Digital Minds #3

The End of Intermediaries… or the Value of Judgment?

By Fernando Vilela

The other day, someone called me asking for information. They weren’t a client, weren’t interested in hiring anything, didn’t want a meeting, and certainly weren’t asking for a proposal. They just wanted a piece of information. Then came the questions: a vessel, a contract, a contact, a confirmation.

Sound familiar?

We’ve all been on both sides of that conversation, especially because, in our industry, it’s necessary. At some point, we’ve all shut down the computer, ignored the reports, closed a few of the dozens of tabs open in our browser, and decided to call someone.

And that’s where the contradiction appears.

Never before have we had so much access to information, and never before have we seen so many people desperately searching for it.

I’m certain that the person who made that call was carrying more research capability in their pocket than an entire company possessed a few decades ago. Today we have LinkedIn, artificial intelligence, tracking systems, specialized platforms, newsletters, dashboards, and an almost absurd amount of data available just a few clicks away. Depending on your role, there’s a good chance you even subscribe to WSB.One or another industry platform.

In theory, finding answers has never been easier.

But, as always, there’s a “but.”

If information is everywhere, why do we keep looking for people?

What happened to all those predictions? Face-to-face meetings would disappear. Industry events would become irrelevant. Networking would move entirely online.

According to the internet’s experts, intermediaries would be replaced by platforms, and artificial intelligence would take care of the rest.

A logical conclusion?

Funny.

Events got bigger, trade shows expanded, airports remain crowded, and we continue receiving invitations to lunch and dinner.

The reality is that professionals still travel across cities, states, countries, and even oceans to discuss matters that, theoretically, could be resolved in a fifteen-minute video call.

The problem was never the technology.

The problem was that we misunderstood where the real value was.

For a long time, we believed that information was power. And perhaps it was, back when data was scarce and those who had access to it held a significant advantage.

Today, the challenge is no longer finding information.

It’s surviving it.

And, interestingly enough, ending the day with just as many questions as when you started.

Consider this: a platform can show where a vessel is. It can display contracts, historical data, movements, and market trends. In fact, it should. That’s exactly what data platforms are designed to do. They save time, organize complex markets, and eliminate an enormous amount of work.

But eventually, every piece of information leads to the same question:

“Now what?”

Will that seemingly available vessel actually be available when you need it? Will the contract that’s about to expire really come to an end? Is there an extension negotiation taking place behind the scenes? Is the owner genuinely interested in that opportunity? Are there any operational or technical issues? Does the documentation comply? Does the crew meet the requirements?

And perhaps the most important question of all:

Will that client actually close the deal, or will they change their mind three times during the negotiation?

Because that’s precisely the moment when data stops helping on its own.

That’s when experience, relationships, and judgment begin to matter.

Perhaps the market is not witnessing the end of intermediaries.

Perhaps it’s witnessing the end of professionals whose only role was moving information from one side to the other.

Technology already does that.

And it does it better, faster, and cheaper.

What remains rare is someone capable of interpreting context, anticipating risks, connecting scattered pieces of information, and turning a mountain of data into a practical decision.

Someone capable of looking at a screen full of information and saying:

“Ignore 95% of this. What matters is right here.”

The more data exists, the more valuable judgment becomes.

And there’s an observation that may be even more important.

“Deal closed. Contract signed. What’s next?”

In reality, that’s often when the real work begins.

That’s when operational adjustments, delays, scope changes, pending documents, questions, problems, and the inevitable surprises that no spreadsheet could ever predict begin to emerge.

And perhaps that’s the point advocates of disintermediation never fully understood.

Finding an opportunity has become easier. Closing a contract has become easier too. Making things work afterward remains the hard part.

And perhaps that’s why the most valuable professionals are not merely those who find opportunities, but those who remain present when those opportunities become responsibilities. They’re the ones who stay involved, answer the phone when problems arise, and help find solutions long after the excitement of the negotiation has faded and the reality of execution has begun.

Because data helps find answers.

Experience helps make things work.

And that may say more about the future of business than any technological prediction of the past decade