379: Estee Lauder CIO Michael Smith stresses the importance of talent and culture. On the talent side, Michael has brought in business leadership from several Fortune 500 companies, and he has helped open a new technology hub in Long Island City, New York, which is part of a two-campus model in New York that has formed after consolidating down from nine location. Michael notes that culture is Estee Lauder’s number one asset. We discuss how consumer expectations will change as technology evolves, the benefits Michael gets from being a consumer of his own products, among other topics.

378: Winnebago CIO Jeff Kuback argues that a strong IT team is an essential element in all industries, even non-technical ones such as RVs and boats. In the past, the industry has been hesitant to invest in IT due to its reputation for high fixed costs, and in fact, Winnebago did not have a CIO when Mike Happe joined as CEO. However, Jeff has worked to make IT more efficient, which includes spending the appropriate amount of money on cybersecurity and moving from an on-premise data center to the cloud. We also discuss how Winnebago has gone from a traditional RV company to focusing on the outdoor lifestyle as a whole, how Winnebago has leveraged Microsoft tools, what Jeff looks for in external partners, among other topics.

378: Winnebago CIO Jeff Kuback argues that a strong IT team is an essential element in all industries, even non-technical ones such as RVs and boats. In the past, the industry has been hesitant to invest in IT due to its reputation for high fixed costs, and in fact, Winnebago did not have a CIO when Mike Happe joined as CEO. However, Jeff has worked to make IT more efficient, which includes spending the appropriate amount of money on cybersecurity and moving from an on-premise data center to the cloud. We also discuss how Winnebago has gone from a traditional RV company to focusing on the outdoor lifestyle as a whole, how Winnebago has leveraged Microsoft tools, what Jeff looks for in external partners, among other topics.

377: Last year, Equifax experienced one of the most devastating security breaches ever, which exposed the private information of 143 million individuals. In this interview, Bryson, who joined the firm after the breach, explains the company’s response and its goals to rebuild customer’s trust through security and compliance work, to build a sustainable future, and to constantly invest in new technologies. We also discuss Bryson’s take on blockchain and the cloud, how Equifax invests in artificial intelligence, his approach to obtaining the best talent, among other topics.

377: Last year, Equifax experienced one of the most devastating security breaches ever, which exposed the private information of 143 million individuals. In this interview, Bryson, who joined the firm after the breach, explains the company’s response and its goals to rebuild customer’s trust through security and compliance work, to build a sustainable future, and to constantly invest in new technologies. We also discuss Bryson’s take on blockchain and the cloud, how Equifax invests in artificial intelligence, his approach to obtaining the best talent, among other topics.

376: Ocado CTO Paul Clarke has guided the company to differentiate itself by focusing not on how fast they can innovate, but on how fast they can innovate their system for innovation. Paul discusses the broad and deep technology estate that has enabled Ocado’s online grocery business to operate with scale, sustainability, and profitability. Through a focused but balanced approach to innovation, the company has developed a unique end-to-end operating solution for online grocery retail that includes massive automated warehouses and an e-commerce, fulfillment, and logistics platform. In a strategy that resembles Amazon’s AWS, Ocado is now making its technology available to other retailers through the B2B-focused Ocado Solutions arm. We also discuss Ocado’s roadmap for a frictionless customer experience, the advantages of its business model, its culture of disruptive innovation, among other topics.

376: Ocado CTO Paul Clarke has guided the company to differentiate itself by focusing not on how fast they can innovate, but on how fast they can innovate their system for innovation. Paul discusses the broad and deep technology estate that has enabled Ocado’s online grocery business to operate with scale, sustainability, and profitability. Through a focused but balanced approach to innovation, the company has developed a unique end-to-end operating solution for online grocery retail that includes massive automated warehouses and an e-commerce, fulfillment, and logistics platform. In a strategy that resembles Amazon’s AWS, Ocado is now making its technology available to other retailers through the B2B-focused Ocado Solutions arm. We also discuss Ocado’s roadmap for a frictionless customer experience, the advantages of its business model, its culture of disruptive innovation, among other topics.

375: MIT's Max Tegmark, author of “Life 3.0" and co-founder of the Future of Life Organization, asserts that the most important conversation in the world is the one about humanity's future with artificial intelligence. Technology is a neutral force, and it is our responsibility to manage it wisely and steer it towards a beneficial future. As our technology becomes more powerful, so too do the positive and negative consequences. Max notes that we need to decide what type of future we want to have with AI so that its impact on society is beneficial, rather than harmful. We also discuss how governments, academia, and companies can help create a better future with AI, the comparisons between prior science advancements and today’s intelligence advancements, how Max became interested in AI, among other topics.

375: MIT's Max Tegmark, author of “Life 3.0" and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, asserts that the most important conversation in the world is the one about humanity's future with artificial intelligence. Technology is a neutral force, and it is our responsibility to manage it wisely and steer it towards a beneficial future. As our technology becomes more powerful, so too do the positive and negative consequences. Max notes that we need to decide what type of future we want to have with AI so that its impact on society is beneficial, rather than harmful. We also discuss how governments, academia, and companies can help create a better future with AI, the comparisons between prior science advancements and today’s intelligence advancements, how Max became interested in AI, among other topics.

374: Equinix CIO Milind Wagle stresses the importance of creating a positive customer experience. Equinix's core value is to put the customer at the center of everything that they do, and the company has laid out a recipe for customer focus and success consisting of five major components. These components are treating their customers like assets, looking at the entire life cycle of customers, building a customer listening system to receive feedback, using a prioritization system to interpret that feedback, and delivering that feedback to the entire organization. We also discuss how Equinix’s annual revenue grew from $1 billion to $5 billion over an eight year period, the importance of culture in a digital transformation, and Milind’s view on artificial intelligence and machine learning.