FEI Weekly

January 21, 2020

2 megatrends to watch over the next decade and a daring question from the WSJ.

You'll Want to Keep an Eye on These 2 Megatrends

Motley Fool

Just as emerging technologies and megatrends drove big investing gains in the 2010s, the 2020s will be similar. Two of the most promising trends that are just taking off are telemedicine and the hybrid cloud. Younger doctors are increasingly looking for telemedicine (the process of seeing a doctor remotely using video communication technology) positions, and the need for healthcare will only grow as the baby boomer population ages. According to a survey, 90% of IT managers were choosing to adopt hybrid cloud environments over specifically private or public ones.

A Daring Question From the WSJ

WSJ - Paywall

Is LinkedIn a waste of time? In recent years, the professional platform has become a target of frustration in the social-media stratosphere: It’s not fun or user-friendly, it’s a bit ugly, and the site has become bogged down with spam connection requests and users’ attempts to market products. “Being present on LinkedIn is essential,” says Aliza Licht, a digital consultant and author of “Leave Your Mark." "You should regularly post content relevant to your career—innovations by your employer, job openings you’ve heard of, industry shifts you’ve observed—on its home-page feed as you would on Facebook.

Alphabet CEO: 'No Question' AI Should be Regulated

The Verge

“[T]here is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. It is too important not to,” says Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. “The only question is how to approach it.” While the White House is advocating for light-touch regulation that avoids “overreach” in order to encourage innovation, the EU is considering more direct intervention, such as a five-year ban on facial recognition.

BP's CFO to Step Down

Reuters

BP’s CFO Brian Gilvary is to step down in June after eight years in the role and will be replaced by Murray Auchincloss, currently finance head of BP’s upstream division. Gilvary has been credited with overseeing BP’s financial recovery following the 2010 deadly Gulf of Mexico oil spill which has cost the company more than $65 billion in fines, indemnities and clean up costs.

January is for Career Transitions

Glassdoor

In January, there are 22% more job applications started on Glassdoor in the United States than in a typical month. Interestingly, data shows that employers are slower to post new job openings in January. Job seekers should ride the wave of motivation into the new year but should be aware that recruiters and hiring managers may be slower to respond in January as they return from the holidays and sort through a higher-than-usual volume of applications. Savvy job seekers should stay alert and keep an eye out for jobs posted later in the month when the initial surge of applications has died down.