Coffee Break With Game-changers, Presented By Sap

The Buzz: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution…a fusion of advances in AI, robotics, IoT, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, other technologies…collective force behind many products and services that are fast becoming indispensable to modern life.” [salesforce.com] Every industrial revolution has had a profound impact on how we live, work and relate. The first industrialized our world with steam and water. The second electrified it. The third computerized it, setting the technology stage for the fourth and an unprecedented pace of transformation. What’s in it for you? Advances that often seem like a sci-fi movie. GPS systems that recommend the fastest route. Netflix’s personalized recommendations for you. Voice-activated virtual assistants that answer your questions, play your music, find recipes, tell corny jokes, bring you the news. We’ll ask Marty Groover, John Gretter, Derek Dyer and Don Young for their take on The Future of the 4th Industrial Revolution: What’s In It For You?

The Buzz 1: “During the Revolutionary War, women served the U.S. Army in traditional roles as nurses, seamstresses and cooks for troops in camp. Some courageous women served in combat either alongside their husbands or disguised as men, while others operated as spies for the cause. Though not in uniform, women shared Soldiers' hardships, including inadequate housing and little compensation.” [www.army.mil] The Buzz 2: “The U.S. military has been one of America’s most progressive institutions…But it also embodies a traditional, conservative, and in some ways “macho” culture…There is so much further to go and addressing these issues of gender equity will not be easy.” [brookings.edu/essay co-written by retired General Lori J. Robinson] We’ll ask Colonel Deb Lewis, Major General Suzanne P. Vares-Lum, former US Army officer Donna Matturro McAleer and Chief Warrant Officer Five Phyllis Wilson to predict The Future of Women in the Military: Mental Toughness Required?

The buzz 1: “Women earn about half of science and engineering degrees, but they make up less than 20 percent of people employed in those fields.” (mckinsey.com) The buzz 2: “Women are missing out on entrepreneurial success, making up just 17% of IT specialists in the UK. Worse still, a new survey shows that the number of women in the tech sector has barely moved over the past 10 years despite an industry-wide push. When tech has never had it so good, where are the women?” (theguardian.com) The buzz 3: “Women who have decided to pursue a career in computer science…credited early exposure to programming as the greatest factor in their decision to become engineers. Conversely, a lack of early exposure to computer science was the primary deterrent for women who leave—or never join—the field.” (themuse.com) We ask SAP's Maria Villar, NTT DATA's Theresa Kushner, Treeverse's Einat Orr and VMware's Radhika Rangarajan to predict The Future of Women in Tech: How to Level The Playing Field?

The Buzz 1: “Social media can also be a powerful tool for your professional life…It can also be full of pitfalls. More employers and recruiters now regularly check candidates’ social media profiles before hiring them, and screenshots of status updates and tweets mean your electronic words can live forever, even if you delete them later…it’s not just your own posts—your activity, including those stealth “likes,” can come back to haunt you, too… every post you’ve liked, commented on, or shared, in addition to any posts you’re sharing to your feed.” [themuse.com] The Buzz 2: “Creating a personal brand on social media…it’s about what you stand for and what people should expect when they see you’ve posted a new piece of content.” [digitalmarketinginstitute.com] We’ll ask Loic Simon, Lindsey Boggs, Jonathan Pogact and Sylvia Lachkar to predict How Your Personal Social Brand Could Help or Hurt Your Future Career, Business, Influence, Reputation and Life.

The buzz: In a 2017 ISACA survey, only 53% of surveyed business technology professionals believe their organization’s leadership is digitally literate. The other 47% don’t think their leaders have a solid understanding of tech and its impacts or are unsure. (helpnetsecurity.com) Despite better AI, easier app developing, and robots joining the workforce, there’s still a huge disconnect between non-technical CXOs and their tech teams, even in Silicon Valley. If you are a non-techy entrepreneur or CXO, how do you ask for technical solutions or hire engineers if stack, back-end or RAM are gibberish to you? Executives need to develop technical intuition and systems-thinking to be proficient at technical communication and ability, says Aman Agarwal, Sanpram Transnational founder and CEO. We’ll ask Aman, Dr. Sharon Jones, John Lester and Justin Bouldin to predict whether speaking tech will be a basic business requirement on The Future of Digital Literacy: Will CXOs Have to Talk Tech?

Buzz 1: “Time spent in conversation is never wasted.” [Insidious: Chapter 3] Buzz 2: “I had a really long talk with a squirrel one time, longer in fact than I can with most people.” [Charlie’s Angels] Buzz 3: “Do you always begin conversations this way?” [The Princess Bride] If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing. You’ll hear predictions on the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond, from ten panelists on our 2020 series, Think Tank: Conversations in a Digital World. Added to the prognosticators who participated on Parts 1 through 6, today’s episode brings our total to more than 70. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 7 live. Working together, let’s make 2021 a great year!

Buzz. 1: Robin to Batman: “In the circus, the Flying Graysons were a team. We had to trust each person to do their jobs.…Sometimes, counting on someone else is the only way you win.” Buzz 2: Fred Astaire: “For ballroom dancing, remember that your partners have their own distinctive styles also…adapt your style…you are not surrendering your individuality, but blending it with that of your partner.” If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing. Over our 7-week Special, which concludes on January 27, you’ll hear more than 60 experts cover the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond. Today we'll ask 10 thought leaders to predict the future of business partnerships. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 6 .

Buzz. 1: “Oh, my goodness! Shut me down! Machines making machines. How perverse!” (C-P3O in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, 2002 space-opera film). Buzz 2: “Never send a human to do a machine’s job.” (Agent Smith in The Matrix, 1999 sci-fi film). If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing. On our 7-episode 2021 Predictions Special [more on Jan. 20 and 27], you’ll hear insights from more than 65 experts covering a range of technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond. Today, 11 thought leaders predict the future of industry 4.0, including automation, Internet of Things connected devices, machine learning, digital workers and more. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 5 live. Working together, let’s make 2021 a great year!

Buzz 1: Doc Brown: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads” (Back to the Future). Buzz 2: Mr. Spaceley: “Where's Jetson, and why is the plant shut down?” Rudy2: “It's the middle of the night, sir.” Mr. Spaceley: “Machines don't sleep. Start it up! Every second lost means money lost. And money lost means I scream a lot!” (Jetsons). If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing: thought leaders predicting the future of mobility, automotive, manufacturing and related technologies. On our 7-episode 2021 Predictions Special [continuing Jan. 13, 20, 27], you’ll hear insights from 50+ experts covering the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 4 live. Working together, let’s make 2021 a great year!

The Buzz #1: Mr. Spaceley: “Where's Jetson, and why is the plant shut down?” Rudy 2: “It's the middle of the night, sir.” Mr. Spaceley: “Machines don't sleep. Start it up! Every second lost means money lost. And money lost means I scream a lot!” [Jetsons: The Movie, 1990] If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing. On December 16, 2020, we'll ask ten thought leaders to predict the future of IoT and other disruptive technologies on our Annual Crystal Ball Special. Our Special continues on Jan. 6, 13 and 20, 2021, on other topics. In total, you’ll hear insights from 60 experts covering the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 3 live. Working together, let’s make 2021 a great year!

“If you focus on what you left behind, you will never see what lies ahead!” (Gusteau, played by Brad Garrett in Ratatouille, 2007 computer-animated comedy film) “Your problem is not technology. The problem is you. You lack the will to change.” (Klaatu, played by Keanu Reeves in The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2008 sci-fi drama film) If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing. On December 9, 2020, we'll ask 11 thought leaders what awaits the CFO and Finance in 2021 on our Annual Crystal Ball Special. Our Special continues on Dec. 16 plus Jan. 6, 13 and 20, 2021, with other topics. In total, you’ll hear insights from 60 experts covering the technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 2 live.

The buzz: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” (Søren Kierkegaard,1813-1855, Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic, author) If you’re hoping to gaze into a crystal ball to see what 2021 holds for your company, your industry and the world, we’ve got the next best thing. Live today, December 2, 2020, we'll focus on the Future of Digital Selling on Part 1 of our Annual Crystal Ball Predictions Special. The Special will continue on December 9, 16 plus January 6, 13 and 20, 2021, focusing on other topics. In total, we’re bringing you insights from 60 thought leaders covering the exciting technologies, strategies, and trends that can help you grow and compete better in 2021 and beyond. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl, or Dom, and join us for Technology Revolution: The Future of Now – 2021 Crystal Ball Predictions – Part 1 live. Working together, let’s make 2021 a great year!

The buzz: “Today, anyone with a bit of technological know-how and an internet connection can publish—offering digital or physical editions, on the same online retail shelves—alongside Alexander Chee, Rebecca Makkai, or Tom Clancy.” For printed books, a slew of new funding, production, and distribution tools make creating and selling a physical artifact much easier…The books look fabulous. This proliferation of new technology and services has altered author economics. Almost half of author earnings now come from independently published books. For the first time—perhaps since the invention of the printing press—authors and small presses have viable independent options beyond the “traditional” publishing path with its gatekeepers. [wired.com] We’ll ask Water Street Press publisher, editor and author Lynn Vannucci, ad-copywriter-turned-novelist Arthur Vibert, and CPA-turned-novelist Joe Calderwood for their take on The Future of the Novel: Writers, Publishing and Technology.

The buzz: “In its hundred-year history, the drumset has been adorned by temple blocks, timpani, and bass drumheads with nature scenes…introduction of the hi-hat, Rototoms, Octobans… bass drums with no front heads at all…entire drumsets would spin in the air, be aided by powerful electronics, and explode in size with additional bass drums, toms, and snare drums and enough cymbals to equip a large marching band.” “So what of drumming’s future?…How will such buzz phrases as “Internet of Things” and “Industry 4.0” change the way drummers interact with their environment? A basic understanding of electronic instruments, which is already a required part of a working drummer’s vocabulary, will surely become more ingrained in our skill sets. Or will some as yet unknown drummer or technology alter the game entirely?” moderndrummer.com We’ll ask musicians Kevin McCollom, Brian McCollom and Lou Wysocki for their take on Behind The Beat: The Future of Drums, Drummers and Music Technology.

The buzz: “In the unknowable future, all leaders will need to be entrepreneurs: visionaries that can imagine, adapt, and act nimbly to address whatever challenges come their way.” (Bhatia and Levina, hbr.org) With global businesses impacted by Covid-19 and other disruptions, companies that survived are looking at their future workforce through a new lens. No more obey-the-status-quo hires. They need creative, entrepreneurial, collaborative problem-solvers to help them turn obstacles into positive results. Where to find them? In school! Since 1987, NY City-based nonprofit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has taught project-based entrepreneurship to 500,000+ under-resourced students, now in 18 U.S. states and 10 countries. Will these grads snag top jobs in the coming years? We’ll ask Dr. J.D. LaRock, Kyle Garman, Dr. Karina Edmonds, Srinivas Rapthadu and Dr. Malcolm Woodfield for their insights on Back to School: The Future of The Entrepreneurial Mindset and Technology.

The Buzz 1: “The future holds unparalleled visions of progress and intrigue for the curious…where we manifest our hopes, dreams and even worst fears…While we've had our fair share of inventive breakthroughs in the past that have changed the world, the dazzling and world-shaking inventions of the future will change the world in even stranger and greater ways.” bigthink.com The Buzz 2: In the 19th century, inventors were heroes…Stephenson, Morse and Goodyear were the shock troops of the Industrial Revolution. Their ideas helped drag humanity from agrarian poverty to manufactured plenty. These days, though, inventor-superstars, while not absent, are fewer and farther between.…Patent records reveal that the way inventions are made has changed over the years.” economist.com We’ll ask modern inventors Brian Fried, Alex Tholl, Samantha St. Raymond and Shawn Taylor for their take on Your Great Idea: The Future of Inventors, Inventing and Technology.

The buzz: Futurists are people who attempt to predict the future – authors, consultants, thinkers, organizational leaders and others who engage in interdisciplinary and systems thinking to advise private and public organizations on diverse global trends, possible scenarios, emerging market opportunities and risk management. Futurists are motivated by change. Not content merely to describe or forecast, they desire an active role in world transformation. Futurology is concerned with ‘three P's and a W’, i.e., ‘possible, probable, and preferable’ futures, plus ‘wildcards’, which are low-probability, high-impact events. In The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin distinguished futurology – the business of prophets, clairvoyants, and futurists – from novelists, whose ‘business is lying.’” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurist We’ll ask futurists Mike Bechtel, Frank Diana, Tom Raftery and Alexandra Whittington for their take on The Future of Futurists, Futurology and Crystal Ball Tech.

The buzz: “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” (President Jimmy Carter) But Canadian social psychologist John Berry observes that multiculturalism is dependent on both the “cultural maintenance” by immigrant groups and “cultural acceptance” by host societies. Strong cultural maintenance by immigrants and weak cultural acceptance by a host society lead to separation and marginalization. Conversely, weak cultural maintenance by immigrants leads to assimilation into the host culture. (psychologytoday.com) Through media globalization and cross-border connectivity, technology is playing an integral role in balancing cultural preservation with fluid cultural exchange. And this creates a real-time multicultural experience. We’ll ask Court Stroud, Sarah Carberry, Diego Lastra and Ana Crandell for their take on No More Tower of Babel: Multiculturalism, The Media & Technology.

The buzz: “Over the centuries human beings have always loved to laugh. We can imagine jokes being shared by our cave dwelling ancestors about the two woolly mammoths. Today comedy is shared with vast audience by world-famous arena-filling comedians. Comedy is part of human culture. “There seems to be more comedy than ever. There are local comedy clubs, the Edinburgh Fringe, YouTube, comedy series and Hollywood movies – however you like your comedy served up, there is probably a source catering to your taste. “Still some key challenges…for all but the very top tier of acts to make a living…comedy has always lingered slightly in music’s shadow in terms of new media – lagging behind embracing digital platforms.” (Sarah Henley, co-founder of NextUp, www.tvbeurope.com/features/what-impact-might-technology-have-on-comedy We’ll ask Eddie Sarfaty, Lori Hammel, Peter Michael Marino and Karen Bergreen for their take on “What’s So Funny?!? The Future of Humor and Technology.”

The buzz: Although they comprise more 50% of the population, women hold far fewer positions in the wine industry, fewer leadership roles, and fewer ownership roles. Wine expert and The Wine Bible author Karen MacNeil’s Second Annual Report on Women in the Wine Industry reveals an estimated 10% of winemakers in California are female, 7% in Washington, and 5% in New York. She closed her keynote at the 2019 Wonder Women of Wine (WWOW) inaugural conference with this advice: “My friends, men are not going to fix this. Many of them don’t even think a problem exists. The situation is ours to change, and the time is now. So, move forward unwaveringly and ambitiously…Be supportive of other women…And help create a new terroir of wine feminism.” We’ll ask Susie Selby at Selby Winery, Sharon Cohn at Breathless Wines, Jane Uttley at Unfiltered Unfined Wines and Karen Maley at Robert Young Estate Winery for their take on “We’ll Drink To That: The Future of Women and Tech in the Wine Industry.”