Kendall Seketa is chief strategy officer at Gravity Research.
The year 2026 is poised to be a pivotal moment for corporate reputation. The dividing line between business and politics has blurred, making every strategic decision a potential flashpoint for reputational risk. The challenge for leaders will be moving from simply managing crises to anticipating and mitigating the risks inherent in a new, volatile operating environment.
Three core dynamics will define this environment: the politicization of “business as usual,” the growing public anger fueled by economic anxiety and AI acceleration, and a faster, more fragmented news cycle. Communicators who can successfully navigate these pressures will need to treat every internal business function as a source of external risk and develop an integrated, rapid-response framework built on speed and validated influence.
Risk 1: ‘Business as usual’ is political
The most significant shift as we look at the year ahead is that routine business decisions are now being viewed and judged through a political and cultural lens. While corporations are engaging less frequently on social and cultural issues, topics once seen as strictly business — including supply chains, pricing strategies and product formulation — have become politically charged.
The Trump administration has intensified its focus on corporate behavior, with regulatory bodies like the FCC and DOJ launching investigations into companies’ DEI programs, in some cases affecting pending mergers or regulatory approvals.
We’ve seen the “MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) movement push ingredients, food labeling and vaccine access into the political spotlight.
Commentary from executives on the impact of tariffs has drawn direct criticism from the president and key allies, and continues to pose a risk for executives answering questions from investors.
As the midterm elections approach, these debates will intensify, especially for companies directly affected by new regulations or consumer health policies.
Solution: Strive for end-to-end visibility across the entire organization.
If virtually any corporate action — from executive remarks to marketing campaigns to employee speech — can carry reputational risk, communications and corporate affairs teams must have working relationships with every department across business functions, from investor relations to marketing to HR. This end-to-end visibility will allow communicators to anticipate how decisions might be interpreted through political or cultural lenses.
Risk 2: Economic angst and AI acceleration could fuel anger toward corporations
The combination of economic unease and the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence presents a significant reputation threat shaping how stakeholders perceive corporations.
As corporations announce layoffs and tout AI’s potential for massive efficiency gains on earnings calls, lawmakers and public critics are explicitly linking rising corporate profits to cost-cutting through automation. This fuels the “corporate greed” narrative, creating a strong potential for bipartisan public anger if a worsening job market coincides with growing executive compensation driven by AI-led efficiencies.
Tariff volatility and rising inflation are heightening economic anxiety, increasing the likelihood of price-gouging accusations and fueling AI-driven anti-corporate sentiment. As corporate investments in AI and other transformative technologies only accelerate in 2026, employee engagement is also at risk, as workers are increasingly skeptical of leadership narratives about efficiency and innovation.
Solution: Prioritize empathetic, clear communication around technological transformation.
Communications leaders must go beyond simple innovation narratives to articulate a clear, actionable plan for reskilling and supporting affected employees. Scenario planning for AI-driven disruption is no longer a futuristic exercise; it’s an immediate necessity to head off potential internal disillusionment and external anti-corporate sentiment.
Risk 3: The news cycle is faster — and more fragmented — than ever
The third major trend is the sheer pace and fragmentation of the modern news cycle. The volume of policy change (executive orders, regulations), combined with a media environment where traditional outlets now compete with niche publications, podcasts and hyper-polarized influencers, makes narrative control nearly impossible.
The democratization of the megaphone means anyone can get on TikTok, talk about your business and go viral — causing massive reputational damage even if claims are unsubstantiated. In these moments, centralized, narrative-controlled crisis responses are simply too slow to be effective.
Solution: Evolve your crisis playbook into a dynamic framework focused on where the story is being shaped and who is shaping it.
As media fragmentation accelerates and the news cycle only gets faster, crisis response strategies must adapt. Leading communications teams should center their playbooks on gauging issue durability, verifying accuracy and tracking influence, not just noise. This means differentiating fleeting flare-ups from narratives with real staying power to determine when engagement is necessary. It means assessing whether a viral claim is rooted in misinformation before responding, or using emerging tools to detect false content and bot activity. And it also means looking beyond volume to understand who is driving the conversation, how big their reach is and whether messages are reaching your priority audiences.
In a landscape where reputational risks emerge and evolve in an instant, the strongest organizations will be those that stay anchored to their most critical stakeholders and rely on clear, data-driven frameworks to guide every engagement.
