The Economist (May 12)
SoftBank’s founder Masayoshi Son is now a contender for “the most influential person in technology.” His $100 billion Vision Fund is “gobbling up stakes in the world’s most exciting young companies…. disrupting both the industries in which it invests and other suppliers of capital…. Even if the fund ends up flopping, it will have several lasting effects on technology investing.”
Tags: Capital, Disrupting, Influential, Investing, Lasting effects, Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, Technology, Vision Fund
Financial Times (April 11)
“For decades, Japan has struggled to remove barriers to the growth of technology start-ups,” but risk aversion and social pressure caused job seekers to focus on established companies. “That may be changing” as economic stagnation “threatens lifetime employment at big companies. More young people are joining start-ups or even going freelance to enjoy flexibility in their working life. Part-time or contract workers now account for about 40 per cent of Japan’s workforce.”
Tags: Barriers, Contract, Established, Freelance, Japan, Jobs, Lifetime employment, Part-time, Risk, Start-ups, Technology, Workforce
Time (March 22)
“Farmers, electronics retailers and other U.S. businesses are bracing for a backlash as President Donald Trump targets China for stealing American technology or pressuring U.S. companies to hand it over.”0
Tags: Backlash, Businesses, China, Electronics retailers, Farmers, Technology, Trump, U.S.
The Economist (January 27)
“Not so long ago, GM and its peers seemed to be on a path to extinction. Technology firms such as Alphabet, Uber and other pushy newcomers had started a race to develop software that would control driverless cars and to offer ride-hailing and ride-sharing services that are expected to thrive at the expense of car ownership.” However, there’s been a sharp reversal in market sentiment and GM has taken pole position. “A scorecard issued annually by Navigant, a consultancy, puts GM ahead of the AV pack of carmakers and tech firms, with Alphabet’s Waymo in second place.”
Tags: Alphabet, Car, Driverless cars, Extinction, GM, Market sentiment, Navigant, Ownership, Ride-sharing, Technology, Uber, Waymo
Fortune (December 22)
“Technology and globalization are leading to more and faster disruption than ever. To stay ahead, smart companies are turning to design to better connect with customers and find their competitive advantage.” In a “hyper-connected world, “design can help bring coherence to the chaos” and “Fortune 500 companies are hiring chief design officers and investing heavily in design centers and innovation centers. Professional services firms, too, have joined the fray.”
Tags: Chaos, Chief design officers, Coherence, Competitive advantage, Customers, Design, Disruption, Fortune 500, Globalization, Hyper-connected, Technology
1843 (December 13)
There is “a new golden age in board games…. One reason for the tabletop-gaming boom is simply that the products have improved. The best modern games are sociable, engaging and easy to learn, but also cerebral, intriguing and difficult to master. The slow triumph of what used to be called “nerd culture” – think smartphone gaming and “Game of Thrones” on television – has given adults permission to engage openly in pastimes that were previously looked down on as juvenile. And the increasing ubiquity of screens has, paradoxically, fuelled a demand for in-person socialising. Board gaming is another example of an old-style, analogue pastime that, far from being killed by technology, has been reinvigorated by it.”
Tags: Analogue, Board games, Boom, Engaging, Golden age, Nerd culture, Reinvigorated, Sociable, Technology
Institutional Investor (May 5)
“The adoption of technology, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, and big data, has made it possible for private-equity and hedge-fund managers to reduce their fees, placing competitive pressure on rivals still using a traditional fee model.”
Tags: Adoption, AI, Big Data, Blockchain, Competitive pressure, Fees, Hedge-fund, Private equity, Rivals, Technology
The Economist (February 18)
We are approaching a tipping point. The automotive dominance of internal combustion engines (ICE) looks increasingly limited. Electric cars are “set for rapid forward thrust. Improving technology and tightening regulations on emissions from ICEs is about to propel electric vehicles (EVs) from a niche to the mainstream.” But the transition “from petrol power to volts will be a tough one for carmakers to navigate.”
Tags: Auto, Cars, Combustion, Dominance, Electric, Emissions, Engines, EVs, Mainstream, Regulation, Technology, Tipping point, Transition
The Economist (January 14)
“When education fails to keep pace with technology, the result is inequality. Without the skills to stay useful as innovations arrive, workers suffer—and if enough of them fall behind, society starts to fall apart.” Robotics and artificial intelligence now emerging “call for another education revolution.” But to succeed, the offerings will need to be lifelong and attract those who aren’t already considered high achievers.
Tags: AI, Education, High achievers, Inequality, Innovation, Lifelong, Pace, Robotics, Skills, Society, Technology, Useful, Workers
Institutional Investor (December 29)
“Disruption in the asset management industry is imminent…. Due to a combination of new technologies, shifting demographics and changing client demands, the asset manager of the future must self-regulate, adopt corporate governance by investment firms, invest in technology, and cultivate and keep top-notch talent.”
Tags: Asset management, Client demands, Corporate governance, Demographics, Disruption, Imminent, Self-regulate, Talent, Technology
