Lawmakers united in their ire lash out at big tech leaders

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Technology never stands still, and nor does the global economy—and tech leaders and their teams are dealing with uncertainties in both areas in 2023. From trimming budgets to tackling ever-changing and growing cybersecurity threats, tech leaders are facing a challenging year ahead. While every organization will have its own, unique slate of concerns, knowing what others in the industry are bracing for can help tech leaders ensure they’ve considered all possible contingencies to prepare for. Below, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council share some of the new and significant challenges their departments are facing this year and how they are planning to overcome them. 1. Leveraging Technology To Do More With Less 2023 has been the year of tech layoffs, and with an uncertain economy and shrinking budgets, companies may be grappling with the aftershock for months. To survive, businesses need to do more with less and will … [Read more...] about 15 Industry Leaders Talk About Tech Teams’ Biggest Upcoming Tests

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin One of the world’s most successful drone delivery companies will be expanding to mainland Europe and the United States in 2023. Manna Aero has already done over 100,000 drone deliveries in multiple locations in Ireland, and is trending to hit over 1,000 deliveries per day in individual dense urban markets. But it won’t be instantly available everywhere. And Manna is not releasing its first target market in the U.S. “Nobody is to go full throttle up scaling,” says CEO Bobby Healy on a recent TechFirst podcast. “We're more interested in demonstrating we can operate in multiple markets, and that we can do, say, a thousand deliveries a day in a very dense area. And so that's what we'll be doing by this summer ... in Dublin.” Google sister company Wing is probably leading drone delivery in the U.S., right now, running deliveries in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in addition to other locations in the U.S. and globally. … [Read more...] about Irish Drone Delivery Startup Expanding To U.S. And Mainland Europe

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin An independent luxury hotel in Islamorada is thriving despite increased pressure to sell to big brands. For others, it’s a different story. Locals call him “the most expensive game in town.” He doesn’t actively advertise, because he doesn’t have to. Word of mouth, a string of famous swimsuit model photo shoots, and a lifetime of labor has kept his Moorings Village in Islamorada going since 1987. It has survived devastating hurricanes, financial crises and takeover bids. But owner Hubert Baudoin is a rare breed. Born and raised in Côte d’Ivoire, you’d sooner find him windsurfing in the Bahamas or blazing trails through the desert on a motorcycle before you’d find him hunched over a balance sheet. Like his safari-chasing father before him, he is something of an extremist. One who took root in the Keys, itself a land of extremes: tranquility and raging storms, poverty and wealth, alcoholism and detox retreats. … [Read more...] about The Best Kept Secret In The Florida Keys

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Jakob Rost, CEO and cofounder at Ayoconnect . With over a decade of experience in e-commerce, fintech and financial services in Indonesia's tech industry, I have gained valuable insights into the evolution of open banking. Open banking has gained significant traction in recent years as a transformative concept in the financial industry. The pandemic has accelerated this adoption even further, as evidenced by the increased popularity of neobanks and alternative financial services aiming to enhance the digital banking experience. According to a report by Polaris Market Research , the global open banking market size was valued at $16.14 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $128.12 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 26.8% during the forecasted period. Polaris' research also highlighted the Asia Pacific region as the one that will experience the most growth over the forecast period, a trend that I have … [Read more...] about Learning From The Evolution Of Open Banking

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Chris is CEO of Tercera, founder and former CEO of Appirio, and a serial entrepreneur with 25+ years of tech experience. Mental illness can have consequences that are just as severe as heart disease. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way, both personally and professionally. It’s why I am such a vocal advocate for why CEOs need to take a more proactive approach to mental health in their organizations. And it's why I’m so concerned about the current state of play. It’s not just individuals who suffer the complications of anxiety, depression and mental illness. They have a profound and tangible effect on businesses as well. Employees who report poor mental health are less engaged, less productive and, according to Gallup research, miss almost five times more work days than those who report good mental health. During tough economic times, as companies are forced to cut costs and do more with … [Read more...] about Why Wellness Should Be Top Of Mind For CEOs In 2023

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ross Meyercord, CEO of Propel Software . In 2023, tech isn’t simply sustaining business growth; it’s fueling it. However, many companies in this tech-driven world are missing a huge opportunity that is quite possibly sitting next to them at the executive table. With intimate knowledge of the inner workings of your business and how people and processes are impacted by technology solutions, appointing a CIO as CEO is a natural fit. A CIO Agenda 2023 report published by Gartner research states that “four out of five CEOs are increasing digital technology investments to counter current economic pressures, including inflation, scarce talent and supply constraints.” The agenda also reports that CEOs/leadership believe digital initiatives are taking too long to complete (59%) and too long to realize value (52%). In today’s economy, the stakes are high and the pressure is real. It’s not enough to view your … [Read more...] about CIO To CEO: A Transition That Delivers Immediate Impact

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin After 18 years as CEO in Kaiser Permanente , I set my sights on improving the heatlh of the nation, hoping to find a way to achieve the same quality, technology and affordability our medical group delivered to 5 million patients on both coasts. That quest launched the Fixing Healthcare podcast in 2018, and it inspired interviews with dozens of leaders, thinkers and doers, both in and around medicine. These experts shared innovative ideas and proven solutions for achieving (a) superior quality, (b) improved patient access, (c) lower overall costs, and (d) greater patient and clinician satisfaction. This month, after 150 combined episodes , three questions emerged: Which of the hundreds of ideas presented remain most promising? Why, after five years and so many excellent solutions, has our nation experienced such limited improvements in healthcare? And finally, how will these great ideas become reality? … [Read more...] about 15 Innovative Ideas For Fixing Healthcare From 15 Brilliant Minds

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin At work, it feels like all the not-so-great trends have suddenly become “great.” The Great Resignation, the Great Reconsideration, the Great Breakup and, after the recent wave of tech layoffs, the Great Betrayal . The workplace is in the aftershocks of seismic change. More employees are intentionally choosing part-time , 95% are seeking flexible or remote work and women are leaving in droves . Gig work exploded during the pandemic and shows no sign of slowing down. By 2027, more than half the U.S. workforce will be gig workers. As we struggle to make sense of all this, no wonder we want to give everything a name. It’s tempting to explain away employee discontent as a great movement, rather than your company’s problem to solve. But we can’t let “great” become an excuse. With so many remote, part-time, and contract workers replacing yesterday’s FTEs, you might think you now have a pass on culture building, since … [Read more...] about Here’s How To Keep Gig Workers In An Ever-Changing Economy

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Walt Disney World ’s Magic Kingdom is about to get a whole lot sexier. After years of hype, TRON Lightcycle / Run officially opens in the Magic Kingdom on April 4. Themed to the early-CG fantasy of “Tron” (1982) and “Tron: Legacy” (2010), the motorcycle-style coaster invites guests to hop onto a gleaming lightcycle and race through the digital frontier known as The Grid. A replica of an attraction in Shanghai Disneyland , it’s shiny, smooth, and sleek, and quite unlike any attraction in the Disney Parks in the United States. It’s a bonus that the attraction happens to add a stunning landmark to the Tomorrowland section of the park. The structure, which spans 10 acres, was constructed with more than 3,800 pieces of steel weighing nearly 1,900 tons, and comprises 3,000 feet of track. The attraction canopy — a gorgeous, curvaceous structure, looking like Zaha Hadid in space, or something peeled off of the EPCOT globe … [Read more...] about Disney World’s Newest Attraction Brings Futuristic Thrills To The Magic Kingdom