Innholdsfortegnelse for Oct/Nov 2023 - issue 61 i Fast Company South Africa

We are living in one of the most important moments in the history of technology. We are witnessing significant changes with major implications for how we live. Some of these changes may have both positive and negative effects. In this issue, we've captured some of these key developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Most professionals who follow developments in the innovation space have heard about AI as well as ChatGPT, the impressive technology that has grabbed everyone's attention. In this issue we introduce you to the humans behind it. I also share several of the things that I observed during my Silicon Valley visit earlier this year. We also shine a spotlight on the fintech sector and particularly companies that have developed solutions that are changing the payments…

What's your wildest dream for the future? To see people take a little more time to try and understand each other. In a world where online comment-threads often devolve into hostility and misunderstanding, imagine a society where empathy and genuine connection prevail. It may sound pedestrian as far as wild dreams go, but I'm a big believer in how small yet key actions can lead to exponential change. I'll leave the more ambitious goals to those much smarter than I am. Your favourite SA start-up (and why)? It would undoubtedly be fikaTime, the company I co-founded. As a society, we spend a large percentage of our time at work – and when that's not working, it can lead to all sorts of mental health concerns that are mostly unaddressed. The…

• MATT DAVIS HAD BEEN working as an electrician for 10 years when he decided to make a career change. Davis, who lives in Squamish, British Columbia, was earning around $65 000 (Canadian) a year—not a lot for someone supporting a wife and young daughter. Plus, the long hours were getting to him. “The two major factors were financial and work-life balance,” he says. A few of Davis's friends turned him on to the idea of coding boot camps—intensive programmes that teach essential skills to people seeking jobs in computer science. Some of Davis's friends had themselves graduated from boot camps—and they were earning twice his salary, despite having fewer years of experience in their fields. Davis, 35, had taken computer science classes in college, so he had at least…

WE have fintech start-ups to thank for the way in which the payment landscape in South Africa has evolved and continues to evolve. Fast Company (SA) has previously looked at companies that are developing technologies to improve how South Africans make payments. In doing so, we have discovered several that are using these technologies to address characteristically local issues; companies that have taken note of the country's current challenges – including, among others, persistent power cuts, economic disruptions and poor access to services – and developed financial technology solutions to help people overcome them. Some among these companies are trying to address payment industry problems in South Africa; all are leading efforts to modernise the payments landscape. They include: CLICKATELL DISCOVERY BANK PAYSHAP PAYJUSTNOW YOCO CLICKATELL In April this year,…

A-F Jean Accius President and CEO, CHC: Creating Healthier Communities Asheesh Advani CEO, JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide Jasmina Aganovic CEO, Arcaea Sarah Ahmed Cofounder and CEO, DL1961 Will Ahmed Founder and CEO, Whoop Sameer Ahuja President, GameChanger Sandeep Akkaraju Cofounder and CEO, Exo Cristiano Amon President and CEO, Qualcomm L'Rai Arthur-Mensah Project director, Local Projects Lior Arussy CEO, Otentu Donnel Baird CEO, BlocPower Richard Baker Governor, chairman, and CEO, Hudson's Bay Company Svanika Balasubramanian CEO, rePurpose Global Daniella Ballou-Aares CEO, Leadership Now Project Catherine Balsam-Schwaber Founder and CEO, Kindra Maryam Banikarim Founder, MaryamB; cofounder, NYCNext Jon Banner EVP and global chief impact officer, McDonald's Michael Basch General partner and COO, Atento Capital Gail Becker Founder, Caulipower Aimee Bell VP and editorial director, Gallery Books Group, Simon & Schuster Marc Bell…

STAFF feedback is an incredibly powerful source of information to help guide the development of your business. Not only when it comes to products or services, but also for your business model and operating procedures. Employees are often the first to spot inefficiencies or identify gaps in processes, while your sales staff are a major source of feedback from the market, based on all the questions and objections they receive from clients and potential clients. And if you're in the service industry, the staff who are providing service to the clients are your greatest source of feedback regarding what is valuable to them and what is not. All businesses, but particularly start-up businesses, need to deliberately solicit feedback from staff as part of the way they operate. The upside to…

Elon Musk By Walter Isaacson The author of the book Steve Jobs has been following Elon Musk's every move over the past two years. Walter Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, co-workers and adversaries. The result is a revealing inside story, filled with tales of triumphs and turmoil, which addresses the question: Are the influences and experiences that have shaped Musk over the years what it takes to drive innovation and progress? This book is not the first about Musk and it's probably not going to be the last. It is, however, penned by a writer who has documented the lives of some of the greatest thinkers, inventors and innovators of modern times. The biography is set for release…

FAST COMPANY Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella A QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE have gathered to hear Satya Nadella talk about AI. It's just after 9am on a Tuesday in May, and Microsoft's CEO is kicking off the company's annual Build developer conference. Attendees have packed a gleaming new high-rise building at the Seattle Convention Center for his keynote, but they're far outnumbered by those streaming it from around the world. The turnout is no surprise. For months, generative AI software that can create text, images, and other content with humanlike flair has been devouring the tech industry's attention. And, unexpectedly, Microsoft is in the lead. In fact, Nadella has presided over so many generative AI product unveilings this year that he takes a moment on stage to acknowledge their frenetic…

Africa is undergoing a fintech revolution that is moving the continent towards a connected economy. When the dream of the AU to establish an African Continental Free Trade Area is realised, we will experience a seamless trading process across the continent. This is significant because we are currently witnessing a major shift in the payments sphere that will enable such African trade dreams. In the 1870s, Western Union used their telegraph network to send wire transfers, with codes and passwords in place to ensure security of the funds. For more than a century, this remained the only form of electronic funds transfer, or EFT. During this time, Africa lagged behind. Now, however, technology has enabled the continent to move forward with speed. The change that allowed the rapid development of…

Jamal Watkins SVP OF STRATEGY AND ADVANCEMENT, NAACP “Remote work means the workforce can be expanded. But then there's a flip side. One of the top 14 things that impact black life expectancy is closeness to people. You live longer if you are interacting with people.” Meredith Whittaker PRESIDENT, SIGNAL FOUNDATION “AI is—and I believe inextricably will be-replicating patterns of historical inequality and marginalisation. And in many powerful ways, it will be obscuring accountability for those decisions.” ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY WITH NO END IN sight. An abrupt transition from growth to “efficiency”. Layoffs, geopolitical tensions, trade disputes. Oh, and the AI revolution, which has transformed how companies think about everything from productivity to the very nature of creative work. It's a challenging mix for even the most seasoned executive. That's why…

THE RELEASE of ChatGPT in November last year by artificial intelligence laboratory OpenAI is changing perceptions about Microsoft. (The multinational technology corporation is heavily invested – $11 billion to date – in the development of the revolutionary chatbot.) To the extent that some users who left Microsoft back when it was fighting a browser war with Internet Explorer are now thinking of returning, seeking to experience the power ChatGPT brings to its updated Bing search engine. But after spending some time in May this year at Google's annual developer conference – dubbed “Google I/O” and held in Mountain View, California – I believe there is limited chance Microsoft will win the AI race against the powerful tech giant by relying on the introduction of ChatGPT technology alone. At the event,…

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