Drinking Your Own Wine
Last week I spent time with several teams at Paylocity – a cloud-based provider of payroll and human capital management (HCM) – at their HQ just outside of Chicago. But Paylocity isn’t just a producer, they are also a consumer. Paylocity uses their software platform for their own HCM. In fact, Paylocity is also their […]
The State of Best Buy 4Q FY18
Yesterday Best Buy reported 4Q FY18 results well above Street estimates. Comparable store sales in the quarter were up 9% (domestic) and 9.9% (international), compared with a 3% Street estimate. US comps were especially strong for entertainment (16.8%) and appliances (20.7%). Entertainment was up 26% year-over-year (likely driven by gaming). Appliance sales were up nearly […]
Can Technology Make Us Better Off While Also Taking Our Jobs?
Earlier this week Axios published the results from a recent Axios-SurveyMonkey poll. The results reveal an interesting dichotomy. There appears to be wide consensus that technology is making us better off and that this will continue into the future. Consider the following findings: 82% of American adults believe the success of U.S. technology companies has […]
A Simple Model of Smart Speaker Adoption and Sales
The market for smart speakers, also commonly referred to as voice-enabled smart speakers and virtual personal assistant (VPA)-enabled wireless speakers, is still a very nascent market. Yes, the market has enjoyed tremendous growth, especially over the last six months, but there is still significant growth yet to be had. I’m already beginning to see some […]
A Global Cold War and the Fear Mongering AI
Earlier this week Eurasia Group published their Top Risks for 2018 which includes the risk of a global tech cold war. They write that, “achieving dominance in emerging technologies is the world’s most important battle for economic power.” But what does “dominance” of an emerging technology mean? And what does that dominance look like? Does […]
Social Implications of AI: Uber’s Effect on Ambulance Services
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming centralized services by enabling decentralized, distributed alternatives. The social implications of AI are becoming increasingly evident, with Uber’s impact on ambulance usage providing a clear example of this shift. Uber and Ambulance Demand: Social Implications of AI in Healthcare Recent research from the National Bureau of Economic Research […]
Trends from BlackFriday, CyberMonday, and the Reshaping of Retail
The dust has settled. The results tallied. Black Friday, CyberMonday, and the entire weekend these two days bookend proved to be a strong thrust for holiday shopping. Here are 5 trends that materialized over the weekend. Some of these trends are continuations of story lines we’ve followed in past years that have grown and expanded […]
Influencers Are Quietly Taking Over Retail Circulars
It all started innocently enough, with seemingly normal individuals blogging about the less glamorous parts of their daily lives. In those early days we were attracted to the rawness and honesty of their writing. We laughed at their stories and looked in on their personal mishaps and adventures throughout the week. Strongly curated content began […]
Amazon’s Football Experiment is about Data
Amazon’s foray into streaming live sporting events is about digital data. It was never about audience size, new activations, or subscriber retention. Last night Amazon streamed their second NFL Thursday Night Football game. Bloomberg reported Amazon’s first NFL live streaming event last week attracted 372,000 viewers who watched the game an average of 55 minutes […]
Cyber Risk and Changing Corporate Structure
With a growing list of CEOs losing their jobs because of cyber attacks and data breaches, it’s time for corporations to change how they operate. Escalating cyber risks necessitate two core corporate structural changes. First, the role of the CIO should be elevated, reporting directly into the CEO and gaining corporate board visibility. Secondly, corporate […]