Alex Kantrowitz is a Senior Tech Reporter at Buzzfeed and an author. The biggest tech companies on the planet are incredibly dominant and today we discover what is inside each of them that drives their competitive edge. Expect to learn why powerpoint is banned from Amazon, what a one-to-one meeting with Mark Zuckerberg is like, why Apple might need systemic change if they're not going to fall behind, how Microsoft was turned around by a single man, why CeeLo Green is a good spokesperson and much more... Sponsor: Sign up to FitBook at https://fitbook.co.uk/join-fitbook/ (enter code MODERNWISDOM for 50% off your membership) Extra Stuff: Follow Alex on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Kantrowitz Buy Always Day One - https://amzn.to/2LM6tNe Take a break from alcohol and upgrade your life - https://6monthssober.com/podcast Check out everything I recommend from books to products - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact
The podcast episode features a tech reporter who authored 'Always Day One', a book on the strategy and success of the biggest tech companies. The discussion covers several aspects of technology and innovation in these companies, while an ad for Fitbook is also promoted.
Discussing the culture of working excessively hard, the speaker debunks the myth that you need to put in 100 hours a week to be successful. He further questions the notion that working 80-90 hours a week is required to succeed in companies like Amazon.
The adoption of technology, process automation, and optimization has enabled companies in the tech industry to focus on idea work by taking the amount of execution work down. This will give rise to more work from home opportunities as the future of work is already taking shape in these companies.
Amazon uses automation not only in its warehouses but also in its headquarters. This includes automating the work of vendor managers and using automated systems to generate product ideas and iterate on them.
Amazon has succeeded in automating people's jobs by utilizing its technology to minimize execution work and build a system to get ideas from people to decision makers, ultimately expanding its business to various industries.
Inside Facebook, there's a feedback culture where employees are encouraged to bring ideas to their manager, skip-level manager, and even up to Zuckerberg himself. The feedback training makes sure that employees feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback, contributing to a more collaborative and innovative work environment.
Microsoft shifted its focus to cloud computing and collaboration which required changing its culture from an alpha male style to one that utilized technology for idea work and channeling ideas to decision makers. This was achieved by minimizing execution work, making room for idea work and embracing open channels while maintaining a feedback-driven culture.
The use of voice technology in entertainment could potentially blur the line between screen time and non-screen time, as it allows for a more immersive experience without having to actually look at a screen.
The design team for cars is basing their ideas on technology from products like the iPhone, however, embedding sensors into cars has not been a successful application of this type of thinking.
The speaker predicts that technology, specifically AI, will change our work lives just as it has changed our consumer lives. He expects that AI will be advanced and change the way we live and work, though it is unclear how.
Chris Willett and Alex Sanfilippo discuss Alex's book and where people can go to check out his other work online.