Matthias Schranner’s core message was that difficult negotiations have changed: in the environments he advises on, including business, politics, and peace negotiations, negotiators should stop relying on shared values and persuasive arguments and instead prepare clear demands around interests and risk. Introduced as a former police-trained hostage negotiator who now advises the UN, governments, and global corporations through the Schranner Negotiation Institute, he framed the session around how startups can negotiate with larger corporates and how corporates should prepare when startups understand the negotiation game.

He argued that negotiation is moving from a “value based” approach built around cooperation, partnership, and long-term alignment toward an “interest based” approach. Using the example of negotiations between the USA and Canada under the Trump administration, he said concessions can now be interpreted not as cooperation but as weakness, which may invite more pressure. For Schranner, the practical implication is that negotiators should not try to prove they are right or persuade the other side with arguments. In his view, arguments often signal that the other party is wrong, which triggers counterarguments rather than agreement.

Schranner contrasted two negotiation philosophies: starting with “low hanging fruit” versus putting “the fish on the table.” He recommended naming what you want early, respectfully and clearly, rather than hiding the difficult issue until later. He also emphasized that future negotiations in the CIO and corporate environment are not mainly about price or money, but about risk: managing risk, sharing risk, and negotiating risk. The first demand, he said, should clarify what the negotiator wants from a risk perspective.

In the interview with Niels, Schranner identified three recurring mistakes: committing too early before all information is available, trying to convince the other side, and arriving with only one demand so there is nothing left to trade at the end. His practical rules for founders included never negotiating with yourself, avoiding guessing games about what the other party might accept, and not assuming the larger corporation automatically has all the power. If a big company is in the room, he said, it wants something too. When faced with pressure such as a 30% discount demand, he advised not saying yes or no immediately, but using responses such as “difficult,” “interesting,” or “noted” to keep the negotiation open while gathering information.