Carolyn and Seth welcome Geoff Lane from CompTIA's advocacy team to discuss The CHANCE in TECH Act. This proposed legislation aims to simply the processes in the Registered Apprentice program, particularly around the skills gaps needed for technical jobs in the new digital economy.

More on The CHANCE in TECH Act: www.comptia.org/about-us/newsroom…hance-in-tech-act

Carolyn and Seth look at some of the big announcements coming out of the Microsoft Inspire partner event, including the Microsoft 365 bundles, the One Commercial Partner model, and consumption-based compensation.

Carolyn and Seth review three different articles with different takes on Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, eventually discussing possible implications of massive internet companies that influence every aspect of daily life.

Slate/Last mile problem: www.slate.com/articles/business/…_mile_problem.html

Stratechery/New customer approach: stratechery.com/2017/amazons-new-customer/

NY Times/Consumer data: www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/06/…tml?smid=tw-share

Carolyn and Seth review the current mess that Uber is facing and discuss why it's become such a big deal and how we are treating technology these days. Then the conversation turns to the need for rural broadband, as thinly populated areas struggle to compete without modern Internet infrastructure.

Rural broadband story from WSJ: www.wsj.com/articles/rural-amer…utm_campaign=buffer

Carolyn and Seth wish a fond farewell to Walt Mossberg and discuss his final column, which looks forward to a world filled with ambient technology.

Walt's final column: www.recode.net/2017/5/25/1568909…berg-final-column

*Apologies for some audio issues in this episode.

Carolyn and Seth start with a quick discussion on last week's ransomware attacks (get off Windows XP, people). Then they dive into the new research from CompTIA looking at technology purchasing behavior among non-IT business units. Finally, they cover the big theme coming out of Google IO: artificial intelligence.

Carolyn and Seth are joined by TC Doyle, Senior Director of Content for Penton and co-author of The Digital Revolution, to discuss digital disruption. The ESPN layoffs were the latest example of a company trying to adjust for a new world order. What is driving this change, and what should the response be?

Carolyn and Seth give a preview of CompTIA's upcoming research study, The Evolution of Security Skills. Then they turn their attention to Amazon and Facebook, asking whether or not they are monopolies, and what exactly those companies might be monopolizing.

Carolyn and Seth take a look at the agenda for the Channel Partners conference taking place April 10-13. Carolyn will be speaking on channel trends, and there are several dynamics at play throughout the other sessions. Then they turn their attention to the dynamics being created in the tech industry as products reach massive scale and introduce new capabilities, often leading to unforeseen results.

Uber/Lyft background checks: www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/0…9fON/story.html

Online harassment: www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/magazi…inside-nyt-region

Carolyn and Seth share their thoughts from CompTIA's Annual Member Meeting, then they review some upcoming studies on cloud and Internet of Things with the help of some insights from CompTIA members.