HiQ Insights

The hidden tax on innovation in modern software organizations. Many organizations blame legacy systems for slow innovation. But legacy is rarely the real constraint. The real problem is complexity — layers of integrations, workarounds and architectural decisions that gradually make systems harder to change. Over time, this creates a hidden cost: the complexity tax. And for organizations aiming to become software-first, it may be the single biggest barrier to innovation.

Frontend in 2026 is less about chasing shiny tools and more about building fast, accessible, and scalable digital products that truly deliver value. The strongest trends point in one clear direction: reduce unnecessary complexity for developers while improving real user outcomes.

When software becomes directly business-critical, the way tech companies operate changes in practice. Developers work closer to the business, business logic is built into code, and collaboration becomes increasingly important. At the same time, organisations grow, teams become more distributed, and the question of market proximity becomes central. In an episode of the podcast Kodsnack, HiQ’s CEO Peter Arrhenius joins a conversation about these tensions and how they shape today’s tech landscape.

As of today, 15 January, Sweden’s new Cybersecurity Act enters into force. The Act is the national implementation of the EU’s NIS2 Directive and introduces stricter requirements for how essential and important entities must work with cybersecurity, risk management, and incident reporting. For many organisations, this marks the starting point of a more structured and more business-critical approach to security. In this article, we explain what the Act means in practice, which organisations are affected, what actually changes for executive management and boards — and what organisations should prioritise now that the Act is in place.