December 22, 2025
What Norway’s EV Boom Tells Us About Talent
Ninety-eight point four percent.
That’s how much of Norway’s new auto market went electric in November. Not hybrid. Not 'mildly electric'. Proper, full-fat battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
The Tesla Model Y was king of the fjords once again. But the real story here isn’t just about torque curves or range anxiety. It’s about timing, strategic bets, and building momentum — fast.
Sounds eerily like scaling a company, doesn’t it?
From Diesel to Data: The Real Shift
The most underrated part of Norway’s EV dominance? They didn’t get distracted by the noise. While other countries were still debating whether diesel was dead, Norway was busy installing fast chargers, giving BEVs tax breaks, and making it almost uncool not to go electric.
Here’s the kicker: this shift didn’t happen just because of consumer demand. It was designed. Strategically. Decade over decade.
Too many organisations treat hiring like Norway treated diesel in 2005 — clinging to something that feels safe, even when the signs are clear it’s time to evolve.
Let’s be honest: if you’re building a cloud-first, data-led, AI-aware business… but still hiring like it’s 2012, then you’re driving a diesel in an EV world.
Prediction is Easy. Infrastructure is hard.
Everyone saw electrification coming. The challenge was building the charging infrastructure before it broke demand.
Hiring works the same way. Forward-thinking companies aren't scrambling for talent after the need arises — they're laying the groundwork now.
What does that look like?
- Building talent pipelines before you're desperate
- Hiring recruiters who actually understand your stack
- Investing in employer brand — not copy-and-paste career pages
- Designing onboarding like your retention depends on it (because it does)
In the same way Norway loaded its cities with fast-charging points years ago, smart companies are prepping for the hiring crunch before it happens. No one wakes up the day before scale and magically fills ten Engineering roles.
The EV Curve Is The Talent Curve
Here’s a wild stat: there were more BEVs sold than diesel cars in total on Norwegian roads as of this November.
That’s not just progress, that’s tipping point stuff. And in business? Talent tipping points are real too.
You’ve probably felt it: you go from ‘we’re hiring’ to ‘we’re building a team that builds teams’. Suddenly, the quality of your next ten hires determines the speed of your next three years.
You need:
- Data leaders who aren’t just SQL junkies but can translate business needs into smart infrastructure
- CIOs and CTOs who can influence culture, not just architecture
- Security people who know compliance but think like product people
- People leaders who don’t panic when Glassdoor throws shade
This kind of talent doesn’t respond to a LinkedIn InMail that reads like 2008 had a baby with ChatGPT. You can’t fake the foundation. Like Norway, you either build it — or you get left talking about what could’ve been.
What Founders Can Steal From Oslo
Norway didn’t just go electric. It made EVs the default. That’s a very different playbook.
If you’re building a product-first, tech-led company, here’s what I’d nick from their approach:
- Make great hiring the default, not the exception. Create a process that filters for brilliance, not just ticks ‘culture fit’ boxes.
- Outlaw mediocrity early. The best companies don’t just hire better people — they get rid of low standards.
- Measure time to productivity, not just time to fill. The EV journey didn’t stop at the sale; it started there.
- Know when to stop explaining, and start executing. Norway didn’t run a nationwide debate — they got on with it. Sometimes you need to do the same when it comes to levelling up leaders and teams.
Charger Installed. Key Turned.
Here’s my take: the talent war isn’t won by waiting for the right people to turn up. It’s won by becoming the kind of company the right people want to build.
Norway didn’t just buy EVs. They rewired their system to make them inevitable. So if your next data hire still hasn’t been found after 6 months of job ads and wishful thinking… maybe it’s time to check your company charger.
And if you need help rewiring? You know where to find me.
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