RL10's Profile

Thanks for this really interesting article! I’m a CapitalOne user, and I was curious about the some of the transitions they’ve made in their mobile app–I wonder how much of those updates have come through open innovation! Given the sensitivity of banking data and some of the security concerns brought up by commentators above, I’d be curious to learn more about how Capital One is developing its developer sandbox and what kind of data they are choosing to provide. I’m also curious about the two-sidedness of this use of open source innovation–how much are developers able to both iterate on each other’s products as well as tinker with Capital One’s existing materials? How much is CapitalOne able to provide tools back to developers that they’re able to take with them other places. Lastly, I think the incentives question you raised is a really interesting one–given customers’ low expectations from their banking aps, can hackathons be a sufficiently sustainable model? Or do you think CapitalOne needs to create a more sustainable and systematic way to ensure it is constantly innovating and able to keep on top of open source innovations in the fintech and banking sectors?

This is an interesting commentary on what could be next (and what could potentially save) GE. I’d be curious to understand more about what role you think additive manufacturing can or should play in different divisions. I thought it was interesting that you separated out premium products from the rest of the GE portfolio. Particularly for these premium products, what role do you see additive manufacturing playing in the incremental improvement of product design? Do you think it makes sense for GE to focus on big breakthroughs like the single print product that you mention? Or do you think it makes more sense for them to be focusing on a more incremental approach of developing smaller components that still allow them to reduce the time and number of components needed to create a product?

This is really cool! I think the use of open source here is a really interesting one, and I wonder how, given the age and gender of the end users, this model affects social behavior. I think the gender component is especially interesting, and I’m curious to understand how social values like sharing that are often emphasized more to young girls than to young boys might be impacting how kids play with the toys and/or choose to share their designs. Going forward, I’m curious to see how LittleBits kids interact with and understand the open source model in comparison with their peers and with older generations that did not grow up with open source toys. I would imagine that the outcomes are likely related to your question about creativity versus copycatting and their overall role in children’s development.

This is really interesting! I’d be curious to learn more about how the additive component of this is working and how farmers are altering their behavior and activity planning in response to the Conectarra data. I also thought your point about data outages was especially interesting. I’d be curious to know how and whether data outages have systematic elements (e.g., bad weather, specific altitudes, distance from cities) and, if so, how these data blindspots are affecting the quality of the ML teaching data. I’d love to learn more about what the company is doing to address these data outage issues and if they have corrective measures in place to ensure the accuracy of their learning model.

This is really interesting! I’m especially curious about how this ML-powered shopping experience compares with that offered by Burberry’s competitors in the luxury space. I’d love to learn more about how Burberry trains its sales associates to communicate this information to their customers. The balance of the personalized experience, and resulting unique style, that we associate with luxury seems challenging to integrate with an optimized–rather than personalized–information and analytics flow. I’d be very curious to see if and how the Burberry shopper and brand image change over the next few years as a result of this new in-store experience.

This article is a really interesting analysis of what might be to come in construction. The bridge is a cool experiment, and it made me wonder about where 3D printing will make its first repeatable inroads in the industry. Will the labor shortages that you mention be the driving factor, and will 3D printing be used to replace specific types of skilled labor (e.g., bricklayers)? How will the reaction by craftsmen’s guilds impact the timing and entry point for 3D printing? I’m interested to follow this space and keep an eye on this trend that you’ve identified!