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.Ā By the time I arrived home later that evening, thank you Guy Kawasaki for the ride, I received anĀ 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 theĀ on-demand economy… Bloombergās Eric NewcomerĀ reportedĀ that on a recently Uber quarterly call with shareholders, the companyās head of finance, Guatam Gupta announced that Uberās losses continue to escalate. Total losses in the first half of 2016 totaled an astounding $1.2 billion. According to Bloombergās 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…
Why I Study Disruptive Technology AND People
Sometimes I struggle with trying to stay present and relevant. There are so many thought leaders and personalities with exceptional marketing behind them. All I can do is share myĀ work and hope it finds and helps you in your work. Every now and then, I open my door to personal interviews. I did just that forĀ Kimberly McSweeney. I wanted to share that discussion with you here… Why do you study technology and its impact on society? What first sparked your…
Where the Streets Have No Drivers: Mercedes-Benz and Its Autonomous Future
As part of my ongoing research on innovation, I’ve been on a quest to visit as manyĀ innovation centers in Silicon Valley and around the hen weorld as possible. Outside of my reports with Capgemini,Ā I’m going to share those experiences with you as they happen. The list already includes Westfield, Levi’s, Target, Walmart, Sephora, among many others. So, there’s a backlog of experiences to publish. In this post, I wanted to share two recent experiences with Mercedes-Benz and my introduction to…
The Opposite of Change is Conformity: A framework for driving meaningful digital transformation
Digital transformation is a buzzword. On top of that, the termĀ digital transformation causes debate amongst those working in or studying the fieldĀ and confusionĀ among everyone else. But at the same time, digital transformation is also one of the most promising and impactful trends in business (r)evolution today. Why? It carries with it the ability to modernize how businesses work, market and serve. AndĀ more so, digital transformation offers a unique glimpse into how disruptiveĀ technologiesĀ are affecting human behavior, expectations and values. It has…
26 Disruptive Tech Trends for 2016 – 2018
Each year at this time, I read all of the predictions for the new year plus the ātop Xā lists wrapping out the previous year. Add to that the first week of chaos that is CES and all of the new tech debuting in Las Vegas. And each year, Iām left wanting more substance as I plan my research. So, in 2015, I officially threw my hat into the mix with my inaugural look at ā25 Disruptive Technology TrendsĀ inĀ 2015 ā…
The Twitter Diaries: Wall St. vs. Main St. and Why an Algorithm isn’t the Problem
Twitter is automating (part of)Ā its timeline via an algorithm. Cue the panic! Signal the backlash. Ā Twitterās new timeline is making investor buy and sell, inciting a media storm and ironically thousands of Tweets questioning the future of social mediaās loveable yet difficult-to-categorize social/broadcast network. This has culminated into a ominous themeĀ #RIPTwitterĀ with many citing that the āend is near.ā What Twitter is Introducing Twitter introduced an upgrade to its beloved (and oft misunderstood) timeline that is rolling out to all users…
The Internet of Things Connects the Future of Business
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most incredible feats of modern technology. With the right vision and architecture, IoT will bring to life new possibilities and experiences. Itās also one of the most confusing and ambiguous. To make sense of it all and specifically understand how IoT applies to business, I assembled a short list of examples of companies successfully employing this new web in interesting applications. Why is IoT so mystifying? First, itās the name. The…
