20 Mar, 2018

Last week, the SEC announced that Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of Theranos, along with ex-Theranos President Ramesh Balwani, have been charged with defrauding investors. To settle the charges, Holmes has agreed to pay a $500,000 penalty. She will also give up majority voting control of the company and will be barred from serving as an officer at any public company for a decade. This latest turn in the story of Theranos and the story of its founder and CEO represents a staggering fall from grace.

03 Mar, 2018

This week, I ran across an insightful Forbes piece compiled by Cari Sommer, which presents the thoughts of five technology executives on the value of thought leadership. Thought leadership is one of the most important tools in any company’s arsenal, but because the concept can sound vague and unquantifiable, it is all too easy to be skeptical. In fact, for most companies, it’s far more appealing to generate interest in a new product using classic PR tactics like a press release than to

22 Feb, 2018

By now, I am sure you are familiar with the story of the Facebook executive who went rogue after news of the recent Mueller indictments broke. But if not, here is a brief recap. On February 16, special prosecutor Robert Mueller announced the indictment of 13 Russian operatives for meddling directly in the US election. The indictment included several references to Facebook and, more specifically, discussed how the platform was manipulated to sow discord and influence the vote in an already

08 Feb, 2018

After a prolonged period of growth, this week the stock market experienced one of its first rocky periods in a couple of years. The general opinion seems to be that it was a temporary blip—but there are those who see this as a much-needed correction of an over-inflated market, and still others who think this points to some warning signs beneath the surface. Whatever the eventual outcome, this seems like a good time to reassess long-term business strategy in the event of an economic downturn. I

29 Jan, 2018

It’s that time of year again! Legalweek 2018 kicks off in New York on January 29. For the legal technology industry, this is the show to attend and companies ranging from the most established thought leaders to the most obscure start-ups will all be onsite. The event is always a great forum to gauge the trends currently dominating the legal industry, and those likely to do so in the near future. I anticipate much of the focus this year will once again be on artificial – or augmented –

24 Jan, 2018

In my previous blog post, I took a look at the trends I thought might dominate the communications landscape in 2018, and predicted that audiences would become more discerning about the content they consume in response to the information overload that characterized 2017. I anticipated that brands would pivot towards a more nuanced kind of storytelling that resonates emotionally with audiences, as opposed to the ubiquitous click-bait that seems to lurk everywhere on the web. Now, as we approach

10 Jan, 2018

In my previous blog post, I looked at a couple of the key trends which defined communications in 2017. Today, I want to share my predictions of the key trends that will likely have the most impact in these industries in 2018. Less content, more impact: As noted in the previous post, 2017 will forever be synonymous with the concept of fake news. It was also a year of never-ending cycles of political crises. A palpable sense of exhaustion has set in and I have heard more than a few people

27 Dec, 2017

It is that time of year again where we look back on what has passed and contemplate what lies ahead. 2017 has certainly proved to be a memorable one. In this two-part blog series, I want to take a look at some of the key trends that influenced the world of communications and technology this year, and think about some of the issues which will likely dominate the headlines in the year ahead. Fake news: If there is one term synonymous with 2017, it has to be “fake news.” While politicians have

14 Dec, 2017

It is a common sense proposition that when a company evolves, so too do its staffing needs. It’s not just a matter of increasing the number of staff members, but also the depth of skills, knowledge and experience required as a company moves from start-up to serious player. Over the course of my career, I have worked with clients ranging from one-person start-ups to established industry heavyweights and everything in between. I have always been struck by the importance of not only having the