The Business of Tech

In episode 10 we talk to science communicator extraordinaire Neil deGrasse Tyson. In an interview with Ben, Neil shares his views on commercialising space, the cesspit of social media, science's racist history, and more. They discuss his latest book, in which Neil asks what people, governments and businesses can learn by looking at the world from a cosmic perspective. Ben and Peter also discuss th...

In Episode 9 of The Business of Tech we quickly dip into the 2023 NZ Hi Tech Awards. Then, we catch up with Ben Reid, Aotearoa's leading futurist, the creator of the influential Memia weekly newsletter, NZTE Beachheads advisor, and business consultant. What do Kiwi businesses need to know about the generative AI revolution? Can robotics help transform our manufacturing sector, and is there still l...

In episode 8, we feature an extended interview with Paul James, the government's chief digital officer, and the chief executive officer of Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). James is the man responsible for coordinating how government departments adopt technology and the work DIA does also has a key impact on how digital services are delivered to citizens and how aspects of th...

Special guest  Marian Johnson , chief executive of the  Ministry of Awesome , features in episode 7 to explain the benefits that women founders can bring to NZ's economy, and how we can best support women who decide to follow their own high growth startup dreams. Before that, Ben and Peter talk cybersecurity, with commentary from Microsoft's local national security officer Mark Anderson, following...

This week, Ben and Peter are joined by Apple watcher  Dr Sarb Johal  from  A+ Report  to talk about the biggest Apple product drop since the Apple Watch - the Vision Pro. They ask what it will take for the device to catch on and who the actual customers could be. Sarb shares what he expects to see for the future of Apple's attempts at mixed reality and why he thinks Apple's share price dropped in...

This week it's all about generative AI and LLMs on episode five.  Ben and Peter dig into the NZ Privacy Commission's 'expecations' around businesses using tools like ChatGPT and consider how it compares it to the EU's regulatory approach. They ask who will win the race to the AI personal assistant (and what does that even mean) and consider who will be the winners in the race to build infrastructu...

This week, the state of NZ’s startup scene is on Ben and Peter ’s minds following the release of TIN’s 2023 Technology Investment Report. They discuss key points from Ben’s interview with TIN managing director Greg Shanahan . They ask how good the 2023 budget was for tech and science. Then, Capture the Bug founder and CEO Ankita Dhakar explains to Peter why businesses should be putting out bountie...

Welcome to episode three of The Business of Tech, hosted by leading tech journalist Peter Griffin and BusinessDesk technology editor Ben Moore .  This week we're joined by Mark Callander, chief executive of our sponsor 2degrees. The word of the day is satellites as Mark draws back the curtain on the telco's partnership with Lynk Global for its upcoming satellite-to-mobile tech to deliver cell serv...

Welcome to episode two of The Business of Tech, hosted by leading tech journalist Peter Griffin and BusinessDesk technology editor Ben Moore .  It’s a two-fer this week on The Business of Tech as Peter and Ben pack their second episode full of tech talk. First up is Ashlee Vance, author of When the Heavens Went on Sale – a dive into the history of the commercialisation of space, including New Zeal...

Welcome to episode one of The Business of Tech, hosted by leading tech journalist Peter Griffin and BusinessDesk technology editor Ben Moore .  This week, the pair talk about Ben's recent trip to Microsoft's HQ in the US and what the company has planned for OpenAI. Then, Peter interviews Judith Collins who shares her views on government's role in the tech sector. New episodes every Thursday. Follo...