Johann Van Tonder
@jvt
20 years in ecommerce, now CEO of a CRO agency. Probably doing analysis in R or building stuff with AI. Or walking on the beach. Yeah, probably that.
Johann Van Tonder
@jvt
20 years in ecommerce, now CEO of a CRO agency. Probably doing analysis in R or building stuff with AI. Or walking on the beach. Yeah, probably that.
Even Thomas Watson is reputed to have said, in 1943, “I think there is a world market for about five computers.”
There is no credible evidence that Watson actually made this statement, it is almost certainly apocryphal.
IBM historians say a 1953 stockholders’ meeting is likely the origin: Thomas Watson described a business trip to gauge demand for IBM’s new 701 computer. He said “we expected to get orders for 5 machines,” but they returned with 18 orders.
Your job isn’t to be “good”. Your job is to offer something specific which some people will think is good, and some people will probably think is bad.
Skills you need in the age of AI: You’ll need critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence. Some technical skills e.g. understand the AI capabilities, some data literacy, cyber threats etc.
But mostly, you’ll need truly human soft skills:
- ability to make complex decisions
- ability to have creative problem solving
All skills that will enable
The measure of my success as a leader is how minimal my intervention can be.
I’m committed to stepping back and allowing others to make their own decisions and find their voice as leaders.
Tiago Forte on X
Founder insights and
Thinking clearly is a conscious act that writers must force on themselves, as if they were working on any other project that requires logic: … doing an algebra problem.
Good writing doesn’t come naturally, though most people seem to think it does.
On Writing Well, William Zinsser
the story-driven company is responsive to customers and prioritises having a clear sense of purpose and identity. It makes little reference to the competition and is intent on creating an impact.