A view from Tel Aviv on the Greater Zurich Area

This post is based on a recent Weltwoche feature, "Roboter-Grossmacht Zürich," written by Pierre Heumann, the paper's Middle East correspondent, following a conversation with our team.

Heumann's article surprised us in more ways than one. For one, he writes as a correspondent based in Tel Aviv, a city that belongs to the world's tech elite in its own right. For another, when people talk tech, other locations usually get named first, Silicon Valley, Boston, Tel Aviv itself, rarely Zurich. Yet the picture Heumann paints of Greater Zurich Area doesn't just flatter us, it confirms something we've believed for a while: we don't need to hide. We have plenty to offer.

He describes a region that got its starting shot in 2004, when Google opened its first European engineering office in Zurich, that turned ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich into two of Europe's most productive engines for science-based spin-offs, and that has, more recently, built one of the world's more serious robotics scenes, from Amazon's acquisition of Rivr to Anybotics' four-legged inspection robots, backed by venture capital that keeps following the talent. To build that picture, he spoke to voices from Anthropic to ETH's president to the founders and investors behind these companies.

Five questions for Pierre Heumann

Pierre Heumann is a Swiss journalist and Weltwoche's Middle East correspondent, based in Tel Aviv. We asked him how he, of all people, reacted to what he found in the Greater Zurich Area.

As a journalist, what impressed you most when you first came across this Zurich robotics story?

Pierre Heumann: I've lived in Tel Aviv for almost 30 years and cover, among other things, the Israeli high-tech scene. Israel is known as the Start-up Nation, so my benchmark is high. That made Zurich all the more impressive to me. I didn't expect to find such a high concentration of top-tier research, successful founders, and global tech companies here. The difference from Israel isn't really about the level of innovation; it's about how it's presented. In Tel Aviv, every success story is told immediately and loudly. Zurich works much more quietly, but at an equally high level.

How did you first become aware that Zurich was playing such a leading role in this field?

Actually, it was through Israel. As a Middle East correspondent, I've followed the Israeli high-tech and startup scene for many years, and I kept running into Zurich more and more often. A key moment was when the Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point acquired the Zurich AI security startup Lakera, for an estimated purchase price of around 300 million dollars. Check Point then wanted to make Zurich one of its key locations for AI security research. That's when it became clear to me: this isn't just a local success story, this is one of the world's leading centers for artificial intelligence and robotics taking shape.

What surprised you most during your research?

In Israel, innovation often thrives on speed, improvisation, and a willingness to take risks. Zurich relies more on scientific depth, precision, and long-term development. Both lead to innovation, just in different ways.

Was there a moment where you thought: I absolutely have to tell this story?

Yes. At some point it became clear to me that the real story isn't the robots, it's the competition for the smartest minds. The big tech companies are investing enormous sums to win over the best researchers, and Zurich has become one of the key arenas in that global race. That's a story that goes far beyond technology. It touches on education, economic policy, and ultimately the question of who develops the technologies of the future.

What do you personally take away from this research, beyond the robotics story itself?

As a Middle East correspondent, I usually report on crises, conflicts, and wars. This research was the exact opposite. It showed what's possible when bright minds, excellent universities, capital, and entrepreneurial courage come together. It reminded me that the future isn't shaped only by geopolitical conflict, but also by people developing new solutions to questions I knew nothing about before. And it changed how I look at Europe: if you want to know where the next industrial revolution is being prepared, you shouldn't just look at Silicon Valley, Boston, or Tel Aviv, but at Zurich too.

"Roboter-Grossmacht Zürich" (EN: Robotics Powerhouse Zurich) Weltwoche article by Pierre Heumann, Weltwoche Nr. 30.26 (German only)