Embracing the Humanized Internet — Identity, Trust & Tech Leadership | DisrupTV Ep. 99

Hosts: R “Ray” Wang & Vala Afshar

Guests:

  • Monique Morrow, President & Co-Founder at The Humanized Internet
  • Vijay Vijayasankar, CTO of IBM Services North America & IBM Senior State Executive for Arizona
  • Esteban Kolsky, Principal & Founder at ThinkJar

Key Themes & What You’ll Learn

The Humanized Internet & Digital Identity
How to build digital ecosystems where identity is user-centric, ethical, and privacy-preserving. Monique Morrow’s work emphasizes human rights in cyberspace and trust-first architectures.

Ethics, Trust & Privacy as Strategic Imperatives
Not just compliance or risk mitigation — embedding ethical thinking and trust-building into product and business strategy is becoming a competitive differentiator.

Customer Experience & Transparency
Esteban Kolsky brings in insights on how transparency in operations, data usage, and identity can drive better customer relationships and loyalty.

Leadership & Technology Architecture
Insights from Vijay Vijayasankar on aligning technology strategy (especially in large organizations) around trust, privacy, secure identity, and how these underpin broader transformation efforts.

Key Takeaways

  • A shift is underway: identity in tech is moving from provider-controlled to user-controlled. The “owner” of one’s identity matters deeply.
  • Privacy and ethics are no longer afterthoughts; they are central to designing systems that people trust.
  • Customers are increasingly aware and concerned about how their data and identity are handled; companies that are transparent and trustworthy gain a strategic advantage.
  • Leadership must adapt: technical leaders need to partner with privacy, security, legal, and customer experience teams to build cohesive strategies.
  • Trust is multi-layered: technological infrastructure (blockchains, decentralization, etc.), governance, policy, and culture all play roles.

Final Thoughts

In this episode, the intersection of identity, ethics, technology, and leadership emerges as a foundational axis for future digital transformations. It’s not enough to build fast or big — resilience, trust, and respect for the human dimension of technology are becoming what separates the leaders from the followers.

For executives—particularly CTOs, CIOs, and those in charge of customer or data strategy—the message is clear: invest in transparent identity systems, put ethics and privacy at the core, and treat customer trust as a strategic asset.

Related Episodes

 

Business Research Themes

Data to Decisions, Digital Safety, Privacy, and Cybersecurity, Future of Work, New C-Suite, Tech Optimization

Roles

Chief Customer Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer