Disruptive technology is not just a commodity anymore; it has become a necessity. I recently met with Rilke Thomsen of Sleeknote to talk about how disruptive technology is shaping customer behaviors, preferences and expectations. Our conversation turned into a short but interesting three-part audio series that I wanted to share with you here. What is disruptive technology? Disruptive technology is something that comes along early on and has the potential to disrupt markets, behavior, and processes models. According to Brian, there are three…
Why tech companies are uniting to fight Trump’s immigration ban
In February 2017, My good friend Matt Kapko of CIO asked a few tech pundits, “Why tech companies are uniting to fight Trump’s immigration ban?” The result was published here. A group of 127 technology companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Snap and Twitter, filed an amicus brief (official friend-of-the-court brief) in the pending lawsuits opposing the administration’s executive order. Per the filing, the heavy hitting tech consortium attested that immigration is core to technology innovation. “Immigrants make many…
Uber’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad String Of Events
Uber is en route to a massive IPO. As the company gets closer to its destination, its once 5-star rating is rapidly diminishing. As a result, the company’s president, Jeff Jones, opened the Uber door and jumped out after only six months on the job. The list of recent offenses, not all incidents since its launch, just some of the events over the last several weeks, have been very public and damning. To name a few… Uber CEO Travis Kalanick joined…
Techonomics: Disruptive Technologies and The Effect on Business and Humanity
My friend Jason Middleton hosts a fascinating program on KGO 810 in San Francisco/Silicon Valley…Techonomics. On the show, he interviews some of the most interesting minds in tech to explore the latest trends and what’s on the horizon. Jason recently invited me to join the program and I jumped at the chance. I wanted to share our conversation with you here… In 9 action-packed minutes we discuss: – The need for changemakers and rainmakers – The importance of digital anthropology…
Level Up: An Introduction to the 5 Different Levels of Self-Driving Cars
With all of the talk about self-driving cars, you’d think that they were already on our streets. Well, technically in some states such as California, Nevada and Pennsylvania, automakers and technology vendors are already publicly testing autonomous vehicles¾with human drivers and engineers onboard. You might have also heard about the Tesla’s driving around town in “Autopilot” mode where drivers are doing everything but driving. Not all autonomous cars are the same. While engineers are striving for full self-driving mode one…
Google’s Autonomous Driving Group Spins Out as Waymo; Becomes the Android of Self-Driving Cars
This week, Google surprised the technology and automotive industries by announcing that it would spin-out its self-driving vehicle group as a formal business unit under the Alphabet umbrella. What does Waymo mean? Waymo CEO John Krafcik explained at its press conference that the company name stands for, “Way forward in Mobility.” After years of speculation as to whether or not Google (now Waymo) would introduce its own fleet of self-driving cars, its now clear that the company will become an enabling partner…
Self-Driving Cars Drive Closer To Reality and Uber Is or Isn’t Behind the Wheel
I spent the day at Mercedes Benz Research and Development North America (MBRDNA) in Sunnyvale, California getting a full briefing on the state of the company’s EV, machine learning/AI and autonomous work. More on that soon. By the time I arrived home later that evening, thank you Guy Kawasaki for the ride, I received an email from Uber that it was set to debut a bold new autonomous pilot in San Francisco effective immediately. Wait. What? Wow. Indeed. Uber is extending its…
WTF (What’s the Future) of AI, Autonomous Driving, Brand and Experiences
I’ve been a big fan of John Biggs for a long time now. He’s the East Coast Editor for TechCrunch. John is also a fellow geek, global speaker and prolific writer on emerging tech and also fiction and non-fiction books. on top of it all, he’s the host of the popular Technotopia podcast. Recently, John and I were speaking about the future of AI, autonomous driving and other disruptive technologies. As a result, we turned it into an episode for…
SnapChat Changes Name and Focus; Snap, Inc. Now a Digital Lifestyle Company
SnapChat officially changed its name to Snap, Inc. as the company restyles itself from a one-[major] hit app company into a digital lifestyle brand. To mark the occasion, Snap, Inc. introduced Spectacles, fashion and tech-forward sunglasses that record 10-second clips, which can then be uploaded to SnapChat Memories via wifi. Following the Apple playbook, Snap, Inc. also designed a fashionable case that doubles as a charger. Spectacles will be available this Fall and will cost $130. Spectacles are the result…
Uber Loses $1.2 Billion by Q2 2016: The Hard Costs of Innovation and Disruption
Goodbye sharing economy, hello to the on-demand economy… Bloomberg’s Eric Newcomer reported that on a recently Uber quarterly call with shareholders, the company’s head of finance, Guatam Gupta announced that Uber’s losses continue to escalate. Total losses in the first half of 2016 totaled an astounding $1.2 billion. According to Bloomberg’s sources, there are several reasons for this. For one, subsidies for Uber’s drivers are responsible for the majority of the company’s losses globally. On top of that, Uber has been investing billions…
