February 19, 2026
February 19, 2026
Bloom Energy has spent 25 years building and scaling onsite power solutions. This year, as AI-driven compute accelerates, the constraint many executives keep returning to is straightforward: reliable electricity at scale delivered on timelines the grid often can’t match. Katja Gagen, Bloom’s Chief Communications Officer, recently returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she compared what leaders are planning for AI with what infrastructure can realistically support. Drawing on her venture capital background, reading inflection points, she offers a pragmatic lens on what’s changing — and what credible leadership communication looks like in this moment.
You just got back from the World Economic Forum in Davos. What surprised you most?
The most revealing moments were the informal ones, quick conversations between sessions where people spoke candidly about constraints on AI growth. What I heard repeatedly was that there is a gap between the pace of AI plans and the reality of power availability. Many leaders assume capacity will materialize somewhere in the system, but few have a concrete plan for how to secure reliable electricity on the timelines they’re targeting. From Bloom’s perspective, it reinforced that onsite, dependable generation isn’t a theoretical discussion; it’s becoming an execution requirement.
Bloom turned 25 this year. That’s a long time to wait for your moment.
In venture capital, I learned to track multiple narratives at once: market timing, customer urgency, and what’s operationally feasible. You can’t force adoption before the environment is ready, but you can make sure you’re positioned when the questions change. At Bloom, we’re balancing a few conversations in parallel: how AI-driven demand is reshaping load growth, what “reliable electricity at scale” actually requires, and where our technology differentiates. What I saw in Davos is that the intersection of energy infrastructure and AI has moved into mainstream executive discussions, and leaders are looking for practical, near-term options.
What I saw in Davos is that the intersection of energy infrastructure and AI has moved into mainstream executive discussions, and leaders are looking for practical, near-term options.
Are there misconceptions in your space that you saw at Davos?
I saw a tendency to talk about AI in extremes, either as transformative or as deeply destabilizing. Meanwhile, most leaders are dealing with something more practical: rapid adoption, but uneven readiness. The technology is advancing quickly, but organizational trust and responsible use often lag. Leadership’s work is to close the gap. That means clear governance, workforce enablement, and transparent expectations about where AI helps today, and where it’s still maturing. And at an enterprise level, adoption can only scale responsibly when trust holds across teams, partners, and regulatory environments.
At an enterprise level, AI adoption can only scale responsibly when trust holds across teams, partner, and regulatory environments.
How do you approach executive communications in this AI-saturated environment?
Start with fundamentals: business strategy, customer pain points, and what the market is actually rewarding. Then translate that into an executive voice that’s credible and consistent. AI can help you draft and refine, but it can’t replace judgment, context, tradeoffs, and the proof behind the story. Different leaders also need different tools: some default to product depth, so the work is elevating to vision and outcomes; others want technical rigor, so you have to be ready with details. The best coverage still comes from disciplined relationship building and defensible proof points. AI doesn’t eliminate that work.
The best coverage still comes from disciplined relationship building and defensible proof points. AI doesn’t eliminate that work.
You play tennis. How has it influenced your work?
Tennis taught me adaptability. I broke a clavicle in an injury years ago and had to change how I played. That mindset carries into work: you can’t use the same approach for every audience or situation. Some people want the strategic “why,” others want the operational “how,” and it’s your job to meet them where they are. It also reinforces resilience: you can face setbacks, adjust quickly, and still deliver. That’s how we’re approaching this moment at Bloom: with focus, clarity, and execution.
This interview is part of our Super Communicators series, which explores how leading communicators use curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity to create an innovation edge in the AI era.
