Tech trend predictions from the experts for 2021 summary
Things are changing, you know this, where will things end up? Who knows? Mark Sullivan from Fast Company asked CEOs, executives, investors, and other experts in tech companies for their predictions. It's an interesting piece that shows some agreement on where the experts think things are going. This is the gist.
Working from home
The most common prediction was that working from home would not only become more common but more accessible and easier. Numerous companies will go from being ‘office-centric to people-centric’. And as a result, we’ll see similar investments and enhancement in online learning resources and last-mile logistics operations.
This is a safe bet. Everyone has had to adapt in some form or another to operate in their daily lives remotely. Whether that’s for schooling, staying in touch or for work. Everyone has run into problems with it or found something to be desired and so it makes sense that tech companies would develop tech to solve the problems and improve it in the future. Especially given the consensus that remote working is here to stay for all of the benefits it brings.
Down the same vein but a little more out-there were predictions for a rise in technology that brings people together, ‘to enhance or encourage human interaction’. Some that try to replicate the engagements you might get in person, online. Things like digital whiteboards and a focus on using AR/VR to enhance people’s working from home experience.
Greg Brockman, cofounder and chairman from OpenAI, made the most interesting prediction in the working from home section; the move to virtual life will give companies a chance to re-imagine office working. To optimise for remote workers, rolling schedules, occasional visits, etc.
Although most predictions seemed to take for granted that this hybrid model of companies operating both remotely and in the office will work, Brad Svrluga, cofounder and general partner at Primary Venture Partners, predicted that it would break. That it will break because of a new set of communication and cultural challenges that are still on their way. One of the few direct contradictions, especially to iRobot’s CEO and co-founder Colin Angle, who expects quite the opposite.
Virtual virtually everywhere
A number of experts cited the benefits of going virtual to be cheaper, more time-efficient, more convenient and easier to scale. And as many experts expect a growing number of other industries and verticals to get onboard. Sarah Foley, a partner at SWAT Equity partners, gave the example of streaming business and subscription models being copied from the likes of Netflix to churches and gyms.
In a section much later in Sullivan’s article the same prediction is picked up again but focuses specifically on the medical industry. Numerous experts predict improvements, or larger investments, in virtual healthcare. To capitalise on all of the same benefits. Again in a similar vein, Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and co-founder of Schmidt Futures, expects an uptick in new drugs, treatments and tests for COVID to go hand in hand with the vaccine.
The most interesting prediction in this area was from Erica Brescia, COO at GitHub who expects the pace of innovation to increase. Not necessarily from the improvement of these virtual technologies and platforms but from a virtual company being able to tap the vast array of undiscovered talent from developing countries.
AI ay?
The other thing that seemed to have consensus was the role AI (artificial intelligence), and ML (machine learning) would play on the 2021 tech stage. It was linked a few times to benefiting more industries going virtual and working from home. This is not new, we’ve heard these predictions for years. But there was also talk of AI being used to combat climate change.
Warner Vogels, CTO at Amazon cited it as the accelerator to understanding the vast but growing data sets in climate science. And it will play a role in making a greener world more amiable. Specifically for transportation with EVs (electric vehicles). Matt Trotter, head of frontier tech and entry and resource innovation and Silicon Valley Bank marks climate change as the driving factor for this kind of innovation. And as AIs and EVs see developments, so will the industries surrounding them, AI tools, electric battery manufacturing, efficient charging, etc.
Anything else?
The rest of the predictions said a lot of nothing. Some technologies were referenced but didn’t have any reasoning or actual predictions to go with them. Things like 5G and cryptocurrencies. Or just made general statements that ultimately meant “something will happen, I’m sure of it”.
