On our previous episode, we spoke about the Buy Now Pay Later industry and the players that rode the pandemic to all time highs! But what we didn’t talk about was the chaos that ensued post covid!..Affirm's stock price dropped over 90% since November 2021, AfterPay fell more than 80%, and Klarna saw a decline of over 70%. So what's behind this turbulence? Rising interest rates, inflation concerns, and worries about consumer debt have left investors scratching their heads. But don't worry,...

Imagine this: you're browsing through an online store, eyeing that perfect item you've had your heart set on like the new iPhone 15 or a brand new Leather Couch to pass out on. In today’s world, you can bring it home today and pay later, without the hassle of upfront payments or credit checks. It's like having a financial genie granting your wishes! It’s called “Buy Now, Pay Later” or BNPL. This new form of payment, BNPL aims to disrupt traditional credit cards, by helping customers indulge...

In today's episode, we delve into the remarkable story of how JP Morgan Chase became the largest bank in the world. From its humble beginnings to its rise as a global financial powerhouse, we'll uncover the key milestones, strategic decisions, and factors that propelled this iconic institution to its prominent position in the banking industry. Join us as we explore the vision, innovation, and determination that shaped the legacy of JP Morgan Chase. JP Morgan Chase's journey begins in the late...

In episode 2 of the Company Spotlight series we explore the world of tech companies invading the finance industry, and specifically Apple, the tech giant that's not satisfied with just dominating the smartphone market. Apple decided to dive headfirst into the finance industry, and boy did they make a splash. With Apple Pay, you can now buy a coffee, a burrito, or even a new pair of sneakers with just a flick of your wrist. It's like magic, except it's technology. But what's even crazier is...

Starting and scaling a successful startup has never been easy, but in today's climate, it's more challenging than ever. With recent events, such as the collapse of SVB and the slowdown in venture capital, access to funding and resources has become increasingly difficult. For startups to survive, they must have access to the right support and resources. That's where Microsoft for Startups comes in, providing startups with a unique approach to help early-stage companies succeed. On today's...

Every minute, 990,000 Tinder profiles are swiped, 156 million emails are sent, and 16 million text messages are sent out. Moreover, Google processes 40,000 searches a second and 1.4 billion people log into Facebook every day. We live in a digital economy, and it runs on data! Just think about it, every time you check your Instagram or Twitter feed, Google a new recipe, or search the web for the latest sneaker drop, you are providing tons of data that companies can then leverage to sell you...

Governments are going BIG on batteries! As the world transitions towards cleaner energy sources, Governments have recognized the importance of securing battery supply chains in the transition towards a more sustainable future! Some of the biggest government spending packages on battery production incentives include: The US Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program, which provides up to $25 billion in loan guarantees to support the development and...

It seems like every electronic device these days involves some type of battery - your phone, your laptop, and even your CAR! We had another year of SuperBowls boasting new EV production cars from traditional manufacturers like GM, Honda, and Hyundai. The consumers have spoken and the demand for EV's cannot be stopped! But what's taking so long to get to an electrified future? Have you ever wondered why it's so hard to create battery technology? Traditionally, battery research has been a slow...

Transporting people and cargo across the globe is almost as old as time itself! With shipping accounting for 90% of World Trade, it was surprising for us to learn how outdated the industry is with regards to technology! The maritime industry is still very manual, and highly regulated making it a herculean task to even propose bringing about change! But COVID flipped this entire narrative! The pandemic revealed how fragile the global supply chains of essential items are. Shortages in...

In the past 2 years, inflation has been making headlines all over the world! To add to the higher grocery and utility bills, payments processing companies added on higher fees in 2022. Now, as an average consumer, you may not notice these increases so much! But small businesses, the backbone of the economy, is once-again feeling the squeeze.  For a business, it's almost impossible to succeed in today's world without accepting Credit cards. Merchants hand over $138bn in fees each year;...

In the previous episodes, we’ve chatted about currencies and how cash was increasingly playing a smaller role, even in fast growing countries like China & India! The disruptor, that helped transition countries into cashless economies: Credit Cards and Debit Cards. In 2021, transactions on these plastic cards hit $6.7 TRILLION USD. Like many other technology industries, COVID helped accelerate the shift from cash to cashless. For the average American, more than half of their transactions...

Technology is changing finance in developing countries. The Pandemic turbocharged it. With a staggering 650 million Internet users, India has been one of the biggest winners of digitization and by some degree! Just a decade ago, India’s millions of small business owners used only cash to transact. Now they use phones. This has been nothing short of a financial revolution, as Mobile payments, powered by a technology called the UPI, have more than doubled to a staggering $1 trillion in 2021...

The dollar tumbled to a nine-month low against the euro this past week, after data showed U.S. inflation was easing, prompting bets that the Federal Reserve will be less aggressive with rate hikes going forward. But this isn’t new.. The greenback’s share of global foreign-exchange reserves has extended a two-decade decline, but it’s still used more than all other currencies combined.  For decades, the dollar has been the worlds most important currency. You buy energy in dollars, you pay back...

Two months ago, the British government released a “Growth Plan” that talked about tax cuts worth about $45B. That led to a series of events that culminated in Lis Truss going into the history books as the shortest-termed Prime Minister in the UK. Things are not looking good for the UK economy, with interest rate hikes and soaring inflation! Add to that the Sterling Pound Specifically, Sterling Pound has fallen against the dollar by around 20% since the start of the year and inflation is at...

In early 2021 the dollar was near its lowest level in more than five years against a broad basket of currencies Fast forward to July of 2022, the dollar reached parity with the euro for the first time since 2002! The dollar has been on a tear! climbing by around 20% over the past year against a basket of global currencies, and is at its highest level in 20 years. And this has been a wrecking ball to the global economy!Stock markets are bleeding, corporate bonds have been pummelled and crypto...

During the pandemic, the way you’ve eaten has likely changed. Either you ate out less, you cooked more, or you wholeheartedly embraced food delivery such as DoorDash, Deliveroo, Grab, Swiggy or Zomato based on where you live. The Food Service industry was worth over $900B in 2021 just in North America and it’s only getting bigger. It’s also changing.. you may have experienced it already - with all sorts of new experiences, like food delivery, home chefs, and even robot-made food! As robots...

One of the highest consumers of electric power are data centers. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the data center industry, accounts for approximately 4% of global electricity consumption and 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.  To top it off, the carbon dioxide emissions of data centers are comparable to that of the aviation industry.The data center industry is responsible for more greenhouse gases than commercial flights  🤯  And so the pressure is on for them to...

Whether you’re streaming "House of the Dragon" on HBO or just chatting with your friends on Whatsapp, both cause a chain reaction and use energy. Today nearly all the world's Internet traffic goes through data centers or DCs for short. and it all the crazy things we do on the internet from cloud computing, AI, self driving to streaming your favourite shows on Netflix. There are big costs to running these massive servers! These DCs, need a huuuuge amount of electricity to run their equipment...

As of 2022, approximately 95% of organizations are using cloud computing for their work and nearly 85% of companies have deployed their workload on cloud in 2021. Furthermore, with the rising usage of internet and mobile phones & laptops, digitization is flourishing rapidly. Cloud computing is clearly here to stay.. and it's still growing.. but what drives the cloud in the physical space? To continuously expand the capabilities and the capacity of the cloud, we need to build data...

Hey THC Listeners! Jed has had a family emergency come up and had to fly to the Philippines to take care of family. As a result we at THC are taking a short break and we'll have an impressive lineup of  of guests for our awesome listeners when we're back.  So stay tuned, as you’ll be treated with an incredible pipeline, of ideas and conversation about the ever-changing digital economy right here starting October 25th.    Farewell for now but hey... stay curious! Support the show

It’s happening. AWS is no longer the only cloud heavyweight doing business with the US Government. Azure has recently signed a $10 Billion deal with the DoD. Gartner reports that AWS is still a better product than most competitors, in terms of what they offer and the quality! But some ask if it's fair that the DoD is only doing business with Amazon, a representation of perpetuating the monopoly Amazon is clinging onto. Amazon and Oracle both raised questions about “political...

IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all taking the helm for the cloud renaissance. Gartner says that in 2021, spending on public cloud services could go over $330B. All types of industries and even GOVERNMENTS are moving their infrastructure and technology to the cloud. There is tremendous opportunity to build on the infrastructure of the cloud. AWS has been the clear winner for a while now, spanning almost 14 years, the margins and scale are unlike any other business in the world, and...

Happy Labor Day Weekend for our American listeners! We hope you have a long and restful weekend! We're revisiting some of our episode favorites - and for this week - we're doing the gaming industry! In the last decade, the gaming industry has been smashing Hollywood’s earnings out of the park! Just in 2021, the Global “Games Market” had a whopping $180BN in revenue. In fact, Gaming is bigger than Hollywood and the music industry combined. Top games are earning more than the big...

We're revisiting some of our favorite deep dives with industry experts from past episodes. A global transition to clean energy is underway.  What technologies will be essential to this zero emission future? Well, Battery costs have decreased significantly - Lithium battery costs have fallen by a STAGGERING 98% in 3 decades! All the growth and investments in renewable electricity are starting to add up, and now the battery industry is moving at a breathtaking pace. We speak to Nicholas Yiu...

THC Turns 2  🎉🎉🎉 Hey THC listeners! Its been 2 years since we started Things Have Changed, and we just wanted to take this time to say thank you for all the love and support! We wanted y’all to be more involved with how we create our weekly show, and so, starting from today, we’re going to put out a 1-month challenge until September 15th for you to give us feedback on a couple things: New Podcast IdeasLike & Dislike about the showWe’re going to choose the first 100 submissions on...