Technology Leadership, Customer Experience & Platform Disruption | DisrupTV Ep. 3
In DisrupTV Episode 3, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar talk with three influential voices in technology, media, and communications:
- Kim Stevenson, then CIO at Intel
- Larry Dignan, ZDNet editor and media analyst
- Craig Walker, founder of Switch Communications
Their discussion covers the evolving role of CIOs, platform disruption, and how technologies and communications reshape customer experiences.
The episode also touches on media trends, platform shifts, and how organizations must adapt to disruption in tech and communications.
Key Takeaways & Themes
Redefining the CIO Role
Kim Stevenson discusses how the CIO must evolve from “keeper of systems” to a strategic partner — aligning tech, security, and business innovation.
Platform Thinking & Disruption
Craig Walker shares how communications platforms are ripe for reinvention — the nature of voice, data, connectivity is shifting, and established players must adapt or cede ground.
Media, Narratives & Influence
Larry Dignan offers insight into how media landscapes, tech commentary, and narratives help shape public understanding of technology — influencing adoption, regulation, and perception.
Customer Experience as a Competitive Frontier
The panel emphasizes that customers now expect seamlessness across devices, networks, platforms — not just feature sets. Experience and integration matter more than raw specs.
Bridging Communication & Technology
Walker and Stevenson highlight that communications infrastructure (networks, voice, messaging) increasingly intersects with IT and cloud — organizations must unify strategy.
Agility, Experimentation & Risk
To keep pace, organizations must build safe spaces for innovation, take calculated risks, and not let legacy constraints stifle experimentation.
Final Thoughts & Strategic Guidance
- Elevate the CIO as a transformation leader — Don’t let the role be confined to ops and tech; it must be a strategic bridge to business outcomes.
- Design for platforms, not point solutions — Think about how your services, systems, and communications integrate across ecosystems, not just within silos.
- Shape narratives intentionally — Be proactive in how your organization tells its tech story — internally and externally — to influence adoption, trust, and brand.
- Prioritize unified strategies across IT and communications — The future is convergence: networks, cloud, messaging — all interwoven; plan accordingly.
- Build innovation muscles — Create safe zones or innovation labs to experiment rapidly without jeopardizing core operations.
- Focus on experience over features — Smooth, integrated, end-to-end user experience often wins more than technical superiority.
If your organization is wrestling with platform shifts, leadership in tech, or connection between comms and IT, the insights from this episode offer a strong compass for direction.
Related Episodes
For further exploration of topics discussed in Episode 3, consider these related DisrupTV episodes:
