Last week, Te Hiku Media chief executive and one of Time magazine's most influential people in AI, Peter-Lucas Jones, spoke to the world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

As our featured guest this week, Jones explains how the Kaitaia-based media company is using AI to save native languages across the globe.,

Plus, cutting through the noise on what DeepSeek actually is and does.

Reading list.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SailGP's chief technology officer Warren Jones goes deep into all the ways he and his team have integrated digital technologies into the very foundation of the sport changing the nature of racing.

Plus, the ramifications for New Zealand and the world-at-large of the technology billionaires buying their way into US President Donald Trump's good graces.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Other than a few big-swing failures, it’s been a bit of a holding pattern for consumer technologies this year, with many minor improvements but nothing truly revolutionary.

This week, Peter and Ben are unpacking all that and more as they dive into the consumer products and services from 2024 they thought were good, bad, and just plain silly.

Topics include the series of disappointments that were built-in artificial intelligence (AI) assistants, Dyson’s $800 headphones, the AI services they actually found useful, hot digital travel tips, a skin-smoothing LED mask and a whole lot more.

This is the last episode for the year and The Business of Tech will be back again with more great guests and tech news analysis on Jan 23, 2025.

Additional music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay.

Subscribe on iHeart Radio or wherever you get podcasts

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by four stellar journalists who discuss what they saw over the last year and look ahead to what may be yet to come. 

BusinessDesk’s senior markets reporter Rebecca Stevenson offers a deep dive into Rakon's failed takeover and unpacks Gentrack’s success – and the questions that success raises. 

Rob O’Neill, senior reporter at IT industry news outlet Reseller, unpacks the waves of redundancies and talks about AI in big business. 

Finn Hogan, a writer at startup-focused Caffeine Daily, talks through the coolest tech startup highlights, the ups and downs of finding funding, and the industries worth watching. 

The Spinoff founder and media writer Duncan Grieve outlines his concerns over the future of the news amid big tech’s continued domination of the media landscape.  

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Vamos' career in tech has spanned decades, starting with IBM straight out of university in the 1980’s, followed by stints at Apple, NineMSN, Microsoft, and Xero.

He says that connecting with people and being open to criticism are key skills for leaders navigating through times of major change.

Vamos also shares more specific advice on navigating change, having hard conversations, and the importance of character.

Plus, Ben and Peter discuss why the Australian social media ban may not be a great idea.

Ben's Bluesky

Peter's Bluesky

Reading list

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Projectworks founder Matthew Hayter and new CEO and Silicon Valley veteran Mark Orttung dive into the details on what’s happening with the $100 million company's international push. 

Plus, Ben and Peter discuss Bluesky’s sudden rise in popularity as people leave Elon Musk’s X by the millions.

Ben's Bluesky

Peter's Bluesky

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter was in California for the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, carrying more satellites to support One NZ's satellite to mobile connectivity. 

We dig into the details of that deal, including whether competitors can possibly keep up.

Then, our featured guest is Alex Kendall, one of NZ's most successful tech expats in recent years.

Alex Kendall is the founder of Wayve, an autonomous vehicles company that raised US$1 billion earlier this year. 

He talks about his journey from being raised on a farm in Canterbury, to leading one of the most promising artificial intelligence companies in the world.

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year, we prematurely dubbed 2023 the year of AI but how could we have know what 2024 would bring.

Generative AI has solidified it's position in the pantheon of disruptive technologies as hype settled into pragmatism and tech talent across the world put it to work.

We've assembled three AI experts from across NZ's industry to talk about the year in AI that was, and look ahead at what to expect in the year to come.

Our panel consists of Callaghan Innovation chief executive Stefan Korn, Simply Privacy director and principal Frith Tweedie, and Supahuman AI founder and chief executive Dave Howden.

Plus, Peter and Ben can't help but share their own views on where AI is headed.

Additional music by Aberrant Realities from Pixabay

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

\We're diving into data with Snowflake's New Zealand country manager Tony Shaw.

Shaw shares how any size of organisation can benefit from data analytics and AI, emphasising the importance of having high-quality, consolidated information to drive business outcomes. 

He also talks generative AI and the role that good data practice has in realising its potential and mitigating risks.

Plus, tech under Trump: the influence of tech billionaires in the recent election, what it might mean for tech policies, and how it may impact NZ's tech industry.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's big bet on fibre has paid off in spades, according to a new report by Deloitte that found the $5.5 billion that government and private companies invested into the super fast internet infrastructure has delivered $31b in value due to productivity gains.

Two economists from Deloitte Access Economics, Liza Van Der Merwe and Mayuresh Prasad, walk us through the findings from that report, and what the future may hold for fibre in NZ.

Plus, the first part of a new segment where Garth Bray upgrades from an iPhone 8 to an iPhone 16 and lets us know what he thinks of the latest in smartphone tech.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

Subscribe on iHeart Radio or wherever you get podcasts

Reading list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.