{"id":4488,"date":"2026-07-27T14:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikhailinvest.com\/project44-split-signals-ai-shift-ceo-predicts-pressure-on-cargowise\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:32:13","slug":"project44-split-signals-ai-shift-ceo-predicts-pressure-on-cargowise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikhailinvest.com\/zh\/project44-split-signals-ai-shift-ceo-predicts-pressure-on-cargowise\/","title":{"rendered":"Project44 split signals AI shift \u2013 CEO predicts pressure on CargoWise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Project44 believes AI is beginning to undermine CargoWise\u2019s dominance of freight forwarding software, a trend it says has prompted it to create a separate business, dedicated to logistics service providers.<\/p>\n

The newly launched LSP44 business will focus exclusively on 3PLs, freight forwarders, and brokers, while Project44 would continue serving enterprise shippers with applications, including transportation management, visibility, yard management, and last-mile services.<\/p>\n

Founder and CEO Jett McCandless told \u8f7d\u661f<\/em>\u00a0the split reflected the fundamentally different requirements of shippers and logistics service providers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sales reps have to context switch between shippers and LSPs\u2026 it\u2019s monumental\u2026 if you bifurcate these personas\u2026 that\u2019s a better outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

While shippers typically buy applications such as transportation management and visibility software, he said forwarders were looking for infrastructure that could be embedded into their own operating systems and customer workflows.<\/p>\n

The split also allows Project44 to develop separate product, sales and support teams focused on each market.<\/p>\n

The launch comes as the former visibility platform increasingly expands beyond this into AI-powered automation and carrier connectivity \u2013 a strategy that also places it in direct competition with established forwarding software providers, particularly CargoWise.<\/p>\n

Asked how LSP44 would sit alongside WiseTech Global\u2019s platform, Mr McCandless said that while CargoWise was a popular operating system for many forwarders, customers were increasingly looking elsewhere for carrier connectivity, analytics, and AI capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing with a lot of their customers is they use Project44 for the connectivity into the carriers because, quite honestly, we\u2019re just better at it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that Project44 was increasingly being used for AI agents and exception management, areas where, he claimed, CargoWise \u201cdoesn\u2019t have anything that even competes with that\u201d.<\/p>\n

More significantly, he said, advances in generative AI meant some forwarders were now beginning to build their own AI application layers rather than relying entirely on commercial software.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that you can build code with AI, a freight forwarder can build an application layer that matches their workflow better than something off the shelf, like CargoWise can build,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing more companies engage us\u2026 they\u2019re building their own, they\u2019re keeping it confidential, and they\u2019re engaging us to be that connectivity to their carriers and to essentially move off CargoWise.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it looks a pretty dangerous trend for CargoWise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments come at a sensitive time for WiseTech, which has faced customer criticism over pricing changes while seeking to strengthen its own AI capabilities.<\/p>\n

Mr McCandless also predicted AI would have a very different impact on shippers and logistics providers.<\/p>\n

While manufacturers and retailers were primarily using AI to improve supply chain performance rather than reduce staffing, he said forwarders would inevitably become more efficient, leading to industry consolidation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe LSPs that lean into AI and APIs will take more market share, and they will grow,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThe number of people employed in LSPs will be reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite recent speculation over the future of LSP44, Mr McCandless said:\u00a0\u201cThere are no plans or desire to sell it,\u201d adding that he hoped to be involved with the company \u201cfor several decades\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also confirmed that Project44 continued to operate with public markets in mind, describing an IPO as \u201ca milestone\u201d rather than an end goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a ready position,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re constantly trying to get better if and when the IPO markets open up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out today\u2019s News in Brief podcast, with guests Christos Spyrou, of Neutral Air Partner, and \u8f7d\u661f<\/em>\u2018s Gavin van Marle<\/strong><\/p>\n