Technologist of the Month

Is This the End of Advertising? Andy Hood, Vice President of Emerging Technologies at WPP, shares a grounded perspective on the “end of advertising” debate. Every time a major technology shift happens, the same question comes up. As a creative technologist, he’s seen advertising reinvent itself again and again, roughly every few years. AI may be transforming the industry at an unprecedented scale...

🎙️ Why Real-Time Analytics Is So Challenging In this clip, Kai Hackbarth, Head of Product and Solutions at Bosch, explains what makes real-time analytics fundamentally different from analyzing historical data. Unlike structured historical datasets, real-time use cases often involve large volumes of unstructured data coming from multiple sources, such as sensors, tires, or even live weather feeds ☁...

🎙️Regulation, Advantage & AI Transparency In this clip, Matthew Blakemore, CEO of AI Caramba!, shares a candid perspective on AI regulation and industry dynamics. He questions whether certain public calls for regulation truly come from a neutral place 🤔, especially when some organizations may already benefit from having built their models before stricter rules are introduced. He also highligh...

🎙️From AI Hype to Real Value! In this clip, Rakesh Doddamane, Leader – Generative AI / Responsible AI & User Experience at Philips, reflects on the evolution of AI adoption. When the AI wave began, there was a surge of experimentation and proof of concepts. But as the technology matured, the focus shifted from exploration to value. Today, the priority is clear: identify where AI delivers measu...

Designing TikTok for Live Sports! In this clip, Rollo Goldstaub, Global Head of Sports Partnerships at TikTok, explains how the platform builds products specifically for sports partners. Unlike most verticals, TikTok adapts parts of the app, user experience, and publisher tools purely for leagues, teams, and broadcasters. The goal is simple: drive measurable value. Features like match destinations...

🎙️ “Start With the Problem, Not the Tech.” In this clip, Dr. Satyajit Wattamwar, Data Science & Digital Expertise Leader at Unilever R&D, shares a key lesson from applying AI in the real world. If you truly understand the business and the value to be unlocked, the solution is often simpler than you think. It might be a basic equation, a heuristic, or a straightforward machine learning mode...

🎙️ Designing the AI Operating Model In this clip, Altaf Patel, VP, Data Analytics & AI at PepsiCo, explains why operating model clarity is critical for scaling AI. Success isn’t just about talent; it’s about how capabilities come together. Data engineering, governance, AI platforms, data science, and business intelligence are all aligned around clear product archetypes, stitched together throu...

Winning Consumers Starts with Issuers For Brice van de Walle, EVP Core Payments Europe at Mastercard, consumer value starts with strong partnerships. As a B2C business, Mastercard’s priority is making sure banks and issuers fully understand the benefits behind every Mastercard, so they can clearly communicate that value to cardholders. By closely supporting partners with the right tools, materials...

In an AI World, Creativity Matters More! In this clip, Andy Hood, Vice President of Emerging Technologies at WPP, reflects on how AI is reshaping the creative landscape. With channels more fragmented than ever and AI democratizing content creation, more people can produce more content, faster. That inevitably creates noise. But noise only increases the need for true creative cut-through. The diffe...

AI’s Next Phase of Economic Impact! In this clip, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shares how he sees AI evolving over the next few years. First, agents begin doing real work at scale, especially in coding. Then AI starts accelerating scientific discovery, potentially driving major breakthroughs. After that, the shift moves from the digital world to the physical one, with robots becoming meaningful econ...

Trust Users, Then Iterate. In this clip, Samuel Beek, Chief Product Officer at VEED, explains how real user testing shapes what actually ships. Before launch, products are put in front of large groups of users, and especially a panel of super users, to see how they’re really used, not how the team assumes they’ll be used. Sometimes VEED takes a bet and ships early, then refines based on what they...

🎙️ Toward a Federated AI Internet In this snippet, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shares a long-term vision for a truly personalized AI, one that knows you, understands your context, and can be used seamlessly across many services. He imagines a future where AI can sign into other platforms, supported by powerful SDKs, and where today’s APIs evolve into something much bigger. The end goal? 👉 A new, i...

Beauty Tech from the Inside Out! Moutia Khatiri, Global CTO for Online & Omnisales at L’Oréal Groupe, explains how Beauty Tech is more than innovation; it’s a deep transformation. Launched around 2018–2019, the program began with a major IT overhaul and evolved into dedicated teams building AI and cutting-edge tech into digital products. The goal: ✨ Empower employees ✨ Augment consumer exper...

Leadership at Scale: Why Energy, Empathy, and Curiosity Matter More Than Solutions ⚡🤝 At senior leadership levels, success isn’t about working longer hours; it’s about managing your energy. 💡 Adam Harmetz, VP of Product Management at Microsoft, shares a powerful leadership lesson: before jumping into problem-solving, start by showing support, respect, and curiosity. When leaders pause to truly...

Vishnu Acharya is a well-rounded technology leader and speaker with over 20 years of experience spanning engineering and operations. He has worked both as an individual contributor and in senior leadership roles. Currently, he is an engineering leader at Uber , where he focuses on hyperscale production network engineering, infrastructure, and software automation. Known for his natural curiosity to...

What’s Really Driving the Next Wave of Fintech? In this snippet, Pavan Bachwal, VP & Head of Financial Services at Ericsson, breaks down what’s fueling the momentum in fintech today. From single APIs and lower transaction costs to real-time payments and cross-border transfers, the industry is moving fast. Pavan connects these shifts to the growing impact of AI and digital assets, which togethe...

People First, AI in the Middle In this snippet, Andy Hood, Vice President of Emerging Technologies at WPP, shares what AI looks like inside one of the world’s largest creative organizations. At WPP, teams across creative and media agencies now have equal, safe access to generative AI through WPP Open, a shared platform bringing major AI models into one interface. But Andy is clear: 👉 The tools do...

Dianna Wilusz , MBA, SPHR, SHRMSCP, is a dynamic executive leader serving as Vice President of People Experience and Operations at SoftBank Robotics America , where she architects solutions advancing human experience through robotics, AI, and data-driven decision making. As CEO and Founder of The Pendolino Group since 2009, she specializes in organizational performance, leadership coaching, and st...

How Different Generations Use ChatGPT? In this snippet, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shares a fascinating take on how ChatGPT is used across age groups. He describes some users, especially students, treating ChatGPT like an operating system, connecting files, using complex prompts, and building workflows around it. Others rely on it as a life advisor, making decisions with the help of its growing me...

Making Responsible AI Scalable! In this snippet, John Hearty, Vice President & Head of AI Governance at Mastercard, talks about the surge in AI adoption following generative models like GPT-3.5, and why governance had to evolve just as fast. At Mastercard, the focus is on making it easier to build and procure responsible AI. That means providing teams and partners with the right tools, guidanc...

AI Can Generate. Creatives Define ‘Good.’ In this snippet, Andy Hood, Vice President of Emerging Technologies at WPP, explains the real role of AI in creative production. Yes, tools like top-tier video generators can create impressive scenes. To most people, they look good enough. But a trained director sees the gaps, in framing, pacing, lighting, sound, and storytelling. Andy’s point is clear: 👉...

Adapt Fast or Get Left Behind! In this snippet, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, explains why organizations struggle when change accelerates, and why startups keep winning. He points to slow, rigid systems where decisions take months or even years, while the world moves in real time. That gap fuels creative destruction: startups adapt fast, and legacy players fall behind. Sam predicts many large compani...

Why Every AI Project Needs an Ethics Committee In this snippet, Matthew Blakemore, CEO at AI Caramba!, stresses why AI ethics committees shouldn’t be optional. He shares that every project he’s worked on included one, because it’s extremely difficult for companies to ethically assess their own products in isolation. Independent voices matter. By collaborating with external experts, including the U...

Gregory Van den Top is a seasoned cybersecurity leader and the Field Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Cloudflare , where he is dedicated to “helping build a better internet.” With extensive experience in cybersecurity strategy and risk management, Gregory plays a pivotal role in strengthening internet infrastructure and advancing security practices worldwide. On the Menu: Cloudflare&#3...

Building Match Hubs That Put Partners First In this snippet, Rollo Goldstaub, Global Head of Sports Partnerships at TikTok, explains how TikTok is rethinking sports discovery with match hubs. These hubs live on high-traffic pages and connect fans directly to broadcasters. 🏟️ When a game is live, scores are shown, and one tap can take users to partners like NBC in the U.S. to watch Olympics coverag...