Blockchain for Good: The Unbanked and Financial Inclusion Nearly one third of the world 's adult population is unbanked with almost 75 percent living in poverty. Without access to savings and credit, economic mobility is next to impossible leaving the unbanked trapped in a never ending cycle of poverty. Basic…
One thing you have to understand about Silicon Valley: We really don’t know what we are doing. That’s not an indictment. We have wonderfully gifted people working at the edge of what is known, where great discoveries are made. But we can’t see the future of technology. And, as with…
Spend five minutes reading #BigTech or #Gentrification posts on Twitter or Instagram and you’ll realize how constant, and increasingly negative, discussions about Silicon Valley’s innovation economy have become. These posts blame the Bay Area’s biggest employers for singlehandedly creating the environment that leads to the displacement of people of color…
Why Being Responsible Company is Everyone's Job Make the World a Better Place When the heroes of the satirical HBO show 'Silicon Valley' - based on the life of a fledgling start-up - attended the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, they witnessed founder after founder proudly proclaiming, "We wont to make the world…
Traffic Relief: It's about time. Time wasted on increasingly congested commutes. Time wasted away from our families. Time lost traveling between home and work. As our 2019 Silicon Valley Competitiveness Project data shows, between 2010 and 2017, average commute time in the Valley has increased by 21 percent. On average,…
Up in the Air Broadly speaking, I believe that all technology should serve to advance humanity's ability to improve our lives. For me, in my job as the president of the Oakland Athletics, this means that technology should serve to improve the City of Oakland and the people who call…
The Leadership Group held its seventh annual Silicon Valley Energy & Sustainability Summit on June 14th at Oracle’s Conference Center in Redwood City, and the theme this year was “Catalyzing Transformational Leadership for Climate Action.” The day-long summit--branded #ESS19--brought together professionals from the private, public, and non-profit sectors to discuss…
Old Values for a New Age In an era when the answer to an opposing viewpoint is to discredit, attack, or label the opposition as disingenuous - the need to advocate for civil discourse is paramount. As a former journalist, I am discouraged by the way we now manage dialogue…
This photo speaks to what should've been. A young family with dreams and aspirations, seeking a better life for themselves and their little girl. Instead, this week they experienced an absolute horror, seen by so many of us in a tragic and horrific photo. The 25-year-old father and his 23-month-old…
Jaywalking. That was what former Tonight Show host Jay Leno called his interviews with people on the streets, asking about history or current events. Most of their answers, you’ll recall, were delightfully wrong. Abraham Lincoln identified as the first President. A furrowed brow when asked the country where the Panama…