78 | Data Democratization - The Future of Data Driven Organizations

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Rikin Shah, is the CEO of Slower, a major disruptor in the monolithic consulting services industry. Slower drives value for its customers and partners by investing in new and future stack technology companies well ahead of the curve to help create competitive differentiation through technology. In addition to being a broad-scale technology systems integrator, Slower uses its reach and impact to accelerate its customers digital transformation through repeatable and highly scalable services offerings.

***Navigate the episode***

[8:36] How the execution of hard problem starts with people, and why the most interesting opportunity in tech, is improving customer experiences in EVERYTHING. 

[10:48] Being data informed, to then be data driven – why risk taking and understanding the results of those risks is a critical feedback loop to being data driven. 

[19:40] How data accessibility (data democratization) promotes risk taking – why understanding the outcomes of any decisions made within a business, promotes empathy and meritocratic cultures. 

[32:00] The future of data infrastructure, and how data streaming is an enabler for everything: apps and experiences. 

[40:39] The power of event driven systems, automation in data infrastructure, access, and closing the loop on the true power of data democratization. 

[46:00] How Slower as an engineering business, looks at process and process engineering – solving for patterns, and the power of planning and curiosity in everything Slower does.  

[54:22] The specialness of charitable work in providing capability and opportunity across a collective society, and why this is important to unlocking deeper human potential. 

***Resources and Links***

Contact Slower: Connect@slower.ai  

Contact Rikin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therikinshah/  

The Data Driven Enterprise of 2025: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-data-driven-enterprise-of-2025 

The Rise of the Digital Incumbent:  https://www.bcg.com/publications/2022/rise-of-digital-incumbents-building-digital-capabilities  

Optimizing Apache Kafka’s Internals with It’s Co-Creator Jun Rao: https://developer.confluent.io/podcast/optimizing-apache-kafkas-internals-with-its-co-creator-jun-rao/  

What is Apache Kafka? https://youtu.be/06iRM1Ghr1k

Open Source Apache Kafka: https://kafka.apache.org/

Learn more about Confluent: https://www.confluent.io/

77 | Net New to NFT’s | Learning & Leading in a New Digital World

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Just 6 months ago, who would have known that words like "NFT", "metaverse", and "web 3.0" would be high interest topics of discussion amongst friends, text threads and corporate brand strategies.

At an estimated $23B market size, NFT's could change the world as we know it this year...YES, in 2022.

Heather Parady and Rich Cardona, are joining this LIVE "The Data Binge Podcast" discussion to talk to us about NFT's.

Heather and Rich are Hosts of "NFT's for Newbies", a podcast ALL ABOUT NFT's, focused on their combined journeys of navigating the world of the NFT from a beginners perspective. "NFT's for Newbies" surpassed 200,000 downloads as of December of 2021, in less than 4 months from the start of the podcast. With the light and educational approach that Heather and Rich take in their discovery of this fascinating new world, there are take-aways for anyone willing to have fun and learn all about NFT's.

***Navigate the episode***

[9:57] The story of how Rich and Heather collaborated and created a powerhouse podcast about NFTs

[16:04] On reproducing digital products, and how one can gain value out of it? What makes a good NFT?

[21:09] NFTs can evolve throughout the years and bring us access to this new form of utility

[27:04] Pitfalls to avoid when you buy NFTs

[27:48] Doing research for verified accounts and ensuring that you’re buying from the right creator

[29:27] Taking the time to necessary to educate yourself on the NFT world

[35:29] The ethos of the NFTs for Newbies show: to bring more people on board, artists, creatives, business owners, who can jump in and make some good money, make good connections and be a leader in their realm

[38:50] What is NIL, and how can you monetize them?

[40:57] Tokenizing real estate as NFTs to make transactions much easier

[44:06] NFTs will challenge the creativity of businesses

[47:53] The human nature of the NFT world

***Resources and Links***

🎧 Stream NFT's for Newbies in any of your favorite places to listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nfts-for-newbies/id1581483443

NFTs for Newbies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfts4newbies/

NFTs for Newbies: https://www.nfts4newbies.com/

Heather Parady on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/heatherparady

Rich Cardona on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/richcardona

Real Estate NFTs: How It Began: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliakarayaneva/2021/11/24/real-estate-nfts-how-it-began/?sh=709260333b12

Raoul Pal & Vitalik Buterin: Building the Value Exchange Layer of the Internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNpjKZnsdfI

Non-fungible tokens (NFT): https://ethereum.org/en/nft/

76 | The Ultimate Guide to Partnering | Principles that Help Tech Businesses Thrive

Vince Menzione | CEO & Founder | Ultimate Partnerships

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As the technology industry continues to hasten its evolution through continually changing global macro events, accelerating technical advances, and changes in the social constructs of how and why we work, building successful partnerships has never been so important.

Vince Menzione has spent the last 25 years of his career thinking about how to create successful partnerships and joins this LIVE episode of The Data Binge Podcast to highlight a winning framework for how to get partnerships right. As a former Microsoft General Manager of Partner Strategy, host of the Ultimate Guide to Partnering podcast, and founder of the tech consulting firm Ultimate Partnerships, Vince brings an aptitude and energy for partnerships that can drive change in any tech organization.

This discussion will include the following topics:

  1. The 8 principles of partnership success: understanding the very idea of what partnership between organizations means and why it’s increasing in importance

  2. Evolutions in the partner landscape, and the impact of hyper evolving global trends on partner strategy across the tech domain

  3. The power of thought leadership: the learnings from creating a 5-year passion project, “The Ultimate Guide to Partnering”, and lessons of culture, leadership, and the obligation to lead with diverse and inclusive values that reach beyond our typical fields of impact

***Navigate the episode***

[1:44] The recent speed of technology from Gaming to NFT’s, to emerging Metaverse experiences

[4:19] How Vince has built and maintained a 5-year podcast hyper focused on the world of successful tech partnerships

[5:22] Vince’s background and career direction, starting as the general manager of US public sector strategies for Microsoft across 9 years

[6:56] The era in which every organization is adapting to the advancements of technology

[11:31] How partnering is a phenomena that is all around us in the business ecosystem

[20:25] Successful mindsets to partnering

[23:39] The importance of building a brand and a brand story

[25:17] Intuitive alignment, communication and adjustment towards success cross organizationally

[28:44] Commitment before focus

[31:02] Thinking differently to build successful ecosystems

[37:39] An insight for people who don’t want to get involved with partnering

[41:13] The three C’s: culture, communication, commitment

[45:11] The partnership manifesto: Why people need to partner better

[46:55] Diversity, inclusion, and leadership

[50:50] On the issue of age discrimination, early retirement, and the lost value of experienced leadership in the tech industry

[56:42] The power of community

***Resources and Links***

Connect with Vince on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemenzione/

Vince Menzione’s Microsoft US Partner Blog - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/us-partner-blog/author/vincemenzione/

Channels, partnerships & ecosystems: Jay McBain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymcbain/

LinkedIn LIVE EVENT Link: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6872569678066188288/

Ultimate Partnerships: https://ultimateguidetopartnering.com/

75 | GAMING | Re-imagining Social Accessibility & Closing the Digital Divide

Albert Dankwa III | Content Developer, Xbox | Microsoft

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How can gaming, benefit our communities?

Albert Dankwa III, content developer on the Microsoft Xbox team, joins this 🎬 LIVE 🎬 episode of The Data Binge Podcast to talk about how gaming, and the tangible benefits of immersive and creative worlds, will change the social constructs of communities impacted by limited access to internet and technology.

 Additional re-frames on gaming that we discuss:

🎮 Albert's experience growing up in South Bronx, and how gaming impacted his life: from gaming, to fashion and photography, to technology.

🎮 How gaming can create exposure to rich dialogues and experiences, that can change the perception of the world, while helping audiences develop hard skills from story-telling, to coding.

🎮 Why gaming WILL close the digital divide, and how it will impact people on levels that we cannot imagine.

***Navigate the episode***

[5:27] The content creation process around gaming, and the journey of creating proactive content for gamers

[9:16] The opportunity for gaming all-up: A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

[10:08] As gaming advances, so does technology – how these two facets correlate and evolve together

[14:07] Partnerships, deals, and brand growth in the world of gaming

[16:07] Alberts lived experience in his community and how gaming helped him navigate economic and social challenges: what others can take-away from his story

[21:17] Three community-led ways to promote equity and produce better games

[22:20] Making games more accessible: the importance of access

[27:33] The myriad ways in how to bring games to bring games to everyone

[28:43] New communities of gamers are forming: gaming fosters inclusion and leadership

[29:37] Closing the digital divide

[31:11] How gaming influences child development and growth, and how gaming will ceate the next era of talent

[35:47] The influence and power that gaming possesses

[40:41] Albert’s desire to create more access and introduce diversity in gaming

[44:00] The general access to resources, skill development, and branding that gaming provides

[47:19] What’s next for Albert?

***Resources and Links***

Connect with Albert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertdankwa

Connect with Albert on Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/alkallus

(3) community-led ways to promote equity and make better games: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-03-3-ways-to-promote-equity-and-make-better-games

How online gaming has become a social lifeline: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201215-how-online-gaming-has-become-a-social-lifeline

How the pandemic has shifted mobile gaming behaviours worldwide: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-ssa/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/mobile-casual-gaming-trends/

74 | Improving the Lives of Mothers Caring for Children with Rare Disease

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ANGEL AID is a non-profit that provides mental health and wellness services for mothers of children with rare diseases. A rare disease is defined as one that affects fewer than 200,000 people. Even amongst accelerating scientific advancement, over 7000 rare diseases are still without cure, and only 5% have treatments. There are 350M people globally with rare diseases - around half are children. Mothers of children with rare diseases, or Rare Mothers, are the primary caregiver 82% of the time.

Today's  conversation is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded Wednesday, October 27th, featuring my co-host Ali Mazaheri, and our special guests Cristol Barrett O'Loughlin and Smriti Bhattacharya.

October is ANGEL AID’s month of giving, Wellfest 21, an opportunity to help create visibility and energy around the bold vision of providing relief and inspiration to these communities, by connecting 3.5 million rare mothers by 2025.

Cristol Barrett O’Loughlin, Founder and CEO of ANGEL AID, discusses the organizations mission, the experience of care takers in the rare disease community, and the role of technology and digitization in creating community and impact for non-profits.

Smriti Bhattacharya, a senior software engineer at Microsoft and a Rare Mother, also graces this conversation with her presence so that we can hear her story, gain a little more proximity to ANGEL AID’s mission, and learn more about how we can support these incredible caretakers around the world.

***Navigate the episode***

[10:18] A quick introduction to Smriti, Cristol, and ANGEL AID

[11:58] What Ali learned when his child was diagnosed with diabetes

[15:02] Smriti’s experience as a Rare Mother

[18:22] How Smriti and Cristol connected when the pandemic impacted ANGEL AID

[24:20] What motivated Cristol to start ANGEL AID

[26:58] How the organization’s journey with Microsoft started

[30:45] What’s next for ANGEL AID from a business standpoint

[35:32] How the organization and tech companies (like Microsoft) support parents who need better work-life balance

[44:30] About Wellfest 21

[47:58] How to support ANGEL AID

***Resources and Links***

Connect with Cristol Barrett O’Loughlin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristol-barrett-oloughlin/

Connect with Smriti Bhattacharya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smritib/

“Hit Refresh” by Satya Nadella: https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Refresh-Rediscover-Microsofts-Everyone-ebook/dp/B01HOT5SQA

People With Rare Diseases Need Better Social Support: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disability-is-diversity/202010/people-rare-diseases-need-better-social-support  

Wellfest 21: https://wellfest21.funraise.org/

ANGEL AID https://www.angelaidcares.org/

73 | Sleep Score Labs: “Changing the World, by Changing the Way We Sleep”

Colin Lawlor | Chief Executive Officer | SleepScore Labs

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Have you ever thought about how many people are struggling with the same sleep issues as you? Many of us struggle with getting enough sleep. Even as the market continues to fill with everything from nose strips, to connected wearables and rings and even weighted blankets, yet we still somehow fail to find the right solutions for sleep. Why is that?

Colin Lawlor is the CEO of SleepScore Labs, a sleep technology organization located in Carlsbad California, with the mission of helping people achieve more full-filling lives and better long term help through their best sleep. In this episode Colin talks about the data trends around sleep that impact our health and wellness at the personal level, the basic components of how technology and sleep come together, all the way through to the future of sleep and how we can better live more productive and full filling lives as platforms for sleep emerge.

The SleepScore app is available for free, in both the App Store for Apple Devices and on Google Play for Android users.

Thank YOU for listening, and we hope you get good sleep tonight.

***Navigate the episode***

[9:02] Getting to know SleepScore Labs and what they do

[12:14] How to measure sleep to manage sleep problems

[17:17] Creating models, insights and personalized recommendations based on data

[19:07] How sleep impacts overall health

[22:45] Understanding sleep technologies and choosing what really works

[25:32] The verticals that influence your sleep

[28:26] Sleep improvements grounded on data and science

[29:46] Why sleep apnea leads to death

[31:39] Understanding the fundamentals of the human body affected by sleep

[40:59] How other industries are creating better ways to help improve sleep

[41:23] The organizations that Sleep Score Labs partners with

[45:18] How SleepScore Labs is bringing their expertise to consumers

[47:17] Choose companies that really care for your sleep

[52:54] Improving health and fitness through improving sleep

[60:17] The impact of alcohol in sleep

[01:02:41] Free app powered by SleepScore Labs

[01:11:10] Colin’s philosophy on better sleep and lifestyle

[01:15:02] The future of sleep and what to look out for from the SleepScore Labs

[01:19:48] Colin’s best advice for people struggling with sleep

***Resources and Links***

Colin Lawlor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinjlawlor/

SleepScore Labs: https://www.sleepscore.com/

Download the SleepScore app: https://www.sleepscore.com/sleepscore-app/?rfr=ssl-improvemysleep-button

How Better Sleep May Just Save Your Life (podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-better-sleep-may-just-save-your-life-w-colin-lawlor/id1536378494?i=1000499007398

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sleep and Sleep Disorders: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html

72 | Leadership in Sustainability – Adoption, Business Transformation, & Equity

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Sustainability is good for both business, and for the planet.  

 

Dawn James, Microsoft US Director of Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, and Alex Robart, Microsoft Worldwide Strategy Leader for Energy & Sustainability, connect with us to share learning and experiences in how organizations can strategically approach a differentiated way to reach sustainability goals, that create competitive advantages, while also being good for our environment. 


We are joined in this special episode by guest host Bob Familiar, Director of the Microsoft Technology Center in Boston. Bob is an experienced technical leader experiences in technologies that help organizations accelerate their vision to be more sustainable.

Discussion themes will include the following topics:

  • How Microsoft leaders in Sustainability, communicate with customers about their sustainability journey: from adoption, to the elements of climate change mitigation

  • Equity in decision making, and the importance of how organizations derive and allocate strategies against their sustainability goals

  • The business opportunities of the transition to sustainable energy: the effort, the leadership, and the change management needed to successfully reframe the conversation

  • Tangible solutions and technologies that fit into the sustainability conversation, and how the Microsoft ecosystem can empower organizations to achieve more for their sustainability goals

***Navigate the episode***

[06:20] An Introduction to the Microsoft Technology Center, and our guests

[07:36] General concepts around sustainability and it’s importance in the business domain

[15:25] How to understand and navigate sustainability in a very complex and evolving climate, from regulation through to organizational business objectives

[16:31] The importance of cross functional ownership, business decisions, and brand for meeting sustainability goals

[20:27] How sustainability is driving changes in customer/consumer behaviors

[22:42] Sustainability as a new business model and source of growth – a mindset shift

[23:30] The basic elements of a sustainability solution. (The 3 R’s)

[33:19] How to get started. How organizations should approach a sustainability strategy

[41:48] The value of data for sustainability. Use cases for data reporting for carbon footprints and energy costs, and how the cloud can accelerate evolving use cases in the data realm

[45:08] The complex challenges in climate change, its disproportionate impact on people and what organizations can do to address them

[48:58] The energy transition. The role of industries most responsible for the future of energy in decision making

[52:32] Technology, and the future of sustainability solutions and strategies

***Resources and Links***

Connect with our guests:

Dawn James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnejames/

Alex Robart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arobart/

Bob Familiar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobfamiliar/

The proliferation of sustainability accounting standards comes with costs: https://www.economist.com/business/2020/10/03/the-proliferation-of-sustainability-accounting-standards-comes-with-costs

Prioritizing Equity in Policy and Decision-making: https://energycenter.org/thought-leadership/blog/prioritizing-equity-policy-and-decision-making

Recycling ocean plastic to help clean up our oceans: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ww/accessories/sustainability/ocean-plastic-mouse

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sustainability

71 | Innovating with Data: Changing the Game of Sports Fan Engagement

EdsonCrevecoeur.jpg

Edson Crevecoeur | VP of Strategy & Data Analytics, Miami HEAT | Chief Data Officer, 601 Analytics

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We have all heard the thematic concepts of why "data" is an emerging natural resource, that is becoming increasingly valuable, and that must be captured, understood, and utilized - but becoming a data centered organization, is not as easy as it sounds.

Edson Crevecoeur, Miami Heat's VP of Strategy & Data Analytics, and the Chief Data Officer for 601 Analytics, is joining this 🎬 LIVE 🎬 episode of the Data Binge Podcast, to talk through how he is helping to change the way that NBA teams use technology to make data driven decisions that increase revenue.

601 Analytics was born out of the Miami Heat organization, as a data platform that helps drive performance in the sports and entertainment industry, by offering a real-time analytics engine, that captures everything from venue attendance, to sale of tickets, to food and beverage items, giving a "real-time view" into business operations for greater customer delight and organizational direction - imagine using real time crowd prediction, to augment venue staff or merchandise selection and marketing.

Edson brings with him an entire career in data and analytics, his voice comes with a wealth of wisdom on all things business, culture, innovation, and of course, DATA - and if you are interested in building new businesses or innovating with the power of data, this episode is for you.

***Navigate the episode***

[06:54] The journey into a career in data

[11:22] The inherent power of data as a critical resource to any organization

[12:50] How the pandemic fueled digital transformation in the Sports industry

[13:22] Why data is becoming more important to organizations as an outcome of the global pandemic

[16:20] Basic use cases that demonstrate the power of how 601 Analytics adds business value

[20:07] The emergence of digital athlete cards and other sports related technologies

[24:20] The strategic relationships between data and business

[28:28] The four main points organizations should have to create an internal engine of culture, process, and mindset

[32:46] How to get started: creating new businesses, products, and innovations using data

[39:59] The breaking point moment of launching a new business

[45:48] The importance of diversity inclusion to technology innovation and new business development

***Resources and Links***

601 Analytics https://www.601analytics.com/about/

Edson Crevecoeur: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crevecoeur/

Miami HEAT: https://www.nba.com/heat/

The Miami Heat are on a fast break to innovate: https://news.microsoft.com/transform/miami-heat-fast-break-innovate/

How To Build An Enduring And Successful Data Culture Within Your Organization: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/04/29/how-to-build-an-enduring-and-successful-data-culture-within-your-organization

How The Pandemic Is Fueling The Digital Transformation Of Sports: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2020/10/15/how-the-pandemic-is-fueling-the-digital-transformation-of-sports

National Hispanic American Heritage Month: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

70 | Capturing, Creating, & Accelerating New Business Value with Open Innovation

Azure_BDM_Outcome_Intro_Closing_Slides (002).png

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We hear about innovation so much nowadays in the business world - we hear it in company earnings releases, we hear it internally in place of work, and we see it in peoples titles on LinkedIn, but what exactly is Innovation, what is Open Innovation, and how is it changing in our current technology landscape?

Today's conversation is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded June 17th, of this year 2021, featuring my co-host Ali Mazaheri, and our special guests Jason Deskin, and Lisa Griego. Jason Deskin is the Chief Technology Officer for Digital Advisory in Microsoft's US West Region business, and in the US Retail & Consumer Goods Business. Lisa, is a Director in the Retail & Consumer Goods business supporting organizations in the West US, and both of these incredible voices are joining this discussion today to talk through the importance of innovation, and how critical it is for different organizations to bring together their strengths and weaknesses to meet unmet market needs. We're going to talk about different ways of approaching problems, and this idea of the "learn it all culture" vs the "know it all culture" - what this actually means and how to deploy curiosity at scale. We're going to talk about empathy and it’s role in innovation, and finally, were going to talk about overcoming the barriers to innovation and how to build programs that can jump start organizational change, differentiation, and maybe even some re-direction.

Technology has never been more important in our world - and understanding how to bring different thinking, mindsets, people, ideas, and cultures together, to stimulate new ideas, WILL be the future of how we create novel innovations and solutions for a very quickly evolving world.

***Navigate the episode***

[11:05] The roles of Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) within Microsoft organization

[12:37] The Idea of Open Innovation

[14:30] What Innovation generally means and “the surgeon’s dilemma”

[15:22] The power of unconscious bias, and how it impacts innovation

[16:16] The innovation toolkit: design thinking, open innovation, business model canvas, and purposeful diversity – how using a series of high impact framework can direct the accelerate of out of the box thinking

[18:48] Mixing industry expertise with a holistic approach through the “Open Innovation Lab” to find new business opportunities.

[24:02] Every company will become a software platform company

[25:00] Business disruption, and how technology organizations help create a competitive edge, through strategic partnerships.

[28:50] The challenges due to Covid and managing open innovation virtually: tools, mindsets, and experiences.

[39:27] Expectations from businesses and organizations betting big on technological transformations

[48:41] The power of diversity in Innovation, lessons learned from empathy and leadership in diverse environments

***Resources and Links***

Contact our guests:

-Jason Deskin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondeskin/

-Lisa Griego: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-griego/

Surgeons Dilemma: http://atchub.net/diversity/the-surgeons-dilemma-a-test-for-unconscious-bias

—————

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft" 

69 | Empowering Business Outcomes with Cloud Computing

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Today is a fun discussion for those of you interested in the business implications of the cloud, specifically Azure, and some experiences I have to share about my time at Microsoft working with some of the largest businesses in the world, empowering business value through novel technologies mostly centered around Machine Learning and AI. I am joined in this recorded LIVE discussion by today's host, Bret Cullivan, Azure Applications and Infrastructure, Global Partner Director, at Microsoft.  As you will see, Bret and I really share a lot of ideas around business empowerment through technology, and we talk through a lot of key concepts, learnings, and trends, as Bret hosts the discussion, with the help of his peers moderating the session: Srinivasan Venkatarajan, and Shalini Chandrashekar - Azure Global Partner Directors at Microsoft. We were joined by a LIVE global audience of Microsoft partners, with a total of 175 registrants across (2) LIVE discussions, with folks dialing in from places far beyond the shores of the West Coast where Bret and I are dialing in from.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to today's discussion.

***Navigate the episode***

[07:19] A short introduction by Bret Cullivan

[11:32] How to build new skills – experiences as a newcomer in the tech industry

[14:53] A quote from Satya Nadella in a recent CRM Magazine interview, around the criticality of a partner ecosystem in big tech.

[17:04] Emerging trends and data points for how lines of business are leveraging cloud computing, specifically Microsoft Azure

[23:15] The meaning of “outcome selling”, and why it’s never been so important

[30:01] How to have a business decision maker conversation, centered around technology

[32:49] How to start engaging an executive discussion

[37:57] AI and jobs: how to present a perspective on AI to businesses

[43:11] Different methodologies around advocacy, sales, and landing an effective idea across organizations

[51:15] The importance of telling good stories 

***Resources and Links***

Contact our guests:

-Bret Cullivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretcullivan/

-Srinivasan Venkatarajan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srinivasanvenkatarajan/

-Shalini Chandrashekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalini-chandrashekar-95a08b5/

Microsoft Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/

CRM Magazine: https://www.crn.com/slide-shows/cloud/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-10-boldest-statements-from-crn-s-exclusive-interview

Brand Storytelling: Put Customers at the Heart of Your Brand Story authored by Miri Rodriguez: https://mirirod.com/en/

—————

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft" 

68 | Accelerating Business Ecosystems | High Tech, Venture Capital, and Unicorns

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Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded May 6th, of this year 2021, featuring my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and our special guests, coming to us from Microsoft's High Tech Pursuits Unicorn Team - a special team focused on accelerating, partnering, and supporting the enterprise of the future.

The discussion will feature Ken Miller, GM of Microsoft's West Region Intelligent Cloud team and leader of the Unicorn team we're talking with today. Shaloo Garg will be joining us in the discussion, Shaloo is the Managing Director of Growth Stage Startups and Unicorns at Microsoft. We'll also be featuring Matt Hughes in the discussion, Matt is a High Tech industry leader at Microsoft, and the combination of these (3) guests will cover a vast array of really fun, top of mind, and critical topics across the high tech industry, and, how value will be, and continues to be captured and developed with founders, venture capitalists, and new joint partnerships in the world of fast moving and emerging technologies.

If you have any interest in the future landscape of emerging tech as a founder, an investor, or an organization looking to seek differentiated ways to think about the growth stage and unicorn ecosystem, you will very much enjoy this conversation.

Thank you for listening, and now we bring you Microsoft's High-Tech Pursuits Unicorn Team.

***Navigate the episode***

[09:32] High tech trends and transformations across the technology industry

[12:00] Exciting tech related market making partnerships and acquisitions

[13:31] Social impact and other emerging technology industry headwinds to pay attention to

[15:23] High tech at Microsoft – what is means, who are the customers, and what the future enterprise looks like

[20:21] Additional forecasts for market needs and opportunities in the high tech space

[25:26] What consumers demand from the high-tech industry and how the consumer is shaping innovation

[27:51] The Microsoft ecosystem and support environment for high tech organizations

[32:53] Transformational change across business and culture: how to navigate, cope, and seize net new opportunities

[38:47] Microsoft’s Unicorn Initiative and thematic areas that empower the Start-up

[41:37] Shaloo’s experience as a woman leader at Microsoft, and women founder perspectives in the growth stage start up eco-system

[46:18] Why founders should think about partnering with Microsoft

[51:43] Advice and guidance for women founders

[55:39] Discussions around engaging across the high-tech community, and opportunities to discover innovation through the Microsoft Technology Centers

67 | The Virtual Work Movement - Social Influence & Virtual Selling

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Derek Russell | Digital Advisor, Innovation - US West & Retail/CPG | Microsoft

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Today's discussion is a recording of a session hosted by my friend and colleague, Andy Winskill, a Sr. Digital Advisor at Microsoft, who also leads a community of approximately 2700 employees at Microsoft, called the "Virtual Work Learning Group". The mission of the virtual work group is to empower everyone on the planet, to create engaging, meaningful, and impactful virtual work experiences, in an environment that enables us to do our best work. The community has featured talks from some amazing women and men around topics ranging from how to be a better storyteller, all the way to fine tuning remote presentation skills.

This episode features a presentation that I led around Social Influence and Virtual Selling. I am no longer in a sales organization, BUT, I do believe that everything any of us do at any capacity in our work, most likely demands for advocating our ideas and getting our perspective heard - this, I believe, will be a highly valuable skill as our ecosystems become more digital, and our thoughts and perspectives as knowledge workers and executives, become more valuable to the world.

***Navigate the episode***

[05:36] An introduction by Andy Winskill

[09:37] How the Virtual Work Learning Group session participants perceive social selling

[10:55] The mindsets to consider when looking to create a digital-brands on LinkedIn

[13:17] Why to focus on LinkedIn

[14:06] Social selling and the future of the digital relationships and thought leadership

[17:30] The three most critical things to help resonate with your audience

[20:59] The three most critical segments to have in place for successful content creation

[22:26] The two ways to approach creating content now

[26:37] Selling, is just the advocacy of ideas – a skill that we all must hone

[30:05] Have fun, while driving value

[32:46] Personality vs skill, how to determine what type of content creation strategy is best suited for you

[34:56] Determining time investment for content creation

[37:10] How to handle sharing things on LinkedIn and getting negative comments

[43:42] Overcoming your fears of posting on LinkedIn and social, and how to start “NOW”

[48:09] How to balance being a thought leader, while aligning content to employer or team values

[51:28] Comments about the LinkedIn algorithm, and the value of visibility

***Resources and Links***

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH - May 2021 | National Today - https://nationaltoday.com/mental-health-awareness-month/

A Mind That Found Itself by Clifford W. Beers - https://www.amazon.com/Found-Itself-Contemporary-Community-Health/dp/0822953242

Waking Up with Sam Harris - Discover your mind. | Waking Up - https://www.wakingup.com/

ROMWOD - https://romwod.com/

Andy Winskill | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/awinskill/

Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk (goodreads.com) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36045512-crushing-it

The Mel Robbins Show Podcast - https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/xs4iw-a0b6c/The-Mel-Robbins-Show-Podcast

Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Video - https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-video/

Social media video tips & strategies - https://sproutsocial.com/insights/topics/social-media-video/

66 | Leadership Through Adversity | Encouragement, Gratitude, & Uplifting Others

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Katy Brown | Vice President of US Enterprise, West Region | Microsoft

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Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded February 25th, 2021, featuring my co-host Ali Mazaheri, and our very special guest, Katy Brown, Vice President of US Enterprise for the West Region, at Microsoft.

Both Ali and I have shared the distinct pleasure of working with Katy and her senior leadership team professionally at Microsoft, but in preparation for and execution of this very discussion, we had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Katy on a more personal level, and to really understand her own journey of overcoming adversity, and how it has shaped her as a leader.

The discussion will cover everything including hard decisions Katy had to make to take better care of her teams and people in the wake of the pandemic, as folks had to really show up more than they ever had for their customers, partners, and families. We will discuss Katy's reflections and adjustments in how she has been taking care of herself and showing up as her best self across the past year, as well as some guiding learnings and perspectives she has developed while navigating through challenges in her personal life.

We are so happy to deliver and share a truly, special episode with all of you - we all need to hear more voices of vulnerability, courage, and strength, as we continue to help each other navigate very challenging moments as we move through life and adapt, struggle, and learn through our individual journeys.

***Navigate the episode***

 [09:23] Organizational changes and continuous evolutions in the new normal for the future of work across Katy’s teams at Microsoft.

[11:09] Katy’s opinion on the change in the customer landscape due to the Pandemic, and how Microsoft has risen to meet customer and partners with empathy.

[13:03] Adapting to changes in environment, stress, and work life harmony - how Katy manages her time efficiently as a leader in the new normal.

[17:50] New paradigms for how organizations can give time back to their employees, while increasing productivity and reducing work related stress during a challenging year – Katy’s decisions and perspectives around empowering her organization adopt new ways of working.

[18:45] General guidance to maintaining a healthy work and life balance while working remotely.

[21:32] The deep life experiences that have shaped Katy as a leader: the importance of co-dependency of courage and vulnerability.

[26:21] How to embrace, support, and empower others in ways that guide them to their best selves.

[29:41] Katy’s mindset for sharing challenging moments in her life, and how those stories can redefine how others approach their own journeys, to help shape them into stronger versions of themselves.

[32:03] The incredible opportunity that presents itself, when someone reaches out from a place of struggle – the opportunity to make a lasting impact in their life.

***Resources and Links***

Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyabrown/

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown: https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/

65 | Future Crunch | Understanding Basic Principles for the Future of Technology

Dr. Gus Hervey

Dr. Angus Hervey | Political Economist & Co-Founder | Future Crunch

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Today's discussion is a LinkedIn LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast featuring Dr. Angus Hervey, Political Economist and co-founder of Future Crunch.

Future Crunch, based out of Australia, is a think-tank focused on fostering intelligent and optimistic thinking, inspiring enthusiasm and excitement for technology, and empowering people to contribute to an inclusive future.

I came across Gus in a Global MBA learning event where he led a presentation focused on the adaptability quotient, or one's ability to overcome challenges by quickly determining what's relevant in the current era of knowledge. The interest of Gus's work doesn't stop there, Future Crunch is really trying to get people excited about technology again, as it exists within every layer of our lives, and as it tends to get mostly negative attention - there is another story to tell. Future Crunch disperses a phenomenal newsletter based on optimistic events happening in and around our planet, in an attempt to change the stories of the 21st century, by changing the stories we tell ourselves. In this discussion, Gus brings together his interests across economics, politics, and science, to weave together a new perspective on human kinds future, how to prepare for it, how to understand it, and how we can all look to empathize , entertain, and contribute to a novel and wonderful, narrative for our species.  

***Navigate the episode***

[10:11] The mission of Future Crunch, optimism, story-telling, and technology[09:53] Why “Giving a Damn” is different than talking about impactful causes – the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem, and other groups and charities of importance. 

[15:56] The history of story-telling, and the criticality of stories and their importance to the human existence across the 21st century 

[18:50] Modern journalism and how it has evolved 

[23:36] 5G and the opportunities represented by a new future of data movement  

[28:46] On understanding the future of technology: Language, Fire, and Medicine  

[37:53] The applicability of the Language, Fire and Medicine Framework and how it can help leaders and organizations navigate in both business and innovation 

[45:37] Why change moves very slowly, until it moves very quickly: the Adaptability quotient 

[49:15] On efficiency and adaptability in adjusting to change, examples of how the US Navy is building talent pools to handle more fluid work environments. 

[54:04] What people and organizations can do to embrace unexpected and high-velocity change 

[55:03] How to contact Angus and Future Crunch 

[56:10] Given unlimited resources, what global challenges would Angus attempt to solve 

***Resources and Links***

Future Crunch Website: https://futurecrun.ch/ 

Future Crunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/future_crunch 

Future Crunch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futurecrunch/ 

Additional Featured Podcasts: Open the Pod Bay Doors: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e106-angus-hervey-future-crunch/id1246074250?i=1000505737408  

Dr Angus Hervey - Future Crunch: Purpose and The Adaptability Quotient: https://www.rebeccatapp.com/decodingpurposepodcasts1/2019/12/10/dr-angus-hervey-future-crunch-purpose-and-the-adaptability-quotient  

Chemex Coffee Maker (the ultimate  example of perfect design): https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/coffeemakers.html  

64 | The Evolution of the Supply Chain | Technology, Talent, and Intelligence

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Ross Valentine | Director of Product Services | Arrow Electronics

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Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded October 29th, of 2020 - pulled out of the vault to serve to you at this very relevant time - produced by my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and featuring special guests Ross Valentine, and guest co-host Greg Vigil.

Ross Valentine is the Director of Product Services at Arrow Electronics (the world's largest electronics distributor), and has spent the last 20 years studying the global supply chain from a perspective across different industry verticals and organizations.

Greg Vigil, Industry Solutions Director for the US, will be co-hosting the Manufacturing mini-series, bringing more than 10 years of manufacturing industry experience to highlight trends in market, and to bring the most modern perspectives of how the world's largest manufacturers are approaching emerging business challenges.

This is going to be a really fun listen for those looking to better understand how the supply chain has been evolving over the past 20 years, the different roles that technology and talent play in the supply chain ecosystem, and the trends and business models that are declining or EMERGING as the world moves faster, better, and becomes just a little smaller each day.

***Navigate the episode***

[08:53] Ross’ 20 years experience working on supply chain and its evolution over the years

[10:00] Supply chain security and how it has evolved from deep impacts across global events ranging from 911, to the Great Recession, to a global pandemic.

[14:16] The shift of the supply chain as a business strategy – moving from a cost of doing business, to a competitive advantage

[16:41] Observations of the consumer and business in the supply chain ecosystem, and relationships as the core competency

[19:01] NASA and the reverse logistics of getting man BACK from the moon – how this compares to real world supply chain challenges

[26:52] Data sharing and how technologies like Blockchain, RPA, robotics, digital twins, and AI advisors, will shape the future of the supply chain

[28:17] New business models and everything as a service

[30:31] Zooming out and looking at supply chain as a supply web

63 | Women as Highly Empowered Technical Leaders

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CAT Susch | Principal Technical Architect | Microsoft Technology Center, New York

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Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded July 27th, 2020, featuring my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and our special guest,  CAT Susch.

CAT is a Principal Technical Architect at the Microsoft Technology Center in New York, and is sharing her experiences as a highly technical leader in the tech industry, why there are so few women in technical roles, and the challenges and opportunities presented for the culture change that businesses need to make to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

There are very few highly technical women leaders in industry, whether it be business broadly, or specifically in the tech world - this conversation will really surface both some data for why this could be, as well as solutions for women specifically, as CAT walks through her experience both working at Microsoft and at other organizations, as well as what we can all do to contribute to causes that impact the overall inclusion and leadership participation of women in our workforce and society.

This was such a special episode, and we're so happy we can surface it this month as a special feature to Woman's History Month.

***Navigate the episode***

[06:59] CAT’s background, and her career journey as a highly technical practitioner

[09:32] Opportunities for diversity and inclusion in technology, and her latest work in virtual hackathons

[12:47] The challenges facing women in highly technical leadership roles

[16:22] How to get a wider base of women to apply to technology opportunities

[20:52] On cultivating and mentoring women towards attracting them to technical roles

[23:36] The impact of community events for young women and early in career women

[26:06] On the influence of culture and customer expectation – how to be good examples of partner organizations and customers

[28:06] On cross-collaboration or partnerships to build confidence for women to apply

[29:26] What the Digi Girls project is and doing things for the younger women in Microsoft

[31:57] CAT fostering international mentor relationships and engagements: a story about Beatrice and Ana

[34:55] Innovative and ideas for structuring experience heavy activities for women through the pandemic

[37:41] CAT’s endeavors and ambitions to continue creating an impact on the current and future state of the women’s technical community

62 | Technology for Good: Leadership, Community, and Culture Transformation

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Today's episode is a special "Black History Month" Simply Tech LIVE interview, produced this time, by my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and featuring our guests, Sonya Weaver-Johnson: Director of Sales for Healthcare and Life Sciences at Microsoft, and Celeste Alleyne, Director of Executive Engagements for Content Operations & Corporate Events.

We visit topics across the episode ranging from the very idea of Technology for Good and what that means, to the power of community and culture transformation in large organizations, to how to build communities - however that may need to come about, whether in organization or in your local community. Both Sonya and Celeste really bring an incredible energy that you'll feel in the discussion, I'm proud to be connected to these two women, and so happy that we can share some of their perspective with you today.  

***Navigate the episode***

[06:19] Sonya & Celeste describe their current roles at Microsoft, and their journey into big-tech 

[10:12] A description of what “Technology for Good” actually means, as a focus area for business 

[12:40] The Global Skills Initiative, and the impact that skilling can have on the digital divide as exacerbated by the global pandemic 

[14:48] Sonya’s opportunity to be part of Nasdaq’s closing bell ceremony, to kick off Black History Month 

[15:23] The Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) employee resource group, and the foundations of its mission oriented pillars 

[17:50] National Ambassador Councils, and how assembling people within distinct communities can generate lasting change and impact at scale 

[20:18] The new Empathy in Action initiative at Microsoft in response to needed culture change, and Celeste’s visit with Brian Stevenson from the Equal Justice Initiative 

[22:14] The most critical components in building successful communities 

[25:10] What both Celeste and Sonya both wish they knew Ten years ago coming into their career 

[28:06] Guidance on how organizations can approach using technology or business for good 

[29:49] Q&A: The difference between a mentor and a sponsor 

61 | Refactoring the Mass Incarceration System | Hope, Transparency, Technology

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This discussion is a LinkedIn LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast featuring Chris Redlitz and Jason Jones, of The Last Mile, a non-profit breaking the mass incarceration cycle by combating recidivism through in-person education and post-release mentorship focused on coding and software engineering. (for those pondering what this means, recidivism is the tendency for a convicted criminal to reoffend).

The Last Mile's returned citizen alumni, maintain 0% recidivism.

———————————

Chris Redlitz is a general partner of Transmedia Capital, one of the best performing micro funds in Silicon Valley, and co-founder of The Last Mile. Through The Last Mile, Chris, along with his wife and co-founder Beverly Parenti, launched the first-ever full stack coding program inside US prisons. Previously, Chris co-founded KickLabs, which Forbes ranked as a top technology accelerator and incubated Wish, AngelList and other influential companies. He received Ad Age’s prestigious i20 award for his contributions to the development of interactive marketing and advertising. Earlier in his career, Chris was part of Reebok’s explosive growth where he held positions in sales and marketing and also owned one of the first specialty sports retail chains in Southern California.

Jason Jones is a full-time disruptor, activist, educator, and software engineer. Jason is the Remote Instructor Manager for The Last Mile, and leads a team of educators that remotes into classrooms across the US to deliver virtual lessons in computer coding. On September 25th, 2018, Jason was released after 13 ½ years incarcerated, during which time he graduated from The Last Mile’s inaugural coding class. Three weeks before his release, Jason became the first person from his cohort to sign a work agreement with a tech company as a software engineer. Jason was also the first justice-involved person to be accepted into the Lightspeed fellowship with a team from Stanford, and today he is a participant in the Koch Associate Program.

We talk across a broad range of topics in our time together today, from the very problem that The Last Mile is committed to help solve, to the systemic impact that incarceration creates within different communities, and the importance of solving the challenges facing the formerly incarcerated and system impacted individuals in our country.

If you'd like to find out more about The Last Mile, or you are looking for ways to contribute, you can navigate to thelastmile.org/, or you can send an email to info@thelastmile.org

Thank you for listening, and for being a part of this very important conversation.

***Navigate the episode***

[07:28] The context of The Last Mile (TLM) and why is it created

[09:30] What TLM means and the importance of Jason’s story

[11:31] The gap between hope and transparency for the justice impacted

[13:41] What came into Chris’s mind in creating TLM, and the vision for creating hope and transparency

[17:12] How TLM integrated into the prison system, and the importance of story telling

[19:36] The big problems that The Last Mile is trying to solve

[20:54] The challenge of developing a support system and creating opportunities for the justice impacted

[24:39] How Chris and Jason think providing coding skills disrupts the very lineage of the problem

[30:18] The process of admitting and providing education within the prison system

[34:55] The obstacles that Chris and Jason have to overcome at the student level as part of the process and how this is navigated

[38:46] Perceived challenges at the hiring organization level, when hiring justice impacted graduates

[41:49] What Jason sees as potential challenges in working with companies as a TLM graduate

[44:55] The big vision for TLM

[48:58] What direction Jason seeks from the program, its listeners, and its communities

[51:05] What support TLM needs and ways to get involved

[55:55] What causes would Chris and Jason focus efforts on, if allocated unlimited resources and seven days to execute

***Resources and Links***

The Last Mile – thelastmile.org/  

Learning to Code in Prison - https://youtu.be/7P4klAfyiG8

A Look Inside An Oklahoma Prison | Women Learning to Code - https://youtu.be/XjCpEKF_K6o

Prevalence of Imprisonment in the US Population, 1974-2001 - https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/piusp01.pdf

Prison Policy Initiative: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020 - https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html

Just Mercy Movie - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4916630/

60 | Inclusive Tech Innovation and Adoption Across Cultures & Communities

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Joseph Akoni


|

Product Manager | LinkedIn

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This month, February of 2021, is a very special month for many different communities, February is officially designated as "Black History Month" - an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and for recognizing their central role in U.S. History. Originally this special time of year was sponsored by the Association for Study of African American Life and History, as the national Negro History week, chosen in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln & Fredrick Douglass. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”. Since 1976, every American president has followed the February designation of Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. The theme for 2021, "Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity".  

 In honor of Black History Month, the content of this podcast through February, will focus on black leadership in technology, and will give more attention to voices that are very seldom elevated.  

-------------------------------- 

Joseph Akoni is a Product Manager at LinkedIn, and joins this LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast to discuss how different cultures and communities develop and consume technology. Joseph's first product release as a LinkedIn Product Manager was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal in July of 2020. The profile name pronunciation feature allows for the opportunity of correct pronunciation of names, a critical component in creating an inclusive workplace. If you haven't seen this capability, it allows you to record a 10 second clip of a LinkedIn member recording their name, a brilliant piece of tech changing a very important part of how we relate and communicate to each other as humans - the correct pronunciation of our very names. 

Joseph brings with him a collection of product manager and consulting experiences across some very recognizable businesses from Lyft, Intel, and Nvidia, all the way to Ford Motor Company. Joseph's academic achievements include an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Joseph was also a fellow of the Management Leadership for Tomorrow's MBA Prep program, a non-profit led fellowship focusing on accelerating the career outcomes of African Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans. If you are interested in the program or would like to find out more about Management Leadership for Tomorrow, you can find links in the show-notes of this episode. 

***Navigate the episode***

[07:56]  Joseph’s Management Leadership for Tomorrow experience, and background on his career trajectory into LinkedIn 

[09:49] The LinkedIn profile name pronunciation feature, and the product debut in the Wall Street Journal 

[11:04] Joseph’s experience with LinkedIn  

[13:53] Careers in product management, and the types of experiences and capabilities that are native to the role 

[20:11] The intersection of product and culture 

[23:32] Understanding multi-constituent cultures, and how they consume technology 

[27:55] Product management trends and changes to expect in 2021  

[34:09] The criticality of recruiting for diverse and inclusive talent pools, and how organizations can look at changing their recruiting patterns 

[34:52] Joseph’s journey across academics, organizational networks, and creating connections for future opportunities 

[39:17] The “lived experience”, and the global perspective needed to capture product adoption at a planetary scale 

[43:19] Adopting new perspectives, and how to increase the aperture for perspective across product management and development 

[46:55] Future projects  

***Resources and Links***

Joseph Akoni on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephakoni/ 

Joseph Akoni Product Management Blog - https://www.thepzeropm.com/ 

Management Leadership for Tomorrow - https://mlt.org/  

Boomerang by Michael Lewis - http://michaellewiswrites.com/#boomerang 

LinkedIn Wants to End Pronunciation Gaffes on Names With New Audio Feature - WSJ - https://www.wsj.com/articles/linkedin-wants-to-end-pronunciation-gaffes-on-names-with-new-audio-feature-11594067349  

The 5 Top Trends in Product Management to Watch in 2021 - https://www.productplan.com/top-trends-in-product-management/ 

9 Surprising Stats about Product Management (and What They Actually Mean for You) | airfocus - https://airfocus.com/blog/surprising-product-management-stats/ 

Why Software is Eating the World - https://a16z.com/2011/08/20/why-software-is-eating-the-world/  

59 | Applied & Collaborative AI | Transforming Energy & Utility Safety & Inspection

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Erik Åsberg |

Chief Technology Officer | eSmart Systems

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Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview featuring my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and our special guest, Erik Åsberg. Erik is the  Chief Technology Officer of eSmart Systems --  an applied AI solution that is transforming the way the world's leading energy providers inspect and maintain critical infrastructure. If you are unfamiliar with this type of tech, eSmart's grid systems solution injects high resolution drone and helicopter video footage into their AI application, to help detect structural issues in cables, towers, and other energy based infrastructure to prevent catastrophic failures and events (which for those of you who are living in California, could include wildfires). Additionally, eSmart is focused on the future of the smart grid, as both utilities and energy consumers seek to optimize energy investments, reduce energy consumption, and cut climate emissions.

Erik is our first international guest - joining us from Halden, Norway, and brings with him a wonderful collection of experiences in his 20-year career in tech and energy. In parallel to Erik's CTO leadership at eSmart, he was also was nominated to be a Microsoft Regional Director - a 2 year program reserved by nomination only, recognizing the world's top technology visionaries. The entirety of this discussion focused on opportunities and capabilities available from the collaborative work between humans and machines (AI).

***Navigate the episode***

[07:16] Background on Erik Åsberg and eSmart

[10:32] The AI enhanced applications eSmart brings to the market and how the organization has evolved

[16:42] AI model training and workflow for dynamic data sets

[21:25] eSmart’s target market, and why the energy industry is in need of automation technology

[22:32] How Erik’s team approaches their application testing and code management

[23:56] Modern data capture and workflows for AI based applications

[27:15] The idea of collaborative AI, and the power of the relationship between humans and machine – the feedback loop of intelligence growth

[31:37] eSmart specific projects ranging from global energy infrastructure, oil & gas, and partnerships with Microsoft

[33:50] Cultural challenges Erik has encountered while introducing AI in industry, and how to overcome objections to AI tech

[36:54] Future scenarios as strategic targets for AI problem solving in the smart grid and energy arena

[39:02] What the Microsoft Regional Director designation is all about

[40:39] Getting a hold of eSmart, and being a part of the energy AI community

***Resources and Links***

eSmart Systems - https://www.esmartsystems.com/

Microsoft Regional Director - https://rd.microsoft.com/en-us/about/

Erik Åsberg LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-osberg/