Opinion: The neutrality imperative: Why supply chain technology needs "Switzerland", not superpowers

The recent sale of Convoy's technology platform from Flexport to DAT tells a story that every supply chain executive should pay attention to. Less than two years after acquiring the defunct digital brokerage's tech stack, Flexport decided it needed to go. As CEO Ryan Petersen candidly admitted, the platform "needed to be a neutral infrastructure layer" to succeed long-term. Petersen's admission reveals something most executives already suspect but rarely discuss openly.

When the referee joins a team

The Convoy saga perfectly demonstrates the fundamental tension in supply chain technology today. When a platform owner has skin in the game, whether through competing services, preferential partnerships, or market positioning, genuine neutrality becomes impossible. It's like having a football referee who secretly owns shares in one of the teams.

For supply chain executives, this creates a real problem. True collaboration requires trust, and trust evaporates the moment participants suspect the platform isn't serving everyone equally. I've seen promising partnerships collapse because one party believed the technology provider was tilting the playing field.

The collaboration paradox

The industry recognises it needs common operating systems - shared infrastructure where shippers, carriers, and service providers can work together seamlessly. But just as supply chains are crying out for more collaboration, platform consolidation is making genuine neutrality harder to find. These systems can only function when everyone trusts they're being treated fairly.

Think about successful infrastructure in other industries. Payment networks like Visa succeed because they don't compete with the banks that use them. The internet works because core protocols aren't owned by any single company with competing interests. Supply chain technology needs the same principle.

Sam Wilkinson, Chief Revenue Officer, TEG

What this means for executives

When evaluating technology partnerships, supply chain leaders need to ask harder questions: Does this provider compete with my business or my partners? Will their commercial interests align with mine over time? If they're acquired tomorrow, what happens to the neutrality I'm relying on?

The most successful supply chain transformations I've witnessed have involved truly neutral platforms - technology providers whose business model depends on serving all participants equally, not on favouring one side of the market.

At TEG, we've built our entire platform around this principle. Our business succeeds when the 9,000+ logistics businesses in our network succeed, regardless of their size or market position. We don't compete with our users, we help them work together more effectively. For us, staying neutral isn't some lofty ideal, it's how we stay relevant and useful to everyone who depends on our platform.

The long view

As supply chain technology continues consolidating, the temptation will be for platforms to expand into adjacent services, potentially compromising their neutrality. Executives who recognise this dynamic early will have a significant advantage in choosing partners who can support genuine, long-term collaboration.

The platforms that will thrive are those that can resist the temptation to play favourites - the Switzerland of supply chain technology, if you will. In an interconnected world, the most valuable infrastructure is the kind everyone can trust.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of Sam Wilkinson, Chief Revenue Officer, TEG. The Supply Chainer’s Insights are submitted content. The views expressed in this column are that of the author and don’t necessarily reflect the views of The Supply Chainer.