390: LinkedIn co-Founder Reid Hoffman argues that companies should value speed over efficiency. In the modern world of network effects, being the first to scale often provides significant first mover advantages in creating a transformative company. While second place can be a decent consolation prize, Reid believes that if you are third or worse, you failed. However, while speed is important, Reid warns against having a blind adhesion to size as companies also need to determine which components put them in the best possible position. We also discuss the lessons Reid took from SocialNet, a company he founded before LinkedIn, his experience as a founding board member at PayPal, how China is able to move at such an extraordinary pace, among other topics.
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389: Nationwide CIO Jim Fowler shares what drew him to Nationwide after nearly two decades at GE. He also elaborates on his three pillars of focus as CIO. Jim is focused on modernizing the technology team itself, which involves becoming more agile, the modernization of all the underlying platforms, such as Nationwide’s policy management, claims, life insurance systems, and leveraging the first two pillars to create a set of customer journeys. We also discuss the evolution of the CIO role, Jim’s take on AI, digital twins, and quantum computing, among other topics.
388: Volvo CDO/CIO Atif Rafiq discusses Volvo’s evolution into a mobility company. While Volvo has been around since 1927, the company’s executives’ first order of business is to define the future state of the company, which allows them to understand the ambition they need to fulfill. If a company can put together a plan to move towards that higher ambition, it will gain momentum, which builds on itself. Atif claims that once a global company has clarity on this aspect, it will have the necessary resources to chase that. We also discuss Atif’s focus on the customer experience, Volvo’s partnership with Silicon Valley firms, the company’s value proposition to potential employees, among other topics.
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387: Schneider Electric CIO Elizabeth Hackenson provides details from her first 100 days as CIO when she made multiple trips around the world to speak with as many business peers, customers, and employees as possible. Early in her tenure, a key IT leader stepped down, resulting in Elizabeth being forced into the dual role of Global CIO and Head of IT for North America. Though more than she expected, the dual role allowed Elizabeth to immerse herself into some of the challenges that operations were facing, and she was exposed to new leaders, challenges, and opportunities in IT. We also discuss Elizabeth’s relationship with her predecessor and current Chief Digital Officer Herve Coureil, Schneider’s approach to eliminating technical debt, and Elizabeth’s take on the evolution of the CIO role.
386: Akamai CEO Tom Leighton details the private and public sector’s growing security concerns, which has led to the company’s pivot from its traditional internet offerings to a fast-growing security business. Today, there are billions of devices in homes and offices that are not adequately secured. Bad actors have the ability to wipe out any cloud data center, which can isolate many countries from the rest of the world. Tom believes that this damage is a fraction of what could be done in future attacks, and the only way to stop these attacks is to absorb it out at the edge. We also discuss Akamai’s founding story, how the company survived the difficult times following the dot.com crash, why Tom believes the firewall’s time has passed, among other topics.
385: Toyota (TMNA) CDO and Toyota Connected CEO Zack Hicks shares his vision for how technology will transform driving. As the CEO of Toyota Connected, Zack and his team use data to provide an enhanced and seamless driving experience. To do so, Zack is focused on removing friction points throughout the entire process by having 3rd party services integrate with Toyota’s technologies. He claims to be agnostic about who owns the experience, and that his only goal is to enable it. While he is focused on augmenting the driving experience, he asserts that full autonomy is still far in the future. We also discuss Zack’s experience as a board-level executive, his view on the future of autonomous vehicles, the benefits of containers and server-less technologies, among other topics.
384: Fortinet CISO Phil Quade argues that cybersecurity needs to act like a science in order to understand its core strategies and implement the complex elements that can be layered on top of that strategy. Phil believes that doing so starts with building a foundation based on speed, integration, and connectivity. Fortinet, which was built on these elements, is focused on making sure they provide the fastest possible cybersecurity solutions out there, as well as providing the ability to connect them together. We also discuss the differences between private and public sector cybersecurity, Phil’s approach to mitigating risk, the advantages of being an internal first user, among other topics.
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383: Symantec’s CEO In this interview, Greg argues that detection and automation are absolutely critical in the era of prevention. He cites that in today’s cyberspace, companies report as little as seven minutes between first infection and disaster, so it is critical that organizations be able to detect and automate the response to those threats. At Symantec, the company has used artificial intelligence to improve its ability to defend, as Greg describes in this interview. We also discuss Symantec’s four pillar cyber safety umbrella, the importance of having consequences for those who try to steal data, the value of zero trust infrastructure, and a variety of other topics.
381: Sequoia Partner Roelof Botha and Ethos Life co-founder and CEO Peter Colis dive into the major issues with life insurance and how Ethos Life can make a difference. A great life insurance company has not been built for 150 years, and while the existing players have massive amounts of capital, Ethos is relying on their speed of execution and digital advantage. We also discuss how Ethos is using behavioral science and product testing for ease of use, how Ethos is able to overcome the faster process, Roelof’s take on AI and voice technologies, why Roelof was determined to immigrate to the United States, among other topics.
380: TGI Friday’s Chief Experience Officer Sherif Mityas highlights the importance of intertwining strategy and technology, and he argues that because of the overlap between the two, that every CIO should serve in the Chief Experience Officer role. From his perspective, every CIO today is dealing with the experience of the customer because, from an experiential perspective, technology permeates everything that the guest does. Technologies, such as artificial intelligence and voice-assisted devices, have provided the company with ways to better understand and engage with their guests. By leveraging AI specifically, the organization has shifted from a one size fits all approach to a more specific engagement, which provides a more relevant, frictionless, and convenient experience for the guest. We also discuss the ways in which the company segments the guest journey, the use case Sherif’s sees for blockchain, and how companies need to engage with the consumer.
