As I am attending a conference in Germany, one topic that came up a few times is is the notion of data spaces. A data space is a decentralized and federated infrastructure or ecosystem that enables secure, trustworthy, and governed data sharing and exchange among multiple organizations or participants without centralizing the data. It is one of those concepts that looks great in theory as it would allow for easy data sharing between companies without all the risks that potentially come with sharing. The problem is that my discussions with researchers on the topic reveal that there are very few data spaces that are not funded and kept alive by public funding, such as EU project funding and national funding. This is always a red flag for me as it indicates a lack of industrial relevance and interest and the topic easily becomes a case of wishful thinking. Although I do believe that we will find good ways to share data between companies, I am not sure if the current data spaces concept will be the winner. This translates to many areas of life so my challenge for you today is: where in your life do you exhibit wishful thinking? And how do you know that this is a realistic view and approach?