Insights at Techonomy NYC Set Stage for Half Moon Bay

Technology is neither good nor bad. Which is up to us. That’s just one of the energizing insights shared at Techonomy NYC. See the six top takeaways.

Techonomy NYC (Photo: Rebecca Greenfield)

At Techonomy NYC, the ideas were flying as attendees grappled with the impact of technology on business and society. Here are just a few of the insights from two days of discussion:

Technology is neither good nor bad. Its impact is up to us.

Catherine Steiner-Adair (Photo: Rebecca Greenfield)

“Let’s not let any new app delete old truths, which is that as a species, we thrive when we have really good, meaningful relationships to the people we love the most.”

Catherine Steiner-Adair, Clinical and Consulting Psychologist

All companies are in the business of building trust, whether we know it or not.

“We understand the importance of trust, how easy it is to lose it, how important it is to reengage in gaining it back. “

Tim Baxter, President & CEO, Samsung North America

Some problems are much more important than others. 

“We have made a world that is wealthy and a world that is really teched up, and we’re destroying the planet.”

Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University

Business, technology or otherwise, must grapple with its place in society

For companies to succeed over the long term, they need to be able to define, and then defend, their social purpose in the communities that they operate in.”

Brian Deese, Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Investing, BlackRock

Think globally, act globally

“It is a fact; brilliance is evenly distributed.”

Christina Sass, Co-Founder and President, Andela (which places African programmers in positions with multinational companies)

Microsoft President Brad Smith (Photo: Rebecca Greenfield)

There are ways to see the impact of tech giants positively.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a time when a relatively small number of private sector enterprises have had the kind of global impact that we are seeing today.”

Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft

 

 

Our New York event surfaced numerous topics that will continue to shape the industry — and that we will dig deeper into at our retreat in Half Moon Bay, California, this November 11-13. We operate at the intersection of tech change, business change, and social change, and that makes Techonomy unique. Some of this fall’s themes include:

Tech Addiction: A Social Crisis                          Retail in the Age of Amazon

Can We Govern the Net Giants?                         Making Algorithms Accountable

How Biotech Advances Sustainability               Genomics and Digital Medicine

Is Silicon Valley Off the Rails?                             Equality in Tech and Business

Tech and Democracy (post midterms)               Business Takes a Stand on Social Challenges

Request your invitation.

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