Sheila Bair
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The future of finance, government, insurance, media and entertainment, travel, healthcare, education, the sharing economy and many more sectors will each be impacted by cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, yet this technology remains highly misunderstood. In his signature talk on bitcoin, Brian Forde educates audiences on how bitcoin works, dispels popular misnomers and provides real-life examples about how it’s being used throughout the world. He’ll also provide insights on the strengths and weaknesses of this technology to prepare leaders for experimenting with bitcoin in their organizations.
It’s not just the personal computer. It’s not just the internet. And it’s not just the smartphone. We’re at a unique moment in time where we have an explosion of emerging technologies that will impact us every day – from autonomous vehicles to drones, and from blockchain to artificial intelligence. Business models and regulations are being rewired to adapt to this new reality.
Based on his research at the famed MIT Media Lab and Sloan School of Management, developing national tech policy as a Senior Advisor at The White House, and as an tech entrepreneur co-founding one of the largest phone companies in Nicaragua, Brian Forde breaks down how each technology works, how business models and policies will need to adapt, how it will impact not only consumers but also the workforce, and share the new moral and ethical questions we’ll need to consider. Brian will also show you how it’s not just the technologists who will lead this revolution, but importantly, it’s also the business leaders, policymakers, and community leaders who will decide how technology will ultimately serve us. He will walk you through the ways companies need to evaluate threats and opportunities from emerging technologies.
Biography
Brian Forde has spent more than a decade at the nexus of technology, entrepreneurship, and public policy. He is a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-founded the Digital Currency Initiative, an academic research group on cryptocurrencies, at the world-renown MIT Media Lab to research and incubate high-impact applications of this technology.
Previously he was Senior Advisor for Mobile and Data Innovation at the White House where he spearheaded efforts to leverage emerging technologies to address the President’s most critical national priorities. Prior to his work at the White House, Brian founded one of the largest phone companies in Nicaragua after serving as a business and technology volunteer in the Peace Corps.
In recognition of his work, Brian was named one of the “Most Influential People in Bitcoin and Blockchain” and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Brian received a B.A. at the University of California at Los Angeles and an M.B.A. at the London Business School.
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