Tech Round-Up: December 2020 - 20/20 Rear Vision
What a wonderful thing hindsight is. Had we known 12 months ago about the dislocation and trauma that 2020 would bring, what would we have done differently, or better?
On a professional level, COVID-19 has forced entire industries into accelerated digital transformations. The effects - and the benefits - will be felt for decades.
This month, on top of our usual compelling update on the technology world, we chronicle your favourite stories from 2020.
All of us at North Ridge Partners wish you a peaceful year end (and a vastly improved 2021).
Original thinking from North Ridge Partners:
RIP 2020. We’ve put our analytics to work to curate the 20 most-read articles from this year’s Tech Round-up. Great reading over the holiday break - knock yourselves out!
New Zealand needs a bold technology strategy: Our resident Kiwi Roger Sharp talks about what the country can do to build a vibrant tech industry and diversify its economy.
Pandemic pandemonium:
The turning point is surely here: The first Brits are now being vaccinated, India is speeding up its vaccine review, and Chinese vaccine company Sinovac is targeting 600 million doses. The narrative will now change to vaccine delivery and inequality.
Meanwhile, Davos is moving to Singapore! The 2021 World Economic Forum will be held in Singapore from 13-16 May. We do admire the Red Dot - always thinking ahead.
Stuff that matters:
This video is a must-watch if you’re serious about tech: Semiconductors are the ultimate bargaining chip. It’s a scintillating mix of Moore’s Law, substitution risk and geopolitics, and you need to understand it.
More profound stuff from Foreign Affairs: How to save democracy from technology.
Bessemer Venture Partners’ masterclass on building a SaaS business: Ten lessons from a decade of vertical software investing.
Who says big deals don’t get done in pandemics?
Salesforce has agreed to acquire Slack: Everyone has an opinion on the $27.7 billion acquisition. The one thing everyone can agree on is - it’s a huge deal.
But if you thought Slack was a big deal, check this out…S&P Global is apparently close to a deal to buy IHS Markit for $44 billion.
Asia-Pacific tech news:
Microsoft invests in Indonesia’s Bukalapak: U.S. tech giants are increasingly turning their attention to Indonesia.
Grabjek, a regional Internet giant in the making: Grab & Gojek are getting closer to a merger.
China claims to be winning the quantum computing race, completing a 2.5-billion-year task in just minutes.
From fintech corner:
Turning disaster into opportunity: Forbes unpacks the fintech revolution and also reveals that challenger banks are on track for a record year.
The payments war continues with Facebook claiming its proposed payments network is 7x faster than Visa's, and a major redesign and change of emphasis for Google Pay.
The cash keeps flowing into fintech: With its latest $4.5 billion raise complete, Andreessen Horowitz now manages $16.5 billion.
From the disruption chronicles:
Are cinemas “going Kodak” on us? Will the cinema movie experience prevail? After 2020’s movie drought a flood is coming, with many movie releases being streamed on release date.
The BBC (Bezos Billionaire’s Club) is set to disrupt yet another sector: Amazon Pharmacy offers online prescriptions, with free delivery. Be scared if you’re a main street pharmacy.
Daimler is trying to change the engines on a jumbo jet in mid-air as it cuts suppliers to fund a software hiring spree. Meanwhile, Tesla enters the S&P 500 (think reduced cost of capital). We are left wondering: can old school car manufacturers ever catch up?
Stuff that caught our eye:
There’s hope for the future as Time names Gitanjali Rao as its first-ever Kid of the Year: And what a teen legend Ms. Rao is, using tech to solve the world’s problems, one by one.
The looney toons take over: Alphabet’s Internet air balloon project, Loon, is now run by Artificial Intelligence. (While we’re at it, for a bit of fun and a trip down memory lane, check out this much younger Arnie explaining Skynet).
Fired by Google: A prominent AI ethics professor is terminated.
Do Robot Dogs Dream of Cyborg Cats? Your very own robot dog, powered by decentralised AI.
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