DisrupTV Episode 432

Marcus is the CTO for Microsoft's Azure Core. He is the author of the books HUMAN AGENCY IN A DIGITAL WORLD: Understand Technology and Make it Work for You (December 23, 2025) and A Platform Mindset: Building a Culture of Collaboration (February 11, 2025).

In his previous roles at Microsoft, he worked as the chief architect for Azure Compute and led the Azure efficiency team. Before his time at Microsoft he was a Staff Research Scientist at Google and a Principal Research Scientist at Yahoo! Research. He began his career as a Research Staff Member at the IBM Almaden Research Center.

Rebecca A. Fannin is a recognized expert on global tech innovation, a journalist and author of five books including her latest one, The New Tech Titans of China. At CNBC, she is an online contributor to news features and the Disruptor 50 report. Her recent cover story at Newsweek explores China's gains in EVs and the impact on national security.

Rebecca’s forward-looking and resource-rich books (Silicon Dragon, Startup Asia, Silicon Heartland, and Innovation in Emerging Markets) have launched her as a commentator and public speaker. A guest on BBC, Bloomberg, Fox News, and NPR, and a quoted source in the New York Times, she has spoken at SXSW, the Brookings Institution, Asia Society, Harvard, Yale, and Oxford.

A graduate of Ohio University Scripps School, Rebecca's journalistic career has spanned from Crain Communications in NYC to the hottest Silicon Valley publication, to Asia’s emerging markets and China’s entrepreneurial boom. A Forbes columnist for 10 years, she also has written for Harvard Business Review, Worth and several thought leadership publications. In 2010, she formed Silicon Dragon Ventures as a media, events, advisory and membership group. She also is a scout for Alumni Ventures and a board director.

Known for her detailed reporting and trend-spotting, Rebecca recently traveled 10,000 miles on a grass-roots trip in her Honda Element to interview dozens of leaders at the forefront of transforming the Silicon Heartland’s regional economy from Rust Belt to Tech Belt. She also has traveled to China regularly since 2000 to gain a close-up perspective of the country's rise, from AI to EVs to chips and the supply chain for advanced manufacturing.