantage in the skyscraper of disruption.
It was a fitting setting for the morning at the blue Cinema Corso at Bellevue, with a view of Sechseläutenwiese, the Opera House, and Uetliberg. With «Speak 2026,» Ringier presented more than just numbers, strategy, and internal slogans. It was a staged declaration: AI is no longer an experiment. AI is infrastructure. AI is a tool. AI is a cultural program. AI is a storytelling engine.
«AI is dead, long live AI»
Walders« central thesis sounded paradoxical, but was meant to be precise: AI, when used to churn out content on a massive scale, loses its value. AI as infrastructure is gaining power. He spoke of »AI slop,” of mountains of digital trash, of artificially generated videos, images, songs, and texts flooding the web. Of bots talking to bots. Of a reality that is becoming negotiable. Of an internet that seems smarter than ever before—and yet can be trusted less and less.
With that, Walder laid the groundwork for Ringier’s own positioning: As everything out there becomes more synthetic, faster, and more interchangeable, the value of brands that promise trust, discernment, and heritage increases. That is the strength of Ringier’s narrative. It is not defensive. It doesn’t say, “AI threatens us.” It says, “AI forces us to become better, faster, and clearer.”.
The Ferrari on the Laptop
The subsequent press conference on Dufourstrasse once again underscored just how serious Ringier is about this. Walder remarked that all employees effectively had a «Ferrari on their laptop.» He was referring to the 7,000 Google Workspace licenses, including Gemini.
The message was clear: AI should not be used on a case-by-case basis. AI should be integrated into day-to-day work. Editorial, Sales, Product, Marketing, Controlling, Legal—all departments should become more efficient, precise, and faster through the use of AI.
According to Walder, anyone who fails to adapt will run into trouble.
This makes sense from a technological standpoint. And there is likely no alternative. The media industry is currently undergoing a disruption that may be even more fundamental than the one caused by the Internet itself.
The numbers are providing a boost
CFO Annabella Brassler provided the business context. Ringier currently appears stable and capable of taking action. EBITDA rose to 120.3 million Swiss francs in 2025, and the EBITDA margin reached a record high of 15.8 percent. Already, 83 percent of operating profit comes from digital business.
The Swiss Marketplace Group's successful initial public offering brought in additional liquidity and, at the same time, highlights where Ringier is particularly strong today: in digital platforms, job boards, real estate, and ticketing.
This is precisely where the economic reality of modern media companies becomes apparent. The big money is increasingly coming from commercial platforms and digital services—not primarily from traditional advertising of journalistic content.
And yet it would be premature to conclude from this that journalism is in decline.
A New Opportunity for Quality Environments
Walder’s analysis of the platform economy was sharp this morning. If users begin their information journey with ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude in the future, the traditional media funnel will lose a great deal of its power. Walder cited a striking statistic: out of 1,700 queries on news topics, OpenAI redirects only one person to a media platform. The figures are likely similar for other AI models.
This is a game-changer for reach, visibility, and advertising revenue. At the same time, this very development presents a new opportunity: As AI-generated content floods social media platforms and search engines lose their traditional role as gatekeepers, high-quality, credible media environments could regain their importance.
And as brands find it increasingly difficult to place their ads alongside synthetic AI junk, fake content, or questionable AI feeds, a controlled editorial environment is regaining value. Trust is becoming the currency. With Ringier Advertising, Ringier has a strong marketing arm that is well-positioned to embrace this trend and turn it into growth.
Ringier is also laying the groundwork for this from a journalistic perspective. Walder emphasized on several occasions that all published content must be subject to journalistic oversight and editing. AI is intended to support, accelerate, structure, and assist with research—not to replace the core of journalism.
That's an important difference.
The Next Roger Benoit
Another question, therefore, is less of a technological or economic nature. It is, rather, a cultural one. How will Ringier change as a company when AI evolves from a tool to a mindset?
If you take Walder’s statements at face value, AI proficiency will be a mandatory requirement in the future. This creates a sense of urgency, pressure, and a certain degree of Darwinism within the organization. For many employees, this is likely to be inspiring. For others, it’s more like a constant stress test.
Transformation therefore requires not only consistency, but also tact and empathy. After all, media companies don’t thrive solely on technology or profit margins. They thrive on personalities—on people with conviction, character, instinct, and a distinctive voice.
In other words: Can an AI-driven Ringier continue to produce figures like Roger Benoit? Journalists, that is, who are more than just efficient content producers—who embody brilliance, style, and originality—and whom you recognize even before you read their byline. Read our review of the book to learn more. «Formula Madness.».
How much of Ringier is still left in Ringier?
The discussion surrounding the Ringier family also came up. During the media roundtable, the question was raised several times as to how much of a traditional family business Ringier would still be in the future—especially following the departure of Robin Ling, a representative of the sixth generation.
The question isn’t just an organizational one. It runs deeper. It all began with Hans Ringier, the cooper and barrel-maker, who became a citizen of Zofingen in 1527. A man of the trades, he built barrels long before his descendants established printing houses, newspapers, and later digital platforms. Nearly 500 years later, Ringier once again finds itself at a historic turning point in the media landscape: transitioning from the era of letterpress printing to the era of AI.
Walder tried to reassure everyone. He said the company’s DNA would remain the same. Ringier was more than just a company; Ringier was a way of life.
And indeed: Much about that morning still had a very Ringier feel to it. The big stage. The self-promotion. The pace. The enthusiasm for technology. The journalistic claim to power. The mix of tabloid, business, and vision for the future.
Technologically, Ringier seems to be handling the curve well. Economically, too. It’s almost like in Formula 1: If you brake too late, you’re out. If you brake too early, you lose ground. Ringier is currently seeking the ideal balance between speed, control, and risk.
The next turning point, therefore, lies not in the engine room of technology, but in the company’s culture. After all, even the best car can’t win a race without a driver with instinct. Ergo: Can an AI-driven Ringier continue to produce figures like Roger Benoit? Journalists, that is, who are more than just efficient content producers—who embody brilliance, style, and originality—and whom you recognize even before you read their byline.
This is exactly what will determine how much of Ringier will remain in Ringier in the future—and whether the family’s historic Fassbinder craft will once again become a viable vessel for the next media era—and not, one day, a bottomless pit…
Architect of Change
Marc Walder did indeed seem a bit like a Hollywood protagonist that morning. Not because Ringier is under fire or providing material for a historical series, but because major transformations always have a cinematic quality to them: Lights out. Spotlight on. A clear statement. A calculated risk.
Ringier is moving forward with AI. Quickly. Consistently. With capital, technology, and remarkable determination.
And perhaps that is precisely the most important insight from this morning: The future of journalism does not depend on whether media companies use AI. Rather, it depends on whether they manage to remain human, credible, and distinctive despite all the technology.
