Marc Berg shared three critical lessons from leading Statista through 2025 as data became the new battleground for AI partnerships with tech giants.
Marc Berg faced a year unlike any other in his tenure as Statista CEO. On December 23, 2025, the executive published a LinkedIn reflection detailing how challenges in 2025 forced the data company to fundamentally redesign its business model, pivot from platform to data-as-a-service, and secure partnerships with maj…
Marc Berg shared three critical lessons from leading Statista through 2025 as data became the new battleground for AI partnerships with tech giants.
Marc Berg faced a year unlike any other in his tenure as Statista CEO. On December 23, 2025, the executive published a LinkedIn reflection detailing how challenges in 2025 forced the data company to fundamentally redesign its business model, pivot from platform to data-as-a-service, and secure partnerships with major technology companies including Canva, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot.
The year brought structural transitions that tested organizational limits. Statista launched Statista Connect, activated Statista Healthcare, relocated its Berlin office, and managed what Berg described as "a significant structural transition." The CEO finalized a handover this month placing Arne Frederik in the new role of Chief Customer Officer, marking a leadership shift that accompanied the broader business transformation.
Three specific lessons emerged from 2025’s turbulence, Berg wrote. First, rapid change exposed the inadequacy of existing structures. "Real AI impact comes from redesigning processes around the outcome, not optimizing legacy workflows," he stated. The observation reflected Statista’s experience rethinking its business model from foundational assumptions rather than incrementally adjusting established approaches.
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Second, Berg cited Ayrton Senna’s observation that drivers cannot overtake 15 cars in sunny conditions but can accomplish this feat in rain. "This quote stuck with me, because it captures perfectly that not every opportunity is obvious in ideal conditions," Berg explained. The sentiment aligned with Statista’s navigation of challenging market conditions that nonetheless enabled strategic breakthroughs. Some of the most significant advances materialized precisely when environmental factors created difficulty rather than stability.
Third, quality data emerged as the critical asset rather than platform infrastructure. Berg compared data to good ingredients for a chef, arguing that Statista’s platform was no longer its key asset. "We realized, our data was," he wrote. This recognition accelerated Statista’s 2025 shift toward a data-as-a-service model where the company’s curated information becomes an ingredient for other products rather than exclusively powering Statista’s own platform.
The data-as-a-service pivot represents a fundamental transformation of Statista’s value proposition. Rather than positioning itself solely as the final destination for data consumers, the company now enables third-party platforms to integrate Statista’s curated datasets into their own services. The shift parallels broader industry movements toward modular data infrastructure, where specialized providers supply verified information to platforms that deliver end-user experiences.
Partnerships announced during 2025 demonstrate this strategic direction. Canva’s integration provides design platform users with access to Statista’s statistical information directly within their creative workflows. Perplexity’s collaboration embeds data company research into AI-powered search results. Microsoft Copilot’s partnership delivers Statista content through the technology company’s productivity assistant, placing verified statistics within business users’ daily workflow tools.
The Microsoft relationship carries particular significance given Copilot’s position within enterprise productivity suites. Amit P., an executive focused on AI platform development, commented on Berg’s LinkedIn post: "It truly has been a privilege to work with the Statista team. Here’s to bringing the world class Statista data to all Copilot customers in 2026." The statement indicated ongoing integration work extending into the coming year.
These partnerships address a critical challenge facing generative AI systems: access to authoritative, verified data sources. Large language models trained on internet-scale datasets frequently generate plausible-sounding but factually incorrect information, a phenomenon commonly termed hallucination. Data providers like Statista offer curated, vetted statistics that ground AI responses in verified information rather than probabilistic text generation.
The commercial implications extend beyond technology partnerships. According to research, businesses increasingly prioritize first-party data activation as privacy regulations and cookie deprecation limit traditional tracking methods. Organizations implementing profit-based bidding strategies require reliable data sources to inform campaign optimization and audience targeting decisions.
Statista’s healthcare initiative represents another 2025 development. The specialized vertical applies the company’s data aggregation methodology to medical statistics, clinical research outcomes, and health system performance metrics. Healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers represent potential customers for curated industry-specific datasets that support evidence-based decision-making.
The structural transition Berg referenced included workforce adjustments announced October 15, 2025. Statista eliminated approximately 80 positions, primarily affecting Team Content, which handled data identification, contextualization, and aggregation. Berg described the decision as necessary to automate repetitive standard processes while increasing investment in core data tasks requiring human expertise and judgment.
The workforce reduction followed strong financial performance, with the company reaching 18% year-over-year growth momentum in Q3 and Q4 2024. Berg cited multiple factors driving the reorganization: "The uncertain economic situation, geopolitical tensions and especially the rapid rise of Gen AI and evolving customer behavior posed new challenges and opportunities." The juxtaposition of layoffs during growth underscored how AI-driven automation enables efficiency gains that reduce headcount requirements even as revenue expands.
External representation activities filled Berg’s 2025 calendar. The CEO joined podcasts, gave interviews and keynote speeches, and visited customers in Tokyo. These activities positioned Statista within industry conversations about data quality, AI reliability, and information verification at a moment when generative AI tools face scrutiny regarding factual accuracy.
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The company’s competitive environment shifted dramatically throughout the year. By October 2025, AI adoption exceeded 1 billion monthly users globally, with 85% of European companies deploying AI-based tools for marketing purposes according to IAB Europe research. Content generation and targeting led adoption patterns, with 80% and 64% of companies respectively using these functions.
This widespread AI deployment created both opportunity and pressure for data providers. Generative AI systems consume enormous quantities of information during training and require continuous access to verified data for real-time applications. Data companies positioned between raw information sources and AI platforms occupy a strategic position in the technology stack, but face commoditization risk if their curation value fails to justify premium pricing.
Infrastructure developments throughout 2025 facilitated data partnerships. Google launched its Data Manager API on December 9, 2025, consolidating first-party data ingestion for Google Ads, Analytics, and DV360 through a unified interface. The API’s gradual rollout provided phased availability across different use cases, with audience uploads becoming available April 2, conversion event uploads launching June 25, and Google Analytics purchase events gaining support November 5.
Multiple platforms announced data collaboration initiatives addressing similar challenges. LiveRamp reportedsubscription revenue of $148.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, marking 10.1% year-over-year increase as the company’s data collaboration platform connected over 500 ecosystem partners. The company’s RampID system replaced personally identifiable information with encrypted tokens, enabling customer recognition across platforms while protecting individual privacy.
Data quality concerns drove technical investments across the industry. The Trade Desk acquired Sincera in January 2025 for an estimated $25 million to $30 million, obtaining publisher quality assessment capabilities that enhanced campaign optimization. The acquisition addressed growing industry concerns about data quality in emerging channels, particularly as programmatic advertising expanded into connected TV, retail media, and audio formats.
Regulatory developments added complexity to data strategies. The Federal Trade Commission issued guidance November 13, 2024, warning that data clean rooms present complicated privacy implications despite marketing claims. The regulatory body emphasized that most clean room services are not privacy-preserving by default, as giving another system access to a dataset expands the perimeter requiring defense against attack and error.
Privacy regulations influenced partnership structures throughout 2025. Yahoo and Costco announced a partnership in April 2025 leveraging first-party data from Costco’s 80+ million US cardholders. Mark Williamson, AVP of retail media at Costco, explained the data advantages: "Not only will we help you reach a Costco member, we will help you reach the right members in the right context based on past behavior."
The membership model provided accurate first-party data enabling precise targeting based on actual purchasing behavior rather than inferred interests. Costco’s integration with Yahoo ConnectID created what the companies described as a "future-proof identity" solution enabling targeted and measurable campaigns in what Yahoo termed an "identity-constrained world."
Measurement infrastructure evolved alongside data partnership models. Nielsen and Roku deepened ties on December 26, 2025, with Roku data integrating into Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurement for both Linear and Streaming Ratings. The multi-year strategic partnership combined data from approximately 101,000 people across 42,000 households with information from about 45 million households and 75 million devices.
Streaming on Roku-powered devices captured 21.4% of total television viewing time compared to broadcast’s 18.4% share in July 2025, marking the third consecutive month of streaming dominance. This viewership share made Roku’s data contribution essential for comprehensive television measurement across the industry.
Infrastructure providers positioned themselves as neutral platforms for data exchange. Amazon Web Services became central infrastructure for advertising beyond Amazon’s own business, with AWS RTB Fabric announcement on October 23 revealing the company’s strategy to control advertising infrastructure. Launch partners included Amazon Ads, GumGum, Kargo, MobileFuse, Sovrn, TripleLift, Viant, and Yieldmo.
The AWS infrastructure enabled Amazon to support multiple, sometimes competing, approaches to digital advertising simultaneously. RTB Fabric focused on traditional programmatic mechanisms. Amazon Retail Ad Service addressed the shift toward retail media. Amazon Marketing Stream delivered performance data through AWS integration. Each service built on the same underlying cloud infrastructure.
Professional reactions to Berg’s LinkedIn post revealed industry perspectives on Statista’s transformation. Arne Wolter, Chief Revenue Officer at Statista and board member at Teads, acknowledged the journey. Oliver von Wersch, founder and CEO of vonwerschpartner Digital Strategies, expressed support. Marc Berg himself appeared as an engaged participant in the discussion, responding to comments and acknowledging collaboration milestones.
One particularly notable exchange highlighted the Magnus Carlsen appearance at Statista’s conference floor. Berg thanked individuals for enabling the chess grandmaster’s participation at an event for FC St. Pauli, the German football club. The unconventional booking demonstrated Statista’s willingness to pursue distinctive marketing approaches that generate attention beyond traditional business conference formats.
The Berlin office relocation represented another operational milestone during 2025. Physical infrastructure changes accompanied the strategic business model transformation, reflecting Statista’s comprehensive organizational evolution. The timing suggested deliberate coordination between workspace redesign and operational restructuring rather than coincidental parallel initiatives.
Statista Connect emerged as a flagship product launch during the year. While specific technical details were not disclosed in Berg’s public communications, the offering appeared designed to facilitate data integration between Statista’s curated datasets and third-party platforms. The product name suggested connectivity and interoperability rather than standalone consumption, aligning with the data-as-a-service positioning Berg articulated.
The competitive landscape Statista navigated during 2025 included established analytics platforms, emerging AI companies, and specialized data providers targeting specific verticals. Companies competed on data quality, update frequency, verification processes, integration capabilities, and pricing models. Differentiation increasingly depended on curation methodology and specialized expertise rather than data access alone.
Broader economic conditions influenced data company strategies throughout the year. Berg referenced uncertain economic situations and geopolitical tensions as contextual factors shaping decision-making. These macro trends affected customer budgets for data services, risk tolerance for new technology adoption, and willingness to commit to multi-year contracts with vendor partners.
Customer behavior evolution represented another driver of Statista’s transformation. Users increasingly expected data access within their existing workflow tools rather than as standalone research requiring separate platform visits. This shift favored embedded data partnerships over destination platforms, rewarding providers that enabled seamless integration into productivity suites, design tools, and AI assistants.
The generative AI revolution specifically accelerated customer behavior changes. Once large language models demonstrated capacity to synthesize information from multiple sources and present results conversationally, users developed expectations that data access should feel similarly frictionless. Traditional research workflows involving manual database queries and export procedures appeared increasingly dated by comparison.
Statista’s response involved redesigning processes around desired outcomes rather than optimizing legacy workflows. This distinction, which Berg emphasized in his year-end reflection, captured a fundamental choice facing established companies confronting technological disruption. Incremental improvements to existing systems offered lower risk but limited upside compared to reimagining product delivery from first principles.
The data-as-a-service model Statista adopted during 2025 reflected this outcome-oriented redesign. Rather than asking how to make the existing Statista platform more efficient or user-friendly, the company asked what customers ultimately needed to accomplish with verified statistics. The answer increasingly involved integrating data into other tools rather than visiting a standalone research destination.
Financial implications of the business model transformation remained undisclosed in Berg’s public communications. Revenue recognition patterns likely shifted as the company transitioned from direct subscriptions to API-based licensing and partnership royalties. Customer acquisition costs probably changed as partnerships with major platforms provided built-in distribution compared to direct sales efforts.
The timing of Statista’s strategic pivot coincided with broader industry recognition that data quality would differentiate AI applications. As generative AI systems proliferated and users became familiar with their capabilities, attention shifted from whether AI could generate plausible responses to whether those responses proved factually accurate and actionable.
This quality focus created opportunities for verification-oriented data providers while challenging companies that competed primarily on data volume or breadth. Statista’s curation methodology, which emphasized human editorial oversight and source verification, positioned the company favorably as accuracy concerns mounted regarding AI-generated content.
The healthcare vertical Statista launched during 2025 addressed a sector where data quality carries particularly high stakes. Medical professionals, pharmaceutical researchers, and health system administrators require verified statistics to support patient care decisions, clinical trial designs, and resource allocation. Errors or inaccuracies in healthcare data potentially affect human wellbeing rather than merely business outcomes.
Geographic expansion accompanied vertical specialization in Statista’s 2025 strategy. Berg’s Tokyo customer visits suggested active business development in Asian markets, complementing the company’s European headquarters and North American presence. The global customer base for data services reflected the universal need for verified statistics across industries and regions.
Competitive responses to Statista’s data-as-a-service positioning likely included similar partnership strategies from alternative providers. The pattern Berg described—transforming from destination platform to embedded ingredient—applied broadly across information services confronting AI-driven workflow changes. Companies that successfully secured distribution through major platforms gained significant advantages over those maintaining standalone approaches.
The leadership transition Berg referenced, with Arne Frederik assuming the Chief Customer Officer role, indicated organizational adjustments accompanying strategic changes. Customer-facing operations required different emphases when serving technology platform partners compared to direct enterprise subscribers. The newly created executive position suggested recognition that customer success models needed evolution aligned with business model transformation.
Looking forward from the December 23 reflection, Berg’s emphasis on helpful learnings "for what’s ahead" positioned 2025’s challenges as preparation for 2026 opportunities rather than mere obstacles overcome. The tone suggested confidence that strategic decisions made under pressure would generate long-term competitive advantages rather than simply stabilizing a threatened business.
The marketing community observing Statista’s transformation faces implications regarding data strategies, partnership approaches, and AI integration. As major platforms increasingly compete on data quality rather than merely algorithmic sophistication, relationships with verified data providers carry strategic importance. Marketing professionals evaluating technology stacks must consider not only platform features but also underlying data sourcing and verification methodologies.
Berg’s public acknowledgment that "data was" Statista’s key asset rather than its platform echoed broader recognition across digital industries that infrastructure increasingly commoditizes while proprietary data retains differentiation. This dynamic influenced workforce adjustments across advertising technology companies throughout 2025, as automation reduced headcount requirements for routine data processing while increasing demand for specialized curation expertise.
The year Berg described forced Statista to confront questions about competitive positioning, customer value delivery, and organizational structure. The company’s responses—pivoting to data-as-a-service, securing major technology partnerships, launching vertical offerings, and restructuring operations—represented comprehensive transformation rather than tactical adjustments. Whether these decisions prove successful will depend on execution quality, market acceptance, and competitive dynamics that extend well beyond 2025.
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Timeline
- April 2, 2025: AWS enables audience uploads to Google Ads and Display & Video 360 through Data Manager API gradual rollout
- April 8, 2025: Yahoo DSP and Costco announce partnership leveraging first-party data from 80+ million US cardholders
- June 25, 2025: Conversion event uploads launch for Google Data Manager API supporting tag conversion supplementation
- June 30, 2025: LiveRamp reports subscription revenue of $148.4 million marking 10.1% year-over-year increase
- October 15, 2025: Statista announces 80 layoffs targeting content teams as company shifts to AI-driven automation
- October 23, 2025: Amazon announces AWS RTB Fabric revealing strategy to control advertising infrastructure
- November 5, 2025: Google Analytics purchase events gain support through Data Manager API
- December 9, 2025: Google launches Data Manager API consolidating first-party data ingestion for Ads, Analytics, and DV360
- December 17, 2025: The Trade Desk dismisses approximately 39 employees during all-hands meeting
- December 23, 2025: Marc Berg publishes LinkedIn reflection detailing Statista’s 2025 transformation and business model redesign
- December 26, 2025: Nielsen and Roku deepen partnership integrating Roku data into Big Data + Panel measurement
- 2025: Statista launches Statista Connect, activates Statista Healthcare, relocates Berlin office, and secures partnerships with Canva, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot
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Summary
Who: Marc Berg, CEO of Statista, led the data company through a year of structural transformation while Arne Frederik transitioned into the newly created Chief Customer Officer role during December 2025.
What: Statista completed a fundamental business model redesign shifting from platform-centric to data-as-a-service, secured technology partnerships with Canva, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot, launched Statista Connect and Statista Healthcare products, relocated the Berlin office, and eliminated approximately 80 positions primarily affecting content teams.
When: The transformation occurred throughout 2025, with workforce adjustments announced October 15, leadership transitions finalized in December, and Berg’s comprehensive year-end reflection published on LinkedIn December 23, 2025.
Where: Changes affected Statista’s global operations including the relocated Berlin headquarters, with customer engagement extending to Tokyo and partnerships spanning international technology platforms serving worldwide user bases.
Why: Rapid generative AI adoption, evolving customer behavior favoring embedded data access over standalone platforms, uncertain economic conditions, and recognition that curated data rather than platform infrastructure represented Statista’s core competitive asset drove the comprehensive transformation.