According to Mykhailo Zborovskyi Cosmobet (ex-beneficiary), an expert in the development of iGaming products, Ukrainian IT companies are probably accustomed to working in conditions of constant crises to the point that it has become a familiar operating environment for them, while for the European sector, any deviation from the predicted scenario, according to his observation, is more often perceived as a crisis itself. This thesis is based mainly on his personal experience in the gambling industry, so it should be considered as an expert opinion, and not as the result of a separate comparative study.
Context
Since the beginning of 2024, technology companies in the world have laid off more than 130 thousand employees, and the European market, according to him, is no exception to this trend. This figure is most likely based on aggregated data from specialized layoff trackers in the IT industry, so it should be taken as an approximate, rather than a definitive, indicator.
It is against this backdrop of turbulence that Mykhailo Zborovskyi formulates his main thesis about the difference between the Ukrainian and European approaches to instability.
Crisis as a standard state
According to Mykhailo Zborovskyi, Ukrainian business has developed a habit of quickly adapting, promptly seeking new markets, and restructuring business models.
“In Ukraine, a crisis is more of a standard state,” Mykhailo Zborovskyi notes.
He also suggests that in the EU, strategic changes usually undergo longer approval procedures, while, according to his observations, Ukrainian business is able to change the market, direction, or even the business model in a week.
Implementation of AI
As an illustration, Mykhailo Zborovskyi cites a comparison with the gambling sector, which, according to him, he knows directly from his own experience. According to his assessment, European companies in this area are only beginning to test AI for marketing and UX, while Ukrainian operators, in his opinion, have been using similar tools for player analytics, automatic recommendations and content personalization for some time.
This comparison, judging by the wording, is based on Zborovskyi’s own observations of the market, and not on a separate comparative study of the implementation of AI in gambling in different countries, so the scale of the gap between European and Ukrainian operators should be perceived as his personal assessment.
Flexibility as a competitive advantage, according to Mykhailo Zborovskyi
“Flexibility, speed and willingness to experiment make Ukrainian IT business more competitive,” Mykhailo Zborovskyi believes.
According to his argument, this trait is also manifested in entering new markets. If European companies, in his opinion, have been understanding the regulatory nuances of a new country for years, then Ukrainian operators, according to him, are already launching localized projects, working with local partners and testing marketing hypotheses.
“Ukrainian business does not wait for circumstances to improve, it creates new opportunities itself,” Mykhailo Zborovskyi summarizes.
This thesis describes the general approach that the expert observes in the industry, but probably does not claim to be a statistically confirmed pattern applicable to each individual company in the Ukrainian IT sector.
Challenges that Mykhailo Zborovskyi openly recognizes
It is important that Mykhailo Zborovskyi does not describe the situation as unambiguously favorable. According to him, the main challenge for the industry today remains uncertainty, and a separate problem is the shortage of personnel, which exacerbates competition for talent.
This, in his opinion, forces Ukrainian companies to offer not only competitive salaries, but also flexible working conditions and opportunities for development. For the gambling industry, in his opinion, another specific obstacle is added, limited access to international financial instruments, since, according to his observation, some payment systems treat Ukraine with increased caution.
